Truss promises a better deal for regions

15 Sep 2012, 5:30 pm   -   Source: AAP
Nationals Leader Warren Truss. (AAP)

Nationals Leader Warren Truss. (AAP)

Nationals Leader Warren Truss has told the party's federal conference the party is ready for the next federal election and can't come soon enough.

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A year out from the federal election, Nationals Leader Warren Truss has moved to inspire the party faithful, promising a better deal for the regions once Labor has gone.

Addressing the party's federal conference in Canberra, Mr Truss said the Nationals were now at the business end of the federal political cycle.

"By this time next year we should be deep into an election campaign. And it cannot come soon enough," he said.

Mr Truss's headline announcement was a promise to fund completion of the long-awaited upgrade of the Pacific Highway to four-lane standard between Sydney and Brisbane. But there was more.

A federal coalition government stood ready to work with the Queensland state government to build a safe, all weather, efficient Bruce Highway, he said.

Mr Truss said the coalition remained committed to the inland rail link joining Brisbane and Melbourne through western NSW, suggesting Labor's $50 billion economic stimulus funding could have been better spent on speeding up delivery of this project.

He said he looked forward to seeing what a coalition government could do to make the proposed transport hub in Western Australia's Kalgoorlie-Boulder region happen sooner rather than later.

On the difficult topic of foreign ownership of Australian farms, Mr Truss proposed a national register of foreign acquisitions to ensure all Australians had access to accurate information on what land and agribusinesses were owned by foreign interests.

There would also be a lower threshold for Foreign Interest Review Board assessment of proposed farm and agribusiness purchases, to ensure that more acquisitions were subjected to the national interest test.

Mr Truss said this did not threaten foreign investment in agriculture.

"But it does enable Australians to have an accurately informed debate on foreign ownership to make sure that when issues of concern arise they can be addressed," he said.

Then there was Labor's carbon tax.

"It's an expensive mess that does nothing for the environment and no amount of meddling can fix this tax. It has to be axed entirely," he said, to loud cheers and clapping from the audience.

Mr Truss said the federal government was broke and getting broker but Labor was on a spending spree.

"The government has promised $10.5 billion a year for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, $4 billion for a new dental health package, $2.2 billion for mental health, and $6.5 billion for education - worthy policy ideas, but they do not kick in until after the next election," he said.

The Nationals were ready for the election with an outstanding team of members, senators and candidates, Mr Truss said.

"We have an action plan for our first 100 days in government and what we want to do in our first year," he said.

"We will restore confidence and trust in our government. We will get the important things done. We will get our country and the regions back on track."

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