Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

I furiously agree with the member for Bendigo: we do need more help, support and investment in regional Australia. In Bendigo, Andrew Lethlean, the Nationals candidate, will certainly provide that. Just the other day, he had his launch. There were 300 people there. There's a movement there, because they want a member who's going to invest, support and help Bendigo and the wider region.

I was fascinated to hear the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, the member for Eden-Monaro no less, mention Councillor Rick Firman, the Mayor of Temora, and his praise for roads funding. Yes, he does want more roads funding. Which local government area wouldn't? But, you know, just last Friday, whilst he was driving to a mayors' forum, the previously mentioned Councillor Firman phoned me. He was in fact disappointed, would you believe, at the fact that Temora shire had missed out on Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program round 1 funding. But that's not the rub. They'd received the email at 4.29 pm the previous day and were told in the same email that, whilst they'd missed out on tranche 1 funding, round 2 hadn't closed. When do you think round 2 closed? One minute to midnight that day. So they had a day and a bit to get in their application and supporting submission for round 2. No country council has people who can just be pulled out of whatever else they're doing to provide that detail and information. Local councils around Australia have been left disappointed, left wanting, by this Labor government.

The member for Eden-Monaro talked about health. Yes, we respect the fact that Labor have made a health announcement today. But the very first thing that they did when they got into government was change the distribution priority area arrangements with country areas, so general practitioners in country areas took down their shingle and moved to the suburbs. They left those regional and remote areas that were so desperate and crying out for doctors. That is what they did. Thankfully, we put in place the rural medical school network through the Murray-Darling Basin, which will provide doctors in the long term, but in the short term, because of those changes to the DPA arrangements, we have lost doctors. Don't just take my word for it. Listen to the Rural Doctors Association. They absolutely castigated the Labor government for that measure.

When we talk about bulk billing, they go and praise Medicare, but bulk-billing rates have dropped 11 per cent, and they have dropped even more in regional areas. What did the health minister say when he was questioned? He said, 'If you can't get a bulk-billing doctor, ring up another one. If you can't find a bulk-billing doctor, then go and ring the next doctor and make an appointment with him or her.' That might all be good in the leafy suburbs of Adelaide, but it doesn't cut through in regional Australia, because, when you're in pain, ill, sick and need to see a doctor, often you can't find one who bulk-bills—or one who doesn't bulk bill. You can't find one at all, and you have to wait weeks and weeks and weeks. You shouldn't have to catch a plane when you're in pain. That's, unfortunately, what regional people are facing thanks to this Labor government.

There's a long list of failures by this Labor government. There's this lack of respect for regional Australia. It's regional Australia that led this country through COVID, and they continue to grow the food, fibre and provide the exports for our resources for our balance of payments. What did the city types opposite do? They hid under their bedsheets, pulled the doona up over them and pretended that nothing was happening. It happened because regional Australia lead this nation, and regional Australia will continue to lead this nation with or without the respect or funding from those opposite. But I tell you what: when we get back into government, we will provide that respect. We will provide that funding. We will provide that support, help and investment that regional Australia so desperately craves. Look at the lack of respect with the live sheep exports. When the member for Page was on his feet, the Attorney-General turned and said, 'What's he even talking about?' It's live sheep exports. It's that valuable industry which has been going on for decades out of Western Australia, and you blokes just chopped it. How disgraceful.

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