Kevin Rudd’s Labor is completely adrift on policy for rural and regional Australia, offering little vision for the future of country areas and a complete misunderstanding of the issues on the rare occasion when they do engage in debate, Senator Fiona Nash said today.
“The election is now only 10 days away and we’re still waiting to see Labor’s policy for the regions,” Senator Nash said. “It’s certainly a case of deja vu for country Australians; Labor didn’t think rural and regional Australia worthy enough of a policy last election and it seems nothing has changed.
“In the midst of this policy black hole, we see Labor making knee-jerk decisions such as moving to end live animal exports. Labor’s agriculture spokesman, Senator Kerry O’Brien, has conceded Labor’s policy on live exports would not be based on the best interests of the rural sector, but would be dictated by extreme lobby groups.
“Australia’s animal welfare laws are the most stringent in the world when it comes to the live export trade yet Labor is willing to put an end to this vital market because it has been scared by the animal liberationists. I hope Senator O’Brien can explain this view to the thousands of people who rely on the live animal export trade for their livelihoods.”
Senator Nash said where Labor has ventured to put forward their own ideas rather than just copy the Coalition, they have failed miserably.
“Labor’s broadband plan is laughable. Labor is peddling a policy that will not deliver for rural and regional areas. In fact, one in four Australians would miss out on the communications revolution under Labor and what’s more, they want to raid the $2 billion Communications Fund to pay for it,” Senator Nash said.
“In other words, they want to take money out of the bush and use it to pay for a metro broadband network that won’t include rural areas and one that private enterprise has said it is already willing to pay for. Where is the sense in that?”
Senator Nash said rural and regional Australians have every right to fear Labor’s evasiveness and lack of commitment on regional policy.
“Labor’s back down on the single desk is the perfect example of its double dealing,” Senator Nash said.
“We’ve all heard Peter Garrett’s admission that if Labor gets in they’ll ‘just change it all’, well Labor made a single desk backflip mid-campaign, against the wishes of the majority of growers.
“Mr Garrett has also flagged a plan to conduct audits of viable farming land. This is perhaps one of the most frightening polices to come from Labor – the idea that union bosses in Melbourne and rock stars in Sydney will determine what land is and isn’t worthy of farming.
“As the NFF have said, what’s marginal today, may not be marginal tomorrow and vice versa so to suggest a land audit as the way forward is further proof of just how out of touch Labor is with the rural sector.
“Labor has also made it clear it will cripple the Coalition’s Regional Partnerships program. This program has injected more than $340 million into our local communities right across the country and Labor has done nothing but slam the program and has strongly suggested it will redirect funding to the cities.
“These issues are far too important to play fast and loose with. It takes more than ad-hoc decision making made on the run to keep our rural and regional communities afloat, and the seven million people living outside the metropolitan areas deserve more than that.
“But, frighteningly for country areas, big-city Labor is only interested in one thing – appeasing the unions who are financing their flimsy election campaign,” Senator Nash said.
Media contact: Julie Siegert 0429 818 600
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