Country Lifestyles Program
Page: 3693
Urgent Motion
Mr MARTIN (Bathurst) [3.38 p.m.]: I move:
That this House applauds the State Government's Country Lifestyles Program, which attracts families to relocate to regional areas and creates jobs and investment.
This Government has a strong belief in country New South Wales. Anybody with any doubt about that had only to listen to the Premier this afternoon when he answered a question from me in relation to what is happening in the central western region of New South Wales, where this Government, which has been accused by the Opposition of being city-centric, has a strong focus on and connection to country New South Wales. Country Labor has been working with the Government to promote the benefits of living in country New South Wales to families and businesses all over Australia. We know that country New South Wales is a great place to live and raise a family. Now what we want to do, from this Parliament, is tell the whole world about it. That is what Country Labor stands for—talking up country New South Wales.
We on this side of the House do not subscribe to some of the negativity that comes from the opposite side of the House. Opposition members want to blame all the ills of country New South Wales on sex, drugs and rock and roll. That is what we heard from the Federal Leader of the National Party recently. This Government has introduced a comprehensive package to promote living in country New South Wales. It is called the Country Lifestyles Program. It aims to dispel the myths about country New South Wales that those opposite from time to time like to bandy around. Since 1998 this program has aimed to attract families and businesses to country New South Wales. It also aims to attract investment and key skills to regional areas to ensure that business growth is tapped to its full potential.
One of the key initiatives of the Country Lifestyles Program has been regional business and investment tours. Those tours provide a forum for regional businesses to showcase their business to a group of investors from the city and overseas. Bringing investors face to face with the excellent opportunities in country areas is the key to helping country businesses access the necessary capital that is often lacking in the regions. And it is working! The tours have drawn an incredible response and have led to investors developing important relationships with regional businesses. Scores of investors have visited 20 regional centres as part of the six regional tours that I mentioned. For example, regional business investment tours visited Goulburn, Bathurst in my electorate, Orange, the Tweed, Albury, the Narrandera-Leeton area and Grafton, to name a few. The National Bank of Australia, Quadrant Capital Fund, Deutsche Bank DB Capital Fund, Westpac and ANZ have been represented along with many small investment groups. One success story is the $30 million timber plantation at Grafton.
It is important that city-based investors realise the abundance of opportunities in the country. The tours showcase the best of regional New South Wales and, at the same time, importantly, create jobs and/or investment. Prior to firms being involved in the showcases they take part in investment readiness workshops that are sponsored and conducted by the Government. Some 14 workshops have been held to educate businesses on the nature of the investment community and to help them structure their presentation to better attract investment. Following the disaster of September 11 last year the safety and lifestyle opportunities that country living presents are becoming more attractive to city dwellers. In every cloud there is a silver lining. I am sure that honourable members will recall that the Minister for Regional Development has noted the sea change phenomena taking place across the State. The Minister reported that since the September 11 tragedy there have been increased inquiries about towns such as Berry on the South Coast, as well as healthy property sales in the Central West, the New England and in my home town of Lithgow.
In order to further promote the value of living and working in country New South Wales, the Government joined with the Real Estate Institute to develop the "Guide to Investing and Living in New South Wales". The guide aims to provide valuable and up-to-date information on the competitive advantages and industry profiles of the regions. Local governments have the opportunity to be included in that publication and to promote the advantages of living in their area. Many councils in my area have taken advantage of that. Information on lifestyle and employment opportunities is included to help families and businesses looking to relocate in country New South Wales ensure that they find the right location. Following the success of the first edition the Government is sponsoring a second edition entitled "Moving Ahead", which is to be launched shortly.
Mr Armstrong: Point of order: I am sure that the honourable member would recognise that in order to get families to relocate to the country it is necessary that a four-lane to six-lane highway over the Blue Mountains be provided. I know he supports that, and I ask him to put in a commercial plug for it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! No point of order is involved.
Mr MARTIN: I will respond to the point raised by the honourable member for Lachlan in my reply and I thank him for that free kick. Under the Country Lifestyles Program the Government sponsored the pilot regional investment breakfast, which was held in Sydney. At the breakfast regional companies presented their investment opportunities to a range of banks and venture capital providers. The Government has developed a Regional Investment Forum Program to assist businesses seeking investment dollars. That program also assists businesses that are looking to present their products to a large network of investors in Sydney and other capital cities through investment breakfasts and trade showcases. In addition, the Government has invested in more Industrial Supplies Offices [ISO] and consultants across the State. Consultants have begun work in Dubbo, Goulburn, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Grafton. ISO officers work closely with existing economic development bodies specifically to develop import replacement opportunities. It is important for country companies to be able to access the ISO, which does a lot of legwork, particularly through the networks that have been created over many years.
