Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Communications) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, I actually am. The greatest risk is the election of a Bill Shorten Labor Party government. The contrast could not be starker. We have a strong record of delivering the critical, regional telecommunications infrastructure that rural and regional Australians need and deserve not just to be safe but to actually grow their businesses and connect. The single biggest risk is the Labor Party, because it actually has no policy. What is there when you ask the Labor Party: 'How are you going to grow that connectivity for rural and regional Australians and the $63 billion agricultural industry? How are you going to ensure that more regional Australians are employed by growing those businesses?' Silence. If we had the Labor Party investing in rural and regional telecommunications, that is exactly what country Australians would be experiencing: total silence. I want to see more than 1,000 base stations delivered as a result of our investment.