At the weekend, I joined David Littleproud, Federal Leader of the Nationals, in his electorate of Maranoa.

From Birdsville to Barcaldine, Winton to Warwick, the electorate of Maranoa is vast – three times the size of Victoria to be exact!

It is also an electorate that speaks to the values of the National Party – from its hard working and charismatic people who have learnt to adapt in times of drought and flood, to the businesses and communities that have given so much to our nation, often without any acknowledgement from those in the cities.

My visit to outback Queensland traversed nearly 2,500km and included meetings with local Mayors and Councillors, as well as with our members, and a trip to the well-known Ilfracombe Picnic Race Club.

In the small town of Jundah, I heard from the Mayor of Barcoo Shire, Sally O’Neil, who shared with me the challenges the town had faced following record-breaking flooding earlier this year. At the height of the disaster, Sally was knee deep in water doing manual water level readings for the Bureau of Meteorology after the upstream devices were washed away.

At Birdsville, I met Terry who owns more than a million acres of land in the Diamantina. Three months on he is still working out how many of his 10,000 head of cattle were lost to the rising water.

Under the current recovery funding system, towns like Jundah are left to battle on their own following a disaster – this is a fight I will now take back to Canberra – To ensure no matter where you are, you’re supported in times of natural disaster.