David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House steps the government is taking to grow the economy through investments in the agricultural sector? Is he aware of any barriers to unlocking the potential of agriculture?

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

It is without a shadow of a doubt that we are laying down the plans for how we are going to further develop the agricultural resources of Australia, especially with vital infrastructure. One of the most pertinent pieces of vital infrastructure is the inland rail. With $8,400 million that will be allocated to the construction of this vital piece of infrastructure, which is a railway line that will go from Melbourne through the inland, through Seymour and Wodonga, up to Parkes, from Parkes to places such as Narrabri, to Moree, near Goondiwindi—not to Goondiwindi—and to Toowoomba, this is going to create the mechanism to drive the commerce of those areas ahead, to create the capacity that America has created in the past with places such as Fort Worth, to give a real prospect of economic growth on the western side of the range.

We look to the Labor Party to see what their view is on this—we really do. We look to the shadow minister for infrastructure—long may he remain so. But about the best we can get is that they 'think it is a good idea'. We cannot get them to commit to a vision for regional Australia for our nation. They can come to the dispatch box and say that they are committed to the inland rail, say that they will put money on the table and say that they share the same vision, but they do not. We see the same with the Regional Investment Corporation. We are setting up a $4 billion bank in the member for Calare's seat, in Orange. What are the Labor Party going to do? They are going to get rid of it. That is what they are going to do for regional Australia. Then we go to dams. We have put $2.5 billion in grants and loans on the table for dams. What are the Labor Party going to do? They are going to take money out of it. They cannot find the money, so they are going to take $235.2 million out so that they can destroy the dreams of people like the member for Capricornia or the member for Flynn, by not building Rookwood Weir.

We know the Labor Party are owned by the Greens. They are owned by the Greens. They have given up on the agricultural sector; they have given up on the mining sector. They do not believe in labourers any more. The Labor Party have given up on labourers. They do not have the fortitude to stand up to the Greens and build the inland rail. Why? Because they are going to put frogs before people. They are the party that will put frogs before people. They do not have a vision for this nation. They do not have a vision for the future. They have not laid down one plan for agriculture. They put possums before people in the timber industry; they put frogs before people in building dams. They do not believe in the future of Australia. I challenge the member for Maribyrnong to come to the dispatch box and tell us what they are going to build in regional Australia.