Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

Almost nine years ago, in December 2013, I had the immense honour of standing up to deliver my maiden speech to the federal parliament as the newly elected member for Capricornia. It was an amazing privilege to return to parliament and rise in the new 47th parliament of Australia, having once again been re-elected, for an historic fourth term, as the region's federal representative.

As I reflect on the recent election campaign and the hard work and determination of all of those committed volunteers, friends, family and staff who supported me, I am eternally grateful. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to: my family, Jessica, Tim and Kirstin, and my parents, Bill and Gloria Martin; our incredible Liberal and National supporters and volunteers; our dedicated booth workers, including my campaign manager, Shannon Clein, Treasurer John Rogers, Secretary Julie Murphy, Ron Carige, Vicki Bastin-Byrne; and of course my dedicated staff, Nicole Neale, Tom Birkbeck, Jake Ash, Cody Vella, Owen Wyte, Lauren Clein, Laurie Atlas, Nicholas McDougall and Amiee Forde. I also say a huge thank you to all of those who financially contributed to my campaign and helped in any way that they could.

I thank my federal parliamentary colleagues for their unwavering support, including: former prime minister and member for Cook, Scott Morrison; former deputy prime minister and member for New England, Barnaby Joyce; former deputy prime minister and member for Riverina, Michael McCormack; Leader of the Nationals and member for Maranoa, David Littleproud; Senator Bridget McKenzie; and the new members that neighbour Capricornia, the member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, and the member for Flynn, Colin Boyce. I say a special thank you to Senator Matthew Canavan and his team for their unwavering friendship and support, as always. I wish to express my gratitude to the quiet Australians who voted for me: the small-business owners, the mums and dads, the coalminers, the farmers and the retirees. Thank you.

It was such an honour to serve as the Assistant Minister for Children and Families, the Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism and the Assistant Minister for Northern Australia in the 46th Parliament of Australia. I'm thrilled to start this new term of parliament as the shadow assistant minister for manufacturing. This new role is especially important because manufacturing is already a major contributor to our economy, generating over $113 billion in value in 2020-21 and more than $50 billion in exports. Manufacturing accounts for about a quarter of national research and development investment. Since becoming Capricornia's federal MP, I have worked tirelessly to secure major investment in real job-creating infrastructure. We have committed federal funding for projects including the Rockhampton Ring Road, the Walkerston Bypass—which is underway—and the completed Mackay Ring Road. We have also invested in numerous community projects and, of course, in Rookwood Weir—a project that took years of campaigning to make it a reality.

Water is a priority in Central Queensland. Projects like Rookwood Weir near Rockhampton must go ahead to create long-term jobs. The Rookwood Weir project is underway, and it's going to transform the Rockhampton region, driving the expansion of irrigated agricultural production and opening up new business opportunities, which will boost the local economy. The weir's approximately 86,000 megalitres of water will underpin agricultural growth and deliver secure, reliable and affordable water across Central Queensland, setting up local industry to succeed. I have been impressed by the willingness of the coalition to front up with the money for projects like this through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. Millions of dollars have been committed to ensuring that our dry continent can continue to be not only liveable but productive.

While the Rookwood Weir project was one of the first to receive capital funding from the fund, national water infrastructure must continue to be built. I was proud during the recent election to join my colleague the member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, in announcing $483 million for the Urannah dam near Collinsville. This dam would unlock 103 gigalitres of water, enabling local producers to develop up to 20,000 hectares of irrigated agriculture. Urannah dam is a must-do project for Central and North Queensland, and I believe the state and federal governments must do everything they can to see this underway as soon as possible.

I wrote to the new Prime Minister seeking confirmation that he will honour the coalition's funding commitments for Capricornia that were outlined in the federal budget—including for Urannah Dam. Unfortunately, the budget has confirmed my worst fears, with the funding for Urannah ripped away, along with $10 billion in vital regional projects. As well as the $483 million for the Urannah dam near Collinsville, other commitments in the coalition's budget earlier this year included $14.4 million to replace the Philips Creek bridge on Saraji Road, which will improve safety and year-round accessibility; and $100,000 for the rebuild of the Collinsville CWA, which is an essential community centre for the Collinsville community.

