Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how regional Australia is demonstrating its resilience through the COVID-19 pandemic and leading by example in compliance with health regulations?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the honourable member for his question and acknowledge that in the electorate of Cowper there has been no community transmission nor a case for 123 days. His electorate on the Mid North Coast, like many regional electorates across the country, has been very, very good at keeping the case rates to a minimum, in complying with what the Chief Medical Officer has asked them to do as far as social distancing, self-isolation if required, and helping each other out, because that's what country communities do. I always say that our country communities are big enough in which to get a good cup of coffee and small enough to care, and that is regional Australia. I thank all those regional Australians for what they've done to make sure that the COVID-19 case rates have been kept to an absolute minimum.

I want to also acknowledge a business in Port Macquarie, Coast 2 Coast Sports, which has transformed its business and pivoted from making sports apparel to making hand sanitiser which is then made available for community sports teams. Community sports, where it's been possible to for them to be played, in our regional areas have given an uplift and certainly ensured that those perhaps flagging spirits have been given a boost. I know how important sport is and I acknowledge our sporting clubs for what they do to help spread the word in such things as ensuring that anti-domestic-violence measures are put in place, as far as mental health is concerned. I thank those sports communities and those sports teams, particularly in the member for Cowper's electorate. An Aboriginal woman—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you quite finished?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left will cease interjecting. The Deputy Prime Minister will come back to his answer.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An Aboriginal woman in my electorate, Aunty Gail Clark, who died on 8 January this year, often used to say, at welcomes to country: 'You might need a preacher now and again in your life. You might need a doctor. You might need a lawyer. But, you know, you need a farmer three times a day, every day.' Her message was so good and so important. I want to thank our farmers, right across regional Australia, for keeping our supermarket shelves stocked. I want to thank our truckies for getting that freight stocked and for getting that stock around the nation. I want to thank our doctors, our frontline medical personnel, particularly in regional Australia, for the job that they've done through COVID-19. They are true heroes—all those people in regional Australia—who have been unfairly impacted by the restrictions that have been placed on them, and that is so unfortunate. But they have done what they needed to do. They've kept the case rates low— (Time expired)

Mr Hill interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bruce will cease interjecting and having his never-ending conversation with I don't know who—but you'll just stop.