Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Further to the great achievements of the Deputy Prime Minister, for his work not only on the Western Sydney international airport, Inland Rail and the National Water Grid but also on the Building Better Regions Fund, I particularly want to thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his leadership in supporting the government and myself as Prime Minister dealing with the COVID crisis. The Deputy Prime Minister kept Australia moving. Whether it was the international freight, whether it was the national freight code agreed with state and territory transport ministers, keeping Australia moving during the COVID crisis has been essential to the wellbeing of Australians, particularly in rural and regional areas. So, for the work and leadership he's shown during that crisis, Australians will thank him for a very long time to come.

The new Deputy Prime Minister will be sworn in tomorrow, and those arrangements are being made with His Excellency the Governor-General. I look forward to the relationship that I will renew with the member for New England in coming back into the cabinet and serving as Deputy Prime Minister, because we've got a lot to do. There's a lot of work to be done. There's a lot of support that we need to continue to provide to rural and regional Australians. The Nationals is a party that is grounded in rural and regional Australia, and works with the Liberals in rural and regional areas as well, to ensure that we understand the challenges faced by regions. In those regions, the heavy industries, the agricultural sector, the trade deals that they require, the infrastructure that supports their way of life—this is what our government champions. We understand the challenges of rural and regional Australia, and the coalition between the Liberals and the Nationals is what enables us, I think, to be such a strong government for supporting rural and regional Australians. I congratulate the member for New England on his election as Nationals leader, and my heartfelt thanks go to the Deputy Prime Minister for being such a tremendous bloke.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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