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

I'm more than happy to speak on this matter of public importance that the Leader of the National Party has put to the parliament. I can't help but notice there is one National MP left in this chamber: the member Riverina. There's the Liberal member for Capricornia—

You're National Party, are you? I do apologise. On the opposite side there are two members left in this chamber who are from the regions. Compare that to this side of the chamber: the member for Hunter; the member for Gilmore; the member for Lingiari; the member for Robertson; the member for McEwen, which is outer metro; the member for Macquarie; the member for Pearce; the member for Blair; the member for Bendigo; and me, the member for Lyons. I've got the member for Menzies over there waving his hand—oh, and the member for Grey has snuck in the back. So we've got two Libs and two Nats on a matter of public importance brought by the leader of the National Party, who's not even here to hear his own matter of public importance. That's the importance the Nationals place on issues like this. They are all hat and no result—that's what they are!

That speaks to the last nine years of government by those opposite. They talk a big game about the regions but they're never there when it counts. That's what we've seen in the results over the last nine years. Health is in crisis. There's been a GP crisis across regional Australia under their watch. There's been a housing crisis across regional Australia under their watch. With NBN, the digital divide got wider under them over nine years. If there's one thing that's been consistent over the last nine years, it's that too many regional electorates have been represented by National Party MPs who talk big in this chamber but don't deliver on the ground, where it counts.

I'm very pleased to be speaking on this matter of public importance, and I think I'll run out of time before I get through. My mantra since coming to this place six years ago has been, 'We need to rebuild our regions,' because what I've seen consistently from those opposite is a hollowing out of our regions. I've seen the automation of services and the centralisation of services. Our regional communities are being hollowed out. People are deserting our regions. Those opposite, over nine years, did nothing. They did nothing about housing affordability; they did nothing about health access. They just sat on their hands and complained and doled out pork barrels to their mates. That's their idea of representing the regions: pork barrels to their mates.

I'm proud to be part of a government that is delivering for the regions in a proper way. In my electorate of Lyons, there is much to do when it comes to rebuilding our regions, especially since, for nine long years, those on the opposite side who served in the previous government did nothing but send a wrecking ball through our regions. They destroyed local services, stripped towns bare and did nothing to attract long-term occupancy and new occupancy for homes in regional Australia.

I could provide countless examples of support that's needed for GPs and medical services. In the suburb of Brighton in my electorate, and in Bridgewater, Campbelltown and Bicheno—all across my electorate—under those opposite the GP crisis got worse, and it's an issue that we have to confront and deal with. That's why we're here: to confront the mess left behind by those opposite. It's a big mess to clean up. We're up to it and we'll do it.

The good news is that the Albanese government is committed to rebuilding after the destruction wrought upon the country by those opposite. We've made a start, with $1 billion to directly benefit GPs and their patients. We're working with the states and territories, primary health networks and health centres to pinpoint pressure points and ensure that the health system meets the needs of all Australians—including, and especially, those in regional and rural Australia.

I also want to briefly come to the skills crisis we confront. You try and get a tradie these days. They are absolutely run off their feet—and why?

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