Address to the NSW Nationals State Conference - Bathurst
15th June, 2013
State and federal colleagues, Deputy Premier, Federal President Christine Ferguson, State President Niall Blair, delegates, ladies and gentlemen,Three months from today the Australian people will deliver their verdict on the Rudd-Gillard era ¡V or will it be the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era. They will decide whether this self-serving soap opera gets a re-run.
Many pundits think we will be in government. But no victory is ever assured. In 1993 we were this far ahead three months out ¡V but still lost.
When we lost government in 2007 the conventional wisdom held that the Coalition would be in opposition for at least a decade. We have yet to prove those predictions wrong.
And The Nationals, in particular, are in the fight of our political lives.
If the Liberals win enough seats in the cities and we do not do well in the country, then the share and influence of regional Australia in the new government will be weaker and regional Australian cannot be assured of the strong voice it needs for the future.
The key state is NSW. We are working hard in Queensland, the Northern Territory, WA and SA and hope to win a couple of seats and get another Senator up, but our best opportunities are her in NSW.
Many observers say the Coalition lost the last election in Victoria, but I have no doubt it was lost in NSW. So many opportunities in this state were not converted into victory.
This time, NSW must not rely on the rest of Australia ¡V country NSW cannot rely on others to deliver the change of government we all need.
This time NSW needs to do its share of the heavy lifting.
„X The people of Richmond cannot count on other Australians to vote out Julia Gillard. They need to vote against Justine Elliot and for Matthew Fraser,
„X The only way the people of Page can get rid of Labor is to vote out their local Labor member Janelle Safin and for Kevin Hogan,
„X The only way the people of Hunter can ensure a better government is to vote against Joel Fitzgibbon and for Michael Johnsen. Regardless of how much Joel pretends he is not one them,
„X To get rid of Labor the people of New England and Lyne need to get rid of Labor¡¦s props ¡V Tony Windor and Robert Oakeshott, that means voting for Barnaby Joyce and David Gillespie, and
„X For the people of Throsby to be rid of a bad Labor government they need to vote against Stephen Jones and vote for Angry Anderson.
My challenge to NSW today is, deliver us these 6 seats and we will deliver you a strong Nationals voice in a Coalition government.
And make sure you retain the seats you have.
„X John Cobb in Calare ¡V as Agriculture Minister he is fighting for farmers and to deliver a better deal for our agriculture industries.
„X Luke Hartsuyker in Cowper ¡V as Regional Communications and Sport Minister is making sure the regions get the telecommunications they need.
„X Mark Coulton in Parkes ¡V as Chief Whip is doing a wonderful job in keeping our party in Canberra well organised and effective.
„X Michael McCormack in Riverina ¡V our newest member has made more speeches in parliament than many make in their entire political careers.
„X Senator John ¡¥Wacka¡¦ Williams has the tough number 3 Senate spot and we must see him returned and don¡¦t forget Alan Hay is in the Senate race, too.
We have been a disciplined Opposition.
We have to make every post a winner¡K the Labor-Greens-Independent alliance must be held to account each and every day.
Let¡¦s face it, we¡¦ve had plenty of material to work with.
Now it¡¦s back to the future for Labor, with the Rudd and Gillard camps lining up to rehash hostilities and blame each other for Labor¡¦s woes.
With three months to go they should be governing, not deciding who is their rightful leader. It seems the only time any of them can tell the truth is when they insult one another.
It¡¦s symbolic of the petty self-serving politics Labor has played since day one ¡V more concerned with being in government than getting on with the business of governing.
That means being prepared to do any deal and rent any prop.
Last week¡¦s national accounts showed that Labor has squandered the resources boom. The mantra for last year¡¦s budget was sharing the boom, but Labor destroyed the boom before it arrived.
This budget they forgot about the boom and said the budget was about growth and jobs. In fact, this year¡¦s budget forecast growth down to 2.75% and unemployment up to 5.75%.
Businesses are cutting investment ¡V that means lower growth and less opportunity.
Consumers aren¡¦t spending ¡V that means fewer jobs and less opportunity.
Our domestic economy is going backwards with the weakest growth in 2 years ¡V at just 0.6%
The lack of confidence that Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan and Labor inspire spreads throughout the business community and households like a disease.
It¡¦s a record of failure¡K of ineptitude¡K of people incapable of governing ¡V including governing themselves, let alone in the national interest.
And the examples are many¡K
„X No carbon tax under the government I lead ¡V trust was lost in this government virtually from day one.
„X A community consensus before any action on climate policy.
„X A people¡¦s assembly to build that consensus.
„X Secret deals with the big three miners, who carved themselves out of the mining tax leaving the smaller miners to carry the can.
„X Roof batts that burned down people¡¦s houses;
„X Over-prices school halls;
„X Grocery watch and Fuel watch that never got off the ground, and now we are to have Asbestos watch;
„X The private health insurance rebates Labor swore were part of family budgets and, as such, guaranteed would remain untouched.
