Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith. I invite National Party senators to listen to what the Labor government is doing for regional and rural Australia. Unfortunately, those opposite—the Liberal Party—have had a long history of muzzling their junior partner. Mr Joyce knows what that feels like. Senator McKenzie certainly knows what that feels like. Just like how the Liberals have rolled the Nationals over Rex, the Liberals have rolled the Nationals on health. During their time in government, we saw, yet again, the Liberals rolling the National Party. Together, they made it harder for Australia's regional communities to see a doctor. Labor's investments are changing that. Today the health minister, Mr Butler, has announced more specialist rural GPs coming to rural and regional Australia. More than 1,750 are expected to begin government funded training to become a GP, the largest cohort of future GPs in Australia's history. (Time expired)