Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to thank regional Australia. Our regional industries got us through the biggest economic shock since the global financial crisis. Our agricultural and resource sectors have supported us through it. It is also a credit to the communities of regional Australia, who have come together and who have faced lockdowns and quarantines, even though many of those areas have not had a whiff of COVID. So thanks to regional Australia.

But regional Australia and regional jobs are clearly not a priority for Labor. If you look at the budget-in-reply speech delivered by the opposition leader, there was not one word about agriculture. There was not one word about regional infrastructure. In fact, the word 'regional' was only used twice, and one of those occasions was to accuse the Nationals of over-delivering for the regions. I will take that; thank you very much.

The increasing divide between Labor and the regions is nowhere more apparent than their lack of support for the coal industry and the resources sector in key regions, including the Hunter in my state. After their humiliating loss two years ago in Central Queensland, the member for Grayndler had to cave-in and accept that Australia should continue to support and export our high-grade coal.

The Hunter Valley is home to the highest quality coal in the world. This high-energy, low-emissions coal is in high demand, particularly for modern coal-fired power plants being built around the world, including in nations with a net zero carbon target. They need our coal to reduce their emissions. Our coal is also playing a crucial role to help developing nations power up and bring their populations out of the dark. I would rather they burn our cleaner coal than someone else's dirty coal.

The Hunter is also so much more than coal. The Hunter has a vibrant agricultural sector and some of the best wineries in Australia. It supports a quality thoroughbred industry and has a booming tourism sector. The Nationals know this. We support this and we are working with those industries to ensure their ongoing success. We know there are challenges. We understand there are workforce issues, not just in agriculture—we are working towards an ag visa—but also workforce shortages across tourism, meatworks and dairy that need to be addressed. We know there are internet and communication connectivity issues, particularly around the key tourist destination of Pokolbin. We know that getting the design of local infrastructure right is vitally important.

Our people on the ground in the Hunter, the recently elected state member for the Upper Hunter, Dave Layzell, and our candidate for the Hunter, James Thomson, are working with their communities to identify solutions and to bring ideas to their respective parliaments. Both of these men are locals, both have been preselected by grassroots members of the National Party and both will do their utmost to bring to the fore issues that are faced in the Hunter, so that we can continue to deliver for the Hunter.

I remind the chamber what our government has already done for the Hunter. It includes funding a detailed business case for the Lostock to Glennies Creek Dam pipeline for water infrastructure and providing nearly $5.5 million under the Roads to Recovery program to the Hunter. We also know that Newcastle is the gateway to the Hunter, so that's why we're supporting a $15 million business case for the Sydney to Newcastle faster rail. There's $55 million for the Newcastle Airport upgrade to connect the people of the Hunter and the north of New South Wales to the rest of the world. We believe in the Hunter; we know the Hunter is a vital and vibrant place. Unlike the Labor Party, we don't turn our backs on the Hunter, or the jobs that support the Hunter.