Simply put, this means more jobs and investment for country New South Wales. As a result of ISO activities, almost $54 million imports were replaced in 1999-2000 and $22 million last year. Analysis undertaken by independent consultants of the ISO has shown that each $1 million of imports replaced creates 5.8 direct jobs and a total of 22 direct and indirect jobs. That is encouraging news for country families. The Government has developed a plethora of targeted programs to promote country New South Wales—the Country Lifestyles Program is just one, albeit a very important and successful one. The Regional Employment Transmissions Scheme is another initiative, which the Premier mentioned earlier today. Country Labor is committed to working with the Government to continue to promote country New South Wales as a great place in which to live and work. There is no magic wand involved, but we always do our best for country people.
During question time today the Minister for Education and Training spoke about scholarships for young teachers to work in country areas. Last year the Government introduced a scheme to encourage skilled teachers to work in remote areas—they were given a $5,000 bonus to stay for a certain period. Under that scheme the Government is ensuring that Brewarrina, Bourke, Boggabilla and similar towns have teachers. The Government's massive investment in schools will ensure that people who work and live in country areas will be able to access schools that are up to the standard of their city counterparts. The same sort of investment has been made in medical facilities in rural areas. The Minister for Health has done a marvellous job in working with the Federal Government to ensure that doctors are attracted to country areas. Recently we heard what the Government is doing to attract nurses back to the profession. We have heard about the myriad of new hospitals that the Government is building across the State, but they need to be staffed by competent medical people. That has been a challenge not only for New South Wales but for every State—indeed, every country has faced that phenomenon. Opportunities for nursing staff have been increased because they are required to have a tertiary education.
The Government is committed to making sure that the business part of the Country Lifestyles Program works. It is also committed to setting up investment tours and making sure that those opportunities are made known to people who want to invest. The Government is giving country industries the chance to grow and is ensuring that the infrastructure that is so important to country cities and small communities is in place. The recent budget highlighted a record 26 per cent growth in capital works over the next four years to provide water and sewerage schemes, roadworks, and medical and educational facilities for the people who are moving into country areas. That underscores the commitment of the Minister for Regional Development to attract business to the bush. I commend the motion to the House.
Mr PICCOLI (Murrumbidgee) [3.48 p.m.]: I speak to the motion for urgent consideration concerning the State Government's Country Lifestyles Program. I come from a regional centre, Griffith, which is a rapidly growing city in western New South Wales. Other towns in my electorate, including Leeton, Deniliquin, Finley, and Berrigan, and Hay and Hillston to the west, are also growing rapidly. How we attract people to those country towns is significant. All members of Parliament support programs such as the Country Lifestyles Program in an attempt to encourage people and investment to country New South Wales. Griffith and other communities face the difficulty of attracting people to fill the available positions, an issue referred to by the Premier during question time today. We should not play too much on the success of the Country Lifestyles Program. The honourable member for Bathurst made great play of it and of the involvement of the Labor Party and Country Labor.
The issues that affect investment in country New South Wales, and perhaps deter people from moving to and staying in country New South Wales, are the big budget issues. The State Government has tried to deal with those issues in the past seven years. Dealing appropriately with those issues will keep people, particularly young people, in the country. Local government needs the support of State Government when a company investor seeks to establish an enterprise in country areas. All too often local government has had to place significant impositions on businesses and industries which seek to set up in country towns because of the costs involved, which local government has to bear. Local government does not receive the necessary support from the State Government to assess development applications in country areas. In terms of development approvals and support from the State Government, a number of great industries have set up in country New South Wales. However, some have been strangled, such as the Lake Cowal goldmine project. Without the support of the State Government, the project has been on again and off again.
Health is another important issue to be taken into account. I know of businesses in my electorate that wanted to expand and others that wanted to move out west, but they were concerned about staffing and access to health service. The Government built a brand new hospital in Hay, and I am sure that the people of Hay support the hospital. But if doctors are not allowed to practise in the hospital there is not much point in building it. A couple of years ago two doctors, a husband and wife team, practised in Hay. The wife, who is an obstetrician, was basically told by the area health service that she could not practise obstetrics. The service did not want babies delivered at Hay hospital. Those two doctors ended up leaving and Hay lost two valuable members of its community. The Coalition supports capital spending in country areas on health facilities, but it is important to ensure that services can be performed in the hospitals. Transport is crucial for industry and for people who live in country areas. Honourable members often talk about the lack of maintenance of country roads and the inadequate funding that local government receives from the State Minister for Transport to support its local roads infrastructure.
