Labor – Greens alliance a disaster for regional Australia
01-September-2010
Source: Warren Truss, MP -
The signing today of a formal alliance between Gillard Labor and the Brown Greens will send a shiver down the spine of regional Australia.
If such a Labor – Green beast forms government, the regions will be threatened by Greens policies such as an even bigger mining tax, a giant new emissions trading scheme also imposed on agriculture, an end to fishing in many marine areas, death duties, an open door policy on boat arrivals, and an end to coal extraction and other mining. There will be food and fibre shortages in Australia as The Greens pursue their policies to end intensive agriculture and stop irrigation in the Murray Darling Basin. The list goes on.
“Already, this Labor Government has been one of the worst ever for people living outside the capital cities,” said the Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss.
“In Labor’s first Budget, $1 billion was slashed from regional programs. In the second, even more was cut and Labor gave us an emissions trading scheme. In the third Budget, Labor gave us a mining tax.
“Everything Labor has done has been bad for the regions, smashing confidence, jobs and investment. As a result, regional people responded in kind for Labor at the election, delivering record low results for the ALP in many electorates.
“Meanwhile, The Nationals increased its two party preferred vote in almost every seat, winning three new seats and an extra senator. Proportionally, it was our best result since 1949.
“The people of regional people saw what was happening under Labor, and acted accordingly.
“They will react with dread at a formal ALP – Greens alliance in government that will drag them even further down the path of ruin,” Mr Truss said.