Darren Chester
Gippsland · National Party · Australia
“After four years of the Albanese government, Australians are worse off and our nation is heading in the wrong direction, with the standard of living in freefall. The heart of the problem, why Australians are worse off, is very simple: we're being led by a prime minister who simply can't tell the truth.”
“This is a prime minister who said, 'I won't BS people,' but in question time we cannot get a straight answer out of this prime minister to any question. The Prime Minister told Australians, 'My word is my bond.' Remember that?”
“We need someone like Gemma Rendell to stand up and fight for our fair share as a genuine community champion. I believe in putting locals first. For me, putting locals first means supporting our small businesses, our family owned businesses, right across the electorate of Gippsland.”
“We need those local businesses to survive. Right now, it's pretty tough in the local economy. We need you to be out there supporting local businesses at every opportunity. Winter is not a time to hibernate. Winter is a time to get out and explore Gippsland.”
“Gemma Rendell is an outstanding East Gippslander. Gemma is aiming to create history at the state election in November by becoming the first female member for the seat of Gippsland East. She is a busy young lady already. She's a farmer, a teacher, a young mum, and she's been active in our community for many years.”
“Traditionally, we've had a peak holiday season of eight to 10 weeks over the summer period where all of the accommodation is full and all of the restaurants are busy, but then it's been quiet in winter. Now we're trying to make sure we build on our winter season.”
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“This legislation appears to me an example of a government which has run out of puff in just four months. It is a solution looking for a problem. As a former minister, I'm not aware of any stakeholders—again, apart from senior Defence officers—who are critical of the current operations of the tribunal. In fact, it's quite the opposite. In my experience, the members of the tribunal have always acted with incredible diligence, professionalism and integrity. They have taken their job over the past 14 years very seriously. They have weighed up often very complex issues, carefully considered the consequences of their recommendations and then made recommendations which were both balanced and responsible.”
“From my direct experience as the former minister, this tribunal has acted diligently, professionally and with the utmost integrity. I say at the outset, I have literally no idea why the Labor Party has blundered down this pathway without any consultation or any input from this side of the House, the veteran community, their families, historians or any other interested parties. Even worse, the minister's second reading speech was deceptive and selective, even pretending the tribunal had called for these proposed changes. The only organisation that would support this unwelcome intrusion into the independence of this statutory agency would be the defence department, because it has never accepted the principle that a tribunal should be allowed to review decisions of senior officers, particularly in relation to honours for gallantry.”
“(2) However, an application for review of a reviewable decision can be made at any time (subject to this Part) if the applicant is not given a notice under section 110VAAA in relation to the decision. Now, wherever possible, the coalition will seek to find some common ground and a bipartisan position on veterans issues but, sadly, not on this occasion. The opposition is moving amendments today in relation to the key reforms as outlined in the minister's second reading speech because, quite frankly, he has made no case for change to the operation of a tribunal which has operated effectively for the past 14 years and was actually created by the former Labor government. Quite simply, the legislation before the House is stripping rights from Australian Defence Force personnel, veterans and their families.”
“(4) Schedule 1, page 6 (after line 32), after item 8, insert: 8A After section 110V Insert: 110VAAA Notification of review rights If a reviewable decision is made, the decision maker must, in writing, notify any person who is affected by the decision of the effect of sections 110VA and 110VAA. (5) Schedule 1, item 9, page 6 (line 33) to page 9 (line 24), omit the item, substitute: 9 After section 110VA Insert: 110VAA Time limit for making an application for review (1) An application for review of a reviewable decision can only be made within: (a) 6 months after the day the applicant is given a notice under section 110VAAA in relation to the decision; or (b) if the Tribunal is satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that exceptional circumstances exist—such longer period as the Tribunal allows.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in relation to the Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025. Firstly, I move the amendment as circulated in my name: Defence Amendment (Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal) Bill 2025 (Mr Chester) (1) Schedule 1, item 7, page 4 (line 16), omit "subsections (2) to (9)", substitute "subsections (6) and (9)". (2) Schedule 1, item 8, page 4 (line 19) to page 5 (line 27), omit subsections 110V(2) to (5). (3) Schedule 1, item 8, page 6 (line 5) to page 6 (line 24), omit subsections 110V(7) and (8).”
