Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I saw the matter for discussion in today's MPI from the member for Perth, I was staggered. Let us remind the House of Labor's misleading statement: 'The Government is failing to properly invest in Australian jobs and well-planned infrastructure.' What a load of hypocrisy! Where to do I start, Mr Deputy Speaker?

I know. Let us start with Adani Mining and the Carmichael mine—Queensland's biggest coalmining project in my electorate of Capricornia. Our government supports this project, which would create over 10,000 jobs. That is 10,000 construction jobs, followed by ongoing operational jobs. As for infrastructure, the Adani project would build the most important coal rail project in modern Queensland and upgrade export and shipping infrastructure at Abbot Point. This project is worth $20 billion to Queensland. But it is under threat—not from our government but from Labor over there and their Greens mates!

Mr Deputy Speaker, you might be forgiven for thinking that Labor and the Greens are the same party. There is no point of difference when it comes to destroying jobs in Central Queensland. They are both guilty. The Greens and Labor have thrown a hand grenade at the Adani project. They are trying to stop progress on $20 billion job-creating infrastructure. The Greens have no policy on job creation—or on funding welfare and pensions, for that matter. But they thought it was a good idea to stop the Adani project by taking court action. And Labor has been noticed in their silence.

As the Prime Minister indicated yesterday, Adani needs to go ahead. We want it to go ahead. This project creates the exact thing that Labor is criticising us for today, and that is significant jobs and significant infrastructure   . If Labor and the Greens were serious about the jobs of mining families in Central Queensland, they would get out of the way and let Adani move forward.

The tragedy about this is that the Labor Party in Queensland provided $50,000 to the very Greens group that took the current court action to directly halt the project. You heard me correctly: Labor in this country is funding the Greens to stop the development of important job-creating infrastructure in Capricornia. Labor was also the party that introduced 100 per cent fly-in fly-out contracts on Central Queensland coalmines. Labor's 100 per cent FIFO contracts have obliterated local towns like Moranbah, Dysart and Nebo.

We in the National Party believe that Labor's practice of 100 per cent fly-in fly-out workforces, which shuts local workers out of local coalmines, amounts to geographic discrimination. In contrast, the National Party is committed to investing in infrastructure projects in Central Queensland to provide hundreds of jobs. This investment in job-creating infrastructure includes: $428 million for the Mackay ring-road, which will create 600 jobs; $166.1 million for Peak Downs Highway safety works, 295 jobs; $136 million for the Yeppen floodplain upgrade, 200 jobs; $12.5 million for the Kin Kora roundabout, 78 jobs; $86 million for Bruce Highway pavement widening in the Flynn and Capricornia electorates, 46 jobs; $8.8 million for the Bruce Highway Sarina northern access upgrade, 32 jobs; $105.4 million for Bruce Highway black spots northwards of Sarina, 30 jobs; $110 million for Bruce Highway overtaking lanes in the Flynn and Capricornia electorates, 24 jobs; $9.6 million for Bruce Highway pavement widening in areas from St Lawrence to Bowen, 18 jobs; $320 million for the Bruce Highway safety pack, five new jobs;    $46 million for Roads to Recovery and black spot funding to local councils, dozens of local jobs; and $115 million to local councils for local roads and streets under the Roads to Recovery program. This is clear evidence that our government is not failing to invest in Australian jobs and well-planned infrastructure.

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