David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

The government are committed to working with regions to create dynamic, stable, secure and viable economies across Australia. We are providing $1 billion over five years to our new National Stronger Regions Fund, which will invest in priority infrastructure for all our regional and rural communities, will support the livability in those communities and will drive their economic growth programs. It will make regional and rural communities a place where more people will choose to live and the removal of the carbon tax will assist this objective even further. The Senate has the choice to help regions and regional Australians by removing the carbon tax. We want to do that and we want the parliament to achieve that objective. This is a vast country. Many of our regional towns are not on grid and have massive carbon tax debt. (Time expired)