Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Speaker. I want to talk about the annual report, and maybe the minister can enlighten us. Will the annual report go to how this is affecting regional towns? Will the annual report—noted in 85AB(1)—actually go to the socioeconomic detriment to the places where these buybacks happen? Will the annual report, as noted in proposed section 85AB(1), go to the effect on closing the gap for Indigenous people, who live in greater proportions in the western areas? Will the annual report talk to the economic advancement of major towns, such as Tamworth in my electorate, where if they can't get access to water then those jobs that the annual report should talk about won't be there. I will give you an example: Camilleri's Baiada. Some 1,100 jobs and over $600 million for the next stage of investment have now been held up because they can't get access to secure water. It's not going to help. It's going to hurt. Who are the people who are going to be covered in that annual report? It has to be an all-encompassing annual report.

In relation to matters specified by the minister in writing, we should make sure the minister provides in writing to this parliament exactly what the wider ramifications of this policy will be. The annual report should also talk about what happened in the past, when we had both the member for Maranoa and the member for Watson—and prior to that myself and the member for Watson—trying to make sure that we avoided precisely what we are doing here. Did the member for Watson get it wrong? This is the Labor Party's policy.

Now we are going to have annual progress reports. The whole statement is a paradox. What's your definition of 'progress'? Is your definition of progress that someone doesn't have a job? Is your definition of progress that the prospect of social advancement in these areas has been removed? Is the definition of progress seen through the eyes of Jerilderie and Dirranbandi, or is it seen through the eyes of Sydney? What's the progress that you're talking about, Minister? As the member for Maranoa, the Leader of the Nationals, said before, it is lived experience. We would like to help you with the definition of how you determine an annual 'progress' report. We are very much alive. We can give you a whole range of suggestions of items that should be tabulated, addressed and spoken to in your annual progress reports. But I think what you'll find, Minister, is there'll be no progress in your progress reports.

An opposition member: Regress.

Yes, regress. Of course, it's going to tick the political box for the people in Sydney, in the seat of Grayndler and other seats. It will tick their boxes. It will tick the boxes for the Greens. But, for us, you're taking us backwards and you're doing it just for a political point.

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