Regional Australia

The SPEAKER (15:26): I have received a letter from the honourable member for Page proposing that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely:

This Government's continued neglect of regional Australia.

I call upon those honourable members who approve of the proposed discussion to rise in their places.

More than the number of members required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

Mr HOGAN (Page—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business and Deputy Leader of the National Party) (15:27): I look forward to talking to this matter of public importance. What I'm going to point out today, which is quite obvious when you look at electoral results from the last election, is the dichotomy between city and country Australia. I acknowledge the result opposite, the result of the Labor Party at the last election and the increased number of seats that they obtained. It's quite obvious they picked up a lot of seats, the majority of them in city Australia. They did very well in that sense, but it's very interesting to observe that that was on a very low primary vote. The primary vote for the Labor Party at the last federal election was 34 per cent and for the coalition parties it was 31 per cent, so there was not a big difference in primary vote, but they did very well with preferencing.

I highlight to them that I think this large majority is very much built on a house of cards. As I said, there's been a dichotomy between the city and the country. I am going to give a bit of a shout-out later to some of my Nationals country MPs who are new members, but I point out to my colleagues in the Liberal Party how well the regional Liberal Party did as well, with their members and the number of new members—the member for Monash, the member for Grey and the member for Forrest as well. There are many more.

I want to highlight that, if you'd said to the Labor Party in 2007, 'You're going to win a bigger majority in 2025; write down the seats that you're going to have in 2025 with as large a majority as you got in 2007,' there would be six seats—or friendly teal-type Independents—that the Labor Party would write down on that list. They are the seats of Flynn, Dawson and Capricornia; my own seat of Page; and the seats of Lyne and New England that were held by teal-type Independents. They would write them down, because that's what happened in 2007. In the National Party in 2007 we had under 10 House of Reps seats, and over the next two elections, in 2010 and 2013, we won back all of those six seats that I just mentioned. The interesting thing is, as with the Liberal Party when they've won between seven and 30 seats in the country, especially in regional areas, we haven't lost any of those six seats. I don't say that with any hubris and I don't say that with any arrogance. I'm just saying that it's an interesting dichotomy—the differences in the city and regional Australia right now—and I think there are some real reasons for that.

I also want to acknowledge that we've seen a great assault from the teals on some city seats and seen them have success in the city. I acknowledge my friend and colleague in Cowper who had a huge assault from a teal Independent. It was roughly $1½ billion, probably more, from the teal Independent there, and my colleague got a swing to him in that seat. I also acknowledge we had a great candidate in Bendigo. We got a swing of nearly 10 per cent to that candidate for us in Bendigo, giving the member for Bendigo a great fright. It's interesting. I don't say it with any hubris; I just say it as a factual electoral result.

I want to give a shout-out, before I go on, to three new MPs in this House. The first one, a good friend of mine, is Alison Penfold, the new member for Lyne. Alison's had a really tough introduction to this place. Within days of her becoming member-elect—not even the sworn-in member, not even declared through the Australian Electoral Commission—her electorate had a natural disaster of great proportion. I went down to see her about a week later, after the water had receded, and she was doing it tough. Her community was doing it tough, and I want to give her a shout-out. She emotionally connected to them, advocated for them and was in the mud with them from day one, and I have great respect for her advocacy and her emotional connection to her community. She was under great duress not only because of the disaster it was but because she had no office support given she was only the member-elect.

I want to give a shout-out, too, to David Batt, the new member for Hinkler. He was a late starter for this; the previous member retired. I went up and spent a day pre-polling with David. I was there for about five minutes and knew he was going to win with the reception that he was getting during pre-polling. Handing out flyers for him was a great joy because it was very easy. He has come into this place, and when he talks about his community—there's a percentage of retirees in the seat of Hinkler—he tells me he has pensioners in his electorate that are turning the fridge off at night because they can't afford their energy bills with the increases that havehappened there in the past three years. He's got a big fight, and he's here to have that fight for them.

The last one is the new member for Parkes—the boilermaker from the bush! I've spent a few days with him in his electorate. He travelled 36,000 kilometres—if you look at the size of his electorate, that's not hard to do—and doorknocked 24,000 homes. He had some interesting experiences. There was a staffy dog in Dubbo that had him jumping over a fence, and in Broken Hill there was a goat that chased him out of the gate as well. He's more nimble and more fleet of foot since he's been a candidate as well. I give them a big shout-out because of the great regional MPs they will be.

