Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack government is supporting communities and industries during the coronavirus pandemic through the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund?

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

I thank the hardworking member for Mallee for her question. She and her Victorian electorate are resilient people, and regional Australian people are always resilient. They have an air of optimism and positivity and hope about them, and they have to because, whenever we have a crisis befall our nation, whether it's drought—I know the Minister for Agriculture's electorate of Maranoa has endured it for seven years. Whether it's bushfires and our summer from hell, which affected so many electorates, so many parts of regional Australia, or whether it's floods, which followed the bushfires in some parts, or now, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional Australians through all of that come out the other side because of their resilience, because of their fighting spirit. They are, of course, responsible for the food, the fibre and the export revenue that our nation nobly holds so dear.

As the member for Mallee well knows, when our regions are strong, so too is our nation. And this has never been more apparent than right now. As part of the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund, a billion dollar fund set aside to ensure that industries get through to the other side, we've seen the uptake of assistance available and it's going to help regional Australians so much.

Justin Pirrottina, the president of the Geraldton Professional Fishermen's Association and a Geraldton lobster fisherman, said in support of this initiative: 'It's a step in the right direction, it started things moving, has got boats back on the water and people back in jobs. We hope that every week we can start fitting a little bit more in as trade ramps back up.' I know this is just as important in Western Australia as it is in the Victorian electorate that the member for Mallee represents so proudly. It's a perfect example of real benefits, from a genuine fund, flowing to industry to help them preserve and protect livelihoods, jobs and workers' ability to go to work. Because we know that so many businesses have, unfortunately, had to shut their doors. Mark Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Tassal, a Tasmanian based salmon farming company—they employ a thousand people—said: 'This means Australian farmers'—he's talking about this initiative—'and fishers can continue supporting their workforces, confidently operate their essential services during these uncertain times, and also show leadership in Australia's recovery ahead.'

This government is also showing leadership, and I know the parliament, moreover, is showing leadership to get through COVID-19. And I know that billion dollar fund is helping so many regional Australians get through this. They've been hard hit. They've been hard hit by so much in recent times, but they will get by because of their positivity, because of their optimism and because of their renowned resilience.