Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure that Bennelong is very important. Now Labor has won Bennelong, Bennelong will do very well. But I will tell you what will not do very well: the regional seats in Queensland and WA. They will not do very well, while Bennelong will prosper. The 2008 budget has seen some of the most valuable funding programs and support programs for regional and rural communities axed by this metro-centric government. For example, the Regional Partnerships program has been axed. One hundred and sixteen projects which had been approved by the coalition prior to the election will not be going ahead. These projects include community centres, hospitals, meeting halls, sporting facilities, surf rescue boats and even support for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which is a vital service to people in rural and remote areas of Australia.

In the agricultural sector, other programs have been axed. In fact, in total, some $334 million of programs for the agricultural sector have been axed in this budget—the ‘Bennelong budget’, we might call it. These programs include the Agriculture Advancing Australia program—which itself included Advancing Agricultural Industries, a $33 million program that has been cut; the FarmBis program, a $37.1 million cut; and the Farm Help program, a $97.14 million cut. Other programs cut include the Growing Regions program, which the coalition created to fund infrastructure projects in growing regional communities. In addition, the New Industries Development Program was also cut, which is a big blow to regional food producers and processors—and it might even affect the people of Bennelong if they cannot get their vegetables.

An important program which Labor has not replaced is the coalition’s broadband program. Our $959 million OPEL program was designed to bring fast broadband to all Australians. It simply has not been replaced. All that Labor has done is extend the $271 million Broadband Guarantee, which is not going to do what the OPEL program would have done in terms of providing broadband services throughout this country.

We have just heard from the previous speaker that Labor is committed to good health services. I would just like to quote the president of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, who said in a press release today:

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) is extremely disappointed that the Rudd Government has largely ignored the health needs of rural communities in its first budget, with very little additional funding allocated to get rural health off life support and increase the number of health professionals in rural and remote Australia.

He goes on to say:

Of great concern to RDAA is the fact that a crucial, cost-effective rural rescue package put forward by RDAA and the AMA to get, and keep, more doctors in rural Australia has not been funded.

Need I say more about Labor’s commitment to improved health services in rural Australia?

Kevin Rudd has proved himself to be a true son of the ALP—a metrocrat, focused on Labor’s support base in metropolitan Australia. Yet, as I said, the wealth of Australia comes from the country, and it is time that Mr Rudd and the ALP paid due recognition to that fact and to the needs of regional Australia. It will never happen under this government because this government is a metropolitan-focused and based government.