Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of public importance and to wholeheartedly reject the assertions made by those opposite. This government is committed to supporting regional farming communities and has displayed this commitment through several measures, including the 2021 Commonwealth budget. We're also committed to supporting the agriculture sector to grow to $100 billion by 2030, and we are well on the way to achieving that goal.

A key challenge to achieving this aim will be in farmers having access to the human capital they need to get their produce onto the plates of Australians around the country and, indeed, around the world. To address this challenge, our government is delivering a new seasonal agriculture visa which will significantly improve access to sources of legal labour for primary producers. I have been calling for a seasonal agriculture visa for some time now, and the Nationals have delivered. This will allow producers to get the right workers in the right place at the right time. It will allow workers from ASEAN countries to enter Australia for seasonal work, in skilled and unskilled positions, for nine months of the year for three years in a row.

The agriculture industry celebrated this announcement, and local growers in the Mallee have contacted me, saying how thrilled they are with the new visa. When I spoke to Fred Tassone from Robinvale about the new visa, he told me that industry had been crying out for this for some time and that this is a really encouraging outcome for all sectors of business across Australia. Anthony Gervasi wrote to me as well about the announcement. He said: 'This is awesome news. Congratulations, and thank you for your great work. You and the Nats have delivered to our region. There is a general buzz amongst my fellow growers. Everyone I've spoken to is really excited about this news, and it's the much-needed pick-up we needed to refocus on the next season. Confidence is up today. What a great story.' This visa is a great result for farmers in my electorate of Mallee, who've been desperate for a solution to their workforce troubles.

This side of the government is committed to regional communities, and the evidence is in our budget. The 2021 budget contains several measures that build on this government's track record of world-class infrastructure investments. We know that infrastructure is crucial to the prosperity of regional communities. That's why we're investing billions of dollars around the country to deliver the best roads, the best community infrastructure and the best telecommunications possible. This year's budget is delivering an additional $1 billion to the Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program, taking this program to $2.5 billion. This money is improving the lives of our communities, and council organisations are building on some fantastic projects. In fact, I've just come from having a coffee with the Pyrenees Shire Council CEO, mayor and another member, and I've got to say they are so excited about the LRCI program and also about the Building Better Regions Fund. It gives them the capacity to make decisions at a local level about what is needed. They utilise local trades and can see great change in their regional communities.

We also have a focus on safety, particularly for road users. New overtaking lanes have been completed between Mildura and Ouyen thanks to this government's commitment to the Calder Highway in Victoria. The 2021 budget has delivered an additional $15 million to the Calder Highway, bringing our total commitment to $75 million.

I know that regional connectivity is a key concern for communities in my region, and, again, this government is doubling down on investments to improve connectivity for regional Australians. We've committed $84.8 million for the second round of the Regional Connectivity Program. Mallee received $5 million in the first round for projects to install new a 4G base station and to connect Hopetoun and Kaniva to fibre to the premises, the best technology NBN has to offer.

Contrary to the ludicrous claims of those opposite, this government is supporting agriculture and regional communities right across Australia.

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