We know, on this side, that regional Australia is the economic powerhouse of this nation. It's great to see some new members opposite—well, it's not great to see that you won your seats, necessarily, but it's great to see that you're here. I'll tell you if you don't know—you may well know this, and I humbly apologise if you already know this—regional Australia is the economic powerhouse of this nation. We export about $650 billion worth of stuff overseas every year. Over two-thirds of that is from the bush, from regional Australia. Those exports include coal, which we're not ashamed of; iron ore; gas; and food. Regional Australia is the economic powerhouse of this nation. We're proud of that. We're here to advocate very strongly for it.

There are some things this government has done in the previous parliament which are why I think the results are very different in the bush from the cities. They cut infrastructure spending straightaway. The Roads of Strategic Importance program, the Building Better Regions Fund, the LRCI program and the Stronger Communities Program were all dumped. We had great disappointment in my room—and, I know, in those of some of my Liberal colleagues—when the minister for the environment took water out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and took money out of our communities, who are growing food to feed us and to feed the rest of the world. She took water out of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which was a great disappointment.

They took away our doctors. I mean, seriously? You have doctor ratios in some of the city suburbs of one doctor to every 500 or 600 people. There are communities in the bush that have one doctor for every 5,000 or 6,000 people. There was a program we had called the distribution priority area and, if you were foreign trained or had a Commonwealth scholarship, you had to do times in areas that were more remote. They abolished it almost straightaway. We lost doctors overnight. You can literally live in Rose Bay and have a practice in Hornsby and qualify now under the distribution priority area classification. Our people know this. The government bans industries. They ban things that we do in the bush. They banned live exports, which was devastating to some of the communities in our patch as well.

There are lots of other things, too, that are a great shame. Some of our state Labor colleagues are at fault for this. We now import more fish into Australia than we fish ourselves. We're surrounded by a coastline. Again, it's because of the environmental policy of those opposite who think fishing is bad. I know that the member for Gippsland is passionate about hardwood timber. We do forestry very sustainably, but, under the Victorian state government, for example, you can't do it at all now. So we are now importing hardwood from overseas. Our communities know this because they work in these environments, they work in these industries and they see that those opposite are sanctimonious. It's a sanctimony.

There's also a little bit of hypocrisy. With the renewable energy rollout, where's all that happening? It's all happening in the regions. I have an example that I've mentioned in this chamber before. The member for Warringah had a proposal from a climate change group in Warringah to put a hectare of solar panels and six wind turbines on North Head. I said, 'Good on them!' They wanted to walk their talk. The member, when approached by the local newspaper, said it wouldn't be environmentally or culturally—the area's too sensitive for that.

An honourable member: Oh, really?

Mr HOGAN: Really. Then, when we say we have issues with the rollout in our communities, she has the hide to say that we're scaremongering. This is the sanctimony and the hypocrisy that we hear from this government, the teal crossbenchers and the Greens crossbenchers. Our voters and our communities in regional Australia get it. They know that's what's happening. There is this big dichotomy. Regional Australians have worked this lot out. They know that the government are not on their side. They know that the government don't support what we do and don't like some of the things that we export. Regional Australians have worked out this Labor government.

Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro—Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories and Minister for Emergency Management) (15:37): It's a pleasure to be here to talk about the things that this government is doing for regional and rural Australia. I know it's frustrating for those opposite, because regional and rural Australians vote for Labor members. If they didn't, half of us wouldn't be here. I live in regional Australia. I come from a small community—smaller than the community of many of those opposite. I have a family that's working hard in a small business in regional Australia. I am one of the many people that come to this place from farms, from small businesses and from regional communities right across the country. It is an inconvenient truth for those opposite that regional people vote for Labor people. They vote Labor members in.

An opposition member: Shame!

