Thu, 1st May 2008

Brendan Nelson: Official opening of Rohan Fitzgerald's campaign office

www.rohanfitzgerald.com

The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP
Leader of the Opposition

E&OE

Good morning everybody.

Well this is a great day, a great day for the Liberal Party in Gippsland and it’s a wonderful day for us because Rohan Fitzgerald and his family, Kim and their four boys, have given their husband and father as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Gippsland.

Rohan is a fair dinkum Australian. He’s a man who works in health care. He has a background in accounting. He lives in Traralgon. He has four boys. He has a mortgage. He’s involved in local sport and he represents all of the fundamental ideals of us as Liberals.

We believe very much in support of the individual, support for families, providing encouragement to people who want to take risks and create and support small businesses and fundamentally, of course, in strong economic management for our country. What we want to do from the Liberal Party and through Rohan Fitzgerald is to make sure that we get Gippsland going and we keep it moving.

The key issues for the by-election campaign are really going to be for the people of Gippsland to ask themselves, after more than five months of a Labor Government in Canberra, is it easier for me to keep my house? Is it easier for me to keep my small business? Is it easier for me to fill my car up with petrol or put groceries in my shopping trolley?

The security and the stability that we had in our economy up until November last year when there was a change of government is no longer the case today in Australia.

We’ll be working very, very hard for the people of Gippsland to make sure that we are focused on the real issues that are worrying real people in the community of Gippsland. And the Government, Mr Rudd and his Government, after more than five months has given us lots of bread and circuses and all sorts of things to distract us from the day-to-day concerns of everyday Australians. Rohan Fitzgerald and his family lives those concerns every day; trying to drive on roads, trying to get health care when you need it in a regional community, trying to put petrol in your car, trying to buy groceries, trying to keep a roof over your head and trying to raise your children.

To make sure that we can keep Gippsland going in the right direction and make sure that we keep the Government up to the plate in doing the things that are important for us as Australians – and especially in Gippsland – that’s why we need a Liberal voice in Canberra for Gippsland. We need someone that’s not just going to be a part of Mr Rudd’s choir. We need someone that’s really going to stand up for the people of Gippsland, whether in fishing or forestry or in coal or energy, in business, whether a salary earner – it doesn’t matter where you are in this community – Rohan Fitzgerald is the man that is going to stand up for you and will be fighting very, very hard for the people of Gippsland.

And the issues that are really going to determine the outcome in this election are going to be about housing and mortgages and petrol and groceries, but also about roads, about jobs and keeping jobs with Mr Rudd’s agenda in relation to climate change. To make sure that we can have good hospital services and aged care facilities, and also to make sure that the roads in Gippsland get the attention that they really deserve.

We know from the State Victorian Labor Government and we know from previous Labor governments in Canberra, they tend to ignore these regional and rural communities especially. They tend to be more focused on things that are not the key priority for everyday Australians and everyday families, and that’s why we’re working very hard and it’s important for the people of Gippsland to send Rohan Fitzgerald to Canberra to stand up for the people of Gippsland and make sure that Mr Rudd knows exactly what the priorities are for real Australians.