“Judging by the smiles on people's faces, it is a great charity. I am proud to say that I am the honorary chair of our chapter in Gippsland. We now have four trishaws operating in my community. With the help of some private business, some sponsors and some government grants, we will have two extra trishaws operating in my community this spring. We've already done rides in Sale, in Lakes Entrance and in Buchan, but there's more to come. As we unveil our new trishaws, we will keep providing safe, free and universal access to Cycling Without Age across my region. I want to recognise and thank the volunteers right across Australia. Keep up the great work. You are generously building relationships, sharing stories and slowing down to improve the lives of your fellow Australians. (Time expired)”
“I rise to acknowledge the hundreds of Australians who are volunteering to help reduce social isolation for older Australians and people with disabilities as part of Cycling Without Age Australia. Cycling Without Age is a reasonably new charity in our country, but it is part of a worldwide movement. The first trishaws arrived in Australia in 2016, and we've now grown to 46 chapters, including one in my electorate of Gippsland. This is a great movement. It gives the volunteer pilots, often retirees themselves, something interesting to do. It's a great hobby, it's healthy, and it helps them engage with their own community. The passengers have normally lost their capacity to cycle by themselves, so it gives them some freedom and reduces their social isolation. They get to feel the wind in their hair.”
“We need to get on with the job of doing the design and consultation work to build the bypass as soon as possible in the interests of safety and productivity in my community.”
“So instead of providing 80-20 funding for regional road projects the Albanese government, because it couldn't care less about regional road projects, has slashed that to 50-50, which means that the state government has no incentive whatsoever to try and accelerate regional projects. We've written repeatedly to the Andrews and Allan Labor governments and tried to get them on board with this project, which has been talked about for the best part of 30 years. Now that the duplication work is done, the next major road transport project east of Melbourne is clearly the Traralgon bypass. Now, I've written to the state minister and received a response that they can't progress this project until they know what the final rehabilitated form of the Loy Yang mine looks like. That is complete bulldust. The mine will be stable.”
“Obviously we didn't win the election, so that promise awaits some sort of matching contribution hopefully from the Labor Party here in Canberra or perhaps the state government itself. We need to accelerate the design and costing work because we know it's going to take at least five or six years to build the thing once we actually get the project moving. We want to see some money on the table to get this project accelerated in the interest of improving safety, obviously, for locals but also for the travelling public. Now, what we need to understand is, in the past, 80 per cent of the funding for the highway works in Gippsland has come from the federal government. But this government, the Albanese government, has slashed that to 50 per cent.”
“During long weekends or peak holiday periods, it's much worse than that. Providing a bypass would reduce congestion for locals, improve the safety and productivity of the road, increase the liveability for the local community and also help to boost the visitor economy by bringing the rest of Gippsland closer to the south-east Melbourne growth markets by reducing travel times. These are well-recognised social, economic and environmental benefits that could be achieved in building this bypass. We've so far seen a state government refusing to engage with the community, the local council and the transport sector to progress this project. At the last election, to try and get this project moving, the coalition announced that it would provide $5 million to accelerate the planning for this project.”
“I take this opportunity to update the House on efforts to build a better and safer Princes Highway through the electorate of Gippsland. These are efforts which, sadly, for much of the journey have been resisted by the state Labor government, which has dragged its heels on every major project we've sought to undertake on the highway. Sadly, there's also been no new funding for the highway from the Albanese government in 3½ years. But, on the positive side, we have seen the full duplication between Traralgon and Sale completed over the last 12 months, which means the next major project on the highway through my electorate is the bypass of Traralgon. We now have 15 intersections with roundabouts or traffic lights in Traralgon, and it takes somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes to get through the town on a good day.”
