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Let’s deliver a ‘better deal’ for regional Aussies

Delivering a “better deal” for regional Australia is the only way to improve the nation, Anthony Albanese has warned ahead of a major summit to ­improve economies and livelihoods in the bush.

Bush summit to ‘shine a light’ on regional Australia

Delivering a “better deal” for regional Australia is the only way to improve the nation, Anthony Albanese has warned ahead of a major summit to ­improve economies and livelihoods in the bush.

The News Corp 2023 Bush Summit will launch as a national event this year in Tamworth, NSW, on August 11, before travelling to Perth in Western Australia, Port Lincoln in South Australia, Hobart in Tasmania; Wodonga in Victoria, and Rockhampton in Queensland.

The summit will bring ­together the nation’s most powerful decision makers and thought leaders to discuss the biggest issues facing regional and rural Australia and propose practical solutions.

The Prime Minister will give the keynote address at the Tamworth summit, with Mr Albanese saying his government would “always be a friend of regional Australia – in good times and in challenging times”.

He said regional Australia was “central” to the nation’s success and delivering a “better deal” for regions was fundamental to building a ­better future for the country.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will give the keynote address at The Daily Telegraph Bush Summit 2022 in Tamworth in August. Picture: Jonathan Ng
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will give the keynote address at The Daily Telegraph Bush Summit 2022 in Tamworth in August. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Everything that our government wants to achieve – from becoming a renewable energy superpower, to strengthening Medicare – is about creating better opportunities for people in the bush,” he said.

“We’re proud to work alongside regional communities as we work to ensure every Australian can find a good job, rely on good services and aspire to a better future for their children.”

Mr Albanese said he was eager to hear from community leaders at the Bush Summit, “not only about the challenges they face in remote and regional Australia, but the vast opportunities”.

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said the Bush Summit had quickly become agenda-setting and policy-shifting and had the ability to achieve better outcomes for the bush.

“As someone who grew up in the bush, I have been proud to see the Bush Summit go from strength to strength, and its impact grow, year after year,” Mr Miller said.

The Daily Telegraph editor Ben English said: “The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit was first conceived in 2019 to respond to a community in crisis.

“It’s easy to forget that back in July 2019, the bush was on its knees, crippled by one of the worst and most protracted droughts in history. By staging the Bush Summit, we were letting rural and regional Australians know they were not alone and not unseen,’’ he said.

The summit will be run in partnership with Hancock Agriculture, Hancock Prospecting, Woolworths and Qantas. Hancock Prospecting executive chair Gina Rinehart said the bush was the “engine room” of Australia.

“Those who work in our bush … make possible jobs for the many businesses the primary industries support – the truckies, the shops, even accountants, legals, tax advisers and many more,” she said.

Originally published as Let’s deliver a ‘better deal’ for regional Aussies

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/bush-summit/lets-deliver-a-better-deal-for-regional-aussies/news-story/df9ffa7f040af2390b3787e4088bf8e2