Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

On 18 July last year in Dubbo, in the member for Parkes's electorate, The Daily Telegraph held its inaugural Bush Summit. It was in the midst of one of the worst droughts that this nation had ever seen. There was an air of doom and gloom over that gathering. Last Friday, in Cooma, the second Bush Summit was held. Whilst it was in the middle of a terrible global pandemic, there was an air of optimism and hope at that meeting. Those who attended felt as though the recovery was not far away, certainly from the drought. There's a sheen of green around the nation. In many parts, welcome rains have really helped our regional communities. Hopefully, we'll get the best harvest we've had for many, many decades.

We know that many Australians today are hurting. Many Australians are mourning. But there is hope and help for them. There is optimism in sight. I know the member for Flynn works hard every day, certainly to create jobs and to build hope and optimism in his electorate. The fine people of Flynn know that the resources and agricultural sectors of central and northern Queensland are going to help our recovery efforts as we battle through COVID-19 and make sure that we get through this together.

I know that mayors in his electorate, such as Kerry Hayes, who heads the Central Highlands Regional Council, know how important jobs and, certainly infrastructure stimulus are to the fine electorate that the member for Flynn represents. He is very pleased that the federal government is investing $40 million in the Tambo-Springsure road. It's only 246 kilometres, where we're bitumenising certain sections of that road. It's a cattle road. We're making sure—

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