Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr President: Senator Cameron, I have great respect for organisations like the National Farmers' Federation and other stakeholder groups, but I am here and the government is here to represent the people that elect us. We are all here as representatives of the people, not of particular organisations, not of particular stakeholders or sectional groups. We are here to represent the people we represent. I am proud, down here in our little corner of the National Party, to represent regional Australia. Many senators in the Liberal Party as well represent regional Australia, and many of our crossbenchers, and some Labor senators—unfortunately, fewer than before the election—represent regional areas. I am proud that we represent those people. I am proud that we have a plan to try to create more opportunity for them.

So, while I accept that others will have different views on this issue and that others may disagree, as is their right to do, with our decision on these matters, we have made this decision. We have made it publicly. We took it to the election and the government was re-elected, and we have every intention of making sure that we meet our commitments to the Australian people that we made. One of these that is very important is growing our regional towns and communities, particularly by providing the seed capital, if you like, through government investment and government placements of staff, so that the broader economy can be created in our regional and country towns.