Ms McBAIN: They value Labor policies. I hear the member opposite say, 'Shame!' I'm sure his children with HECS debts are valuing the fact that the Labor Party is here cutting 20 per cent off HECS debts. I'm sure, as a former construction worker, his former apprentices would have appreciated $10,000 incentives on construction trades. I know the many apprentices that we've employed—or my husband or my brother, who were apprentices too—would have valued that extra help in their pockets. That's what we do on this side of the House, because we're not here to govern for a sliver of people. We don't pull out a colour coded spreadsheet and say, 'What value do we get out of giving taxpayer funds to certain electorates in the country?' On this side of the House, we govern for all Australians, we have policies for all Australians and we value the services available for all Australians. Regional Australia is much, much more than roads or bridges or infrastructure. Yes, they are incredibly important. It's not just about a grant program that you can pork-barrel to get things in your electorate. I understand that may have been the lay of the land previously, but it's not how we do it.

Investing in people, investing in skills and training, investing in services and supporting towns and communities when they're going through a really tough time is incredibly important too. So is access to services. For such a long period of time, when those opposite were in government, they didn't value the services that our community wanted. If they did, they wouldn't have cut Medicare; they wouldn't have frozen Medicare rebates. They would have supported more doctors training in our regions, which is exactly what we do on this side of the House. We have made the largest investment in health care in our regions ever. Out of the 87 urgent care clinics our government has already delivered, 31 are in the regions. We're investing in rural medical schools to help ensure that more medical students can train and live in regional and rural communities because we know, and the data tells us, that if they train in a region they'll stay in a region.

There's a $90 million investment to help address healthcare shortages right across our regions. We've got incentives for doctors and nurse practitioners, and we will waive their HECS debts if they come and work in rural and regional Australia. We're supporting prac payments, because we know that it is incredibly important to support people who are training to come and deliver services and get their training in our regions. As I said, we're supporting apprentices with that $10,000 incentive, which is incredibly important.

We've also committed to establishing a $1 billion Building Early Education Fund to build more childcare centres in regional Australia.

I hear the former shadow minister laughing. You were in government for nine long years. You sat on these benches, and you knew there was a childcare shortage, but you did zilch, nothing, zero.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Have you got a point of order?

Ms Bell: Yes. The minister should direct her comments through you, Chair.

Ms McBAIN: Sorry, Deputy Speaker. Those opposite did nothing—zilch, zero, zip—on childcare investments. On this side of the House, we value early childhood education, so much so that we spent $3.6 billion investing in wage increases in the sector, because it's not good enough just to say we want to build more; we've got to put the human resources in. We want to make sure it's an industry that you can have a career in, that people value and that people want to join. I've got a niece who's 21, now. She did her cert III while she was still in high school. She now works in early education. As a 21-year-old, she's second-in-charge of her centre. We value the work that she and many other people like her do, and we will continue to support it.

Regional communities benefited from tax cuts. That's incredibly important, because, in regional communities, every extra dollar goes back into the small businesses that our people run. They are the people that sponsor the local sporting groups. They are the people who give P&C raffle prizes. They are the people giving an opportunity to other members of our community by employing them. We want to see regional people succeed, and that's why we've given a tax cut right up and down the tax scale and will continue to support small businesses.

We've got a Cheaper Home Batteries Program. In my electorate, Ray from Braidwood recently got in touch. He said that this home battery system that he's already put in has lowered his electricity bill. In the first month since he had his battery installed, his bill dropped to $22. It's also helped him change his usage habits, so he can make better use of his electricity during off-peak periods. Instead of supporting regional Australians like Ray, those opposite are busy reviewing net zero. They're out of touch and out of reality.

Speaking of utilities—and we just heard the Minister for Communications talk about the NBN—they're so incredibly important to drive productivity for rural Australians. Whether you work from home, whether you've got a small business, whether you need to access health care or whether you're studying, it is incredibly important to have connectivity. But, when those opposite were in government, there was a deliberate underinvestment in communications. Instead of narrowing that communications and technology divide, they widened it, because they didn't understand the importance of keeping people in our regions connected, whether it was to services or to family and friends. Instead, we've invested $5.4 billion to expand full-fibre NBN access to 2.1 million premises across the nation, almost a million in our region.

We've also said we will introduce a universal outdoor mobile obligation, requiring telcos to provide access to mobile voice and SMS almost everywhere in the country. It will have huge benefits for regional and remote Australia, particular during emergencies and disasters. Instead of being something that those opposite jumped on—I would've thought connectivity was something that we may have agreement on—they said: 'No, we're not particularly interested. We think the universal obligation on home phones is enough.' That is gobsmacking to me for many reasons. Perhaps, when that comes into this House, we'll see bipartisanship support on that. We know that it is vital for regional Australia to stay connected during the tough times.

