George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It works because it provides a framework for negotiations between the mills and the farmers.

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—

I know exactly how it works. I came up with it, Member for Hunter. The ACCC oversees it and can apply penalties when milling companies try to break that code of conduct. If the member for Hunter wants to do something for regional Australia and the member for Herbert wants to do something for the QSL port workers in her electorate, they can instruct their senators not to dismantle the code of conduct.

It's a pleasure to speak on this motion about infrastructure in regional Australia, but I want to acknowledge what a strong advocate the member for Capricornia has been for her electorate. She's delivered some amazing things—things that we never saw while the Labor Party were taking that seat for granted. That's why she was elected. She was the first National Party person to be elected back to back in that seat in yonks, because they recognised the hard work. I think that's why there's so much fire and brimstone from the other side.

The member for Capricornia achieved that $10 million contribution to CQUniversity's sporting precinct, which will go to helping all of her electors and constituents around the area of Plainland and out in Walkerston. The 75 per cent of funding that we've put on the table for the state government to take up for the Walkerston Bypass is going to help all of those constituents. There are two schools in Walkerston that desperately need those trucks off the main drag. The bypass is going to help, and that's being delivered by the member for Capricornia—a strong fighter. She's someone who actually delivered adequate and needed funding in the wake of Cyclone Marcia and assisted me in getting extra money out of the Commonwealth in the wake of Cyclone Debbie. She was the person who championed and actually got change for all of those residents in her electorate that were going to be affected by the Defence Force's purchase of land around Shoalwater. She has been a strong fighter.

In my electorate, we are going to see a lot of funding happen. We are already seeing it. We're seeing the construction of the Mackay Ring Road happening right now. That is creating jobs both in the short term with the construction of that road and in the long term by improving productivity. We have been the government that's delivered the Townsville Ring Road. We're going to move on, and we're going to fund the Haughton River Bridge—a bridge that needs to be replaced and made flood proof. We are contributing $412 million to the fixing of the Haughton River Bridge. These jobs are happening, and they're going to start very, very soon. In fact, we fast-tracked both of those projects when the state Labor government said that they couldn't be fast tracked. We fast-tracked them by putting the money on the table. They need to get on with Rookwood Weir as well. I've got to commend the member for Capricornia for this brilliant motion, because she is delivering in spades and this government's delivering in spades for regional Australia.

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