Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Martin, for your question. You understand, like all of us on this side of the Senate, that strong regions build a strong economy, and that's what the coalition government is committed to doing each and every day. Good economic management is good for the country. When the regions are strong, so too is our nation. That is why this government is investing in small businesses and providing a stable economy that allows industries to grow and flourish.

In the senator's home state of Tasmania agriculture and seafood are major contributors to the economy, worth nearly $2.5 billion combined. Nationally agriculture is now Australia's fastest growing industry, last year growing by 23 per cent of all 19 industries measured in our GDP stats, and employs 1.6 million Australians. Small business underpins our regional communities and it is this government which has backed small businesses, including Tasmanian small businesses, to create one million jobs in the five years since we came to government.

We on this side are backing regional Australia with policies to boost regional industries, grow our local economies and improve infrastructure and services across regional Australia. We've invested more than $3 billion in regional programs and billions more in broader regional infrastructure, helping regions unlock their competitive advantages and access new markets. Round 2 of the Building Better Regions Fund will see more than $212 million support 245 regional projects, and there's more funding for the regions under round 3, taking our total commitment to over $640 million. Our Stronger Communities Program has funded more than 5,500 community projects right across Australia, enabling local communities to have a say in those small capital projects. Through our $220 million Regional Jobs and Investment Packages, we're helping 10 regions that have structural issues to grow and diversify their local economies.