Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flynn for his question. He understands, coming from the wonderful port city of Gladstone, that industrial city, just how important our resources sector is. And he understands that coal provides $62 billion worth of exports. He understands that it provides two-thirds of Australia's energy supplies. He understands that it provides 55,000 jobs. He understands the importance of the $4 million Collinsville feasibility study for that HELE plant.

Gladstone has the NRG Gladstone Power Station, Queensland Alumina, Cement Australia, Orica Yarwun global chemical plant, Northern Oil Refinery—a wonderful business—Curtis Island gas export facilities and pipelines. They're providing a lot of jobs and hope and optimism and opportunity.

Last night the well-informed Peter van Onselen had a report about a rebel group. When I heard this I was very interested to see where this rebel group was coming from. Initially I thought it might have been the Greens. I thought the member for Melbourne, the former ALP branch member at Subiaco, may have had his come-to-Damascus moment—that he's seen the light shine in, knowing where the light came from. But then I realised that in fact it was the Otis group. Peter van Onselen belled the cat about this rebel group. Imagine that—a rebel group within parliament!

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