Unfortunately, far too many of our regional communities have been through the devastation of disaster. What they want after a disaster is to know that they can be better prepared for the next one. We introduced the Disaster Ready Fund in 2022. It's a five-year program of $1 billion dollars and it's all about reducing disaster risk and building resilience across Australian community. I've seen the devastating impact of bushfires in my own community and I know how important it is to reduce that disaster risk. We've got to strengthen our emergency management and disaster recovery capabilities. So we set up the National Emergency Management Agency to ensure that there was a more coordinated approach.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering record investments in regional communities, whether it's through transparent grant programs, including the Growing Regions Program and the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. We're also increasing the Roads to Recovery Program from $500 million to $1 billion a year. Every council across the country will get more road funding. Those opposite didn't do that at all. We've increased the road black spots funding program to $150 million a year, improving some of the most dangerous stretches of roads, and we've launched the new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program—$200 million a year.

Our regions are fast-growing and diverse, and we value what our people do in the regions, whomever their local member is. Most importantly, we have said a strong regional aviation sector is critical, and that's why we are supporting Rex. These opposite failed regional Australia when they had the opportunity. On this side of the House we're delivering for all Australians. (Time expired)

Ms COKER (Corangamite) (15:52): I'd like to begin by thanking the member for Page for moving this motion today because it gives me as a proud regional member of parliament the opportunity to strongly reject it. The Albanese government is backing in rapidly growing regions like mine. Labor understand the importance of regions, and we will always support them. So here's what we are doing, in my electorate of Corangamite alone.

We're delivering critical investment to build a better future for locals—from major road improvements to massive rail duplications, and from new facilities for football and netball clubs to new learning centres for schools. We're supporting men's sheds and community houses; building new swimming pools; supporting surf lifesaving clubs and food relief services; and supporting farmers and primary producers. From the $318 million upgrade of the Barwon Heads Road to upgrades of Grubb Road in Ocean Grove, we're building the roads we need now and for the future. During the election campaign, we committed $5.4 million to upgrade the Drysdale Hawks netball courts, and $1 million in support to ensure Grovedale netball courts are fit for purpose.

We're also restoring integrity in grants programs, with the $600 million Growing Regions Program and the $400 million Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. On top of that, the Albanese government is progressively increasing the Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion per year over the next five years, delivering much-needed road upgrades across the region. And more than $3.3 million in federal funding has been provided to improve safety at 11 crash-prone sites across the Surf Coast and broader Geelong region. These sites are dangerous. There have been several serious accidents at these sites. Our government recognise this and we are acting.

We are also strengthening Medicare for regional Australians. Our government is rolling out Medicare mental health hubs and urgent care clinics across our country, including one right in the heart of my electorate in Torquay. Bulk-billing rates are on the up, enabling more people to see a GP without it impacting their bank balance. Medicare billing data shows that, under the Albanese government, we are reviving bulk-billing. Locals in regional Australia have had an additional 586,003 visits to a GP just in the past year. That's a fact. Incentives to ensure we have more GPs and nurses in our regions are underway. So, no matter how much the opposition tries to spin it, the data speaks for itself.

We also know that free TAFE is changing lives for so many people across my region and regional Australia. Australians are embracing this opportunity and embarking on a new journey as builders, electricians and workers in the aged-care and broader care sector. Data from the states and territories shows that, from January 2023 to March this year, there were more than 170,000 courses completed. It also finds there have been more than 650,000 free TAFE enrolments in the same period. TAFE is opening doors to new careers and giving Australians the chance to find secure, well-paid work—and, in regions, this matters.

For women and families, our government is expanding the Paid Parental Leave scheme to 24 weeks and then 26 weeks for parents, with super payments included. It's a policy that is truly life changing and a clear example of how Labor governments are prepared to support families not just in cities but in our regions. It doesn't matter if they live in metro Melbourne or St Leonards in my electorate, this policy will make a positive difference to the lives of so many families.

The Albanese government is committed to a better NBN, protecting penalty rates for regional workers, reducing student debt in our regions and providing access for cheaper child care in our regions. We are committed to forging a future that opens the door to opportunities for families not just across the Bellarine and Surf Coast in Geelong in my area of Corangamite but across our nation. It's a future where workers are supported, communities are connected, infrastructure is actually delivered and our manufacturing industries are revitalised.

Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Chief Nationals Whip) (15:57): Regional Australia is on life support, and this Labor government is standing by and watching it flatline. Capricornia is not a burden. We are not a cost. We are a cornerstone of this nation's prosperity. We mine the minerals, we grow the food and we export the energy that powers our economy, yet, despite all we contribute, Labor treats regional Australians like second-class citizens. Since coming to government, Labor has turned its back on the regions. It's turned its back on the people who show up, work hard and keep this country moving.

Investment into Capricornia ground to a halt the moment Labor took office. As the member of Capricornia, I'm proud to have delivered over $7 billion in vital infrastructure projects for our region under the coalition government. This included $568 million for Rookwood Weir, $251 million for Walkerston Bypass and the $80 million Rockhampton-Yeppoon upgrade. These weren't vanity projects. These were smart, strategic investments which have unlocked growth, boosted productivity and created jobs and are saving lives on our roads.

But what did Labor do? In their very first budget, they tried to axe the Rockhampton Ring Road, one the largest and most important infrastructure projects our region has ever seen. This project spans 17.4 kilometres and includes 18 bridges and the new 453-metre Fitzroy River crossing. It will divert over 2,500 heavy vehicles away from our city streets, away from four school zones and away from 19 sets of traffic lights. It is transformational, But Labor want to axe it. It was only due to the fierce outcry from our local community, small businesses and industry leaders that Labor was forced to backtrack. But let's be clear. The intention was there. The knife was drawn, and Capricornia would have been the casualty.

This is not an isolated case. Labor's track record is now a pattern—a pattern of neglect. Nationwide, Labor has cut, delayed or scrapped over $30 billion in infrastructure, and it's regional communities like mine of Capricornia that are paying the price.

They didn't stop at infrastructure. They also axed the Building Better Regions Fund, a program that delivered funding for vital community projects across Capricornia, from disability housing to sports clubs to community halls. They scrapped the community development grants, the Stronger Communities program and other successful coalition initiatives that backed local people with local solutions. Labor replaced these programs with—nothing: not reform, not redesign but nothing. What message does this send to the regions? It tells us we don't matter. It tells us we're not a priority. It's not just roads and infrastructure; it's the very fabric of daily life in Capricornia that is unravelling.

We are in a struggle-to-survive crisis. The Salvation Army's Social Justice Stocktake reveals the depth of the crisis in my electorate, with 82 per cent of people identifying housing affordability and homelessness as major issues. Nearly half say the crisis is affecting them personally. At least 547 people in Capricornia are currently sleeping rough. We're also short by 3,500 homes to meet current demand. One local disability service in our region was able to build two purpose-built homes with $1 million from the Building Better Regions Fund. These homes are now giving people with disability dignity, independence and safety.

Access to health care is worsening, too. In Capricornia just 9.4 per cent of GP clinics bulk-bill. That's forcing people into emergency departments for basic care. And for those living with disability, Labor has made things even harder. Buried deep in the NDIA's annual pricing review is a devastating change: a 50 per cent cut to travel reimbursements for allied health professionals. That might be manageable in the suburbs of Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, but in regional Queensland it is a disaster. Whether a provider drives for 20 minutes or for two hours, the rebate is the same. Already we've had providers confirm that they will no longer be able to travel to the smaller towns—not because they don't care but because Labor's policy makes it financially impossible. The consequences are devastating: fewer visits, fewer services and more vulnerable people left behind.

This is not a policy adjustment. It is a wrecking ball taken to disability care in the bush. Labor governs for the cities, for the inner suburbs. The people in places like Capricornia are the ones who keep the lights on, literally. We produce, we export, we contribute. Yet under Labor we are ignored—ignored on housing, ignored on health, ignored on roads and ignored on disability service. This isn't accidental. It's deliberate. And the people of Capricornia are sick of being treated like an afterthought. Regional Australians deserve more than patronising platitudes. We deserve investment. We deserve respect— (Time expired)

Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:02): I'm so proud to be representing my community in federal parliament for this third term, and I'm extremely proud of what the Albanese Labor government has delivered for my electorate of Gilmore since coming to government. On the south coast of New South Wales we've had some really tough times, with bushfires, floods and the COVID lockdowns, but I've always stood by my community to ensure that people receive the support needed to recover and to be more prepared for future disasters.

