Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I must say he's rather terrifying. We can go on and we can see in Central Queensland the member for Capricornia, with the Yeppoon flood plain and the roads, including the Bruce Highway. She's fighting for Rookwood Weir. The issue is, of course, with the levee bank. Do you want to hear about the levee bank?

Opposition members interjecting—

No, they want to yell. The levee bank, of course, is a very divisive issue because you have two lots of people. You have the people inside the levee bank, who want the levee bank, and then you have all the people outside the levee bank. You should go up to Central Queensland and talk to them. They're not so keen on the idea. So the member for Capricornia's doing the diligent work in assessing where the balance of good is—whether we flood more people outside the levee bank or save the people inside the levee bank. In the meantime, you can reduce some of the water going to Rockhampton by building the Rookwood Weir.

But why does the Labor Party always turn its back on blue-collar workers? That is the question that so many people in Central Queensland want to know the answer to. Why is it, with the extra $1 billion of income that would come from the Rookwood Weir, they have said nothing in support of those blue-collar workers? Why is it that, on the back of the thousands of jobs that would come from the Rookwood Weir, they have said nothing for those blue-collar workers? They never stand up for workers and always stand up for the inner suburbs. When we go up to talk about the Rookwood Weir, guess what they want to talk about: Jackie Trad. That's what they want to talk about: Jackie Trad and the Cross River Rail. That's about as close to as they ever get to Central Queensland.

Ms Butler interjecting—

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