Mr Martin: What about the Roads to Recovery Program?
Mr PICCOLI: I am pleased that the honourable member for Bathurst has raised that matter. That $1.2 billion would not otherwise have been received from the State Government. The Federal Government has played its role, although it is not part of its responsibility. As to taxes in this State, workers compensation premiums, whilst not a tax, are a State Government impost. The premiums are ridiculously high and are turning businesses away from country New South Wales to set up in other States. As a member who represents an electorate on the Victorian border, I am well aware that there is a marked discrepancy between States in payroll tax. Companies looking to locate around the Riverina and in the Murray region are given every incentive to establish in Victoria. Businesses are choosing to set up in Victorian towns—such as Echuca, Swan Hill and Cobram—because the taxation rates for business in New South Wales are far too high. These issues affect employment and the establishment of businesses in country New South Wales and in New South Wales generally.
Education, particularly the establishments of TAFE and university facilities, is another issue that affects rural areas. Universities are a Federal responsibility. The Federal Government also needs to do more to encourage universities, particularly regional universities, to establish more facilities in various communities. Over the years the TAFE system has become more flexible. With the support of the State Government, I am sure that the expansion of TAFE facilities would provide a greater incentive to businesses to set up in country towns if their employees could be trained locally. All honourable members who represent country electorates know that the people who are most likely to stay in their communities are the ones who are born and bred there. The people who grow up and train locally will stay locally. We need to provide that opportunity. Accommodation in my electorate, in places such as Griffith and Hillston, is a major issue. A few years ago the Premier announced the five-point plan for the western Riverina, which is one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia. Not much has happened since then. A few reports have been written, but there has not been any definitive action. If the Government really wanted to promote this area, it would put some money and resources towards it. It should not get a few people to write a few reports.
Mr Martin: Talk specifics. Don't waffle.
Mr PICCOLI: The honourable member for Bathurst says he wants specifics. When the Premier announced the five-point plan he referred to the price of land in Griffith. Nothing has been done about that land since, which is owned by the New South Wales Government. As to other major issues that impact on investment, employment, the people and the prosperity of country New South Wales, I refer to the Government's water reform, the native vegetation reform and the threatened species legislation. I do not ask Labor Party members to believe me. They can believe what the New South Wales Labor Party delegates said at their State conference last year. Part of a motion moved by the Griffith branch of the Labor Party, which was supported, stated:
… calling on the ALP to return to policies of protecting the welfare of people.
If the Government members do not believe me, they can believe the Labor Party branch in Griffith.
Mr Martin: This is specifics?
Mr PICCOLI: The honourable member for Bathurst again says he wants specifics. The Griffith branch of the Labor Party calls on the ALP to return to policies of protecting the welfare of people. I am quoting from the true believers. They are not my words. My good friend the honourable member for Coffs Harbour will enjoy hearing a motion of the Coffs Harbour Labor Party branch, which states:
That this conference calls on the State and Federal Labor … to consider and to act favourably upon all motions passed at the NSW Conference.
That is something we all support when we go to our conferences. It continues:
As Country Delegates are aware, these motions are duly passed at State Conference, and very few, if any are adopted into practice or policy by the various Ministries.
What a condemnation of the Labor Party! The Government invites all its Labor branches to a conference, lets them speak for a day or two, but does not listen to anything they say. I am quoting from the true believers. They are not my words. I would not say these things. The motion continues:
If the ALP is to win more Regional and Rural seats at both State and Federal elections, then the voice of the regions must be heard and acted upon.
What a condemnation of this State Government! It is not a condemnation by me—someone who the Government could say has a bias—it is a condemnation by the Labor Party's very own constituents, the Coffs Harbour Labor Party branch. Government members can babble all they like. The Government rolls out the honourable member for Bathurst and the honourable member for Murray-Darling for these urgency motions and gives them a bit of time. I am sure that the Premier makes all sorts of promises to them. We need serious action in relation to health, transport, taxation, education and accommodation to address job creation in country New South Wales.
