Senator CADELL (New South Wales—Nationals Whip in the Senate) (17:26): Regional infrastructure is so important. It is the projects that go into small towns and regions that get jobs, get people moving in and start rebuilding economies after the move to the cities. I spoke in my maiden speech in this place about the fact that we are hampered in regions because the cost-benefit ratios measure economic benefit, not need. When they put thousands of people saving five minutes on the way to work in a city above dozens of people being able to drive safely down a road, it is wrong. When we sit there and think of regional towns, the jobs they have lost over the cutbacks and the displacements over some time, it is investments like these that get people coming back. When they come back, the whole town grows. We have seen the money drain from the regions. We've seen deals done were suddenly farmers have to deal with Woolworths and Coles and they lose money from the farm, so they lay off a farmhand. Suddenly the farm isn't as expensive, so the bank closes. That takes a few tellers and a bank manager away, so the school is no longer viable and we lose the school. Everything we can do to put money back into these regions multiplies and makes regions better. During COVID, we saw a migration of people from the cities to the regions. We saw them going to where they could have a life, going where their kids could have a future, going where they could have lifestyle. That is despite regions being down on the services normally offered in cities. When those across the road say we are pork-barrelling and funding our seats, it's not new. It's not pork-barrelling. Sometimes you know things. Sometimes you know people, sometimes you know projects. Senator McDonald spoke previously about good grant writers. There is an industry in a grant writing where they get commissions on getting things through, even if the project is not up to standard in reality. They can make the good appear brilliant; they can make the bad appear good. They overrun true projects funded by true local champions that will make a difference in communities. Doing that—having members stand up and say, 'This is important to my people. This is important to my town'—is not new. I would like to quote from the ANAO report into the last Labor government: In one instance, ministers— In brackets, Albanese— made an explicit decision to approve an application that was known to be otherwise ineligible under the guidelines… I'll quote another: In one instance, Ministers— In brackets, Albanese— explicitly decided to waive the project eligibility criteria for an application they wished to fund … The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Polley ): Senator, I remind you to use people's correct title from the other place. Senator CADELL: In a quote? It was required for Albanese—sorry Madam Acting Deputy President. So, these things happen. It is not new. It is not us reinventing the wheel. It is what happens when people stand up and see projects. I'm not going to have a go at the now Prime Minister for this. Maybe he knew something that the grant writers didn't. Maybe he knew something. Cost benefit ratios don't know the project. They talk about National Party seats. There was a program, a big program—not just little programs; they're big programs. If we're talking about transitioning and diversifying our economy in regions that are energy and carbon dependent, significant funds were set aside under the previous government to assist communities to do that. I come from the Hunter Valley. I work at the world's largest coal port. There was an allocation of $250 million under a regional transitional program to assist the port to diversify. It is gone. The future of kids in the Hunter is gone. You are taking that opportunity away from them. You are taking a chance at a better life away from them. It's in a Labor seat. As long as Newcastle is there it will vote Labor. But what do we get? We get $500 million for a high-speed rail—what are we talking about?—study, not even a project, and I quote the Prime Minister, 'to allow people from the Hunter to get to Sydney'. The Hunter is not the servants' quarters of Sydney. We are not the workers' quarters of Sydney. We have a right to our own lives. We have a right to our own aspirations and that is being taken away. On 20 April 2022 then Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handed down the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook that included a document of community projects. Every one of those projects was warranted and needed. They are across all seats. Members of parliament on both sides were approached, plans and costings were delivered, discussions were had with councils and communities, and the benefits would be delivered. But every one of those projects is being reviewed. Labor say they are reviewing those measures from PEFO. What will Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and infrastructure minister Catherine King do to look after our communities if they take this away? The answer is: nothing. On that list on their website there are projects from every state, every region, every party, and they all fall down. Here in Canberra: renovate and rebuild the AIS arena at $11.4 million. Is that to go? We're looking at Lindsay: Bennett Park upgrade at $0.59 million. Pick a seat. They're all here. In Brisbane—probably not the safest Liberal Party seat in the history of the world—the Brothers Rugby Club facilities upgrade is $2.5 million. (Time expired)