Elected members will sit for the first time as the 48th Parliament of Australia on Tuesday, July 22, including Mr Birrell.
Since his re-election on Saturday, May 3, the Nationals MP has met with constituents, looking to bring the voices of Nicholls’ residents to Canberra.
“It’s business as usual in terms of catching up with constituents and having meetings,” Mr Birrell said.
“People still have similar concerns, which is the cost of living, so those pressures haven’t abated.
“Most of the road issues are the responsibility of the (Victorian) government ... and there has been some federal government money committed to the roads.
“Once you drop the ball on road maintenance, it’s very expensive to get back to where you need to be.”
Among the areas he is hoping to push for as local member are some of the key election pledges made during his campaign.
These include funding a collaborative Committee for Echuca Moama and an Echuca police project for CCTV cameras in Echuca CBD, improving wheelchair accessibility at the Port of Echuca, supporting a $350,000 boost to Lockington’s community housing and upgrading the Stanhope Recreation Reserve change rooms.
While the coalition did not secure government, Mr Birrell said he was committed to working towards these goals, even from the opposition side of the House of Representatives.
“If you don’t get elected, you can’t promise that you’re going to do it,” he said.
“But, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to keep fighting for it.
“I’ll be talking to the ministers responsible for all of those different projects ... I’ll be trying to get those funded through existing programs.
“So, I’ll have to work through that with all of those stakeholders, and we’ll do our best to try and get those projects up and going.”
Addressing concerns around the cost of living raised by his constituents, Mr Birrell and the coalition will look to work with the Labor Government where they can to support relief measures.
“As opposition, it’s coming up with ideas and holding the government to account; supporting where we can and opposing where we must,” he said.
“I think we’ll support some of those things because if they provide relief for our people and make people’s lives better, then we’re going to support them and vote for those things.
“But if they’re bad for Australia and bad for the economy, and unfortunately, there’ll probably be some things that will be, we’ll have to oppose them.”
Mr Birrell is hoping to engage in meaningful discussions about tax reform and productivity, with a three-day Economic Reform Roundtable set for August.
This event, led by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, is focused on boosting the Australian economy’s productivity, resilience towards global uncertainty, and ensuring a strong and sustainable budget.
“Maybe I’m being too cynical, but I suspect it’s going to be a bit of a ‘talk-fest’,” Mr Birrell said.
“I hope it’s a bit more serious than that, and the government comes to the realisation that to get productivity moving, it might have to change some of its own ideas about energy and industrial relations.
“So, we’ll see where that goes. I’ll be as constructive as I can.
“Australia’s built on business, and we’ve got some of the great food manufacturing and food growing businesses in the Goulburn, Murray valleys.”
Mr Birrell emphasised the need to bolster Australian industries, including in areas such as food production, where many Nicholls-based businesses thrive.
“The government settings have got to be about making sure that those businesses can compete globally, because we’re a trading nation,” he said.
“So I try to explain that in Canberra to people and make them understand how important that is ... how do we make sure that (local companies) are competitive when they put their product into an overseas market?”
There are bipartisan concerns about global trade tensions, particularly through tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump, and how these may impact our local manufacturers.
Since April 5, a baseline tariff of 10 per cent has applied to all goods imported into the US, while Australian steel and aluminium has been subject to a 50 per cent tariff since June 4.
“I think the government needs to work very hard and ensure its relationship with the United States is as good as it can be,” Mr Birrell said.
“We’re not really seeing signs of that at the moment, so that’s a concern for us. The prime minister still hasn’t been able to get a meeting with the president.
“The tariffs, I suppose, yes, they’re a concern, but they are possibly going to provide opportunities for ... us in other markets.
“I hope our businesses can take advantage of that.”