Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Williams for his question and for his longstanding commitment to and very hard work for the people of regional Australia. I was delighted last week to announce the first round of the Building Better Regions projects. We had $219.5 million going out across regional Australia to 110 projects, worth $497 million, in those communities. This is a fund that is targeted to regional communities. We know that, when we invest in those communities, those communities gain confidence, and we know that one of the most important things for our rural, regional and remote communities is that confidence. It leads people to invest in their businesses, in their futures, in their families. And it says from the government that we recognise that those regional communities are worth investing in, because we know they're the backbone of the nation. About 67 per cent of our exports come from regional Australia.

We can look across the country. I was in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland last week talking to local communities about these projects. Right across the board in those communities, there was interest in those projects because they know how valuable they are. We saw $10 million go to Velocity Park in Bathurst. This is going to be an incredible motor racing precinct which is going to light up the whole region. It is absolutely fantastic. I note Senator McGrath is nodding in his very real appreciation of that particular project. And there is $2.4 million in Victoria for the Wangaratta Turf Club stage 2—