Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are focused on growing our economy outside of a resource based, bulk-tonnage economy and are placing an emphasis on instead growing a diverse economy reliant upon the skills and resourcefulness of our people. Infrastructure and education are means that are proven to promote growth in the economy and they are measures this government is very proud to fund.

This government is delivering on commitments to increase education infrastructure funding in regional centres such as the capital grants scheme, which is committed to a new $800,000 funding package for the Geraldton Grammar School, which is my electorate. Since 2015, the capital grants scheme has committed over $3 million to funding school infrastructure projects in Durack. This is indicative of the hard work being done to increase not just the gross amount of students studying but the quality and employability of the graduates who are coming out at the other side. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to building a new economy based on an educated and intelligent workforce.

In fact, this government is committed to improving northern Australia through a wide variety of infrastructure projects which aim to improve the economic performance of the region. This is fantastic news for the electorate of Durack, which includes the entirety of the north-west of Western Australia. This government has committed $600 million for the improvement of roads throughout northern Australia, a much needed injection of capital that will improve accessibility to remote communities and foster regional growth even further. There is also an extra $200 million available for water infrastructure throughout northern Australia—much of which will come to the west, I am pleased to say. This government has demonstrated an effective and energetic response to the mining downturn, and I am sure the members present will be aware that my electorate was one of the hardest hit with respect to the downturn in the mining industry. But we are resilient and we progress. This government is committed to remaining financially responsible and managing this deficit with the care and consideration that is expected by us, by the taxpayers of Australia.

These are the actions of a government that understands how a national economy functions and that encourages enterprises and entrepreneurs that demonstrate a forward-thinking and hardworking attitude. In fact, one of the election commitments the Turnbull government made was a commitment to Indigenous entrepreneurship, and this government has tabled a $90 million fund for Indigenous entrepreneurs seeking to give an equal opportunity to those innovative people in the Indigenous business sector.

I thank Minister O'Dwyer for her hard work in developing regional infrastructure and future-proofing the economic stability of regional Australia, especially in my electorate of Durack. I ask the minister: what further action is the government taking to reduce spending growth and get the budget back to surplus? What real-world impact will this have on families and businesses in my electorate of Durack? What other progress is the government making— (Time expired)

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