„X The $90 billion white elephant called the NBN. No cost-benefit analysis. Virtually no-one signing up and more costly delays ahead.
„X Giving Telstra $11 billion to close its network;
„X Last week, it was revealed that the NBN¡¦s wireless network is so far behind, that less than 10% of the target businesses and homes will be connected by June 30.
Know what the excuse was? NBN Co. failed to anticipate the existence of tall trees in regional Australia.
„X Labor offered to take 5 asylum seekers from Malaysia for every 1 person we sent to them;
„X Meanwhile, 43,000 illegal asylum seekers arrived aboard over 700 boats on Labor¡¦s watch ¡V tragically over 1,000 deaths at sea and a $10 billion cost blow-out for Australian taxpayers.
And there¡¦s more¡K
„X a mining tax that raised just 10% of what was expected ¡V even though promises had been made against that revenue mirage. The shortfall means regional Australia will not get the infrastructure it was promised;
„X And there has been the near destruction of Australia¡¦s northern beef industry because of a panicked over-reaction to a television program.
It goes on and on¡K
On this government¡¦s watch a manufacturing job in Australia has been axed every 20 minutes.
They paid Ford $34 million to save worker¡¦s jobs¡K only to have the company announce a complete shutdown of its Australian operations.
Right now this government is still borrowing $100 million each and every day.
The Treasurer¡¦s fifth straight budget deficit achieved a cumulative budget blowout of $192 billion since Labor came to office.
The government¡¦s gross debt ¡V the debt all Australians have to pay back ¡V will be close to $300 billion by Christmas and is hurtling towards $370 billion over the forward estimates.
When the credit card limit is next raised ¡V and it will be the fourth time ¡V it will have to be to a number around $400 billion.
And¡K oblivious to it all¡K this government does not think this debt matters. Billions mean nothing to them. But it is real money.
In fact, if you converted Labor¡¦s debt to $5 notes and laid end-to-end they would stretch all the way to the moon 25 times.
Pacific Highway
The deadline of 2016 to complete the Pacific Highway is dead because Anthony Albanese killed it off.
The centrepiece of Labor¡¦s 2013 Federal Budget infrastructure promise is a major funding cut for roads and rail ¡V down from $36 billion over 6 years to $24 billion over 5 years.
Labor¡¦s spin cycle has been in overdrive, but you can¡¦t cover up the fact that $24 billion over five years actually reduces infrastructure investment by $1.2 billion a year.
This year¡¦s Federal Budget made no new commitments for the Pacific Highway ¡V leaving the road only 54% complete today and short $2 billion to complete the job.
And the Minister boasts about transferring infrastructure money from roads to urban public transport.
It means the upgrade will not be completed at all under Labor, let alone by the government¡¦s promised 2016 deadline.
By contrast, I have already announced the Coalition¡¦s commitment of $5.64 billion to fully fund and complete the Pacific Highway in partnership with the NSW government ¡V honouring the traditional 80/20 funding split.
Regional Development
Under the Regional Development Australian Fund, regional Australia is losing out, again, as Labor syphons regional funding to the cities.
Julia Gillard, Tony Burke and new Minister Catherine King have brazenly pumped millions earmarked for regional communities into their own electorates - $13 million of it into suburban Melbourne and Sydney.
Of the $40M announced as first projects under Round Four:
„X $9M ¡V or 22% of the total funds allocated ¡V has gone to Werribee in the PM¡¦s outer-metro seat of Lalor for the Western Indoor Sports Hub.
„X $4M ¡V has gone to Tony Burke¡¦s Sydney seat of Watson for a Multicultural Arts and Sport Precinct.
„X Two projects pork-barrelled have gone to Catherine King ¡V the Minister responsible for the program, in her own seat of Ballarat.
But Labor has form in abusing the RDAF program.
80% of so-called regional development funding has gone to metropolitan areas ¡V the biggest single project being the roads around Perth airport.
This government is so dismissive of regional Australia that after 5 years in office they still don¡¦t know where it is.
It would be laughable if it wasn¡¦t so insulting to people in real need in regional Australia.
It¡¦s that sort of systemic abuse that has prompted The Nationals to assert that regional Australia needs a better deal.
The importance of regional Australia to the future of our nation has never been properly grasped by the Rudd and Gillard governments.
It¡¦s not only an insult, but extremely short-sighted that not a single Cabinet Minister lives in regional Australia.
If the Coalition wins the next election, we will ensure that regional Australia resumes its rightful place ¡V front and centre of every decision that the Federal Government makes.
We need a concerted effort from the next Federal Government to reinvest in the future of regional Australia. We have a vision and a plan for a better future.
We will identify the current barriers to regional growth and highlight the opportunities for regional Australia to play an even bigger role in the nation¡¦s prosperity.
We will build on the strengths and opportunities in regional Australia and provide a comprehensive road map for the future.
The good news story is about quality of life and a better work-life balance away from the congestion of our major cities.
