Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

You took the word out of my mouth: nothing. Not only did they cut programs that we had but they also didn't put any money into the programs that they started. I know my two colleagues and friends the member for Riverina and the member for Gippsland—the member for Riverina is probably a stretch for a friend, and I say that with a smile—would say to the infrastructure minister, 'Name one program that you funded and opened in the last three years. There isn't one. They talk about the fact that we pork-barrelled, but they've been running around the country for the last three years opening infrastructure projects that we funded. This is a list of the very important infrastructure programs we need. We do need infrastructure—because, remember, we sell $400 billion worth of the $750 billion we sell—and we need infrastructure to do that. They canned the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, they canned the Building Better Regions Fund, they canned the Bridges Renewal Program, they canned the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, they canned the Community Development Program, and they canned the Stronger Communities Program, though it might be coming back to life. The energy security regional development program—canned. The region accelerator program—canned. The regionalisation fund was canned, and the educational infrastructure in regional Australia program was canned. It's a very sad story.

Everyone on that side of the chamber, everyone on the crossbench, the Greens and the Teals, when they are driving out into the country with their electric vehicles on the weekend, should be saying, 'Thank you.' They should be driving into every regional and remote community and saying, 'Thank you for what you do, thank you for the wealth and the jobs that you create for our country in mining and in agriculture, and— (Time expired)

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