Barnaby Joyce came to Tweed Heads bearing gifts today, announcing $25 million for a cancer treatment facility at Dubbo to the NSW National’s annual conference.
The funding boost for the Western NSW integrated cancer centre will get a funding boost. contingent on the coalition winning the federal election.
It will have capacity to treat 270,000 people a year, Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Mr Joyce said in his opening address.
“Hospitals are key to get people into regional areas,” he said.
“The first thing you ask when move into a town is where do I take the kids if htye get sick?”
Mr Joyce also rallied the party faithful with examples of National party policies to boost the bush.
The Nationals had lead the push in NSW and Queensland to address unpopular land clearing laws, which are threatened with repeal if Labor win a the ballot box, he said.
When it comes to creating better connectivity between inland farms and city markets Mr Joyce pointed to $594m that has been pledged to buy land along the 1700km Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail project.
“This is real money designed to deliver real infrastructure,” said Mr Joyce.
“We must compete with the Canadians and the Europeans on their transport cost and we are delivering that.”
Mr Joyce said the Coaliiton government had delivered 499 new or updated mobile phone towers thorugh its mobile balckspots program, while the “glee club” of Labor, the Greens and independents “didn’t provide anything”.