“The RSL says the commission 'should be established under a separate act of parliament as an independent body'. In opposition, the Prime Minister liked to play politics with our veterans. He even accused the coalition of ignoring grieving parents like Julie-Ann Finney. Prime Minister, why is your government now ignoring the pleas of Ms Finney and the RSL for a truly independent commissioner? We know that true independence is the key to establishing the trust and confidence of the veterans community. Prime Minister, why won't your government listen to veterans, listen to their families, listen to veterans' advocates, listen to mental health experts, listen to the coalition and give our veterans a fully independent commissioner? (Time expired)”
“RSL Australia has sent a very clear message to the Albanese government: the Defence and Veterans' Services Commission should be established as a Commonwealth statutory agency through purpose-specific legislation, as recommended by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. It's the same message from veterans' advocates like Julie-Ann Finney and the respected interim head of the DVSC, Michael Manthorpe, who has told the Senate inquiry it would be 'highly desirable' to create a standalone act. This government needs to listen for a change. The RSL has said: Australian veterans who have made unique sacrifices in service of our nation deserve to know their interests are being protected by an oversight body that will act without fear or favour.”
“The world can hold the Olympics every four years, and you can finish a university degree in four years, but the Labor governments in Victoria and here in Canberra can't fix the Mallacoota-Genoa Road in four years. Once again, I urge the federal minister to get involved in this project and start to prioritise human life over a few gum trees along the side of the road in East Gippsland. If the Treasurer wants to boost productivity through his roundtable, he could start by cutting the green tape and the red tape, which are used by transport departments as excuses for their own incompetence.”
“Residents in Mallacoota are angry, disappointed and frustrated, and it's all because of the bureaucratic incompetence within the state and federal transport departments. In May 2021, I secured $10 million to upgrade the Mallacoota-Genoa Road. It's the only access road to the community, which was severely impacted by the Black Summer bushfires. For more than four years, I've been urging the state and federal ministers and their departments to just get on with the job, but work still hasn't started on the ground on this project. All we've received so far is excuses and bureaucratic bulldust about studies, reviews and consultation. The community is sick of the endless talking and paperwork. They just want a better road, and the money is actually there to improve safety now for residents and visitors to the Mallacoota region.”
“When the Newspoll numbers drop again, will we have the 'break glass' option of the Prime Minister? Will he wave around his Medicare card this time, making false claims? Or will it be back to the well of student debt, seeking to buy more votes in those metropolitan areas? If this is the case, the government must be transparent about it. We want real reform in education to benefit all Australians, not industrial-scale, tertiary-level vote buying, which is an embarrassment to the Labor Party and to the people who pretend to assert some sort of moral authority over those on this side of the house when it comes to education in this nation. The House transcript was published up to 21:00. The remainder of the transcript will be published progressively as it is completed.”
“Just imagine if some of that $16 billion had gone to addressing disadvantage in rural and regional areas, rather than retiring the debt of some of most advantaged and privileged people in the nation. This is a short-term fix for a long-term issue. As I've indicated, the challenge remains for communities like mine to reduce the barriers for young people to go to university, and it won't be addressed by a $16 billion sugar hit paid for by lower income people to students who had the benefit of a taxpayer subsidised tertiary education. Labor needs to be honest with the Australian people about what will happen the next time the Prime Minister's Newspoll numbers tank, because it will happen again. There will be no honeymoon this time. There will be no honeymoon whatsoever for a government which has lost its way in so many areas.”
“That is why the people in my electorate of Gippsland have much lower participation rates in tertiary education, unless you believe the kids in my electorate are stupider than the metropolitan kids. We participate in university at a much lower rate than the metropolitan kids because of barriers to entry to university in the first place. The costs of moving away from home are enormous. The legislation that went through the House today did nothing to address that barrier, nothing to address the disadvantage, because the Labor Party could not care less about people in rural, regional and remote areas because they don't represent them. It's a simple electoral maths of the policy which is before the House today and which won the support of the inner metropolitan areas at the last election.”
“This was industrial-scale, tertiary-level vote buying, with working class people picking up the tab for students who will earn more over their lifetime as a result of their university education. We know—study after study has shown us—that the lifetime earnings of people with a university degree are on average at least $1 million more than those of people without the benefit of a taxpayer subsidised university education. Just imagine if just some of that $16 billion went to address the barriers which exist for rural and regional students seeking to access a university degree. Yes, the cost of living is a real issue for those students. Moving away from home and finding accommodation—these are real issues that they face.”
