Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is no secret to this place that the Liberal and National MPs opposite have abandoned their local communities. Never has a budget had such an unfair and disproportionate impact on rural and regional communities as we have seen with this budget. All the member for Corangamite could talk about was a city based project, the East West Link, a dud tunnel that will do nothing for her electorate of Corangamite. We have the petrol tax, which will increase petrol prices disproportionately for people in the region—and I am glad that the member for Gilmore is in the chamber. She has recognised that and raised it last week, saying that she is going to have her own 'petrol watch' initiative. She had better watch her own government, because it is her government that is increasing the petrol tax on regional Australians.

But let's not forget about the biggest attack on young people in the regions: making young job seekers live on nothing for six months while they try to find work. In regional Australia youth unemployment is skyrocketing because this government does not have a jobs plan. In my own electorate it is 30 per cent of young people who cannot find work. Rather than helping them find work, this government is attacking them by making them live on nothing and live in poverty.

The Liberal-National MPs need to start standing up for their communities. They need to start standing up and being a voice for their communities. When you are in this House, you are expected to represent your communities, not just give lip service— (Time expired)