Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. He will be more interested than most during the budget discussions tonight, because I know of the interest he has in such great projects as the inland rail. Inland rail has been discussed by so many governments before, but this is the government that is actually going to deliver on it. This is the government that will deliver on bringing an economic corridor of commerce from Melbourne up to Brisbane on standard gauge, revitalising places such as Albury and Dubbo, making sure that Narrabri and Moree, Goondiwindi and Toowoomba are all part of a new horizon of economic growth that is closely associated with vital infrastructure and with agriculture.

The bulk movement of products of wheat, of coal, of cotton, of beef: these are the projects that we know will assist our nation to pay its bills, to get ahead, to give people an economic opportunity in the western districts to go out and have the chance to buy an affordable house and have the economic prospect of actually having a good job.

When we came to government, we were given an awesome task. They talked about doubling our economic production—it was $48.6 billion then—and we are well on the way. We are 31 per cent there. The member for Parkes realises this and understands very well the record prices we are getting for cattle, the record prices we are getting for meat sheep. I sold sheep the other day myself, and we got record prices there. The record prices for goats—and here's one!

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