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

This motion speaks to how completely out of touch the LNP government really are. They try to brag that things are going well—that the economy is going well and 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 the degrees in climate and the tempers of everyday Australians are the unemployment figures. Does this LNP government even know how regional Queenslanders are struggling under their government? Does the LNP Prime Minister know the detrimental impact he caused when he was Treasurer by making massive cuts to various sectors across regional Queensland?

Those opposite try to skew numbers. They have put a new face on their leader, thinking that everyday Australians will 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 very good for Sydney and Melbourne but not for regional, rural, and remote Queensland. The LNP's planned tax cuts for banks and big business weren't for Townsville; 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.

The government does like to recite numbers, so allow me to recite a few for you—factual numbers. They are: 5.6 per cent—that was Townsville's unemployment rate when Labor left office; 9.7 per cent—that is Townsville's current unemployment rate, and unemployment in Townsville has almost doubled under the LNP; 3,000—that is how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in Townsville since the LNP was elected; 149—that is the number of Australian tax office jobs that have been lost under the LNP government; 50—that is the number of defence jobs cut; 19—that is the number of CSIRO jobs cut in Townsville under the LNP; 46 per cent—that is how many 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; 2,487—that is how many families in Herbert will be worse off under the LNP changes to child care; $2,000—that is how much extra an average family will have to pay under the LNP's early learning charges; seven per cent—that is the percentage of north Queenslanders, who, due to the LNP government's Medicare freeze and the high cost of accessing medical services, have stopped accessing care when needed in the last year; $142—that is the median out-of-pocket cost for a north Queenslander; 26 per cent or 6,475 people or 55 people a day—that is the number of people over the last six months who presented to the Townsville hospital with minor ailments like coughs, because they can't afford to see their GP because of the LNP's Medicare freeze; 12 doctors and 25 nurses—that is how many jobs will be lost at the Townsville hospital because of the LNP government's $9 million cut; $36 million—that is the amount this government is cutting to Central Queensland University; 14—that's the number of jobs lost because James Cook University was forced to cut their arts degree because of the LNP's $34 million cut to JCU; 442—that is how many fewer construction businesses there are in Townsville than when Labor left office, a drop of 15.7 per cent; 153—that is the number of retail businesses that have closed in Townsville under the LNP, a fall of 17 per cent; seven—that is the number of jobs lost on Palm Island because of this government's cut to the National Partnership on Remote Housing; zero—that is how much the LNP have delivered for energy infrastructure for Townsville.

These are the numbers the LNP government needs to be working on, because it is the government that has caused these disturbing numbers. Townsville is not getting its fair share under this LNP government. Here are a few more numbers: $100 million—that is Labor's commitment to deliver long-term water security for Townsville, which has been matched and water security will be delivered, and the government came to the table 552 days after Labor; $200 million—that is Labor's commitment to deliver energy infrastructure; $23.5 million—that is Labor's commitment to Townsville schools; $1.7 billion—that is Labor's commitment to early learning. One last number that I will leave you with is the 18th of the fifth—the last day an election can be held in regional Queensland, where we can vote out of a government that forgets us and vote for a Labor government that will remember us.

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