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

I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019 and the related appropriations bills. I note that these bills demonstrate the benefits of the sound economic management that we've seen once again from the Liberal-National government. The benefit of focusing on jobs and growth flows through to everyone in Australia, most obviously to those who directly benefit from the jobs this government is helping to create—a record number of jobs, I've got to say; one million jobs since Labor left government.

Having more people than ever in jobs means that there's less pressure on the welfare budget. Having more people than ever in jobs means that there's greater tax revenue to facilitate the things that we all need and want. A stronger economy means that we can spend more on health care. A stronger economy means that we can invest more in education. A stronger economy means that we can start paying down the debt that Labor left behind. A stronger economy also means that families can start keeping more of their own money. We recognise on this side of the House that tax cuts are not a handout. When Labor spruiks handouts and giving away money, they fail to acknowledge that it was their money in the first place. Taxing someone less is not giving them money; it is letting them keep more of their own money, and that is exactly what this government is doing.

The federal budget that the Treasurer brought down earlier this month recognises that cost of living is a major issue for most families, especially those on low to middle incomes. By giving back in lump sum up to $530 each to those low- and middle-income earners, this government will immediately ease cost-of-living pressures. Our tax relief will make it easier for families to pay their electricity bills. It will make it easier for a family to pay their car registration or their council rates bill. A stronger economy also enables investment in major infrastructure projects, which in turn creates jobs as well. A stronger economy also enables investment in our communities.

Representatives from regional areas always face the challenge of ensuring that we see a fair share returned to the regions, especially to the regions where the wealth is created. The regions of Central Queensland and North Queensland punch well above their weight when it comes to delivering dollars into the coffers of both state and national governments. But we often get a raw deal when it comes to seeing some of that wealth reinvested into the region to address our infrastructure and industry needs. However, I've got to say we've been seeing some pretty big wins lately. Many of our big wins have centred around major upgrades of the Bruce Highway that have addressed concerns that North Queenslanders have been raising with me for some time.

In 2012, I led a convoy of Liberal-National politicians, including former Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, along the entire 1,700-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway, highlighting places that needed attention most urgently. That convoy and my 'fix the Bruce' campaign worked, securing record funding for the Bruce Highway, and major projects like the Mackay ring road are now under construction. This project will provide a new major crossing of the Bruce Highway. It will take highway traffic out of the city, easing congestion, especially during peak hour. It will also take dangerous heavy trucks off the local streets. Just as importantly, it will create local jobs. I've spoken with a number of contractors and workers on site about the number of local people who have secured their jobs on the back of this infrastructure project. Those jobs came at a time when they were badly needed. But half a billion dollars of works in stage 1 of the Mackay ring road is only the beginning. We still need to close the loop on this ring road, and I'll be working to secure funds for the second stage of the ring road from measures that were announced in the budget.

The Liberal-National government allocated $3.5 billion to Roads of Strategic Importance, and $1½ billion of that package is earmarked specifically for northern Australia. A further $1.4 billion was announced in the budget for the Bruce Highway but as yet is not allocated to any specific project. I'll also be fighting for funds out of those allocations to be set aside to flood-proof the Goorganga Plains area of the Bruce Highway just south of Proserpine. Goorganga Creek floods very easily and very regularly, with heavy rain cutting off the Whitsunday Coast Airport from the actual Whitsunday coast. That means that flights from southern capitals are sometimes returned to their airports of origin and tourists can't get to where they want to go. The Queensland government's Department of Transport and Main Roads has begun the essential planning work on that project because of $12 million in federal funding, which this budget points to. Outcomes from that planning process will inform what needs to be done and what funds will be required to keep the north moving.

The Bruce Highway is a vital link for all of Queensland, connecting industries and products with end users. In this Liberal-National government's budget, we saw—as we have seen over the last few budgets—the spending of a record $6.7 billion on the Bruce Highway. As I said before, a major part of that was on the Mackay ring road. But there is another Bruce Highway project in my electorate that's also worth half a billion dollars, and that is the replacement of the Haughton River bridge, identified by people in my electorate as the most urgent black spot that needs fixing. That project not only replaces the ageing and unsafe Haughton River bridge; it includes another two overpasses, a number of different bridges that are going to go over flood-prone areas and the upgrade of about nine intersections along a 14-kilometre section of the Bruce Highway. The federal government is providing $411 million towards this project—as I said, it's worth a total of half a billion dollars or more—and works kicks off in the middle of this year. We pushed to bring that forward when the state government said it couldn't come forward, and we've brought that project on this coming calendar year. Further south, we've already invested $57 million into the Sandy Gully bridge upgrade, just north of Bowen. Sandy Gully is another regularly flood-prone area, cutting access to Abbot Point for workers who are based in Bowen, further south in Mackay and in the Whitsundays. It also severed the Bruce Highway—the arterial transport link that keeps the north moving—right there and then. These road projects all create jobs for the north. Most of those jobs, though, as we know, only last during the construction of that particular infrastructure project, but they increase freight movements as well, and that adds to a greater economy, which creates long-term jobs.

