George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to speak on the Special Recreational Vessels Amendment Bill 2021, but, before I do talk about the bill, I just point out that what we have just heard from the Labor member opposite, the member for Ballarat, is that the Labor Party supports the bill but the Labor Party is wary of the bill. The Labor Party wants to ensure the passage of the bill so that we don't lose superyacht business in tourism places in Queensland, while at the same time warning, falsely—falsely—that there would be some negative impact on local businesses and local jobs. I've got to say that that is exactly the kind of stuff we've come to expect from the Labor Party. The member for Ballarat, following in her leader's footsteps, is having a bid each way and then, after having a bid each way, simply going to the wharfie or MUA talking points and getting in a bit of cheap politics. That's what it is—nothing but a bid each way and then a bit of cheap politics. It's what we've come to expect from Labor.

It also shows a fundamental lack of understanding of tourism, and that's why the Queensland tourism industry communities are covered by representation from Liberal National Party members—me with the Whitsundays and the Mackay region; the member for Forde, over there, representing part of the Gold Coast, which is covered wall to wall by LNP members; up in Townsville, the member for Herbert; up further, in Cairns, the member for Leichhardt; down on the Capricorn Coast, the member for Capricornia; and the member for Fraser, the member for Hinkler and the member for Wide Bay covering all of that beautiful area. All of the tourism areas in Queensland are covered by Liberal National Party members. You yourself, Deputy Speaker Vasta, as the member for Bonner, represent a very well known tourism hotspot there, with the beautiful beaches you have in your Brisbane electorate.

It just shows a lack of understanding about tourism to suggest that superyachts are going to somehow cost local businesses, such as local cruises that go out overnight, and cost local jobs. Have you never been on board a superyacht? Have you never seen one? Have you never been on board a local cruise ship? The domestic market caters to backpackers. The domestic market caters to local families—actually, it's not the domestic market; the cruise ship market, which is mostly international, covers families and retirees. So it's a particular market. Superyachts are limited to about a dozen passengers and cater to the uber-rich, the uberwealthy, who do not go on cruise vessels and do not go aboard the backpacker vessels. So to suggest there is going to be some competition here and a loss of jobs is insane.

What in fact happened until this government acted, with the original bill, was that we lost all of the potential that superyachts bring with their multimillionaire and billionaire passengers. We lost it to New Zealand. We lost it to Noumea. We had virtually none coming into the country because of stupid regulations that this government's gotten rid of that, actually, the Labor Party here today has flagged they could revisit and go back to. That is a warning to tourism towns. And why is it a warning to tourism towns? Far from costing jobs, far from costing local businesses, these superyachts drop, in any community they dock in, between 50 and 60 grand a week. That's 50 to 60 grand a week in local purchases. Whether it be the local florist—I'm told they do a bit of a trade while superyachts are in town—or the local food supply outlets or the local bottle-os, they do a roaring trade when these superyachts hit town, and that equates to local jobs.

Over in Noumea, which I mentioned, my understanding is that, pre pandemic, the number of vessels they had docking equated to 200 weeks a year—200 weeks. That's at least four vessels in dock every week. Think of that. Do the math: 50 to 60 grand times 52 weeks times four. You are talking big bucks. That money flowing through local economies equates to more local jobs in hospitality, retail, the food industry and the tourism industry itself. That's what's at stake here. That is why the government is moving to push the sunset date of the act out a further couple of years. Sadly, what has happened is that these changes have taken place at a time when the superyacht market was ripe for the picking so we could nab some of that 50 grand to 60 grand a week that these people drop in the places that they dock. The pandemic has knocked that catch completely out of the water.

We need to push the sunset clause down the road so that we can have those vessels coming here post-pandemic and enjoying the beautiful spots that are right up and down the Queensland coast. I'm going to tell you again—I'm going to be very, very parochial here; sorry to other members—again, to the member for Ballarat, it seems that the Labor Party always refers to Cairns when it comes to tourism. Cairns is very beautiful, but the Whitsundays are the sailing capital of Australia, and everyone knows it. We have the most marine tourism out of all the spots in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area. It is a beautiful spot. You can go out there and get on the overnight adventure boats, the backpacker boats. After I think four to eight hours worth of training you can jump on a catamaran with the family and go sailing throughout the beautiful Whitsundays and all those islands. I encourage the member over there to bring his family up and we'll go sailing. It is just so beautiful. On top of all of those—

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