Mr PRICE (Maitland) [3.58 p.m.]: I support the motion moved by the honourable member for Bathurst and I support the points he made. I target specifically one point that affects the Hunter Valley, specifically my electorate.
Mr Amery: The rail line we are opening that they closed?
Mr PRICE: The tour could have been conducted by rail, but I believe the participants used various methods of transport. I support that sector of the Country Lifestyles Program that involves the film industry. I was very pleased to have the tour participants visit my electorate when they inspected the old Tocal Homestead and Maitland gaol. Tocal Homestead has been the site for at least two films. The most recent film was a television series which ran for four weeks called Kings in Grass Castles. Tocal Homestead belongs to the State Government, and is administered by the Department of Agriculture. It is an excellently preserved residence that is making money from the film and television industries as and when it is required because of its age, its state of preservation and its location.
Tocal Homestead depicts a country lifestyle as it was 150 years ago. Indeed, when people visit the Dungog shire, Maitland and surrounding districts they appreciate just what they are missing out on by living in metropolitan areas. The film industry recognises the scope and extent of opportunities for film locations throughout New South Wales, particularly in the Hunter Valley. Of course, the old Maitland gaol is always a popular location for the film industry. It is the oldest high-security gaol in the State, apart from Parramatta gaol, and is used extensively under licence by Maitland City Council and a number of subcontractors. It is in an excellent state of preservation and would be extremely valuable in any film or television series depicting the history of the colony and the lifestyle that brought about the need for incarceration of people in institutions such as Maitland gaol.
When the party visited the gaol they were taken on a tour by a former inmate, who gave them a unique perspective on gaol life. He was able to enumerate a number of the more notorious criminals who were held in detention at the gaol for many years until it ceased to operate some four years ago. The tour was the first industry-focused tour the Government had conducted. It not only covered the Hunter area, it covered a number of specific areas in New South Wales—from the coast to the outback—including Broken Hill. It provided a mechanism for the industry to appreciate, through the Country Lifestyles Program, what New South Wales has to offer.
I have a daughter in the television industry and a son in the film industry. I have an appreciation of what Fox Studios has done for the movie industry in New South Wales. Therefore, it is easy for me to understand why people want a centre as a base and why the Country Lifestyles Program sends them outside metropolitan Sydney into the country areas, to take in the magnificent scenery, to look at the heritage of the areas, to appreciate the natural environment, to understand the impact of the Aboriginal community over 60,000 years, as well as more recently, and European settlement, and the trials and tribulations associated with that.
The Upper Allyn, another area in the Hunter, was used as a movie location several years ago, and that significantly increased the economic benefits to the area. The large sums of money that were outlaid stayed in the area. The movie provided locals with part-time work and assisted with the local economy. The tour has been extremely beneficial. The Police Traffic Infringement Bureau has been relocated to Maitland and will open in a few months time, resulting in 160 jobs. As part of the Government's decentralisation program, in 2004 the Department of Mines will relocate 180 jobs to Maitland. These initiatives are a tremendous boost to commercial operations in country towns and have significant economic benefits. The department is also arranging for at least two other significant industries to be located in the area. All I can say is: Hold the front page because those announcements will be coming shortly.
Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [4.03 p.m.]: I speak to the motion for urgent consideration, which states:
That this House applauds the State Government's Country Lifestyles Program, which attracts families to relocate to regional areas and creates jobs and investment.
People in this State are paying record taxes, but country people are receiving very little in return. The recent budget again confirmed that New South Wales remains the highest taxed State in Australia. Despite country people paying record taxes, basic services in rural and regional New South Wales are virtually second-rate. Hospital waiting lists are longer than ever before and crime rates continue to rise. This Labor Government has a Sydney-centric obsession, a habit that eight years in office has failed to cure. When this Government came to office in 1995 it presided over a slash and burn operation of jobs from education, agriculture and other departments, yet those jobs have never been replaced. I am pleased that the Minister for Agriculture is at the table because agricultural jobs have been lost and have never been replaced. Country taxpayers are paying more than ever, yet they are receiving less in return.
One-third of the State's population lives outside the metropolitan area, yet the capital expenditure in the important areas of health, police, education and roads allocated in the recent budget to country New South Wales falls well short of the one-third benchmark that they should receive. Despite Labor's booming revenues, services in country New South Wales are getting worse. Country areas need appropriate services if they are to attract more people. The honourable member for Bathurst has moved the motion, yet he is the only Government member from a country constituency who will speak to it. Once again the Treasurer has baulked at making good his promise to cut payroll tax, which is one of the biggest issues facing employers in this State. The Treasurer and the Carr Government have failed to address this problem.
