Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Patrick for his scrutiny of government through these motions. It's important for me to state that, while these reports have played a role in shaping our regional agenda, it is a different place compared to when the expert panel report was actually commissioned. As part of our response to handling some of the worst drought conditions our nation has seen and, indeed, a horror bushfire season—and now a global pandemic—we've debated extensively in this chamber. We've committed to a $2.5 billion regional grants program; a billion dollar COVID relief fund; and a $100 billion infrastructure pipeline. We've also developed a plan to grow agriculture by $100 billion by 2030. We're delivering drought assistance packages, and we'll await the House select committee's report into rural and regional Australia to identify next steps. (Time expired)