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

I would say to the Labor Party, please do not undermine this sector. Please do not undermine the opportunities that will come into this country from these superyachts. We need the money, the 50 to 60 grand a week dropped in communities and economies where these vessels are docked. It is very, very important that we get a slice of that pie, that we don't lose it to the Pacific Islands and we don't just simply lose it to New Zealand. I again say: boats are docking for 200 weeks a year, with pretty much four vessels docking every week in Noumea. Times that by $50,000 to $60,000 and you see the benefit to that region. You see the benefit to that very, very small island. Imagine what we could get in Australia, superyachts up and down the coast with those millionaires, multimillionaires and billionaires spending their large wealth. That's going to create a lot of jobs. That's going to create a lot of business. That's why I back it. That's why this Liberal-National government is supporting it.

We support tourism. We support regional economies. The proof's in the pudding. That's why tourism communities and tourism economies support good members like the member Forde, all those members on the Gold Coast, all those members up and down regional Queensland—in Cairns, Townsville and indeed in the Whitsundays, in the electorate of Dawson. They know that the Liberal and National parties will consistently back tourism. We will back tourism businesses, we will back tourism workers and we will back tourism jobs. We will continue to do so and we will do so with really, really sound legislation and ideas like this that will pay dividends into the future. Thank you.

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