Born and bred on a dairy farm near Nowra, I understand the needs of regional, rural and coastal communities, from Kiama to Moruya. I'm always out and about talking with people across my diverse electorate, so I get it. I understand that people are doing it tough. That's why I'm so pleased that this government is taking unprecedented steps to help ease cost-of-living pressures—more than 64,000 taxpayers in Gilmore receiving another tax cut. Almost 14,000 people in Gilmore will have their student debt slashed by 20 per cent. I'm really proud to have delivered the Batemans Bay Medicare urgent-care clinic, which has already seen around 17,000 patients. Affordable, accessible health care is top of mind for people in Gilmore, which is why I fought so hard for a second Medicare urgent-care clinic in Nowra that will take pressure off the busy Shoalhaven Hospital emergency department. And it's the reason we're extending the opening hours at the Batemans Bay urgent-care clinic from 6 am to midnight.

The Albanese Labor government is investing in health, education and housing and creating more regional jobs through the Future Made in Australia plan. This is really great for young people and families in Gilmore because we're making it easier to buy or rent a home; training more tradies with free TAFE; and investing in every stage of education, including putting all public schools in New South Wales on a path to full and fair funding.

As a mum of four young adults, all of whom attended local public schools, I know how important it is to get a good education right from the start, which is why we're supporting our young people from early child care right through to university. We're injecting $529 million to establish new childcare services and increase the capacity of existing services in regional areas—and I'm already starting to see new services popping up across my electorate. Importantly, families on the South Coast will have greater access to early childhood education and care with the introduction of the three-day guarantee from January 2026. Commonwealth prac payments for nurses, teachers and social workers mean students in my electorate will have more money in their pockets while they learn.

I am immensely proud of the road projects that are progressing in Gilmore, including the Jervis Bay flyover, the Milton Ulladulla bypass, the Nowra bypass and the duplication of the Princes Highway from Jervis Bay Road to Hawken Road. I've delivered more than $1 billion in federal funding for Shoalhaven roads, which will improve safety and livability for local residents.

I have worked with communities to deliver really important services such as headspace Kiama; the magnificent Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club; the Malua Bay Beach reserve; and Jindelara Cottage, which provides disability accommodation at Ulladulla.

I've secured funds for the nation's first birthing-on-country facility at Nowra, delivered the spectacular new Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council building and provided grants for local Indigenous rangers and our many wonderful Waminda women's programs.

Living on the coast, of course I really love the outdoors, and I'm thrilled to have delivered funds to complete the Mogo mountain bike trails, the Huskisson mangrove boardwalk and the Observation Point upgrade at Batemans Bay. And I've worked really hard for many years to secure a federal grant for the Shoalhaven riverfront precinct—which was announced when the Prime Minister visited Nowra in February.

Ongoing support from this government means we have new fire stations at Lake Conjola and Manyana, and work is under way on the Eurobodalla regional co-located emergency services precinct. Federal funds continue to flow to defence facilities at HMAS Albatross and HMAS Creswell, and to the defence industry, including a $313 million contract with Sikorsky Australia to maintain the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter fleet.

After years of neglect, I'm proud to say the Albanese Labor government is helping local families, building local communities and supporting local jobs in Gilmore.

Mr BIRRELL (Nicholls) (16:07): A huge proportion of Australia's wealth is created in regional Australia, and that's just the nature of our economy. A lot of it's in mining. A lot of it's in agriculture. And that wealth creates tax dollars for this nation and always has. It's what this nation really has been built on—the sheep's back, but then the mining industry and, more recently, other agricultural crops. So the tax base for Australia really does rely, in large part, on what is created in the regions. My observation of this government is that most of what the Labor Party talks about is distribution of taxpayer dollars. I think you won an election on it. Congratulations—and that's fantastic. So my advice is don't attack the industries and the regions that provide those tax dollars if you want to continue to distribute it.

Mr Mitchell: We're not!

Mr BIRRELL: It's exactly what's happening.

I'm a proud regional Australian. I come from greater Shepparton in the great Goulburn Valley. It's a place where entrepreneurial spirit thrives because, for waves and waves of generations, people have come there because there was work available and you could build a business. What those people wanted was to have the government help them build businesses and then get out of the way, not over-regulate and not distribute the proceeds of their hard work.

