The shadow assistant minister for transport and infrastructure spoke with FlowFM regional Australian listeners including in his own South Australian local electorate of Barker about the contrast of federal spending of $2.2 billion on the Suburban Rail Loop versus the truck freight burden and damage on regional Victorian roads that Murray Basin Rail might resolve, and regional South Australian road impacts such as in the Mallee without rail investment

Regional roads are copping a hammering from wet weather and with worse to come as a bumper harvest comes off thanks to a lingering La Nina cycle and Tuesday's Federal Budget offers plenty to unpack on disaster resilience, better freight movement - and better allocation of grants into regions after the end of the controversial Building Better Regions Fund. We speak with Transport Infrastructure Regional Development Local Government Minister and member for Ballarat, Catherine King

Outrage, horror are some of the expressions the north western Victorian federal MP uses to describe measures in Labor's first federal budget in 9 years. NOTE: The instant asset write-off mentioned in this interview Flow understands was a budget initiative of the former government scheduled to expire next June, not a measure in this Budget.

Farmers should be pleased to see funding committed in the next 5 years for mobile and internet coverage in regional areas, with faster internet speeds promised for 660,000 regional Australians - but they'll have to compete to get a share of that investment in funding rounds

The Victorian Liberal MP for the federal seat of Wannon in south-west Victoria and shadow immigration minister talks with Flow listeners about the federal government's budget pledges into Victoria including billions for renewable energy poles-and-wires and suburban rail loop, the minister's political appearance at an Andrews government re-election event and the mystery over returning jihadi brides

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, Dams, water policy, Murray Basin Rail, renewable energy and the 'nuclear conversation' are all on the agenda as we catch up with The National Party leader David Littleproud the day before the Albanese Labor government's first budget in 12 years

Not long ago the talk in the Murray-Darling Basin and across Australia was about drought-proofing the nation but amid a major flood event with the river height at Echuca-Moama on the Vic-NSW border exceeding 1956 levels, now roadways and dams may need to be raised to flood-proof electorates like the southern NSW seat of Murray, held by independent Helen Dalton. We catch up with Helen fresh from visits to flood-affected communities

Recent University of Washington research (https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/966740) indicates La Niña could be with us for some time yet as Australian flooding and heavy rain impacts southern and eastern Australian communities, the South Australian senator questions whether alarm over climate has driven a surge into renewables when other investments might be prudent

Inflows to South Australia could reach 120,000 megalitres per day or more by December, so the State Emergency Service is encouraging shack owners in particular downstream of Cadell on the Murray River to prepare properties now for what minor to moderate flooding potential going into the summer. Chief of Staff at the SES Derren Halleday sets out the times the workshops are occurring this weekend in the mid Murray towns with 70,000 sandbags and 5 tonnes of sand being sent to the mid to upper Murray regions.

Jetties like his own as former mayor at Tumby Bay down to at Kingston South East were in the spotlight this week at state parliament in Adelaide for the member for Flinders and shadow minister for local government Sam Telfer - as well as claims of electoral involvement by members of the Local Government minister's own office in preference arrangements for council election candidates in Adelaide