The coalition also committed $2.9 million to fund Archer Street drainage scheme stages 1 and 2, which will improve the flood resilience of up to 70 commercial and residential buildings and low-lying areas around Archer Street in Rockhampton. There was also $2.8 million to deliver stage 1 of the Nebo Showgrounds master plan, which includes primary infrastructure upgrades, construction of heavy vehicle access, general camping upgrades and car parking; and $5 million for new veteran wellness services in Kinchant Waters, in the Mackay region, to benefit veterans, defence personnel and their families.

In terms of road upgrades, there were commitments for $400 million to improve Queensland beef road corridors, which included the sealing of Clermont-Alpha Road, May Downs Road and Kilcummin Diamond Downs Road; and $6.18 million to upgrade Artillery Road and Greenlake Road, with approximately two kilometres of pavement widening and floodway and alignment upgrades. We also committed $795,000 to MRAEL for their CYCLE—creating youth change and leading engagement—program to reduce youth crime and antisocial behaviour in Rockhampton; and almost $7.7 million for better telecommunications, including for the Pioneer Valley in Mackay Regional Council, Pasha in Isaac Regional Council and the Livingston Shire Council agriculture precinct.

A considerable amount of time and effort, both locally and in Canberra, was put into developing the case for a variety of projects. I have to thank our local media, including CQ Today, Channel 7, WIN News, ABC Capricornia, the Daily Mercury, ABC Tropical North, the Morning Bulletin, Southern Cross Austereo, ARN and the Mackay and Whitsunday Life. Each of us un this place owes some debt to our local media, and their devotion to what our local communities need is one of the things that keeps each of us accountable to the people we represent.

The new Albanese Labor government has seen fit to cut Capricornia off at the knees by cutting millions of dollars of funding from the electorate. The Prime Minister and the minister for infrastructure have delayed vital funding for years for the Rockhampton Ring Road, a $1 billion transformational infrastructure project that has been on the books for many years. Thousands of trucks move through Rockhampton and must contend with over 20 sets of traffic lights. Our local Queensland Labor members for Rockhampton should hang their heads in shame for not fighting their masters in Brisbane and Canberra to get this funding reinstated. At least the Queensland infrastructure minister gets his Cross River Rail—at the expense of the safety of motorists in Central Queensland. Capricornia funds the nation, but it seems the nation won't fund Capricornia.

The Prime Minister, in one of many short-sighted decisions, also decided to cut $10 billion from regional programs, including the regional development plan, Regional Accelerator Program, community development grants and the Building Better Regions Fund. The Albanese government has also seen fit to provide $32 million to progress consultation and planning with the Queensland government for water infrastructure options in Central Queensland and the Burdekin region. This reads to me that they will be helping the Queensland government shove people out of their homes, in the Pioneer Valley, with their half baked hydro scheme.

Sometimes what our region has needed most has not been a project of concrete and steel but essential services to ensure regional families are supported. In the last term of parliament, I was proud to secure $8 million for the Fitzroy Community Hospice. This 12-bed facility, based in Rockhampton, will be the first regional hospice in the state and will provide dedicated, holistic end-of-life care in the community and support families and carers.

I met with staff on the border of the Fitzroy Community Hospice last year and am pleased this centre, when it is up and running, will be able to support and guide patients and their families through the most difficult of times. I fought hard for this service. It is absolutely crucial that comprehensive access to community based palliative care is available in Central Queensland.

In the last term, one of my proudest achievements as the member for Capricornia was officially launching a new headspace satellite service in Sarina. I wanted our young people in Sarina to know that they were not alone on their journey. Headspace delivers quality frontline support and ensures the best possible care for people at risk. The headspace program has improved access for young people aged 12 to 25 who are at risk of mental illness. One in four people aged 16 to 24 experiences some form of mental illness every year and three-quarters of all mental illness manifests in people under the age of 25. The service, located at 1/71 Broad Street, Sarina, was announced as part of the coalition government's $111.3 million funding commitment to establish 30 new headspace services.

I have secured funding for transformative local infrastructure projects that are completed, underway or in the pipeline. A few of these are: $5 million to Signature Onfarm beef for a processing facility, creating more jobs with $25 million in additional NAIF funding; $325,000 to Collinsville CWA for the new community hall; $230,000 to Clermont kindergarten for a physical environment upgrade; and $3.2 million to support the redevelopment of the Clermont saleyards and showgrounds.