“The data from the Parliamentary Library indicates the average number of people who stood to benefit by the scheme in seats that were held by the Nationals in rural and regional Australia in the lead-up to the election was 13,384. However, in the seats held by the Greens in the city, which were the key targets for the Labor Party going into this election, the average number of people who stood to benefit was 32,288. There are two and a half times the number of beneficiaries in those inner city seats. So if you wonder why country people are calling bulldust on this proposal, you would perhaps understand it when you see the disproportional benefit that flows to the inner metropolitan areas.”
“They needed to find a way to buy back the votes of young people. What we've seen since the election is the city-country divide and the fault lines that exist. If you want to understand it, it's because regional Australians have been left behind by a government that makes no apologies when it comes to buying the votes of metropolitan people with things like the HECS debt reduction. These are the figures from the Parliamentary Library. In my electorate of Gippsland, 12,777 people will benefit, but it helps 28,009 students in the Prime Minister's seat of Grayndler and 25,901 people in the education minister's seat of Blaxland. That's double the number of beneficiaries in two ministers' seats compared to the seat of Gippsland.”
“So, when it comes to those opposite coming in here and claiming some sort of moral high ground on education with this policy, just for a second, consider the electoral reality of what we're talking about. This was an industrial-scale vote-buying scheme. It was tertiary-level pork-barrelling, and the proof of that is when you look at the electoral map and understand the disproportionate benefit that accrues in certain seats compared to others. The chutzpah of my good friend the education minister when he comes to the despatch box and extols this as some sort of great education policy is something I admire. I give credit where it's due. Electoral success was required in the inner city, where the Labor Party was particularly under attack from the Greens, where members, including the member opposite, were fighting off a strong challenge.”
“Andrew Norton from Monash University said: … it is a very expensive and poorly targeted program which delivers huge benefits to those with high debt, while delivering nothing to those starting next year and those who finished earlier … It is inherently unfair. The measure is not means tested. It punishes people who have done what they can to repay their debts. In effect, 27 million Australians will be paying for the debts of three million Australians. As I said, this policy did resonate with young people because they were experiencing the heat of Labor's cost-of-living crisis, where the price of everything was going up, and they felt locked out and let down by Labor on the issue of housing as well. The cost of education was obviously a major concern, and it will remain one unless the government gets serious about systemic reform.”
“We all enter politics trying to achieve a majority, and this worked. As a vote-buying scheme, pork-barrelling on an industrial scale, it worked. The Labor brains trust, the Minister for Education and, I assume, the Prime Minister himself deserve to be acknowledged for that. But that doesn't change the fact that the proposal is deeply flawed. Economists themselves have described this measure as exceptionally bad policy which favours the rich, doesn't help with the current cost of living and does nothing to encourage higher education. Economist Chris Richardson also said it's a reverse Robin Hood in that it is basically stealing from the poor to pay the rich.”
“In November 2024, on Newspoll, the coalition's primary support had reached 40 per cent for the first time since 2022. The Prime Minister's lead as preferred prime minister was down to just four points, and his net approval rating was minus 15. So, if you're wondering how we got to the point where the Labor Party made this announcement in November 2024, this is exactly how we got to that point. Last November, you had to tie a chop around the Prime Minister's neck to get Toto to play with him. He was unloved by the Australian people, and his Newspoll numbers were tanking. This was a break-glass decision by the strategists in the Labor Party to try and buy back the votes in the seats where they were needed the most. And it worked. I'm not begrudging for a second the electoral result.”
“But, when it comes to this bill, trying to seek some moral authority is somewhat misplaced and unjustified. For those on this side to raise concerns about the bill which passed today through the House of Reps is more of a reality check than anything else. There is an electoral reality which comes with this bill which deserves to be called out and has been call out publicly. How did we get to this point? I'll tell you how we got to this point. In October 2024, Newspoll had the coalition leading for the first time since 2022. The issues that were important at the time were cost-of-living pressures and allegations of moral cowardice over the attacks on Israel. They were the issues that led to the Newspoll result in October 2024, according to the commentary at the time.”
