PM AND NATIONALS MUST EXPLAIN: WHY THERE WAS NO MENTION OF RURAL AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA IN FIRST SPEECH OF THE CAMPAIGN
October 15, 2007

Bob Debus, Labor candidate for Macquarie, today expressed anger and amazement that Prime Minister John Howard – in his opening statement for the 2007 election – failed to make a single mention of rural and regional Australia.

Mr Debus challenged Mr Howard and the National Party to explain why they ignored rural and regional Australia.

“This is a clear sign that Mr Howard has lost touch with families in rural and regional Australia. It is a slap in the face,” said Mr Debus.

“Mr Howard and his junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, have a lot of explaining to do.

“I never thought I would see the day when the once-great Nationals would allow Mr Howard to be silent on rural and regional Australia.

“The Nationals are either unwilling or unable to represent men and women on the land.

“In contrast, Federal Labor Leader Kevin Rudd spoke about the need for ‘New leadership which understands the needs of rural and regional Australia’. He also spoke about the lack of proper broadband access in rural and regional Australia.”

Mr Rudd also asked: “How could the National Party sit by and allow a second-rate, second-speed, slow-speed system to be delivered to those in regional and rural Australia?”

Mr Debus said families in rural and regional areas were under pressure from the worst drought in a century, rising mortgage repayments and spiralling petrol and grocery prices.

So far, Federal Labor’s practical plans to help regional Australians include:

1 Roads infrastructure: $200 million towards a Great Western Highway bypass at Mt Victoria-River Lett Hill and $5 million for Infrastructure Australia to review long-term transport options for the Central West
2 Water saving: $5 million for water recycling projects in Lithgow and Oberon
3 National broadband network: $4.7 billion for high-speed broadband internet
4 GP Super Clinics: $220 million for clinics in local communities
5 Reform the Rural Medical Infrastructure Fund
6 Climate Change Adaptation plan for farmers: $60 million to help farmers respond to drought and climate change with pilot projects on better farming practices such as stubble retention and minimum tillage, and seed drilling
7 National Water Security Plan: $250 million to fix leaky pipes
8 National Clean Coal Fund: $500 million to provide job and energy security for major coal communities in regional Australia
9 Petrol Commissioner: permanent and full-time to crack down on price-gouging