We've got things like the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and additions to that which have made it harder for agricultural industries to operate. We've got regulations on mining, and the Minerals Council hates what this government is doing around industrial relations.

Industrial relations are also affecting agriculture, because of attempted changes to the PALM scheme. The fact is that the Labor Party didn't go ahead with the agricultural visa, which would have been critically important to expanding our regional industries. So again, I say: if you want to keep redistributing these tax dollars, don't attack the industries and the regions which provide them.

I'm going to finish on a positive note, because I think there's an opportunity for us to expand regional Australia. But it will take some willpower and it will take some understanding about what we want our nation to look like in the future.

In my maiden speech, I talked about the crisis I think there is around population balance in Australia. I don't think we've got the balance right. I did mentioned the example of Germany. Germany is an interesting case, because it's got 80 million people, but its biggest city is Berlin, which has 3 million people. It has got a lot of regional cities surrounding a manufacturing sector, and it's all linked by rail. I think we've got an opportunity to do that in Australia, but it's going to take some vision, and it's going to take a stop in this endless sprawl of our three largest cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. I don't think that's good for society; I think it's better when we're all part of a smaller community.

What it means is that rail has to be prioritised. I wasn't in this place before 2022, but the then coalition government was very committed to rail, and they delivered stage 3 of the Shepparton rail project. Well, they delivered the funding for it; I should say that. They delivered 80 per cent of the funding for it. The Victorian government, to their credit, came up with the plan which is going to mean nine return services from Shepparton to Melbourne. The then coalition government delivered the funding for the project.

I mention this because it's emblematic of some of the things that happen between state governments and federal governments. The Victorian government took the money and said, 'We are going to deliver this by the end of 2023.' I'm sick of doing videos in front of passing loops and level crossings, in 2025, saying, 'When is the Victorian government going to deliver this project?' Because it hasn't been delivered yet. If someone's got some information about when this project is going to be delivered, I would love it.

The idea is that we can grow regional Australia, with investment in infrastructure. That's what the former deputy prime minister—who is here in the chamber—did when he allocated that 80 per cent funding for the Shepparton to Melbourne stage 3 project. But the Victorian government has not delivered it, and that has been replicated across Australia. Again, if you want these tax dollars to keep coming in, look after the industries and the regions that provide them.

Ms TRISH COOK (Bullwinkel) (16:12): I rise today as the proud member for Bullwinkel. I've just delivered my first speech, where I committed my support for all areas of my electorate: the foothills, the hills and the regional areas—the beautiful, vibrant regional areas where the towns of Northam, York, Toodyay and Beverley are based.

I have over four decades in caring for communities as a registered nurse and now, as their voice in parliament, I find the assertion that the Labor government is failing regional Australia not only deeply misguided but frankly insulting. It's insulting to the significant progress that we have made. The Albanese Labor government's vision for regional Australia is clear and unwavering. We are building strong, connected communities, driving economic growth and enhancing wellbeing, and we know that vibrant communities, like Northam in my electorate, are not just a part of Australia's future, they are at its very heart.

I would like to make two points. Firstly, on trade and diversification, which is vital for regional jobs and prosperity. This government has actively worked to stabilise our relationship with China, lifting nearly $20 billion in trade impediments which were caused—I think we all remember why—and were critical for our wine, barley, beef and lobster industries. This directly benefits our primary producers across WA and, in particular, barley for the farmers of Bullwinkel. Farmer Chris told me that barley, his crop, dropped in value to zero overnight when the markets were axed. He lost $50,000- to $60,000 there and then.

This government is also aggressively diversifying and strengthening ties with existing partners, like India, and forging new relationships with key markets, such as the United Arab Emirates. Our new trade agreement with the UAE, for example, means reduced and zero tariffs for WA exports like beef, chickpeas, seafood and, in Bullwinkel, sheep meat—new markets for sheep meat. This is what we're doing. We're creating new opportunities. We're not failing our regions at all.

Secondly, on investing in our people and essential services—because regional development is also about investing in our people through skills, training and vital services—I have worked in health in regional and remote areas for decades. In health this government has made the single largest investment in bulk-billing, aiming for nine out of 10 visits to be bulk-billed by 2030. We have delivered 31 urgent care clinics in the regions out of the 87 that we delivered, and we're going to deliver 50 more, including one in Bullwinkel. We're strengthening Medicare with a $606 million investment to deliver more doctors, with 50 per cent of additional GP traineeship places specifically for regional and rural areas. This includes $248 million for salary incentives for junior doctors to specialise in GPs and rural generalists, rewarding doctors for going regional. Since November 2023, Australians in regional, rural and remote areas have seen nearly 2.5 million additional bulk-billed GP visits.

