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

Thank you very much, Senator Williams, and thank for your long and proud history of advocating for New South Wales and for regional Australia. The Liberal-National government knows the strength of our economy underpins our way of life. For rural and regional Australians—the 30 per cent of our population who live outside the capital cities and produce over the 70 per cent of our export opportunities—there's a lot of opportunity to capture.

We, as a government, reinforced our support of regional Australia in the response tabled to the Regions at the ready: investing in Australia's future report this week. Our regional agenda will establish an expert panel that includes business and community leaders to assess key issues in regional Australia. It will report to me as the responsible minister by the end of March with a strategic approach to regional development.

But our ability to pursue these opportunities is now under real threat, should Bill Shorten become Prime Minister and those opposite form government, because of the threat that they pose to our economy and to our borders. Let's just take a trip down memory lane. The last time they were in government, their weak border protection policies, with were also couched in language around being strong and humane, cost the Australian taxpayer $16 billion. And now this week Bill Shorten and Labor again voted to weaken our border protection policies. It's going to cost at least another $16 billion—money that can't be then spent on growing regional Australia and creating local jobs. It means we won't be able to invest in the $10 billion Inland Rail project that will revolutionise freight and market opportunities; in the Coffs Harbour bypass, reducing congestion for local businesses and residents; or in the Rockwood Weir project in Capricornia that my colleague in the House Michelle Landry has fought so hard for. Labor's reckless border policies will also effect regional economies.