Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about what I think is a structural challenge for regional Australia, and something we should be looking at. I represent a rural electorate, as I have often expounded in this chamber. We produce wheat, barley, canola and lentil broadacre crops; almonds; carrots; wine grapes; table grapes; avocados; citrus; dried fruit; sheep meat; beef; wool; small and medium manufacturing. So we are pretty good if you want something to eat—very busy.

We have tourism. We have an area from the Murray River all the way down to the Grampians—some of the most beautiful country in Australia. And we have service industries, as well. But we do have a challenge. We have fairly high year 12 completion rates, but fairly low university completion rates. We have limited university choices locally, and we have additional challenges when it comes to accessing university in the city.

No-one in my electorate can live at home, catch public transport and travel to university. They do not have that opportunity. So there are costs for families when they want to access universities. I think this is a structural challenge that we need to address in regional Australia, because if we work on the premise that the most likely people to settle into regional Australia and to diversify the economy are going to be country people—people who have an affinity with it—then investing in the ability of country students to access higher education is about diversifying our economy.

I have a vision that our country towns should not just be retirement villages and service industries to agriculture and tourism. I do have a vision. And if I am going to see that vision fulfilled we need to address the issues of aspiration, affordability and location. And how we do that will be the challenge as we look at the future for regional Australia.

In a modern Australia we no longer have as many restrictions on distance. We no longer have as many restrictions on telecommunications. We no longer have many restrictions on air and freight. The future is very good, if we can get it right, and I hope it is something that we can champion. Ensuring that the scholarship funds work in the new education reforms, ensuring we look at the costs to families who are sending their kids to travel to university will be things that I hope to champion in this place.

We need a plan for regional Australia and its growth, higher education and ensuring that our country students can get many skills, travel the world, bring those skills back and settle in businesses to diversify our economy in regional areas is something that I hope to champion in the Australian parliament.