Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

And I hear the minister opposite, who also keeps interjecting. She doesn't understand regional Australia, doesn't understand irrigation and doesn't understand that it's those irrigation communities which are growing the food to feed our nation, and many others beside. They're called 'exports'.

We heard the Treasurer in the last budget; for the first time in quarter of a century a Treasurer stood at that dispatch box and didn't even use word 'infrastructure' once! Not once! Shame on him! But we also heard a budget speech last time where he talked about the things that we sell overseas and he couldn't bring himself to mention coal, gas and iron ore—the things we sell overseas. What an insult to those regional people who work in mines and who are proud of the resources sector! And we should be proud of regional Australia. I call on those members opposite who are from the regions to fight harder to protect and preserve regional Australia and infrastructure.

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