Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, I present the committee's report entitled Keeping it in the regions: mining and resources industry support for businesses in regional economies together with the minutes of proceedings.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I think this report has been instrumental, already, in its outcomes. Already we've had Peabody and BHP come back to us saying that they will change their terms of payment to be more immediate with the services provided, in fact within 30 days. This committee managed to cover the length and breadth of our nation from the north-west in the Kimberley and Port Hedland, right down to Singleton and across to Kalgoorlie.

I'd like to thank the members of the committee: Luke Gosling; George Christensen; David Gillespie; Peter Khalil; Brian Mitchell, who went to every public hearing bar one, but, unfortunately—he's so good on the road and so bad in the chamber—he's not here at the moment; Ted O'Brien; Tim Wilson and the secretariat staff that we have worked with, particularly Tim, Susan and Emma.

I'd like to note that the essence of this report was also about how much wealth is extracted from an area and how much wealth stays there. Australia is envious, in places such as Central Queensland, as to where our Dallas is and where our Houston is. These areas have been the beneficiaries of the major oil wealth in the East Texas oilfields. We have an approximate wealth in coal in Central Queensland, but we don't have the cities that other places, such as the United States, have. The question that is always posed is: where has this wealth gone? It is not much use to the people of Emerald and it's not much use to the people of Rockhampton if the wealth from their area ends up in Melbourne, Sydney or, in some instances, London.

The report also talks about coal seam gas and how we can make sure that people on the land are partners in that industry, rather than just being exploited by that industry, to make sure that the beneficiaries of the wealth that resides in that area is seen in the towns and in the commercial hubs of that area.

I think it's also worth saying that, with the delivery of this report, it is great to see the collegiate spirit that was expressed by the committee members. So often what people see of politics is this chamber, and yet that is only a very minor part of what happens in this building and of what happens in politics. This committee report showed that, working together, we cannot only deliver a good report but get changes that are immediate and substantial and that make a huge difference to the lives of the people in the industry.

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