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

I thank the member for Solomon for putting this motion to the House, because it gives me the opportunity to talk directly about Capricornia, which is the gateway to northern Australia. The Tropic of Capricorn is the geographic line which defines the starting point of our nation's North, and this line is the southern boundary of my electorate.

So why should you come and visit us? Capricornia is home to the southern Great Barrier Reef, with amazing beaches, fishing and island getaways; rainforest retreats such as Byfield; and picturesque towns such as Yeppoon and Emu Park, which is home to the most stunning Anzac war memorial in Queensland. Capricornia is the beef and sugar capital of Australia and has a rich inland tourism trail leading to Carnarvon Gorge, the Sapphire Gemfields, and farm stays. And, of course, we are home to the best viewing spot for wild platypus, at Eungella in the beautiful Pioneer Valley west of Mackay.

Tourism and hospitality are one of the top five pillars of Australia's future economic growth. We rely on small family-run tourist enterprises to bring visitors and dollars into our economy. One such small business is the Capricorn Caves, stunning limestone caves north of Rockhampton. Here, owner Ann Augusteyn has completed a bold project to replace old lighting that has illuminated the caves' interior since the 1960s. The caves are now lit for tourists, with solar panelled LED technology, the first system of its kind in Australia. It is the first cave in Australia to run lights off solar power. It provides a template for other cave managers from around the world to see an increase in local tourist numbers.

Spending by tourists provides opportunities for local small business to grow and prosper within our communities, which in turn creates more jobs for locals, young people and our local families. The difference between us and Labor is that the coalition government is investing in small businesses like tourism through our Growing Jobs and Small Business package, released in the 2015 budget. It is hailed as the nation's most significant small business package in 50 years. It provides small businesses, including the tourism industry, with much-needed assistance to grow and create jobs. Key benefits directly helping mum-and-dad businesses include cuts to small business tax and tax depreciation help. Small businesses with turnover below $2 million benefit from an immediate tax deduction for every asset they acquire that is valued up to $20,000 for tax purposes. Coupled with this package are our free trade agreements that this government has arranged with China, Japan and Korea. They will promote our nation's trade and enhance our profile as a key destination for international visitors.

That is what we are doing, but sadly Labor is lagging far behind. In Capricornia, I am fighting along with the Capricorn Coast community for the Labor government in Queensland to grant a boutique gaming licence to Great Keppel Island, once a bustling tourism and holiday hot spot off Yeppoon. There is a proposed major resort project on Great Keppel Island which would potentially provide 1,500 local jobs directly linked to tourism. The GKI project, as it is known, includes a small-scale casino which is necessary to attract international travellers. But once again in Capricornia Labor, beholden to the Greens, is refusing to get on and approve it. We have lost countless jobs in our local coal sector in the past few years, and now an incompetent Labor government in Queensland is staring down 1,500 new jobs for Central Queensland families. We need this project for our economy, our tourism and our employment. I continue to call on Labor to show some spine and stop standing in the way of families and young people who need jobs. Get on with it and approve the GKI licence now.

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