Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Congratulations on your appointment, Mr President. My question is to the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister, Senator McKenzie. Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said yesterday:

The Liberal party represents 24 rural and regional seats in the house of representatives which makes it the largest party representing rural and regional Australians.

How can the minister claim, as she did yesterday, that the National Party is the only one standing up for the regions?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question and her casual interest in regional Australia. She pops in and pops out. President, in your former role as chair of the Murray-Darling Basin select committee, you did see Senator O'Neill pop into basin communities, make some swift promises and scatter some caring words to—

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

Give false hope.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

give false hope—thank you, Senator Davey—whilst out of town, without actually telling those irrigators that the Labor Party—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator O'Neill, on a point of order?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know the Senator McKenzie has difficulty in hearing you—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, Senator O'Neill, a point of order.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is relevance. This is a question of significant import to the people of Australia, who deserve an answer to the question that was asked, not a rant from Senator McKenzie.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, there is no point of order.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I look forward to spending this question time talking about the needs and interests of rural and regional Australia as many times as the Labor Party chooses to ask us a question on that. It's actually nice to have the Labor Party asking the government questions about rural and regional Australia.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, a point of order?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is on direct relevance to the question. Question time shouldn't be an opportunity for a minister to just rant about the opposition; they should be directly relevant to the question they've been asked, which is about the regions and Liberal representation of those regions, not the Labor Party.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, you have had a chance to bring the minister's attention back to the question. I accept that it's a general question in nature, in that it involves regional Australia. However, Minister, I will ask you to direct your attention to the question.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Party, like the Country Party before it, has one goal and one constituency. Other political parties in this House represent a raft of constituencies, but I can tell this chamber very, very proudly, we don't seek to represent the needs and interests of Woolloomooloo. It's great that my Senate colleague Hollie Hughes from Sydney is very, very keen to talk about the needs and interests of—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, can you please resume your seat. Those on my left, interjections are always disorderly. I cannot hear the minister.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We only have one mandate. It is to stand up tor the needs of rural and regional Australia. We've been doing it for a century. We're very proud to do that, because it allows us not to be distracted by other interests, by other constituencies. The big parties, fairly, have a range of constituencies that they have to manage. The Labor Party does. Unfortunately, not enough of the Labor Party MPs and senators give a damn about regional Australia. You see it in your policies, you see it in your public— (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, resume your seat, please. This is generally considered a time for the opposition. I would prefer not to waste that time. Senator O'Neill, you have the call.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hughes also said:

It is a misnomer to assume it's only the National Party … that represents the voice of rural and regional Australians.

Is Senator Hughes wrong?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll reiterate, Senator O'Neill. The Labor Party has members from rural and regional Australia. The Liberal Party has great members that represent rural and regional Australia. Several of them made comments this week, and I refer to public commentary of Tony Pasin, Rick Wilson and Rowan Ramsey, as well as that of Melissa Price from Durack in WA. They are really strong representatives from rural and regional Australia. But you asked what my job is, as the leader of the National Party in this place, and what every single National Party senator cares about. We have only one focus. We have only one constituency. We're not distracted by anything else, other than the needs and interests of rural and regional Australia, and we're very, very comfortable to fulfil that role.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, a second supplementary?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister told her 24 regional and rural Liberal colleagues what she really thinks of them?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Love to all the regional and rural MPs in the coalition. In Senator Wong's earlier contribution to the Senate, she spoke about targets and quotas. I've been on the public record as wanting to see a cabinet and a parliament full of as many regional and rural MPs and senators as possible, because rural and regional people—the most marginalised in this country, the poorest in this country—need strong representation.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, please resume your seat. Senator Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order on direct relevance. I hardly think it can possibly be directly relevant to refer to a two-minute statement I gave about women in the context of a question in question time about regional representation.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Senator Canavan?

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, with all respect, that is not a point of order at all. That is absolutely a debating point that the minister has every right to raise in this place in the context of the answer she is giving.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I believe the minister was discussing regional and rural representation in the parliament and her answer was directly relevant. Minister McKenzie, did you have anything further to add?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have 30 seconds more to extol the benefits of being a rural and regional MP in a very successful and strong coalition that has delivered for rural and regional Australia for a decade. I mentioned some of my Liberal colleagues, who are very proud, strong advocates for the regions, who joined with the National Party when this place was discussing climate change policy at another time. They actually stood up against the Labor Party— (Time expired)