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

I rise today in support of the member for Forde's motion condemning the Palaszczuk Labor government for failing the people of Queensland and my constituents of Capricornia. Regional Queensland will come undone without new infrastructure investment. The regions are struggling to create the diverse economies they need to be sustainable. Great opportunities exist to bridge this gap, but the Palaszczuk government continues to cut funding for vital infrastructure to get these industries going. This is costing us jobs and livelihood. No investment means no new jobs. Unemployment is up and job vacancies are down. Investment in the state has reduced and the constant Brisbane-centric focus on investment is destroying regional communities in my electorate of Capricornia. In Rockhampton, the jobless figures confirm the situation. The latest data shows the unemployment rate in Rockhampton at a staggering 7.5 per cent. This is compared to 6.3 per cent throughout Queensland and 5.7 per cent Australia wide. The labour market has worsened over the last year, with the policies of the Palaszczuk government costing 32,200 hardworking Queenslanders their jobs. Take Rookwood Weir near Gogango. It has been in planning for years. Construction was promised in 2011 by the Beattie government. Fifty per cent of constructions costs, or $130 million, was funded by the federal government, and $2 million was given, again by the federal government, to build the business case. Yet just last week we were told they will not consider the business case until the third quarter. Meanwhile, 400 families are missing out on the construction-phase jobs and 2,100 workers and investors in agriculture are being denied opportunities. The wider community is missing out on the 4,000 flow-on full-time jobs in Capricornia. You would hope that having the state minister for agriculture in your electorate would be a good thing. If Bill Byrne was serious about his electorate and agriculture, he would fast-track the Premier's sign-off for Rookwood Weir and give the people of regional Queensland a fighting chance for survival.

The Palaszczuk government cannot argue that the lack of infrastructure spending is an attempt to fix the budget. Since coming to power, the Queensland Public Service has jumped by 16,000 full-time equivalent positions, throwing an extra $2 billion debt onto the budget. Construction jobs and building infrastructure will create the flow-on effects needed for the economies of Central Queensland. Instead, the budget is going to Brisbane based bureaucrats who sit in George Street scratching their heads over what project they can delay next. Despite promising to deliver much-needed infrastructure, capital works have been slashed by $2.3 billion across Queensland. It currently sits at the lowest level as a percentage of the state's economy. Energy projects, road projects, and health and building projects are all delayed and are all focused on the south-east, with the occasional lip service to the far north. There is plenty of opportunity but no delivery—and all to keep the Greens happy to buy inner-city votes. Rookwood Weir, Great Keppel Island, Walkerston—all sitting waiting for approvals as the jobs slip by.

This is in contrast to the commitments delivered by the coalition government to the people of Capricornia and Central Queensland. During my first term in parliament, over $550 million in funding was secured for job-creating infrastructure projects throughout my electorate and another $330 million of water, jobs and growth plan committed during the 2016 election—$880 million worth of job-creating infrastructure projects that will create the diverse economy needed to provide jobs. This needs to be backed by project approvals and state-owned infrastructure development to get industry moving.

It is time to stop the empty rhetoric and get on with the job of building Queensland. And it is time to deliver jobs for the people of Capricornia , the people of Rockhampton, the people of Keppel, Mirani and Gregory—the people of Queensland. With a state election due this year, I am looking forward to working with the strong LNP team of Tim Nicholls and Deb Frecklington. Thank you.

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