Adding a few more lanes on freeways in our cities is necessary but won¡¦t solve the productivity problem when many regional centres could double in size with little, if any, impact on the quality of life enjoyed by residents.
Regional Australia should not be viewed as a problem ¡V it is a big part of the solution to our nation¡¦s challenges.
With the right level of support from governments at all levels and with the right policy framework, regional areas can, and must, play an even bigger role in the future of our nation.
Foreign Ownership
One thing is for sure, we won¡¦t achieve that potential unless we, as a nation, start recognising the true value of regional Australia¡¦s assets.
Right now, Australia¡¦s $9 billion a year grain industry is at a crossroads. And NSW¡¦s $1.78 billion grains sector is in the middle of the problem.
The proposed takeover of Australia¡¦s largest listed agribusiness, GrainCorp, by US giant Archer Daniels Midland represents clear and present challenge.
A real test for the Federal Treasurer and the Foreign Investment Review Board.
This buyout would mean every grain export facility in NSW, Queensland, SA and all but half of one in Victoria, is foreign owned.
It would hand ADM 280 storage sites in the eastern states with capacity for 21 million tonnes, 19 grain trains, 3 container loading facilities and vital stocks information.
What is in this deal for Australia?
There is no doubt grain storage and handling charges will rise as ADM seeks to recover the above market price they are paying for these assets.
This purchase, along with the dominant buyouts of Australia¡¦s sugar industry, meat works, dairy industry, grain marketing, oilseed crushers, food processing, wine industry ¡V mostly over the past 4 years, raises serious questions about the future decision-making in our agricultural industries.
In Australia we talk about being the food bowl of Asia. But Australians won¡¦t be making those decisions if these lock, stock and barrel buyouts are allowed to continue.
We support genuine foreign investment that strengthens our economy, which promotes growth and fosters confidence, but investments must be in our national interest.
The Coalition will implement a national register of foreign ownership of farmland and agribusinesses so the Austalian people know what is happening.
We will require the Foreign Investment Review Board to review any proposed foreign acquisition of agricultural land valued at $15 million or more (cumulative).
And we will also require the Board to review any proposed foreign acquisition of an agribusiness where the investment represents 15 per cent or more in an agribusiness valued at $244 million, or exceeds $53 million, whichever is smaller.
We need to change the culture of the FIRB ¡V which has never said no to an Australian farm or agribusiness being taken over by foreign interests ¡V and will broaden the FIRB membership to 7, including people with business and agricultural expertise.
Carbon Tax
In 15 days the carbon tax ratchets up.
It¡¦s distressing to everyone ¡V especially families and businesses in regional communities ¡V that our carbon tax is continuing to go up while the carbon price in Europe continues to plummet.
Right now, it¡¦s 5 times lower than ours.
That¡¦s a big burden for our exporters to carry when trying to compete overseas. It leaves Australia less competitive and with fewer jobs and diminishing opportunities.
And, if Labor and their Green and Independent allies get back on September 14, the carbon tax will go up again next year.
But there¡¦s an added sting in the tail. If Labor get back the carbon tax will start to hit road transport.
It¡¦s a distance-based hit, making everything we truck into regional towns more expensive and everything we truck less competitive.
There is only one option on September 14 to stop the rot. Vote National.
Wrap Up
In 91 days, the Australian people will face the clearest electoral choice in a generation.
It¡¦s a choice between¡K
„X getting the nation¡¦s finances back under control, or more Labor deficits.
„X The abolition of the carbon tax, or an even bigger and broader carbon tax under Labor.
„X Shutting the floodgates on people smugglers and stopping the boats, or a continuation of Labor¡¦s failed border protection policies.
„X Putting Australia first with strong, stable and accountable government, or three more years of Labor dysfunction and division.
„X Cutting red tape by $1 billion a year, slashing layers of bureaucracy added to by Labor¡¦s 21,000 new regulations, or yet more red tape.
„X 1 million new jobs over the next five years ¡V 5 million over the decade, or unemployment that Labor¡¦s own budget has predicted will grow.
„X A no-nonsense one-stop shop for environmental approvals to slash green tape, or more developments, opportunities and jobs on the scrap heap under Labor.
Our Plan provides families with the confidence and surety they need to plan their futures.
As I have said, we will assist household budgets by abolishing the carbon tax and take immediate pressure off electricity and gas bills.
But we will help families, retirees and pensioners further by keeping the tax compensation, as well as fortnightly pension and benefit increases. This will provide tax cuts and pension increases without a carbon tax.
And, most importantly, we will put regional Australia at the centre of a national economic recovery.
We will back our miners, farmers, manufacturers, tourism operators, power generators and small businesses to lead Australia out of Labor¡¦s black hole.
And give all Australians the brighter future they want for themselves and expect for their children.
It¡¦s about restoring hope, reward and opportunity and returning to people the optimism and confidence they need to get on with their lives.
Thank you.
