Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is budget time—this document says 'Budget'. It is not Christmas time. I am told today is actually the birthday of the member for Shortland, and I am sure he would know a thing or two about Christmas time. I am sure, as a good local member, you have dressed up as Santa a few times. You have put on the hat and the wig. You have probably not had to put it in the padding, my good friend the member for Shortland. He has given away gifts. But, you see, after Christmas time comes payment time. This is a budget that is about delivering but also about paying down the debt and making sure we get the economy back on track. I heard the member for Jagajaga say, 'This is not the sort of budget a Labor government would deliver.' You are right. You are jealous of this budget, I know, because this is the sort of budget that is very popular with the Australian people. The phones in my electorate office have been ringing off the hook with people saying, 'You've got this one right,' and that must make you on that side very nervous. This is a budget that is about building, encouraging and providing. We are going to build an $8 billion inland railway. We have a $472 million regional growth fund. This will build stuff for my patch. We have Roads to Recovery. We have small business tax write-offs. That encourages those who are having a go. There is encouragement there for people who want to save to buy a house. The Treasurer was right: if a person can get a job and have a roof over their head, that is the first step towards a stable society. This budget invests in people by allowing them to save. There is a $4½ billion regional investment bank, which will drive productivity in regional Australia. But the budget is also about providing for our security. The budget makes provision for $27 billion in defence. As Australians, we value our freedom. It is there in the budget.

The budget also provides for our health and schools. At election time, in my electorate the Labor Party were handing out how-to-vote cards and they were saying, 'Health and education.' We found that if we stood next to them and said, 'Vote for us—health, education and lower taxes,' we would win people's votes. That is what we are delivering.

Do you know, member for Shortland, that across the electorate of Mallee there are 119 schools. Every one of those 119 schools and their 23,062 students will be better off. Can you believe that? Under our government, we are delivering on education. That is in this budget. Not only that, one of the things that has been very dear to my heart is the continuous glucose monitor scheme. A child came and saw me in Birchip and told me about his need for a continuous glucose monitor. That was our initiative. It is in this budget, on page 111, if you want to have a read. Fifty-four million dollars will be spent to subsidise continuous glucose monitors for children with type 1 diabetes. We are building, we are encouraging, we are providing, and this is just an example of what a government really can do.

I want to talk a little bit about the $472 million regional growth fund. This is where it really works well: when communities chip in a bit of their own money and then partner with the government, we see things built. We have seen things built right across the Wimmera and Mallee from these funds in the past. It is in this budget. I notice the member for Bendigo is always critical of us, but what has she got out of the regional growth fund? I think there is a runway about to be opened in Bendigo, delivered by our government. I think there is a sporting facility, if I remember correctly a tennis centre, delivered by our government. Isn't there an indoor basketball stadium? Oh, delivered by our government.

You know, it is not Christmas time; it is budget time. Bills need to be paid. This budget is fair, it is a winner, the Australian people love it. Those opposite are really, really worried about it because they know there is nothing to pick apart on this one. They know that this will win us the next election, and they are scared.

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