Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the minister update the House on how the government is recognising and acknowledging the success of individuals across our regions?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. He has great reason to be proud today, because one of his constituents from Calare, Sophie Hansen, won the Rural Woman of the Year award last night. I acknowledge that the shadow minister for agriculture was there to celebrate over-award with us.

That award goes to show the sorts of outcomes you get and the effort that goes in from so many people. They have every right to have that night to celebrate. Right back to Elizabeth Macarthur, at the inception of the merino industry in Australia, we have seen a continuing line of people who are willing to put so much into their community. There are people such as Lynise Conaghan who did such work with the isolated children's association and in getting the Clarke Creek mobile tower, one of our new 499 new and upgraded mobile phone towers. There is the incredible work done by people such as Jodie McRae in the seat of Page for cancer research. We wish Jodie all the very best at this very hard time in her life as she comes to the final moments of it. We also acknowledge Sarah Parker and the work she has done in the dairy farming industry down in the seat of Murray. There is so much that we have to celebrate. Anna Meares from the seat of Flynn did such great work as our flag bearer at the Olympics, a time that made us all as a nation eminence be proud of who we are. Laura Geitz from the seat of Maranoa who did work there.

It is all about community, all about family, and last night it was also about celebration about the farm, about making sure that we clearly understand that these people who put so much into also put so much into their own families and their communities. They do it in such a way that you find that not only is the person who is the casual worker on the farm doing the farm's books and dealing with so much of the regulation but also they are contributing to the community in which they live. This goes on and on. If we look at the work done by other people in local government, for example, people like Janelle Archdale at Walcha, who had a marvellous battle to make sure that her local council area at Walcha remained independent and was not amalgamated.

These people are all part and parcel of the tapestry that makes this nation a stronger place. Last night it was a great pleasure to be with so many people from regional Australia and acknowledge the work that those marvellous people have delivered for the agriculture industry and for our nation.