TRANSCRIPT: Press conference following the Riverina ballot draw

EO&E

JOURNALIST:
What do you think of the result, number one again?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Oh I'm quite pleased that I've topped the pops as far as getting number one again but the fact is I work hard for the Riverina. The fact is it doesn't matter where your name appears on the ballot paper. I know that people will look for the person that they want to choose to represent them going forward, and I hope that that's me.

I've worked very hard for the Central West and for the Riverina right across the region. You only have to look at the roads, you only have to look at the amount of infrastructure that we've put in place. Kapooka Bridge, Rural Medical School, $17 million investment there. The new Central Business Districts, the main street upgrades for Parkes, for Forbes for Gundagai, making sure that we … and Cowra as well. 

The Grenfell Medical Centre. The fact is, we've been a good government. We've been a government that cares about infrastructure. Cares about the regions. And the fact that I'm also the... Not only the member for Riverina but also the Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of The Nationals and responsible for the important portfolios of Infrastructure, Transport, and perhaps most importantly for the Riverina, Regional Development, means that I can bring that added bonus and added emphasis on infrastructure, right across the Riverina and Central West and that's what I do.

Every day, every day I get out of bed and I look forward to making sure that we can build a better regional Australia. Whether that's the Riverina, whether that's anywhere in the regions, I want to make sure that those 8.8 million Australians who choose not to live in a capital city, get well looked after and through the regions, the Riverina region in particular, we've got 18,000 small businesses who've relied on this Federal Government to make sure that we've lowered the tax rate, to its lowest rate for 79 years.

We've extended the instant asset write-off to $30,000. They've helped create 1.25 million jobs but they've done it on the back of good economic and sound management policy, economic policy by the Liberals and Nationals. So we'll get in there, we'll continue to put our best policies forward, and I look forward very much over the next three and half weeks to ensure that we continue to deliver, and we continue to ensure that people know that we are the best government of choice, that we will build a better Australia and better regional Australia.

JOURNALIST:
Since the election was announced, you've announced quite a lot for your electorate, is this something we can expect will continue or will it be more about spruiking what you've already done.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
No it's not just what we've done over the past few weeks. I've been delivering for the Riverina and Central West since I was first elected in 2010. I'm very pleased that I've got a very strong party-base support, and I noticed that a couple have turned up to the ballot draw today. The National Party cares about this region. They care about all regions. We always have.

The fact is I've been delivering for this region since 2010. You only have to look at the record amount of funding that we've invested in hospitals. The record amount of funding that we've invested in schools. The record amount of funding that we've invested, 25% increase in the Roads to Recovery funding for each of the 12 local government areas that I represent. It's a large electorate, it's almost the size of Tasmania, this electorate, it's 50,000 square kilometres, it's a big electorate, I still manage to get right around it, even though I'm the Deputy Prime Minister, I still manage to get to every corner of the Riverina and Central West, to allow people to know that I care about this region, I will go on caring about this region. I was born here, lived all my life here, I love the region, I love its people.

JOURNALIST:
Today we saw you were quite friendly with your fellow candidates, I guess are you hoping this election stays clean?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Oh that's the sort of person I am, I'm very friendly with everybody. I quite often reach across the Parliament to make sure that we get the best outcomes for the people we serve, and that's what it's all about, it's making sure that people know that their Parliament is working for them, and I'm always pretty gregarious sort of person, I like people, I love representing them in the Federal Parliament.

Even though I've been there for nine years now, it still sends a shiver up my back sometimes to think that you can go in, just as a boy from Marrar, somebody who was educated here in Wagga Wagga, somebody who's lived here all your life and that you can be the Deputy Prime Minister of this nation. It's a great privilege, it's a great honour and it also brings home the fact that in this nation you can be anything that you want to be. If you put effort in, if you’re the right person at the right time, you can be anything in this nation.

We live in the best nation on earth, make no mistake and we live in the best region, in the best nation on earth. So people here are very, very lucky, very, very fortunate, we've got communities which care about them, which support them, and I want to go on supporting those people, and those communities into the future.

JOURNALIST:
With only three other candidates are you confident of getting re-elected?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Yes I am. But you know I don't take anything for granted, never have, never will, and those three candidates, they'll put up what they think is the best for the region that they believe in, and I appreciate they all come from a different party, and that's fine.

I'd like to think that it will be a campaign of policies that we each put on the table, our policies, but I'll also be putting on the table not only our policies which I know have worked and will continue to work, but there's certainly my record of achievement. If people want to pay the lowest tax rate, well they need to vote for The Nationals. If they want to make sure that the boats continue to stay away, well the only choice is The Nationals. If they want to make sure that they have a better and brighter future for their children, for jobs and for the region, then the only choice is The Nationals.

JOURNALIST:
Any comments about Labor’s inquiry into the water buybacks after the revelations about Barnaby Joyce in the past few days?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well the Auditor General, my office has asked David Littleproud, the Water Minister to ask the Auditor General to do a review of all buybacks right back to 2008. I'm pleased that Dave Littleproud has done that, it's going to shed a light on all those water buybacks, right back to 2008. Yes the buyback of 28 gigalitres and for the amount of money that was paid for, it will be part of that review.

The fact is, it did provide environmental outcomes for the Condamine-Balonne, for the Narran Lakes, it was requested by the Queensland Labor Government, just like the previous buybacks and they're up to $300 million under Labor, were also requested by state governments. That's how the system operates. The Murray Darling Basin Authority working in conjunction with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, puts this process into place. It is at arms-length of government, but it’s right and proper that the Auditor General is going to shed a light, review into the buybacks, right back to 2008 and I welcome that inquiry.

JOURNALIST:
Should Barnaby have asked more questions about where the money was going before signing off on the $80 million buybacks?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well Barnaby did everything that he was supposed to as a minister. Now I look forward to the Auditor General having a look at the whole process of protocol to make sure that [inaudible] because tax payers deserve nothing less.

JOURNALIST:
Thank you.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Thank you very much.