House debates

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Matters of Public Importance

Budget: Rural and Regional Areas

3:30 pm

Photo of Barnaby JoyceBarnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

The least number of farms. What other visionary things are we doing in agriculture? We have got Roads to Recovery. That is predominantly in regional areas. Who is responsible for that? The Leader of the National Party. That is the sort of vision you get. Look at the free trade agreement we got with Korea—that is pretty visionary. We have got a great advancement in the prospects there. Who is also currently negotiating to finalise the agreement with China? We are. Who could not finalise it? Those opposite. Who could not finalise the Korean agreement? They could not. Who could not finalise the Japanese agreement? They could not. Who brought us the carbon tax? They did. Who gave us the mining tax? They did. Who thought of the Roads to Recovery? We did. What exactly is your vision? What exactly is the vision of the Labor Party when it comes to regional Australia?

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting

I tell you what, you built yourself a freeway to your electorate. I noted that. He is worried about me moving an office to Armidale but built a freeway to his front door. The last time I saw something like that it was in New Orleans. That was a great outcome and you are to be commended for your work. But these are the visionary things that are showing that people in regional Australia believe that now they have a regional development minister and an agriculture minister who actually has lived the experience, who lives in the area and who is bringing agriculture forward. I absolutely thrilled and proud of the job we are doing and I am absolutely thrilled and proud to be given the ministry to look after it.

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