“I think I should start with something that we can all agree on in this place and agree with the member for Corangamite—that education is an investment. I think all members on both sides of this chamber value education. I think members on the crossbench, in the Labor Party and among the Liberals and Nationals all regard helping young people achieve their full potential as something that we should aspire to in this place, whether that is through a university degree, through TAFE or through pursuing a trade. Helping young people achieve their full potential is something that this parliament should always be aspiring to achieve. I have noticed over a period of time that those opposite seek to assert some sort of moral authority when it comes to education debates in the chamber.”
“As we mark this 80th anniversary, we remember not just a military victory but a national commitment that spanned across oceans and across generations. Let us continue to honour to fallen, support the living and ensure their stories are passed on for future generations to understand that the freedoms we enjoy came at a very heavy price.”
“Australia's involvement in the Pacific war helped forge a sense of national identity, one defined by courage, by mateship and by endurance. There is no question that this war reshaped Australia's international outlook, contributing to stronger ties with the United States and evolving the relationship with the Asia-Pacific region. Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945 was met with celebration across Australia but also with solemn remembrance, remembering those who had fallen. The legacy of those who served is not only in the victories they achieved but in the peace they secured and the freedoms that endure today. Their story is one of endurance, mateship, loyalty and courage under fire—values that continue to shape our national identity.”
“The Navy played a role crucial role escorting convoys, landing troops and fighting in key battles, including the Battle of the Coral Sea, a turning point of the Pacific theatre. The Royal Australian Air Force flew countless missions, providing vital air support across the region. Many of our airmen also served with distinction in bomber command over Europe, highlighting the global nature of their contribution. It is sad to consider that almost 40,000 Australians died in World War II, and around 17,000 of those were in the Pacific. Thousands more were wounded and carried those injuries with them for the rest of their lives. Around 30,000 became prisoners of war, many in the most horrific conditions, including on the Thai-Burma Railway.”
“There were even maritime losses off the coast of East Gippsland in World War II. In response to those attacks, our country mobilised with determination and speed, and Australian forces were redeployed from the Middle East and North Africa to defend our near region. Australia's strategic position meant our forces fought in key theatres of the war—Malaya, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Borneo and the Pacific islands. Of course, the Battle of Kokoda became a symbol of Australian determination and endurance. At Milne Bay, Australian troops were the first to decisively defeat Japanese forces on land. In Borneo, New Guinea, Bougainville and beyond, Australians fought in long and costly campaigns to drive the enemy back.”
“The fall of Singapore and the bombing of Darwin and the Japanese submarines in Sydney Harbour all meant that our country was now at the forefront of the war. On that note, Australian schoolchildren should learn more about the bombing of Darwin. It was the first time the Australian mainland had been attacked by a foreign power, and the attackers were led by the same commander who led the Pearl Harbor assault just 10 weeks earlier. The first two Japanese air raids were the largest, but a sustained campaign followed, and there were more than a hundred attacks on Darwin during 1942 and 1943. As someone who studied Australian history at high school, I found out more in one visit to Darwin than I found out in my whole six years of studying history in my school. The war in the Pacific was very much at our doorstep.”
“Victory in the Pacific Day is not just a celebration of a victory but a solemn remembrance of sacrifice, service and resilience. We are so fortunate that some of the veterans from World War II still walk amongst us today. Undoubtedly, their ranks are thinning as each of them approaches or goes beyond their 100th birthday, but we are still honoured to have them with us today. Today, we remember them all, and we extend our gratitude to them and to the families that supported them in their service. From the start of World War II, in 1939, over one million Australians served across the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the merchant navy. By early 1942 Australia was no longer a distant observer of the war. The danger was at our doorstep.”
