Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to rise tonight and say how very proud I am of the Liberal-National government, who tonight brought down a significant economic plan for the future of our nation—a plan that will actually help us to take advantage of the economic opportunities that this century will bring, particularly as we are a nation uniquely situated in our region of the world. It is a plan that I believe will also significantly assist us to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, because it is focused on being fair, being responsible and investing in a way that targets our strengths and assists us to grow our economy so that we can support more jobs doing forward in innovative and transformative areas.

Today we saw a youth unemployment package: the PaTH, which I am incredibly excited about. In regional Victoria, my home state, we have very high youth unemployment, particularly in the areas of Murray and Indi. I know that that particular program, which looks at a new way of approaching this hideous problem, will get young people off the intergenerational welfare bandwagon and have them trained, interned and mentored in local businesses so that they can go and have fulfilling lives, support themselves and their families and contribute to the local economy.

I believe superannuation changes are absolutely going to be very welcome out in the regions, because this is about targeting the top one per cent of superannuants and ensuring that they pay a fair amount of tax and that those most vulnerable in our community are supported into a retirement which means they will be able to support themselves more easily. I am very proud of the measures that go to ensuring that those who operate a business in our country actually pay the tax required. That is an exciting move forward.

With regard to innovation programs and free trade agreements, I know there are so many businesses right throughout regional Victoria which are already exporting and are going to take full advantage of those free trade agreements, but the sustainable four-year path back to surplus from where we are today, paying over $1 billion a month in interest on the deficit, to a space where our deficit is $6 billion is absolutely credible and is a testament to the economic nous of our government.

In terms of regional Victoria, I am incredibly excited for the seat of Murray, which sees a significant infrastructure investment. I know they will be very excited about the over $7 million that the Community Development Grants Program has delivered them and the Inglewood town hall community hub development. We have a range of bridges and roads, which are so crucial not only to the way we socialise and interact but indeed to building our economic future.

As somebody who has before the Senate a bill on the ABC, I see the government will provide $4 billion over three years to the ABC and SBS. The ABC will receive an additional $41.4 million towards local news and current affairs services, particularly those located in regional Australia. This is something that I have been very proactive about, and I am very excited to see that additional investment to ensure that regional communities have access to current affairs, weather and emergency service broadcasts which are relevant to them and help them to live, interact in their lives and grow their businesses.

Licence fees for commercial television and radio broadcasters will be reduced by 25 per cent, and I think the investment in the Mobile Black Spot Program is incredibly important for us to participate in the digital economy out in the regions. That focus on innovation, hubs and collaboration does not just occur in the city. It is a welcome recognition by my government, and I am looking forward to regional Australia—regional Victoria—showcasing what we can do with our innovation, entrepreneurship, drive and resilience to contribute what we can to continue to grow and invest in this country.

I am from a small business. The majority of our local economies in regional Victoria are made up of small businesses. We do all the hiring. We are the great contributors to local economies, and our government has backed small business in a way that has not happened before. I am looking forward to seeing that grow, expand and reinvest in business and jobs in the regions so that we can all grow together. (Time expired)