Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

I want to congratulate the member for Gippsland for bringing this incredibly important matter of public importance to the chamber and to the people of Australia. After 2½ years, regional Australians are worse off under this government. That is the statement the member for Gippsland has asked us to speak about, and I am unfortunately very happy and very well equipped to talk about this subject.

My electorate of Mallee has absolutely suffered under this Labor government. There is no question about that. I actually have the data, the very clear data, that under Labor Mallee has received $93 million in total across 83½ thousand square kilometres. Under the coalition in the 46th Parliament—and, I grant you, we had COVID—it received $2 billion.

Now, you know, the people of Mallee would go, '$93 million over nearly three years compared to $2 billion.' I can't tell you one project that has happened under this Labor government for the people of Mallee. I'm serious about that—12 shires and no funding actually implemented, no shovel in the ground other than with coalition dollars.

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