Leader's Address - 2009 Annual State Conference - Kalgoorlie

Author: Brendon Grylls
Published on: 04-April-2009

Who would have thought that our little party –forged on the anvil of political disenchantment at Kellerberrin in 1913 - would re-emerge today as a force majeure in Australian politics? An irresistible wind of change that is wiping away years of political neglect.

Who would have thought the acorn of independence planted in Wagin just three years ago would become the powerful and flourishing oak tree that is delivering new life to the regions.

Who would have thought we would gather today on Kalgoorlie’s Golden Mile where royalties won from the great Super pit and other mines of this historic region are blending with royalties from the Pilbara and beyond to help rebuild our regional communities and services.

Who would have thought the green shoots of regional progress would be so apparent after just six months in office.

I stand here today proudly representing that army of country people who marched so gallantly to the polls on September 6 last year to hoist our Party’s banner to the masthead and dispatch a Labor Government that promised so much but delivered so little to the regions.

Our battle cry for the election was Royalties for Regions and we never doubted that country people would use their power at the ballot box to bring about change.

We never doubted that country people would mobilise in vast numbers on polling day!

We never doubted we had the right team of dedicated candidates!

We never doubted ourselves at any time in the campaign!

But most importantly of all, we do not doubt ourselves now, after being entrusted with the levers of power!

Prior to the election I spoke of country people being linked by a common thread of neglect.

My pledge today is to use our time in government to weave through your regional communities the golden threads of fairness and equity!

You made my colleagues and I political “kingmakers” on September 6 and we are resolved to repay that trust in full.

Many of us here today will remember as vividly as I do that sunny day in Wagin in March, 2006 when we resolved to go it alone and become an independent political party representing the needs and the dreams of people who choose to live, work and invest in regional Western Australia.

We focussed on gaining the Balance of Power in either House of Parliament and campaigned to provide a seat at the decision-making table for all regional Western Australians.

Make no mistake; the new National Party is now a powerful and independent political force, delivering the equivalent of 25 per cent of mining and petroleum royalties into communities from Kununurra in the north to Esperance in the south.

That’s $675million a year, every year, over and above what was promised to the regions by the previous Government.

Nationals MPs hold the important portfolios of Regional Development and Lands, Agriculture and Food and Forestry, Sport and Recreation and Racing and Gaming. We also hold the role of Speaker in the Legislative Assembly.

I and my Parliamentary colleagues have moved forward in Government with a sense of excitement and resolve.

On May 22nd we will create West Australian political history when we welcome four new members of our party into the Parliament, giving us the Balance of Power in both Houses.

Max Trenorden, who moves from the Lower House and newcomers Mia Davies, Philip Gardiner and Colin Holt, will join Wendy Duncan in the Upper House to complete the winning hand – the Royal Flush- given to us by country voters at the election.

Today I want you to know that the new Nationals are proud of our country jumpers, proud to play hard-ball for the great regions and proud of the scoreboard after six months in office.

In six months we have launched ground-breaking initiatives;

• The Country Local Government Fund- $400million

• The Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project- $220million

• Government Regional Officers’ Housing program - $200million

• The Exploration Incentive Scheme- $80million

• Community Resource Centre network -$40million

• Regional Grants Scheme -$40million

• Patient Assisted Travel Scheme $30.8million

• Royal Flying Doctor Service $29.9 million

• Regional Airport Development Fund $17 million

• Kalgoorlie Hospital support funding -$15.8million

• Nickol Bay Hospital -$10million, and the

• Boarding Away From Home Allowance -$5.5million

And there is more to come...much more!

Royalties for Regions is now part of the West Australian vernacular and in the autumn session we will introduce into the Parliament legislation to enshrine our policy.

We must ensure that the equivalent of 25 per cent of royalties will continue to be re-invested in regional projects long after we are gone!

A future Government that dares to deprive the regions of their right to a fair deal will do so at its peril.

