Senator McKENZIE (Victoria—Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (14:46): The Albanese government's Rudd-era policy of reducing federal funding from 80-20 to 50-50 and to an arbitrary minimum value of half a billion dollars will mean an immediate and devastating cut for projects across regional Australia. Minister, with road fatalities rising and freight demand ever increasing, why are you cutting infrastructure funding for regional Australia by 30 per cent and making it next to impossible for future projects in the regions to be funded?