Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Regional Australia is on life support, and this Labor government is standing by and watching it flatline. Capricornia is not a burden. We are not a cost. We are a cornerstone of this nation's prosperity. We mine the minerals, we grow the food and we export the energy that powers our economy, yet, despite all we contribute, Labor treats regional Australians like second-class citizens. Since coming to government, Labor has turned its back on the regions. It's turned its back on the people who show up, work hard and keep this country moving.

Investment into Capricornia ground to a halt the moment Labor took office. As the member of Capricornia, I'm proud to have delivered over $7 billion in vital infrastructure projects for our region under the coalition government. This included $568 million for Rookwood Weir, $251 million for Walkerston Bypass and the $80 million Rockhampton-Yeppoon upgrade. These weren't vanity projects. These were smart, strategic investments which have unlocked growth, boosted productivity and created jobs and are saving lives on our roads.

But what did Labor do? In their very first budget, they tried to axe the Rockhampton Ring Road, one the largest and most important infrastructure projects our region has ever seen. This project spans 17.4 kilometres and includes 18 bridges and the new 453-metre Fitzroy River crossing. It will divert over 2,500 heavy vehicles away from our city streets, away from four school zones and away from 19 sets of traffic lights. It is transformational, But Labor want to axe it. It was only due to the fierce outcry from our local community, small businesses and industry leaders that Labor was forced to backtrack. But let's be clear. The intention was there. The knife was drawn, and Capricornia would have been the casualty.

This is not an isolated case. Labor's track record is now a pattern—a pattern of neglect. Nationwide, Labor has cut, delayed or scrapped over $30 billion in infrastructure, and it's regional communities like mine of Capricornia that are paying the price.

They didn't stop at infrastructure. They also axed the Building Better Regions Fund, a program that delivered funding for vital community projects across Capricornia, from disability housing to sports clubs to community halls. They scrapped the community development grants, the Stronger Communities program and other successful coalition initiatives that backed local people with local solutions. Labor replaced these programs with—nothing: not reform, not redesign but nothing. What message does this send to the regions? It tells us we don't matter. It tells us we're not a priority. It's not just roads and infrastructure; it's the very fabric of daily life in Capricornia that is unravelling.

We are in a struggle-to-survive crisis. The Salvation Army's Social Justice Stocktake reveals the depth of the crisis in my electorate, with 82 per cent of people identifying housing affordability and homelessness as major issues. Nearly half say the crisis is affecting them personally. At least 547 people in Capricornia are currently sleeping rough. We're also short by 3,500 homes to meet current demand. One local disability service in our region was able to build two purpose-built homes with $1 million from the Building Better Regions Fund. These homes are now giving people with disability dignity, independence and safety.

Access to health care is worsening, too. In Capricornia just 9.4 per cent of GP clinics bulk-bill. That's forcing people into emergency departments for basic care. And for those living with disability, Labor has made things even harder. Buried deep in the NDIA's annual pricing review is a devastating change: a 50 per cent cut to travel reimbursements for allied health professionals. That might be manageable in the suburbs of Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, but in regional Queensland it is a disaster. Whether a provider drives for 20 minutes or for two hours, the rebate is the same. Already we've had providers confirm that they will no longer be able to travel to the smaller towns—not because they don't care but because Labor's policy makes it financially impossible. The consequences are devastating: fewer visits, fewer services and more vulnerable people left behind.

This is not a policy adjustment. It is a wrecking ball taken to disability care in the bush. Labor governs for the cities, for the inner suburbs. The people in places like Capricornia are the ones who keep the lights on, literally. We produce, we export, we contribute. Yet under Labor we are ignored—ignored on housing, ignored on health, ignored on roads and ignored on disability service. This isn't accidental. It's deliberate. And the people of Capricornia are sick of being treated like an afterthought. Regional Australians deserve more than patronising platitudes. We deserve investment. We deserve respect— (Time expired)

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