Senators are now debating whether to establish a Regional Investment Corporation to administer farming loans and grants for water projects.
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Watt says it's no coincidence the proposed agency would be based in Orange, which the NSW Nationals lost in a damaging byelection last year.
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Senator David Lleyenholm also comes out swinging against the Regional Investment Corporation, arguing "bleaters" should be left to go broke.
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Lleyenholm: "I love Australian agriculture, and that is why I condemn this bill."
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Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan rejects idea some farmers are whingers looking for government handouts, saying they're very proud people.
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O'Sullivan: the agency isn't getting new funds, but bringing existing funds under the one commonwealth roof to make it easier to administer.
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"I reject absolutely any sort of blanket assumption that a large number of people in this industry, or these industries, are bleaters."
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"Like everything, there are some of them that don't do it as well as they could, or as well as they should."
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"But the largest volume of them are very, very efficient operators."
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So far this evening Labor, the Greens, Lleyenholm and Bernardi have spoken against establishing the Regional Investment Corporation.
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No word yet from Nick Xenophon Team, One Nation bloc or crossbench senators Hinch, Lambie and Gichuhi.
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Xenophon's broadly supportive of the Regional Investment Corporation. It seems like opponents need to muster one more vote to knock it over.
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