Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Can the Deputy Prime Minister confirm that between 2016 and 2021, 90 per cent of the $1.1 billion doled out through the Building Better Regions Fund went to government-held and targeted electorates? Is the government looking after the regions or is it actually looking after itself?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and remind the honourable member that the coalition represents over five million square kilometres of this nation. The Labor Party represents approximately 1.5 million square kilometres, and 1.35 million of the 1.5 is one seat, Lingiari, which we are going to make sure we look after as well. The reason we have the Building Better Regions Fund is we reach into the towns of Lingiari, of Tennant Creek, of Alice Springs, to make sure they get a fair deal.

It is peculiar, while those opposite are complaining about the Building Better Regions Funds and we are looking after regional seats, that in the same fortnight complain about it, close to half a billion dollars has been allocated by the New South Wales government to an art gallery in the member for Sydney's seat. This just goes to show you the disparity. We in the government will not step back from the fact that we look after the regional towns. We will not step away from the fact that we look after Gladstone or Emerald or Biloela or Tennant Creek or that we will do everything we can in our power to make sure we look after the process of getting better roads to the central regions in the seat of Lingiari.

I also remind the House that, in the most recent round, the Labor Party, which represents about 17 per cent, got about 16 per cent of funds. It's hardly a disparity. And I also recognise that we recognise such things as the letters of recommendation and support for the Building Better Regions Fund from the member Lingiari to the projects in Solomon. We can see that. We have built things that take people's lives ahead, so, I say to the honourable member: we will continue on representing regional people, we will continue on with the Building Better Regions Fund, and the biggest threat to the Building Better Regions Fund are the outlaws on the other side.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just say to the Deputy Prime Minister, that term, although it's old, has connotations, and I'm going to ask you to refrain from—