While roads, water, telecommunications and decentralisation remain at the top of the Member For New England’s agenda, he is hoping to kill two birds with one stone with a plan to upgrade the Port Stephens Cutting and Bucketts Way to get Tamworth “within three hours of the coast”.

“We need to start thinking more east-west,” he said.

“To get to the coast we either travel north to Armidale and then east, or south and then east.

“We need a more direct route. Not only will it assist in attracting people but it will also help the towns along the way – but we would need their help to do it.” 

While he is hoping the upgrade would attract more Sydneysiders to relocate to Tamworth, the Transport and Infrastructure Minister continues to have his eye on relocating several government agencies, including North Sydney’s Beef and Livestock Authority.

“I am not sure how many cattle are in North Sydney, but let’s start asking questions about why things are where they are,” he said.

Mr Joyce also placed emphasis on the need to spend the $75 million already put aside for Dungowan Dam on water security, even if that means spending the money to further enhance Chaffey Dam.

He also pointed to Walcha needing substantial water infrastructure upgrades, as well as an urgency to get the Tamworth Airport upgrade in order to maximise the potential of flight schools.

“Vital infrastructure is the seed bed to grow the economy,” Mr Joyce said.

“Attracting jobs into the expansion of the airport and training facility is on the immediate horizon, while down the road we need to look at getting the Tamworth bypass built.

“Every time I see one of those wind towers being trucked through the city I just think, why?” 

Being an election budget, and with a few early leaks many forecasters are in agreeance that we are going to see plenty of big spending on infrastructure and large projects, as well as a reduction in income tax.

While Mr Joyce is also expecting a positive budget for the nation, he is also wary of locking away as many projects and commitments as he can over the next 12 months, while also keeping an eye on Australia’s national debt.

“We will definitely see an election by half way through next year – any government would like to go full term but they also need to pick the right time to strike,” he said.

“I want to use that time to make sure everything I have fought for is locked in and delivered – because once that election starts, that is all over.” 

In regards to Australia’s looming national debt, the former deputy prime minister believes the Coalition target of a budget surplus by 2020-21 is realistic.

“Any government will always try and reduce income tax, but we have to make sure our debt trajectory is going down,” he said.

“We have got a half-a-trillion-dollar debt, and we have to show a genuine capacity to be able to get it down.

“The 2020-21 surplus is achievable, we’ve just got to do it.”