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

Thank you, very much, Senator Williams. Our government knows that a strong national economy doesn't just happen by accident; it takes discipline, careful planning and a willingness to back small, medium and large businesses to create jobs. And, because we believe in these things, we can take decisions as a government when and where we can and after careful consideration to help stimulate local regional economies. That's why the Liberal-National government has been investing a record $75 billion in infrastructure and delivering essential services, such as telecommunications, health and education to support growth across regional Australia, and that is why we've also developed a strategic and targeted decentralisation agenda.

Over the past five years, our government has been able to shift over 1,100 public servant jobs out of Canberra, out of capital cities and into other areas of our nation. Last week, on Friday, in beautiful Coffs Harbour, I was able to announce that an additional 50 jobs from the Australian Maritime Authority will be moving from Canberra to Coffs Harbour, which is absolutely fantastic.