“It is an honour to move this motion in recognition of what I believe to be the greatest generation of Australians. The reason they are the greatest generation of Australians is they overcame incredible adversity and demonstrated the resilience that was needed to both survive and then to prosper. Keep in mind, this generation of Australians was born in the aftermath of World War I. They grew up in the Depression. They fought for our freedom in World War II. They lost many of their mates and then, after surviving that conflict, they went on to build the nation that we enjoy today. Eighty years ago, on 15 August 1945, Japan's surrender marked the official end of World War II in the Pacific. For Australia, this meant the end of the direct threat to our shores and the conclusion of a conflict that profoundly shaped our nation.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) 15 August 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day (VP Day); (b) VP Day marks the end of the Second World War in the Pacific, following Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945; (c) victory in the Pacific marked the end of the biggest ever threat to Australian soil at the time; (d) the formal surrender took place on 2 September 1945 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay; (e) Australian forces were engaged in campaigns across the Pacific, in New Guinea, Bougainville, New Britain, Borneo, and in the Philippines, and Australian prisoners of the Japanese were spread throughout Asia; and (f) over 200,000 Australian servicemen and women were involved in the war against Japan, and over 17,000 died; and (2) acknowledges our: (a) gratitude to those who served, and their families, for the sacrifices they made which secured the freedoms we enjoy today; and (b) bipartisan ongoing commitment to remember their service and sacrifice.”
“These are challenging times, and the Prime Minister needs to understand that he needs to actually respect the United States as well and work in a way to achieve the strategic outcomes Australia is seeking to achieve to keep us safe and prosperous in a challenging world. As I said, my challenge is to make sure we focus on receiving a fair go for Gippsland. There is no new funding in this current term of the Albanese government, just as there was no new funding in the first term of the Albanese government. It has to change. I challenge the Prime Minister to actually live up to his promise to govern for all Australians. It would be a very nice change for the people who live in rural and regional Australia.”
“I look forward to continuing to work with my people, the great people of Gippsland, as we seek to see improvements in our critical services like health, aged care and child care, because they've failed to keep up with demand in the last five years. I accept that there were many challenges under the previous coalition government and there are many challenges today. But what we're not seeing is an investment to try and address those challenges in partnership with my community. Even more troubling is that, at a time when we have significant global uncertainty, we have a government which has a very muddled strategic outlook. We have seen a prime minister who has spent a lot of time cosying up to China and alienating our most important ally, the United States of America.”
“Nothing has really changed for most people in rural and regional communities since the election. Nothing has really changed for them. They're still feeling the weight of cost-of-living pressures. They're still seeing an underinvestment in community infrastructure projects in our regional areas. They're still seeing the Albanese government's failure to invest in safer roads at a time when road trauma has increased across regional communities, and they're still seeing a lack of investment in the connectivity which is critical for the social and economic prosperity that we need to grow in our rural and regional areas.”
“It's going to be very hard for my community in the coming three years to have a pipeline of projects when the Albanese government gutted all of the coalition-era regional development programs and then cut its own program as well. The much-vaunted Growing Regions Program of $600 million over three years has no new funding. It ended at the budget. There's no new funding and no pipeline for us to then go and seek funding support for projects in our regional communities. It's going to be a long three years ahead for communities in regional areas like Gippsland, unless the Albanese government changes its approach. I understand my job well; I've been here for a day or two now. It's to fight for a fair share for the people of Gippsland and across regional Australia and to hold the government to account.”
“It helps to boost our visitor economy. When we're trying to diversify our economic base, it's important that we get support from both state and federal governments. The Krauatungalung Walk project, the Snowy River bridge project, the Traralgon Men's Shed, the Stretton Park aged care, the Maffra vehicle collection and Gaskin Park in Churchill are all projects, all local priorities, which were put to us on this side of the House by local governments and local communities because we support localism. We support listening to our local communities on local solutions and bringing them forward for funding at a state and federal level.”
“I mentioned the seat of Bendigo, where, once the Labor Party realised that the heat was on, the whips were cracking. It was amazing the amount of money that flowed into Bendigo. The member for McEwen has a wry smile on his face. He was a neighbour who saw the money start flowing into Bendigo the moment the polling data made it obvious to the Labor Party that they were in trouble. And they were in trouble. There was a 10 per cent two-party-preferred swing to the Nationals candidate, Andrew Lethlean, in that seat. The point I am making is that, on this side of the House, when it comes to rural and regional Australia, we want to see investment in infrastructure, whether it is transport or community facilities, to improve the liveability of those regional communities. It's important. It helps us to attract and retain skilled workers.”
