Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I think the initiative by the new and honourable member for Fairfax is very timely, very pressing. Some dozen suicides have occurred in the six months in which we have waited for an assistance package, and there is not a single person in any of the rural industries that considers the package that is out there now adequate. I am not saying this by way of condemnation of the government; I will not hesitate to condemn the government. I join the member for Fairfax in saying that where there are complex issues that the very new government do not understand, they have to get their heads around them and act in a more responsible manner.

There is an inquiry taking place on the GFC. That money had to go out there quickly, very quickly. If we had this fund then that money would not have had to go out there quickly. A young man in my electorate, in the Atherton area, was a very inexperienced worker who died in a crawl space putting batts in; he would not have died if this had been in place. If this had been in place, a number of those suicides that took place in Queensland would not have taken place. Whilst I am pointing to the very sharp end of the issue, there is no doubt in my mind that not all of the motor vehicle industry can be saved but at least one of those companies could definitely be saved by using government contracts. There is not the slightest question about that. And that is done in every other country on earth. But we need something to buy time so that those huge factories that are set up are not lost, and all the technology and know-how dissipated. This is a buying-time operation.

We got black sigatoka. By the time the money was marshalled, the amount of money needed to suppress the disease had gone up 10-fold. So instead of needing $10 million to deal with three farms, because of the time frame of deciding how it could be done, nearly 200 farms had to be addressed. Whilst I have been vehement in my criticism of the government, trying desperately to put pressure on them to move quickly, I can see the mistakes they have already made in acting in what they would probably consider precipitously. We could avoid that situation by an emergency fund, a buying-time fund—whatever you want to call it. There is an enormous requirement for a general fund for this purpose. At the present moment the three great industries that comprise nearly half of our exports in this country are aluminium, iron ore and coal. (Time expired)

Debate adjourned.

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