I was so proud to attend the opening of a Medicare mental health clinic in the township of Northam, in the western wheat belt, with the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care last year. We have located that mental health clinic specifically in a rural area for regional people, in the township of Northam. It's co-located with Holyoake drug and alcohol abuse services. You just need your Medicare card. You don't need a referral. You don't need an appointment. You simply walk in. This is what we're doing for mental health care of people in regional Australia.

Let's contrast this with the opposition's plan. The only plan I heard at the election for the regions was to build a nuclear reactor with no consultation in a water-deficient area on top of a geologically unstable, discontinued coalmine in Collie. (Time expired)

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (16:17): It's been another day, and another trucking company has gone to the wall. Unfortunately yesterday another transport group went belly up—47 trucks. This is a pattern which is happening more and more, and these regional transport companies are doing it really, really tough. What has Labor done to respond to this? They've put in place a truckies tax, put in place high energy costs and slashed road and infrastructure funding. This is placing such a burden on our transport companies. At 10 past nine this morning I took a call from Peter Rodney. Peter has a trucking company in Wagga Wagga, in my hometown. It also has depots in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. He said:

Mate, I can see this country stopping unless someone in these government departments don't get off and keep people back to work or stop giving people money and get them to go to work to get their money.

Well, I can tell you. I'll make a prediction: over the next 10 years transport will be one third of what it is today.

And they just don't come to work or they apply for things and they just don't turn up.

They're filling out paperwork, so they can say "oh, we can go back to the government, we'll just get more money sitting around and doing nothing".

That sounds rather cynical, but, unfortunately, it's the truth. Mr Rodney wants to have more workload. His company is a doer. They've got 138 prime movers. They operate all over the eastern states, particularly. However, over the last 10 years they've continued to downsize, and that trend has been exacerbated in the last three years under the Labor government, unfortunately. In addition to reducing their fleet size because of staff shortages, they've had to reduce their customer base to ensure they're able to continue providing quality service delivery. The work within the sector exists, but staff do not. They've got so many trucks just backed up to the fence in their depots.

As I said, it's a situation that has occurred more and more over the past three years. Big Rigs, the trusted voice of the transport industry, had this to say on 1 May in the article 'Record insolvencies in transport sector, but there are lifelines':

Mounting financial pressure is pushing more Australian transport and logistics operators to the brink, as insolvencies in the sector accelerate, says a leading business recovery and insolvency firm.

Jirsch Sutherland said a combination of rising costs, labour shortages, regulatory burdens and falling asset values is driving more businesses to restructure or wind down.

The latest ASIC data reveals a sharp upward trend in insolvencies within Australia's transport, postal and warehousing sector. They rose from 196 in 2021-2022 to 347 in 2022-2023—

Bear in mind Labor took over in May 2022—

and 495 in 2023-2024—a 153 per cent increase in just two years.

As of April 6 this year, 535 insolvencies had already been recorded, representing a 173 per cent increase compared to 2021-2022 and putting the industry on track for another record year—

but that's not the record year they would like. Ian Hyman, the CEO of Hymans Valuers and Auctioneers, said:

Government regulation is getting worse: industry collective bargaining, unrestrained union behaviour, abolition of employee restraint clauses and a myriad of other government-related controls create roadblocks to efficient and well managed operations. It's all going to make life even harder—

particularly in regional Australia.

The nation stops without trucking, because trucks deliver all of the food and all of the goods. They are the lifeblood of our areas, particularly in regional Australia. When you take into account the road infrastructure funding cutbacks, the fuel prices and all of the things that are unfortunately being inflicted upon this sector, it doesn't bode well for the trucking industry or for regional Australia. You've got companies that are family owned and companies that have been generationally owned—they've been there for decades—going to the wall, and it's on Labor's watch. Something has to give. Peter Rodney wants more work, he wants more staff and he wants to see light at the end of the tunnel, but, unfortunately, all he sees is roadblocks that are being put there by the Labor government. Shame.