Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This motion speaks to how completely out of touch this LNP government is. They try and brag that things are going well, that the economy is going well, that jobs are on the increase, but what is actually happening is the numbers are being skewed. The only things to rise under this out-of-touch LNP government besides degrees in climate and the tempers of every day Australians are the unemployment figures. Does this LNP government even know how regional Queenslanders are struggling under this government? Does our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, know the detrimental impact he caused by making cuts to various sectors across regional Queensland when he was Treasurer?

Those opposite try and skew the numbers. They have put a new face on their leader, thinking that everyday Australians will just forget what those opposite have done. But we won't forget when the architect for the job losses and cuts is now the Prime Minister. The LNP's economic plan is for Sydney and Melbourne, not for regional Queensland. The LNP's planned tax cuts for banks and big business weren't for Townsville, but they were for their banking mates. The majority of Townsville businesses are not big businesses. While the Sydney and Melbourne economies are growing, Townsville's local economy has been demolished under consecutive LNP governments.

This government likes to recite numbers, so allow me to recite a few. These are factual numbers. 5.6 per cent—that was Townsville's unemployment rate when Labor left office. 9.7 per cent—that's Townsville's current unemployment rate. Unemployment in Townsville has almost doubled under this government. Three thousand—that's how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in Townsville since the LNP were elected. One hundred and forty-nine—that's the number of Australian tax office jobs that have been lost under this government. Fifty—that's the number of Defence jobs cut. Nineteen—that's the number of CSIRO jobs cut in Townsville under the LNP.

Forty-six per cent is the percentage of trainees and apprentices we have lost in Townsville, which equates to 1,557 people, all because consecutive LNP governments have cut $3 billion from the TAFE sector; 2,484—that's how many families also be worse off under the LNP's changes to child care; $2,000—that's how much extra an average family will have to pay under early childhood learning changes; seven per cent—that's the percentage of North Queenslanders who, due to the LNP government's Medicare freeze and the high cost of excessive medical services, have stopped accessing care when needed in the last year; $142 is the median out-of-pocket cost for a North Queenslander to access medical support; 26 per cent, 6,475 people or 55 people a day is the number of people who over the last six months have presented to the Townsville general hospital with ailments like coughs and colds because they couldn't afford their GP because of the Medicare freeze.

Twelve doctors and 24 nurses—that's how many jobs will be lost at the Townsville Hospital because of the LNP government's $9 million cut; $36 million—that's the amount this government has cut from Central Queensland University. The number of jobs lost because James Cook University has been forced to cut its arts degree because of the LNP's $34 million cuts to JCU is 14; 442 is how many fewer construction businesses there are in Townsville than when Labor left office—that's a drop of 15.7 per cent; 153—that's the number of retail businesses that have closed in Townsville under the LNP, a fall of 17 per cent; seven is the number of jobs lost on Palm Island because of this government's cut to the national partnership and remote housing program. Zero is the amount of money the LNP has committed to stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline, which will give us long-term water security for Townsville. Zero is how much money the LNP have delivered for energy infrastructure for Townsville. These are the numbers the Morrison government needs to be working on because it is the government that has caused these disturbing numbers.

But here are a few more numbers: $100 million is Labor's commitment to deliver long-term water security for Townsville; $200 million is Labor's commitment to deliver energy infrastructure for Townsville; $14.1 billion—that's Labor's commitment to public schools; $1.7 billion—that's Labor's commitment to early learning. Those numbers will make a huge difference to the people of Townsville. Only Labor will deliver for the people of Townsville. I have one last number—18 May. That's the last day an election can be held and regional Queensland can vote out a government that forgets us and vote for a Labor government that will deliver for us.

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