Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for her question and in particular acknowledge her passion for regional and rural Australia. Regional and rural Australia has no greater friends than those in the Liberal-National government. Our government has stood by rural and regional Australia through its most difficult times. That is because we know that a sustainable, economic recovery from COVID-19 depends on so many of those in rural and regional Australia, which is already home to one in three Australians.

Those on this side of the chamber, the government's side, are committed to ensuring that we put in place the right policy framework to ensure that our regions are able to thrive. Why? Because, as we know, when you support our regions, when you support our rural communities, you are supporting so much more than that. You are supporting the small-business people that live there, that work there and that support the local football club. But, more than that, you create jobs for other rural and regional Australians.

We, as a government, have put in place so many policies to ensure major job creation in the regions. These include our City Deals, our Regional Deals, the Regional Growth Fund and, of course, the Building Better Regions Fund. But we also have put in place a number of employment programs, in particular to create opportunities for young Australians to go to rural and regional Australia, but also to help our farmers access workers and support training opportunities. Harvest Trail Services connects workers with growers in all harvest areas across Australia. We also have a Local Jobs Program and Regional Employment Trials. They place employment facilitators on the ground in 25 regions across Australia. They connect people in regional and rural Australia.