Funding on the Capricorn Coast includes: $10 million to the Livingston Shire Council for the Yeppoon foreshore precinct and CBD revitalisation; $20 million to the Keppel Bay Sailing Club for a 650-seat convention centre; $64 million for upgrades on Yeppoon Road; $25 million for Alliance Airlines' repair and maintenance facility in Rockhampton; $5 million for the Rockhampton Airport upgrades; $7 million for the Rockhampton Hospital car park; $10 million for the Rockhampton art gallery; and $852 million for the Rockhampton Ring Road.

In the Mackay region, funding includes: almost $10 million to CQUniversity for a world-class sports precinct at Ooralea; $120 million for the Walkerston bypass; nearly $654,000 to Wests Tigers Leagues Club for an undercover bowls green; $300,000 to the Palmyra Dragway for track upgrades and repairs, following Cyclone Debbie; and $50,000 for the Finch Hatton emergency airstrip.

Serving as the member for Capricornia has been the honour of my life. As MPs in this place we all have the ability to make a real difference in our electorates by supporting local residents who need a bit of assistance, by improving the essential services that our families rely and by fighting for major infrastructure projects that have the potential to create jobs and strengthen our communities. On every single one of these benchmarks I am immensely proud of what I've been able to secure as an MP. But it's not just in my role as the member for Capricornia where I've worked hard to achieve positive outcomes. During the previous term of the coalition government I was the Assistant Minister the Children and Families. This was a portfolio which gave me incredible opportunity to work directly with community leaders, providers and frontline staff who work hard every single day to deliver crucial support to the most vulnerable children in Australia. During the onslaught of the global COVID-19 pandemic the challenges that this sector faced were enormous, and I would like to pay tribute and thank the sector today for their leadership, resilience, courage and dedication. It was inspirational to see.

When it comes to the responsibilities of government one of the most critical priorities is to keep our kids safe. The latest stats from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that we still have a long way to go on this front, especially when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who continue to be massively overrepresented in the child protection systems, and the 46,000 children and young people in out-of-home care. As Assistant Minister the Children and Families I knew that to forge a positive way forward on child safety it was important to build a template to help us get there. That's why in December last year I was thrilled to welcome the federal government's launch of Safe & Supported:The national framework for protecting Australia's children 2021-2031. This framework is a crucial piece of work that we negotiated with the states and territories as well as Indigenous leaders and the family sector.

While we managed to achieve a great deal during our time in government and we can reflect on our successes, we must not rest on our laurels. There is more to do and there is much more for the people of Capricornia to look forward to. I want to see the Rockhampton Airport eventually become an international airport. The runway is already the right length, so all we need is the Customs workforce with increased agricultural exports and tourism interest in the Central Queensland region. With projects like Rookwood Weir nearing completion to help the region grow more crops and a renewed interest in Great Keppel Island as a target for development, I'm confident we will see Rockhampton Airport be able to handle international passengers in the short to medium term.

In Capricornia we have a severe lack of sporting infrastructure for local sporting teams to train and play on due to inaction by the Queensland state Labor government. This is why the previous coalition government committed $23 million to a new sports stadium in Rockhampton. I have committed to seeing it built and available for us not just for sports but for live international acts and as a convention space. The Shoalwater Bay training area expansion is nearing completion, and it will be the most sophisticated military training area in the southern hemisphere. Once it's completed, the region will need a permanent military presence to deliver economic benefits to the region and put Australia's defence posture in good stead. This is something I will be lobbying hard for. I'll also fight to see more social housing built in Capricornia. Central Queensland has been in a housing crisis for some time, and, while the previous coalition government provided record funding to the Queensland Labor government, they have let the region down and done nothing with that funding.

In conclusion, Capricornia is the electorate where I was raised and where I decided to raise my daughter and my eight-week-old new grandson. This community I truly love. I will continue to work hard for Capricornia and hold the incoming Labor government to account on the plethora of promises that were made for Central Queensland. Capricornia has a great future, and I am honoured to represent it in the 47th Parliament.

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