Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand to support the motion moved by the member for Indi. Before I get into the substance of it, I just want to come to the point that the member for Flynn raised about the Building Better Regions Fund. It must be noted that 27 projects in the latest Building Better Regions Fund announcement went to just four seats held by the coalition. It won't surprise me, if we see the renaming of this scheme to either 'building better margins' or 'building better rorting' because certainly there are a lot of regional communities missing out.

The continual and unfettered disrespect shown by this government towards the vast majority of regional Australia, except perhaps in the seats they hold, is why I speak today. Not a day goes by when I'm not shocked and appalled by the government's blatant disregard for regional communities. Last night's budget demonstrated just how little this government really cares about the regions. They're talking big on infrastructure, for example, but the detail exposes a $3.3 billion cut. There's nothing really in this budget for the regions. There's certainly nothing in this budget for Tasmania. It talks about $322 million for roads in Tasmania, but, in reality, next year in 2021-22 only $4 million will be spent on roads by the federal government in Tasmania. That's an absolute disgrace; $226 million of the $322 million is on the never-never. It's not even in the forward estimates. It's an absolute con. This budget is a massive con job on the people of Tasmania.

Support for Tasmanian tourism has been cut, but that's form for this government. It talks a big game on the regions. It looks the part. It wears the cheque shirts, the boots and the big hats, but it doesn't actually deliver the services on the ground. In my electorate, I have seen the failures of this government take root, with small towns getting smaller and young Tasmanians leaving regional communities because there's no clear future for them. There's not enough jobs, not enough services and not enough opportunities for them to hold onto. They can't see a future in their regions, because Liberal governments are really not concerned about the regions. They're concerned about the big corporations, the big banks and the big multinationals. Banks are closing in the regions. ATMs are being ripped out of our towns. Government agencies are closing, with pensioners in the regions told to go online to get assistance. They're being ignored and neglected, and they're getting frustrated.

This is the government that refused to publicly release the Australia's regions: Investing in their futurereport until forced to do so. Why? Because there's no investment in Australia's regions. This is the government which made no commitment to developing a white paper or feasible strategy to advance regional Australia, as the member for Indi points out in her motion. We need to get serious about rebuilding our regions as places to live, to work, to raise a family and to retire with decent quality services and experiences. Regional Australians and regional Tasmanians are tired of being treated as afterthoughts. This is the government that just this week tried to recycle promises for Tasmanian roads and resell them as brand new. So not only is the $322 million funding announcement a mirage—because it's only $4 million next year—but the vast majority of the package was announced years ago; it' just been repackaged this year. It's not even new money. There's nothing for Tasmania in this budget. It's a reannounced mirage.

My electorate is a regional one, and much of it is rural at that. I'm proud to represent my constituents and their homes, for it's my home also. There is so much natural beauty, so many incredible destinations and such a strong community spirit that binds it all together. From Bay of Fires in the state's north-east all the way down to Maydena in the Derwent Valley, my electorate includes farms; fields; stunning coastlines and islands; national parks; places sacred to traditional owners; and heritage listed colonial towns. It's beautiful all the way through, but it has its challenges as a regional area, and we know what those challenges are. They're the lack of services, the centralisation of services into the cities and the lack of employment opportunities. They have so much to offer, and none of it would be possible without the work of the volunteers.

Before I close, I have to shout out the incredible work that the volunteers do. They are the glue that hold regional communities together, and, frankly, they are exploited by this government, because a lot of what they do should be done by paid staff.

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