Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Hansard source

There was a statement I wanted to make before I was called: I find Billy Hughes's presence here, in the picture, offensive. My great-uncle was sent to his death at Gallipoli, and Hughes wanted to send the rest of us to our death as well, and I think his portrait should be removed from the chamber!

Turning to my 90-second statement: the federal government talk about dams. They talked about dams in the last election; they were going to build dams. In the election before that they were going to build dams. And there are no dams built. We can't go to three elections hoping they're going to build dams! As Peta Credlin said on national television, there have been $5,000 million sitting there for six years to build dams, and nothing has been built. And nothing is going to get built between now and the next election—except for three shovel-ready projects in northern Australia. Hughenden is ready to go. The Prime Minister could go in there with a hard hat on and get the dozers working tomorrow, if he said, 'Go.' The NAIF people have said: 'Three problems: process, proponent, profitability.' There is the proponent. There is profitability. And, as far as I'm concerned, no-one is going to go into process anymore. We have now spent $560 million going into process—and there still isn't any water being held back!

Three-quarters of Australia's water is in North Queensland, and as it runs on its mission to the sea, it rampages and tears—

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