In an astounding attempt to smear Regional Partnership programs, the Labor Party has attacked the validity of schemes that help the indigenous, disabled, and people of remote Australia.

"You've attacked the indigenous, the remote, the impaired and I'm not surprised you have now attacked the sick," a furious Senator Joyce said in response to Labor accusations in Senate Estimates yesterday.

"I am unashamed to say that the Regional Partnership program tips the scale in favour of those people in regional Australia who are always left behind.

"I will be furious and vehement in my defence of those minorities who never get heard. When we have one programme – just one program – which tries to get some funds into regional areas to help pick up their standard of living then I will defend it purely out of a sense of justice.

"Before I entered into politics there was nothing more nauseating than this
nit-picking exercise because some volunteer group had not appropriately dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s and therefore their funding should be compromised.

"Labor's Lindsay Tanner has said, on the record, he is going to get rid of this program if Labor wins.

"Labor's pitching to win but, if Labor wins, who loses: the remote, the disabled and the sick?

"Though I admit it is not worth a heap of votes it is just one of those things that make a big difference to small communities such as those at Mt Isa or Dalby or on the Darling.

"If a community can't obtain all of the money required for a project from donations and other sources in their local community, they have the ability to get some of it from the Commonwealth.

"What is so wrong at looking at the edges and trying to help people along?

"To be honest, I thought it was one of those things Labor would leave alone." Senator Joyce said.