“We put forward a proposition of $2.7 million for the Snowy River trestle bridge. That's also another tourism initiative which will boost the visitor economy, as we are being told constantly by the Victorian Labor government we need to diversify the economy because they have gutted the timber industry. But did we get any support from the Labor Party for those projects? No—not a cent. So the proposition we took to the people of Gippsland, which was well supported at the election, stood in stark contrast to the proposition that the Labor Party took to the electorate. There was one promise from the Labor Party for Gippsland—$500,000 for the Bairnsdale senior centre. We just heard before question time the member for Dunkley talking about $100 million worth of projects promised for Dunkley.”
“They understand that in metropolitan areas the HECS vote-buying scheme disproportionately benefited their seats compared to rural and regional areas. That's the simple fact of the matter. The contrast on the proposition taken to the people of Gippsland by us at the election to the Australian Labor Party couldn't have been more stark. There is a reason why 55,000 Gippslanders voted for the Nationals and not the Labor Party at this election. It's that the Labor Party simply offered no plan for the future of our region. Our plan which we took to the people of Gippsland to make it an even better place to live, work and visit was focused on opportunities to invest in community infrastructure, things like $5 million for the Krauatungalung Walk project in the township of Lakes Entrance.”
“When you go further, you need to understand that there were also the target seats, those Green target seats that Labor was after. The average across those seats was 32,288 people per electorate that would benefit from this vote-buying scheme, whereas in Nationals-held seats it was 13,384. That's two-and-a-half times the benefit, and you wonder why there is a city-country divide in this nation. I do give the Minister for Education credit: as a vote-buying scheme, it was a ripper and it worked. I do congratulate him for that. Credit where it's due; it worked. This was industrial-scale vote buying. The minister knows it, the Prime Minister knows it and, judging by the silence on the opposite side, they know it as well.”
“Before question time, I was making the point just how divided Australia has become on city-country lines. The Minister for Education may like to understand why there is so much antipathy towards his vote-buying scheme of retiring HECS debt. What the minister needs to understand is that, in Gippsland, it seeks to support in the order of 12,777 people. That's according to the Australian Parliamentary Library. But, in the minister's own seat of Blaxland, it is 25,901 people. Twice as many people in the minister's own seat will benefit from this vote-buying scheme and he wonders why there is a city-country divide in this nation. In the Prime Minister's seat of Grayndler, it's 25,901 people. Again, that's twice the number of people that this vote-buying scheme will support in the electorate of Gippsland.”
“Just last week his own health department confirmed that 23 per cent of GPs won't be taking up the new bulk-billing initiatives, but it's not a lie if you believe it! Just like the Prime Minister promised Australian families 97 times before the 2022 election that there would be a $275 reduction in energy bills, he has failed to deliver again. It's not a lie if you believe it, is it Prime Minister? (Time expired)”
“I'm afraid the Prime Minister is rapidly becoming the George Costanza of Australian politics. Everyone remembers George in Seinfeld . Just like Seinfeld , this government has become a show about nothing. One of the most famous lines of George Costanza was, 'Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it.' What else could explain the misconceptions, the deceptions and the scare campaigns of a Labor Party election campaign? Every time the Prime Minister pulled out the Medicare card and said, 'This is all you need to see a doctor'—oh no—the Prime Minister was being very, very loose with the truth. He was channelling his inner George Costanza. It's not a lie if you believe it! The Prime Minister never mentioned that, during his time in office, Medicare bulk-billing rates have fallen. They've fallen under his leadership!”
“You set up your own regional grants program and then you cut it anyway. Not satisfied with cutting all the coalition-era regional grants program, they cut their own program. It begs the question: why do they hate regional Australians so much? It's probably because regional Australians don't vote for them. Regional Australians have got the common sense to see through the bulldust. They don't vote for all the spin and the bulldust coming their way.”
“It its first term, the Albanese government cut the guts out of regional programs. There's no pipeline of projects in regional Australia in this second-term agenda because the Prime Minister cut the Roads of Strategic Importance program and he cut the Building Better Regions Fund. They cut regional airports funding. They even cut the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program after turning up to the opening of all the projects. They cut the Stronger Communities program for a year, and then they brought it back. Who knows when they'll cut it again? But, after all these cuts, the Albanese government triumphantly introduced the Growing Regions Program. Who can forget the Growing Regions Program? It was for $600 million over three years. But then they cut that too. It's quite extraordinary.”