Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

What an extraordinary contribution by Senator McLucas. I listened carefully from the start of her speech, and what a wonderful start: ‘The ALP absolutely understands the problems facing rural Australia.’ What a statement, when you see the effect of the Rudd government and the cuts it has made since it came into office. We hear Senator McLucas putting all of her faith in new leadership, new direction, a strong economy and economic conservatism, and then we hear Senator McLucas talking about the fact that, because of the Rudd government, interest rates dropped yesterday, the day before or whenever it was. Because of that interest rate cut, farming families and others will have $246 a year more to contribute to their household budgets. If those farmers who are in dire need in the parts of South Australia that I represent go along to their bank manager confronted with a $100,000 fertiliser bill because of the cost of fertiliser these days and they say to their bank manager, ‘But I’ve got this extra $246 that I can contribute,’ I am quite sure the bank manager will say to them: ‘Yes, $246 will do. I’ll lend you another $100,000.’ That is the sort of understanding that is required in rural Australia, not a bland statement that the government absolutely understands the problems facing rural Australia.

I have lived in rural South Australia all of my life. As a matter of fact, I am proud of the fact that for most of the 16 years or more that I have been in this place I was the only senator from South Australia that lived outside of the metropolitan area. When it comes to rural communities, particularly throughout South Australia—