Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Jan McLucas needs to do that walk over the hill and the good, honourable senator would do a wonderful job doing it. Why is it important? We need to develop our tourism industry. The tourism industry in North Queensland has been decimated since the cyclones and since the floods. It is in a whole world of hurt. We need to get this thing right. If you could link this walk to the traditional walks over the hills, up to the fort, it would be one of the great walks in the world. Couple that with Indigenous tourism and take it all the way down to the tourism section of Horseshoe Bay and it would be a great addition to North Queensland.

At the end of the day, I was sitting there on Magnetic Island doing a listening post and some doorknocking. People come up to me and they say, 'Listen, the Prime Minister said she would fund it. Surely the Prime Minister will be good for her word.' To which I just said: 'Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Come on!' The Prime Minister stood at the dispatch box and said that a promise made by her prior to the election would be kept after the election. She stood at the dispatch box and said she would keep her word. This is very good. I call on this government to finally honour its word. Deliver the $4.7 million. You can deliver $13 million for a union website, but for $4.7 million to deliver jobs and tourism to North Queensland you cannot see your way clear. This government should get on its hands and knees, beg for forgiveness and say to the people of North Queensland: 'Here's your $4.7 million.' I ask the government to honour its word. (Time expired)

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