This week marks 10 years since I was elected to the Senate for Victoria hailing from regional Victoria and a background in regional education.
It was also a privilege to be sworn in a Minister of the Crown virtually, from the regions, from my home base of Wodonga in north-east Victoria.
It’s a great honour to serve as the Minister for National Recovery and Resilience and Emergency Management, and Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education under the Morrison-Joyce Government.
It comes during incredibly challenging times with the COVID-19 pandemic and as our regions recover from bushfires, floods and drought, and I will work tirelessly to support them through the recovery.
The pandemic has also seen a shift in workplace arrangements with more people working from home and relocating to our regions.
I look forward to exploring opportunities on this front for regional Australia.
As a Nationals Senator, I will always be guided by my values and beliefs that Australia must be a secure prosperous and sovereign nation, and all Australians, regardless of where they live, deserve access to equal opportunities that benefit them and their communities.
The job starts today and I look forward to getting out into the regions as soon as possible.