The Government has continued its attack on the Department of Agriculture. This year the department's budget has been cut in real terms compared to actual expenditure last year. Labor has presided over a raft of anti-country legislation—for example, native vegetation and water legislation—that has cost jobs in the country. Government members need to visit rural and regional New South Wales to see what is happening in those areas. The budget for the Department of Land and Water Conservation has been cut from $562 million to $558 million and 175 staff will go at a time when the State needs their support. Country areas need more money. The motion refers to the Country Lifestyles Program, yet the Government is not providing the necessary funding to provide appropriate services. Funding for road maintenance in country areas was cut in real terms in the budget.
The budget failed to address extra pay and better hospital conditions for nurses. Funding for preschools has not been increased and class sizes have not been addressed. Funding for country town water and sewerage has been cut by almost $12 million—essential services, particularly when the Government seeks to attract more people to country areas. Despite the spin and rhetoric of the Carr Government it has let down rural communities and insulted them by allocating only $4 million to the program over four years. They deserve much more because of the wonderful contribution they make to this State. The Government is treating country people with contempt. Therefore, I call on the Carr Government to increase funding to the Country Lifestyles Program. The program is not working at its present level.
Mr NEWELL (Tweed) [4.08 p.m.]: It gives me great pleasure to join my colleague the honourable member for Bathurst in addressing the House on this motion for urgent consideration. The motion applauds the State Government's Country Lifestyles Program, which attracts families to relocate to regional areas and creates jobs and investment. The Carr Labor Government and the Country Labor team want to deliver real outcomes for rural and regional New South Wales. In the 2002-03 budget the Government is spending some 36 per cent of the State's revenue on 28 per cent of the population. Such a return has never been exceeded by any other government, particularly a Coalition government.
Since the launch of Country Labor in 1999, the Carr Government has introduced a raft of business development programs to help regional enterprises grow, access new markets, diversify or better promote themselves. Those initiatives include new market expansion plans, the Agribusiness Alternatives Program, the country centres growth strategy, the Regional Economic Transition Scheme for struggling towns, the Townlife Development Program and T-Corp, which encourages regional businesses to form co-operatives. We know that regional New South Wales is a good place to do business and we will do our best to promote our regional areas. But in true Labor style, Country Labor has gone one step further than the Coalition ever did.
The Country Lifestyles Program introduced by this Labor Government is a perfect example. It is all well and good for country business people to make the journey to Sydney and pitch their services to investors, but it is quite another to fly a group of investors directly to regional New South Wales and allow businesses to showcase themselves on their own turf. This is what Country Labor has been doing since 1998 through the regional business investment tours. We are not only providing country businesses with better access to capital but showcasing the country way of life to investors. One of those tours visited the Tweed, and the likes of Quadrant, Venture Capital Partners, Smith Madden, the Overseas Union Bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Australian Business Angels listened to presentations by the Chinderah Marina Project, Eco Furniture and Timber, the Skyrider Teleport Project and Permo Drive Research and Development Pty Ltd. Those tours are backed by investment readiness workshops for tour participants and by business relocation seminars and regional investment breakfasts for investors. I have heard many stories from companies that have taken on board advice offered to them at the department's workshops and have later been able to secure contracts.
The Country Lifestyles Program funded the soon-to-be-released second edition of the "Guide to Living and Investing in Regional NSW". Tweed Shire Council has sponsored a page in the guide, and it is a fantastic advertisement for our local area. The guide gives an overview of where we are, our transport infrastructure capabilities, access to tertiary institutions and health services in the region, an outline of industry in the Tweed and a list of major companies that have located in the Tweed. The guide also lists major community events such as the Banana Festival, All That Jazz and the Wintersun Festival, which was held recently in the Tweed and on the Gold Coast, and describes how to access government agencies and services. It is a perfect snapshot for potential investors who may be unfamiliar with regional New South Wales.
Country Labor understands the needs of regional businesses and communities. Lack of recognition of local industry capabilities has always been an issue, so we established through the Country Lifestyles Program regional branches of the Industrial Supplies Office [ISO]. In 2001 the ISO secured some $22 million worth of import replacement work for regional firms in New South Wales. That obviously creates spin-offs such as jobs and economic growth in regional New South Wales. Access to capital is an ongoing problem, so Country Labor established the regional business investment tours. We are promoting regional New South Wales as a place to live and we will soon have released two editions of "Guide to Living and Investing in Regional NSW".
