Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party, Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Dawson. We know the member for Dawson wasn't born in a crossfire hurricane, but he's got a touch of the cyclone! And, when it comes to creating jobs in the member for Dawson's electorate, we know it's alright now because it's a gas, gas, gas! We are delivering a gas-led recovery—strategic basin plans and more opportunities for jobs. We know that, around the member's electorate, as we are progressing the North Bowen and the Galilee basins, the potential for those gas basins to land a gas pipeline into Mackay and drive jobs is incredibly important.

But there are restrictions. We are trying to ensure that we are streamlining regulations as part of our deregulation agenda. We are looking to ensure, particularly around the EPBC, that there is not duplication. Why should you have to have what is effectively the same level of approval at all different levels of government? So we are working closely to get that done, and I absolutely acknowledge the work of the Minister for the Environment in terms of driving this forward. But we know that there are challenges in the space.

In fact, only this week, the Leader of the Opposition seems to want to have a bob each way. We've seen media reports that they have had to have another vote in caucus about supporting us for the Beetaloo basin in terms of our strategic plan and the funding we have provided to bring forward those up to 6,000 jobs—to bring forward that investment. And what do we see? We see them send out someone from the other place—the Labor Northern Territory senator—to say, 'Actually, we don't like it and we don't support it.' So they need to make a determination.

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