But Nationals Leader Warren Truss is fearful of a bush-bashing budget, saying last year's Federal Budget included more than $1 billion being slashed from funding for communications, agriculture and regional programs.

"The Prime Minister must this year make good on his election night promise to govern for all Australians," Mr Truss said.

The Nationals wishlist includes:

• an increase to the single base rate of the pension;

• a stop to the decline in regional health, in particular in New South Wales where people have died unnecessarily, and bills to local businesses for basic hospital items like meat and taxis have gone unpaid for many months;

• fund much-needed regional road and rail projects;

• provide better living expense support to students travelling to the cities, and

• abandon plans to massively increase export inspection fees.

"The Government should also rule out cutting support to doctors working in regional areas," Mr Truss said.

"Infrastructure is critical – such as the upgrading of the Pacific Highway and the construction of the Inland Rail - but it appears that Labor is more concerned about bailing out failing Labor state governments who should have been investing in inner-city train and bus services.

"Most new regional projects will be put on the backburner.

"Regional development has become an issue of political fun for Labor – ministers are happiest when they laugh in Parliament at the projects that were funded around Australia by the Coalition, no matter how important.

"Funding and resources for the regions have now been stripped and replaced by a hollow shell."

Mr Truss says Labor should also use the budget to "kill off its shoddy emissions trading scheme", which he claims threatens thousands of regional jobs.