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

Decentralisation is core business for our government. We know it's supported by people living in our congested cities and it's also, importantly, supported by those who live out in regional Australia. It brings new ideas and new faces into our communities and, importantly, brings new wages to stimulate local economies, more kids to our schools and more local volunteers to our CFAs, because we know that the public servants who head to our regional capitals and beyond are welcomed by those communities. But, importantly, part of our decentralisation agenda as a government isn't just about shifting public servant jobs out to the regions; it's about actually ensuring that the private sector avails itself of the advantages of operating out in the regions. It makes policy sense to place those public servants where the impact of their decisions will be most keenly felt. It makes economic sense and policy sense and it's core business for our government.