Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare for his question. We believe, I believe, in strong economic management. I believe that, when you earn money, you should be able to keep more of that money. Those opposite believe in taking it away—in funding the big tax whack that they stand up for. That's what they stand up for. We believe in allowing people who work hard, who earn money, to keep more of that money that they earn.

We believe in supporting country communities. I've just finished talking, in my previous answer, about how I believe in standing up for regional communities—as do all the Liberals; as do all the Nationals. We believe there is a bright future ahead for regional Australia, and we're standing up for those regional Australians, who deserve better than to hear the inside-Canberra questions being asked of the government. They should be asking questions about regional Australia. They should be asking questions about the economy. But they just want to go into these Beltway tactics. The people who are listening to or watching this do not understand why those opposite—who once stood up for shearers, who once stood up for high-vis workers, who once stood up for coalminers—are not standing up more for regional communities. I mean, your party, the Labor Party, was formed on shearers and on coalminers. But you're not standing up for them.

We believe in small businesses. Those opposite do not. They just want to get out the big tax sledgehammer and whack them even harder. And I can't understand it. The Liberals can't understand it. The Nationals can't understand why you'd want to take the big tax whack to small business, to family enterprises, to those who work hard, who deserve to keep more of the money that they earn.

These are businesses such as those in the electorate of the member who asked me the question, in the central-west of New South Wales, where Michelle and Angus Pryse Jones own Hill and Crofts CRT in Blayney—

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—

See this speech in context