QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS

Senator GROGAN (South Australia—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (16:37): I don't think I’m even going to touch on Senator McKenzie's contribution. I think we all know her history. I am a duty senator for regional and remote areas of South Australia, alongside my colleague Senator Marielle Smith.

We were reflecting, following today's question time, on the grants that we have advocated for across regional and rural South Australia. That entire area is a Liberal stronghold, and we are Labor senators, but we are the duty senators for that beautiful stretch of our country, and we take it very, very seriously. We don't look at those communities and think, 'Oh, we're not going to bother because you're not Labor voters.' That's not how we work.

We do not hold back because these seats are highly unlikely to fall to Labor. No, we don't, and we are not outliers here either. Labor senators and Labor MPs work very hard to ensure that they are representing the community.

In the seats of Barker and Grey, which are where Senator Smith and I hang out, we have secured a lot of funding under the Labor government, from growing the regions, the regional and urban PPP—and congratulations to Kimba council, who secured funding under that just last week—the active transport grants, the Black Spot Program, safer local roads, BEEF for ECEC and specific health funding.

All of these are areas in which we have been able to support the community to get funding. These are all application based, competitive and open, and we work hard to support them, to assist them, to help them and to ensure that those communities have access to the things that they need. Senator McKenzie: I don't think they feel they've got that.

Senator GROGAN: There are no rorts, Senator McKenzie, no blind focus on marginal seats, just a genuine commitment to community. Let me go to the example that Senator Wong brought up at question time today of an approach to election commitments. We had the example of Mr Pasin.

Senator McKenzie interjecting— Senator GROGAN: My voice is rising just to try and shout over Senator Mckenzie. He had a look— Senator McKenzie: Proudly standing up for integrity. Senator GROGAN: And there she goes again.

He looked at the Sturt Reserve, and I assume— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Sterle ): Senator Grogan, resume your seat please. Colleagues, you were heard in silence, and I would ask you nicely if, at this time on a Thursday afternoon, you could extend the same courtesy to the other side of the chamber. That would be greatly appreciated by the chair.

Senator GROGAN: The example that Minister Wong gave was from Murray Bridge, where Mr Pasin, the local member, looked at Sturt Reserve, spoke to the local community and said, 'Yes, we'll give you a few lights and some CCTV as our election commitment.' We looked at it and said, 'Okay, what do the community want?' Senator Smith spent a lot of time working on this with the local community and worked to co-design with the Ngarrindjeri people and with the local community and came up with an amazing project: the Pondi Dreamtime story.

It is a sensory playground sitting in the middle of the Sturt Reserve, a place that was seriously damaged and affected by the floods. It will boost jobs, it will boost tourism and it is a wonderfully inclusive place for that local community to feel so proud of, to engage with, to learn about that Dreamtime story in. These are election commitments.

We very obviously call them election commitments because you only get them if you win. Everyone does it. It's not a rort if you're clear about it.

The problem, Senator McKenzie, is when you are not clear. The problem, Senator McKenzie, is when you are rorting— Senator McKenzie: Through the chair—show some respect! Senator GROGAN: and you are hiding things and you are not being clear.

The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: How about you show some respect to your colleagues and just lower it to a dull roar? Senator McKenzie: Why is she yelling at me? The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Lower it to a dull roar.

I don't think it's a lot to ask. Can we just hold it for eight seconds? Senator GROGAN: We don't govern like you.

We just don't. We are transparent. We are open.

This election commitment was transparently and publicly released. (Time expired)