We are delivering real outcomes for regional New South Wales. From our business development programs to the promotion of our country lifestyle, Country Labor certainly has country interests at heart. I remind Opposition members that in the Carr Labor Government's 2002-03 budget country New South Wales, which has 28 per cent of the population, received 36 per cent of the expenditure. Coalition members do not like to hear that. They also cannot bear the fact that under the last Coalition Government—and I hope it will be the last for a long time—payroll tax rose to about 8 per cent. Under the Carr Labor Government payroll tax has fallen consistently over the years to a level of 6 per cent and, as the Treasurer said, we will continue to reduce it.
Mr MARTIN (Bathurst) [4.13 p.m.], in reply: I thank the honourable member for Murrumbidgee and the honourable member for Lismore and my colleagues the honourable member for Maitland and the honourable member for Tweed for participating in this debate. There was great disparity in the standard of contributions as, once again, Opposition members failed to grasp the arguments. Unfortunately, the honourable member for Murrumbidgee has obviously not done his homework. He is one of those lazy Coalition members who, as Tim Fischer said, is still out to lunch. He raved on and then mentioned payroll tax.
[Interruption]
The honourable member for Camden should realise that under the previous Coalition Government payroll tax reached 8 per cent and the threshold caught many more businesses. The Government has reduced payroll tax by 25 per cent, and that reduction continues. The budget introduced an exemption from payroll tax for those employers who employ apprentices. That is a very popular policy in the bush because it will help regional companies to employ more apprentices. If there is any credibility in the taxation area it is not on the side of Opposition members. Perhaps we can excuse the honourable member for Murrumbidgee because he has been here for only five minutes, but one would think he would have some sense of history.
The honourable member for Lachlan, who was sitting behind the honourable member for Murrumbidgee, must be a little concerned about the future of the National Party if that is the calibre of members it has to look forward to. I remind honourable members that payroll tax was introduced by the Fraser Government. It told the States, "If you want any other source of revenue, we are chopping you off; the only opportunity you have is payroll tax." Before Opposition members argue about payroll tax they should take a history lesson and see where it came from. The honourable member for Lachlan is a great colleague: We worked together on the tri-government group to secure a second crossing of the Blue Mountains. However, today he took a point of order—he usually does that—in an attempt to delay us. Once again Government members have taken the lead. Some weeks ago the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads put his $1 million on the table and John Anderson reluctantly followed suit. National Party members say they will do this and that, but once again it was the Government that broke the deadlock.
Opposition members talk about road funding. Remember the much-trumpeted largesse of the Roads to Recovery Program in last year's Federal budget that offered $1.6 billion to country councils? It was much appreciated and people said, "Here is a Coalition government in Canberra that is listening to the bush." However, that program disappeared from the next budget. So much for John Anderson's contribution to country councils! Coalition members should talk to officers of Evans Shire Council and Rylstone Shire Council in my electorate and they will tell them how they have been dudded by the Federal Government on the Roads to Recovery Program. They set themselves up for a four-year program that was promised by the National Party but that has been cancelled after just one year. Those councils must consider sacking staff, and road funding will grind to a halt. Once again Opposition members have opened their mouth to put their foot in it.
Mr Fraser: Point of order: The honourable member for Bathurst is misleading the House. He knows full well that the Roads to Recovery Program has not been withdrawn. He should tell the House the truth and not mislead it as he is doing this afternoon.
Mr ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Lynch): Order! There is no point of order.
Mr MARTIN: If the honourable member for Coffs Harbour is capable of doing so he should look at the budget papers. He should talk to councils around the bush. The current Federal budget contains no money for the Roads to Recovery Program—a four-year program that finished after one year. The very forgettable member for Murrumbidgee mentioned the Lake Cowal project. The company has told the Government, "We've looked at the environmental issues and realised that there were problems; it's now back on the agenda." As the Premier has reminded people time after time, major mining activities throughout country New South Wales—including some in close proximity to my electorate in the Blayney-Orange area, such as the Ridgeway mine—have received investment of hundreds of millions of dollars on the back of the Government's good economic management. Unfortunately, Opposition members have again shown their disrespect for country people. They advanced not one credible argument in their negative contributions. They simply blame the ills of the country on sex, drugs and rock and roll. They are an absolute disgrace. I commend the motion to the House and expect that Coalition members will be too embarrassed not to support it.
Motion agreed to.