Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

This is a government that does not understand rural and regional Australia. It does not quite grasp the disproportionate adverse impacts of this budget on rural and regional Australia. Sadly—I say as the member for Lyons leaves the chamber—it has representatives from rural and regional Australia who are not sticking up—

Mr Nikolic interjecting—

I am glad the member for Bass came in because he is amongst them. They are not standing up and protecting their local constituents, the families in their communities. It is about time they gave them a voice. It is about time they stood up to the Prime Minister and made it clear to him that they will no longer sit back and take the pain being imposed on their constituents in rural and regional Australia.

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