In six months in office we have been true to our pre-election promises. The Royalties for Regions scheme will inject almost $3 billion into regional communities over the next four years.

We have kick-started the Ord-East Kimberley Expansion a nation-building initiative that has attracted an additional $195million in Commonwealth funding.

I was privileged to be in Kununurra just a few weeks ago for the arrival of excavators on the M1 channel which signalled the start of the doubling of the Ord irrigation area to 28,000 hectares with the first release of the new agricultural blocks by 2011.

Our aim is to see Kununurra emerge as a major regional city with a vibrant East Kimberley economy founded on agriculture and eco and cultural tourism.

We plan to extend our vision of innovative State-building development well beyond the Ord. I have already spoken with the Commonwealth about backing a similar, if not bolder, program to transform our Pilbara communities who have struggled for so long with $1500 a week rents, lack of housing and poor town amenities and services.

We want to link Royalties for Regions money to Federal funds, to enact our Pilbara Plan, an innovative program to create a legacy beyond mining in that region.

This plan, hatched at the local level, is a “rescue package” of essential and basic infrastructure to maintain economic functionality, ensure viable towns across the Pilbara region and lift productivity.

When we walk the streets of Kalgoorlie we see a city that has defied the odds and attained that legacy beyond mining. We see a modern and vibrant place with wonderful historic buildings where planners, investors, industry and community have worked shoulder-toshoulder for the common good.

We are focussed on the creation of modern, more liveable and more affordable regional towns and have exciting initiatives ahead in power, water and communications across greater regional Western Australia.

We want to use Royalties money to build proud and sustainable cities like Kalgoorlie right across the regions.

After six months in office the new Nationals remain a fiercely independent political party working to a theme of Putting it back.

I am often asked if our alliance with the Liberals is working well and my response is clearly, YES. We know there will be times when policy differences will test the alliance but we meet those challenges as they arise.

We have already spelt out our differences publicly on forced local government amalgamations and remain steadfast in our intention to oppose extended trading hours. Our formal agreement with the Liberals allows us to act independently and absent ourselves from cabinet on issues on which we disagree. We are not required to attend joint party room meetings.

We deliver Royalties for Regions through three Cabinet-approved funds;

• The Country Local Government Fund

• The Regional Community Services Fund; and

• The Regional Infrastructure and Headworks Fund.

The Royalties for Regions policy promotes increased local decision making through the nine Regional Development Commissions and local government authorities.

The Nationals in Western Australia have lived on a political trapdoor many times throughout our long history but I believe our decision to contest the last election as a stand-alone party has ensured our longevity.

Our Federal counterparts described our election success as moderate and they have persevered with a traditional Coalition while in Queensland our colleagues morphed into the Liberal-National Party of Australia.

They have rejected our Balance of Power and independence model but I urge them to seriously reconsider.

The Nationals have always represented the regions of Australia and we should understand that the regions are our natural political domain.

The new Nationals of Western Australia have demonstrated that small, independent parties can be a powerful element in any political landscape.

Independence was our platform before the election and it will be the rock on which we will build for the future. We do not entertain the notion of mergers or coalition because we have rediscovered our home.

You have given us a privileged and trusted place in Western Australian politics and we are committed to delivering the outcomes we promised.

You have your seat at the decision-making table and I invite you to continue to work together with my colleagues and myself to ensure our great regions are nourished and transformed.

I see many faces in this crowd who have worked so hard for so long to bring us in from the wilderness.

I salute you!

I am proud to announce today that the new Nationals will be contesting seats at the next Federal Election and will be running our campaign on an independence model.

Our candidates will be strong and committed to providing Western Australia with their seat at the decision-making table in the nation’s capital.

Just as we in this State have won Royalties for Regions for our country communities, let’s send a Nationals team to Canberra that will look after regional needs.

The time has come for us to take our place in Canberra. With your help we will do it!