Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Decentralisation and Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

The article, I agree, is very concerning because it goes on to say that sources in Labor's shadow ministry say that they are frustrated about not being included in announcements that concern their portfolios. They are terribly divided over there, which is why they've got these fringe groups having a knees-up at the Otis restaurant in Canberra that the member for Hunter is organising. I bet the member for Hunter doesn't tell the folks at Cessnock Leagues Club that he goes and has a knees-up at the Otis restaurant in Canberra with his fancy wines. I bet he doesn't tell them that. They are hopelessly divided over there and it's very concerning.

Don't come in and lecture us about who's looking after the interests of Australians and their everyday concerns, because the reality is this budget was the budget that saved Australia. The Prime Minister was right today. He was right. You just have to go and walk down any street—it doesn't matter where you are. In your electorates—the members behind me all know—you walk into a cafe, you walk into a restaurant, you walk into a shop and they all say: 'You guys have done well. You've saved my business. You've saved my staff.'

I was in a cafe recently in Orange. The cafe owner said to me: 'We're like family here. To me my staff are like family. We've only been able to keep together because of the government.' She was talking about JobKeeper. That's what this government has done. When Australia was crying out for help on this side of the House we answered the call. We got those programs in which saved businesses, which kept businesses together, which kept families together, which kept food on the tables of ordinary and everyday Australians. Yet those on that side of the House, what are they worried about? Division and spending big money on Facebook likes.

There were some very exciting developments in this budget for the regions in particular. Two billion dollars for the national water infrastructure development to continue the great work of securing the national water supply in the national water grid, $2 billion on road safety. The one I really like—they were the first elements emerging in our revitalised decentralisation agenda. That's what we like: getting people out of the cities into the bush, building our regions, building capacity and resilience in country Australia. They're calling those folks 'VESPAs'—the Virus Escapees Seeking Provincial Australia. They don't call them tree changers anymore. We want the VESPAs. There was that poem on the Statue of Liberty: 'Give us your huddled masses yearning to be free'. We'll take them in regional Australia. We want the VESPAs, the sea changers and the tree changers. Ordinary Australians know this government has their backs.

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