Prime Minister, we know how tough times are for households and businesses. Is there enough in this Budget to support the needs of regional New South Wales?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Every person in regional New South Wales will of course get a further tax cut. A top-up of the tax cuts we've already delivered, meaning $2,500 of additional money in their pockets. They'll get energy bill relief, they'll get access to Free TAFE, something that has been particularly important and welcomed in regional Australia, as well as our increases that are there for infrastructure investment. Doubling the Roads to Recovery Program which means that every single Council has benefited and has double the money to repair local roads and to really invest.
EVANS: And the NBN roll-out as well.
PRIME MINISTER: The NBN roll-out is so important for overcoming the tyranny of distance. What it means as well is that people in regional Australia can work from home, something that the Coalition are saying that shouldn't happen. We understand that this has meant that many Australians have moved to regional Australia, providing the quality of life that you get from living in a smaller community from the big capital cities. The NBN enables them to work from home, and that's just one of the pluses that are there in productivity boosting that comes by investing in a fibre-based broadband system, not the old 19th century copper system that the Coalition left in place.
EVANS: What's your message to tradies who won't get the instant asset write off extended?
PRIME MINISTER: Well tradies, of course, we'll have more to say about tradies. But one of the things that we've done in this Budget is provide the $10,000 incentive for construction apprenticeships, backing up the incentive that we had, the same amount for people doing electric trades. So we have that plan in place. We'll have more to say as well about blue collar workers and tradies as we go forward. But a centrepiece of this Budget is our Future Made in Australia agenda. We want more manufacturing here in Australia. We want more blue collar jobs here in Australia. And regional Australia stands to benefit particularly from that agenda.
EVANS: Thank you so much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
