After a lifetime on the land, I’ve seen what happens when a once-thriving farm starts to fall apart. The fences sag, the crops thin out, and soon, the very soil that sustained generations becomes fragile.

It’s tough to admit when things are slipping, but without the hard work of restoring what’s been lost, it only gets worse. Australia today is not much different. The country is showing signs of what could become a prolonged economic and social decline.

The so-called “cost-of-living crisis” is just the first symptom of a deeper, more troubling regression. Our productivity is dropping, our energy systems are mismanaged, and our key industries, mostly based in the regions, are struggling to stay afloat. As any farmer knows, when the land isn’t productive, everything else suffers. The same goes for Australia.

When the regions are strong, the whole nation prospers. It’s easy for city-dwellers to forget, but we would be massively impoverished without the food, fibre and export income generated by regional Australia.

The National Party has long championed the regions, and while no party is without fault, it has much it can be proud of.

As party leader and deputy prime minister, I experienced how working as a serious partner in government with John Howard’s Liberals was a real “force multiplier” for good national policy, and good regional policy.

Those experiences do compel me to urge that today’s Nats do not allow themselves the indulgence of appeals to populism, tempting as it often is, for the simple reasons that the times are too serious for distractions, and the need for powerful advocacy about the real interests of the country is so great.

Our agricultural sector is extraordinarily productive – the NFF now estimates that one farmer feeds 600 people locally and internationally.

Our farmers, miners, and tourism operators are the backbone of the economy. They produce the food, resources, and services that not only keep us going, but also allow Australia to punch above its weight on the global stage.

Australia’s position as the 12th largest economy in the world, despite our modest population of only 27 million, is largely thanks to the regions. However, we will not remain a global economic player if current trends continue.

Labor policies show a fundamental hostility to the kind of wealth creation that the regions excel at.

Unfortunately, the current government in Canberra now seems more interested in redistributing the shrinking wealth pie than growing it.

Their policies show a fundamental hostility to the kind of wealth creation that the regions excel at. They’re focused on immediate fixes, filling the gap between income and expenditure with borrowed money, all the while building a debt burden that will be passed on to our children and grandchildren.

This has created a trajectory of ever poorer economic management, excessive government expenditure driving inflation, hostility to investment and the export sector, and increasingly unreliable and unpriceable electricity.

This is paired with an utterly irresponsible desire to pander to union leaders whose economic illiteracy threatens the well-being of the very workers they claim to represent.

Even more concerning, there has been an unforgivable failure to walk the talk on our national security. And this neglect is felt acutely in the regions, which are dependent upon national resilience.

Our supply chains, especially fuel reserves, have not been secured. Astonishingly, despite the lip service paid to the need for an Australian merchant shipping fleet, we now don’t have a single Australian-flagged ship ready to keep our energy and trade flowing if sea lanes to our north are disrupted.

Much of this stems from the influence of inner-city green luxury beliefs, which seems disconnected from the realities of economic sustainability. Worse, the next election may well see the drivers of our structural decline being ramped up, if, as many are predicting, we elect a minority Labor government beholden to Greens and independents.

This is why the National Party must lead with courage, imagination, determination and grit that the best of the bush is renowned for. Those who represent the party – and those who will in time serve at the cabinet table – must work hard to restore the nation’s finances, improve productivity, and reform our taxation system.

Most urgently, they will need to recognise that the first responsibility of the Commonwealth government is our national security in these dangerous times. At this point the interest of the nation and the interests of the regions coincide perfectly.

It’s important to remember that regional Australia has specific needs – communications, healthcare, education and infrastructure, both for societal equity and their continued productivity – but none of this can be built on a shaky foundation. A farm can’t thrive without healthy soil, and our regions can’t thrive without a secure, investment-friendly national economy.

The National Party has the opportunity – and the responsibility – to provide that foundation.

Australia’s path back to prosperity won’t be easy. Restoring our finances, fixing productivity, and securing the future of the regions will require bold action.

Regional Australians are familiar with the hard work of rebuilding, and they’re looking for leaders who are willing to do the same for the nation. They’re ready for leadership that’s prepared to make the hard calls, even if it requires some sacrifices along the way.

Just like restoring a farm, rebuilding Australia’s prosperity will take time, effort, and a commitment to doing what’s right for the long term.

The task ahead won’t be simple, but just as a well-run farm can thrive for generations, a strong, secure, and productive Australia can ensure prosperity for generations to come.