Damian Drum (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is protecting jobs and driving growth in regional Australia, particularly in my electorate of Nicholls?

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

The member for Nicholls absolutely understands, because he lives in regional Victoria, regional Australia, how the measures that the Liberal and Nationals government have put in place are benefiting not just our country areas but indeed all of Australia, and never more so than during this time of a global pandemic. If we look at the assistance measures, it's a long list. JobKeeper—for how many businesses did that keep the doors open and people engaged with their employer? The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program—each and every one of the 537 councils across the nation is benefiting from that program.

There has been $3 billion of additional funding for road safety measures. The Building Better Regions Fund has gone up to a quarter of a billion dollars in the recent budget. But in round 5, which will be considered very shortly, half of that, $100 million, is going to tourism—so hard-hit by the COVID pandemic. The National Water Grid fund has $3½ billion to support farmers and it is supporting agriculture in the electorate of the member for Nicholls. I know how hard the minister for agriculture is fighting to make sure that agriculture can realise its potential as we work towards $100 billion by 2030.

There is the sector-wide assistance that we have provided to aviation—$4½ billion worth with the Tourism Aviation Network Support, making sure that we get planes and tourists into those hard-hit areas. And I know how much of a difference HomeBuilder has made in regional Australia—making sure that we get tradies on the tools building the homes that we need. There is the instant asset write-off, making sure that farmers, small businesses, can buy that ute, that trailer, that header, that seeder. That's been so well received, particularly in regional Australia but in small businesses right across this nation.

Indeed, as I talk about the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, five councils—Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Moira, Strathbogie and Mitchell—have shared in $41 million of support in the electorate of the member for Nicholls. These grants can be used by councils to upgrade roads to build that local community infrastructure which is so important.

Fifty-nine and a half thousand people in Nicholls are benefiting from the tax cuts that this government is putting in place. That makes such a difference—regional people having more of the money that they earn to spend on the things they want. The Echuca-Moama Bridge—what a construction that is. We're getting on with building that sort of construction, that sort of infrastructure, as part of our $110 billion pipeline supporting 100,000 jobs. (Time expired)