Barnaby Joyce says Inland Rail will be central to 2017 Budget

Mr Joyce said the multi-billion dollar project was going to be deliver in this budget.

“If I ever get out of politics, I’ll look back at this as one of the biggest delivery items I was ever involved with,” he said.

“A goal of mine as leader of the National party is to make sure this things is actually funded and actually gets built.”

Mr Joyce said the rail would allow people to set up businesses in regional Australia and still have have direct access to large markets of the coast and their ports.

“The [Budget’s] big kahuna is going to be the Inland Rail – it’s going to be a good night for all the people in regional Australia,” he said.

The New England MP said he made the Inland Rail one of his key issues when he first entered politics.

“This thing does not just fall out of a tree, it requires hard work,” he said.