Talking about long-term jobs, we're seeing the benefits of the regional jobs and investment package that I fought so hard to secure during the lead-up to the 2016 election. North Queensland suffered badly during the downturn in the resources sector, and that's why I pushed for a jobs package to address the needs of regional centres around the Bowen Basin area. The Liberal-National government recognised the importance of those regional economies and the dollars that the mining industry and mining communities contribute through royalties, through wages and through taxes. We're now seeing the fruit of all that work, with more than $9.7 million from the government contributed towards investments that total about $50 million in that region. In Mackay, the Liberal-National government provided $1.6 million to D&T Hardchrome so they could build an industrial standard electroplating and finishing facility in Paget. D&T have been a great contributor to the mining services sector in Mackay, and this particular project will provide access to services that previously have had to be sourced far beyond the mining region where they are needed. Another funding project in Mackay was $420,000 provided to Diacon, a local company who will expand their plastic conveyor protection systems business. There was $250,000 to Linked Group Services to help them showcase their energy efficiency initiatives. In total, there's been a federal government investment of about $2½ million in four projects worth about $12 million in Mackay. These projects will create 84 jobs, the vast majority of which will be ongoing, so we are directly creating permanent jobs from this one-off investment. In the Whitsundays, we announced $5.8 million of funding under the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages for the Ozone Whitsundays Eco Resort at Riordanvale. This is a $37 million development and it'll feature contemporary villas, a striking wedding and conference venue, and a boutique native fauna park. When it's complete, it'll create more than 100 jobs and boost land based tourism options for one of Australia's premier tourism destinations in the Whitsundays. In Bowen, that same jobs package is delivering $1½ million for the Murroona Gardens aged-care facility.

One of the most important industries in North Queensland is defence, with the Townsville city being home to the Army's Lavarack Barracks, a RAAF base, the Townsville Field Training Area as well as the port of Townsville's Berth 10, which is designed for the Royal Australian Navy. Consequently, we in the north were jubilant about Queensland's win of the $1.8 billion Land 400 Defence deal. That deal will have big benefits for Townsville. About 150 Boxer super-tanks—I guess they're not tanks; they're weaponised reconnaissance vehicles—will be based in that garrison city. Two hundred million dollars will be spent on building simulation facilities over the next 10 years and 80 jobs will be created during the construction phase.

But not all important projects involve such big dollars. The Liberal-National government has helped and continues to help industry and community provide a better lifestyle and greater amenities for families living in the north. The federal government recently provided $150,000 to Mackay cane growers for their irrigation efficiency training program, which helps them reduce electricity costs and boost productivity in the cane-farming sector. We provided half a million dollars to Carlisle Adventist Christian College. I was just there on Sunday, yesterday, to provide them with a hospitality and home economics facility. Just on the weekend—as I said, yesterday—I opened new classrooms and a science lab for the school, to which the federal government directly contributed to the tune of $375,000. We delivered $15,000 for the Mackay kidney support group to buy a new car, when one of their previous cars was stolen, $15,000 for the Mackay Tennis Association to upgrade their courts and develop a new kitchen, and about $10,000 for the Mackay St Vincent de Paul Society to help them reduce their electricity costs, leaving them more dollars to support clients who are homeless. There has been about $200,000 invested in the Dalrymple disability respite service centre. All in all, there has been about $250,000 poured into community services around the Mackay region in just the past six months.

We supported VMR, the volunteer marine rescue, in Burdekin with $20,000 for their services. The Burdekin Art Society and Cungulla men's shed have also been recipients of funding. I secured $250,000 for Home Hill State High School's multipurpose hall. There's been a lot done for the community. We've helped the Mackay and Whitsunday region in their time of great need in the wake of Cyclone Debbie, with the federal and state governments providing joint tourism recovery funding, including $1 million for new infrastructure at Peter Faust Dam, $2 million for Hill Inlet lookout on Whitsunday Island and $1 million to enhance facilities at Flagstaff Hill in Bowen. There's more to come. This year's budget provides a number of measures that will benefit the north, including a $550 million Stronger Rural Health Strategy, which will deliver around 3,000 additional doctors and 3,000 additional nurses into rural general practice; an additional 14,000 high-level in-home-care packages to help older people remain in their own homes; 13½ thousand new residential aged-care places and 775 short-term restorative places, which will be made available where they are most needed. The chaplaincy program in our schools will get more funding to focus on antibullying, and we are skilling Australians by investing $1½ billion, an extra $250 million that we've provided in this budget, in the Skilling Australians Fund to deliver apprenticeships and traineeships that are so vital in training young Australians for the jobs of the future. We've enabled pensioners to earn more and keep more of their pension, and there are initiatives to address the need for more seasonal workers in the fruit and vegetable sector, with a two-year trial of incentives aimed at increasing the number of jobseekers who take on such work. I could go on about the sports infrastructure grants program and about the tax relief we've provided that's going to help over 66,000 taxpayers in the electorate of Dawson.

All of this stuff is contained in our budget. It's been a great budget for North Queensland, providing all these local benefits. I'm proud to support these bills.

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