To the young and unemployed in rural towns and villages, he says get a lift into town and “find out where the jobs are”.

He defended the $7 co-payment to see a GP and said country people would not be significantly impacted because they were more likely to put a bandaid on than see a doctor. 

And according to Mr Cobb, pensioners are not suffering any cuts despite the government scrapping the seniors' supplement of $876 per person per year. 

“It’s an extra thing ... it’s a supplement you get if your pension doesn’t work out ... it’s not part of the normal pension so I don’t see it as a cut” he said. “I’m angry people think pensions are being cut.”

The government announced people under 35 who were on the disability support pension would have their cases reassessed and they may be required to join work for the dole, job search, education, training or work experience schemes.

But the only people to face any significant change to the disability support pension “probably shouldn’t be on it in the first place”, Mr Cobb said. 

He said the government would help people who had been on the pension and struggled to find work, as because they lived in regional areas all they had to do was go to Centrelink. 

When it came to the prospect of higher university fees after the government announced course costs would be deregulated, Mr Cobb said he was happy students who studied at any higher education approved provider would be able to put their course on HECS. Albeit at a much higher rate than previously.

“I didn’t go to university ... the world is built by those who are tradesmen,” he said.

* This article was amended to correct an error on December 5, 2014.