Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) Share this | Hansard source

I take the interjection. Electricity prices are going through the roof, by 39 per cent under Labor's watch. We hear from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy that prices are lower. They're simply not. Surely those opposite must get a power bill? The price of gas has gone up by 46 per cent.

Australians cannot afford this Labor renewable-only approach. The Nationals have a better way. We've adopted a cheaper, better and fairer energy plan. Cheaper: lower energy prices by using our resources. Better: by protecting our environment, by protecting our waterways, by having better land use and by using soil carbon sequestration. Fairer: in line with other countries—we don't need to shoot ahead, we don't need to be further than all these other countries; we want to be in line with the OECD countries—and we want cities to do their fair share, where you can put solar panels on rooftops, on top of the Woolworths and the Coles and on top of airport parking lots, so they can have shade. Why do you always want to put them out in rural and regional Australia?

We have a commonsense approach. The Nationals are always bringing common sense to Canberra. We want to keep industry within this country. We want to keep our jobs and keep our living standards, and that's simply not happening with those opposite.

And it's not just about the energy. On Medicare, we were promised at the last election—the Prime Minister held up his little green card—'This is the only card you will need to see a doctor.' But in my electorate of Dawson, in Mackay—which is the biggest centre in my area, with 130,000 people—there is not one bulk-billing clinic. So you need way more than just your Medicare card. Unless you take in your credit card, you don't get to see a doctor.

But it is not just in Mackay. Let's go further north to Bowen and the Burdekin—not one bulk-billing clinic. As a matter of fact, the closest one is in Townsville, so my main population base, located in Mackay, has to drive four, 4½ hours—an eight- or nine-hour round trip—just to see a GP. That's burnt up in fuel costs alone.

But it's not just that. The Albanese Labor government has betrayed regional Australia yet again on their rural roads. Those opposite want to reduce the speed limits. I can't believe it. Rather than actually investing, spending the money on upgrading the roads—'Oh, no, let's take the lazy approach; we'll just cut the speed limits.' It's absolutely unbelievable.

And what about the Bruce Highway? Those opposite promised $7.2 billion for the Bruce Highway, our main arterial road. But, no, it was revealed in Senate estimates that there was only $232 million available over the next three years—another Labor untruth. Then we saw, just recently—I don't know whether the money's there or not; again, we'll have to prosecute this through Senate estimates—an announcement of $2 billion for the Bruce Highway south-east corner. It's another betrayal of rural and regional Australia.

Let's recap. The Labor government has betrayed us on energy prices, betrayed us on Medicare, betrayed us on rural roads, betrayed us on the Bruce Highway and betrayed the farmers. Unless Labor starts looking after regional Australia, very soon every Australian will be naked, sober and starving.

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