Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Brace yourselves over there, because this is a bobby-dazzler of a question. My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Senator Nash.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now listen up. Can the minister update the Senate on what the coalition government has achieved for regional Australia since the last election?

Opposition senators interjecting—

She will not fit it all in; she only has a couple of minutes!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator O'Sullivan! Order, on my left!

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Senator for his question and for his tireless work for regional Queensland. I am absolutely delighted to stand up in this place and update the Senate on the many significant achievements of the Turnbull-Joyce government in regional Australia. We have established the new Building Better Regions Fund, which will deliver infrastructure and community investment right across our regional communities. We are delivering a $220 million Regional Jobs and Investment Package to create jobs and prosperity in regional economies. We have established a new ministerial task force for regional Australia, which will bring forward a long-term and more strategic approach to delivering the health, education, jobs, infrastructure and communications services that regional communities deserve.

To secure our energy needs we will be investing in the future with the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project. In infrastructure, we are investing $594 million to start the Inland Rail. We are investing $100 million in the Outback Way, which is indeed Australia's longest short cut. In health, we are delivering Australia's first ever National Rural Health Commissioner and $11 million for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We are delivering a $300 million national ice package and $25 million for a new Dubbo cancer centre. In education we are investing $150 million for remote student access and $5 million to boost the number of Indigenous scholarships. In communications we have invested $220 million for new and upgraded mobile towers. We have expanded Sky Muster's capacity. We have expanded the fixed wireless footprint. We have prioritised the NBN rollout to regional areas, and we have $2 billion in concessional drought loans to support farm businesses. And we have $2.5 billion for national water infrastructure. And that is just the start.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, on my left!

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Order, Senator Cameron! Senator O'Sullivan, a supplementary question.

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister explain to the Senate why it is critical that we continue to invest in our regions, and is the minister aware of any alternative approaches to regional development?

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, you have been interjecting on every question—except your own!

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is absolutely vital that we invest in regional Australia. Regional Australia is the backbone of the nation. Unlike those opposite, the coalition understands regional communities. We live in them. How many on the other side live in regional communities? Out of 26, are there 12 or 10 or eight or six? There are three people on the other side of this chamber who live in regional communities—

Senator Wong interjecting—

And one of them is not Senator Wong. When we are talking about Labor values—I know I keep raising this—but senator Wong from Adelaide oversaw some of the most shocking examples of waste. She spent $303 million buying water from Twynham. Unfortunately, some of it was general security, which you actually do not get. The first year she only got 20 per cent of the water that she bought. She then went on to spend $34 million buying water from Tandou—supplementary water that only exists in a flood. The Labor Party has no idea about regional Australia. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Sullivan, a final supplementary question.

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister provide further detail of these alternative approaches to regional development and how they would impact rural, regional and remote communities?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If those on the other side spend less time interjecting and more time thinking about regional communities, they might get somewhere. We have delivered three major free trade treatments and are opening up new markets for Australian exporters. Labor concluded no major trade deals, shut down our live export cattle trade with Indonesia and brought our northern beef industry to its knees. We are the ones standing up for small business, bringing in an effects test, but are the Labor party supporting it? No. They are supporting big business. Why do those on the other side hate regional Australia? We have brought in the sugar code, and Labor are opposing it and opposing certainty for the industry. On this side, the coalition will continue to deliver for regional Australia, unlike the city-centric, latte-sipping, polka-dot-sock-wearing senators on the other side, who ignore regional Australia. (Time expired)

Honourable senators interjecting —

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I know it is the last day for a while, but let us come back to order. Senator Sterle, see if you can keep the crowd quieter.