Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wrote an open letter to the Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, last week, and I would like to read it into Hansard.

Dear Premier

North-West Queensland’s contribution to the Queensland economy—

and the Australian economy—

On top of current production, potential growth exists in the following areas:

Legends Phosphate,

Dugald River,

Mt Roseby,

Rocklands & others,

Iron Ore—Xstrata & others,

Uranium—Valhalla & others,

Vanadium—Julia Creek,

Shale Oil—Julia Creek.

Serious infrastructure restraints—

and we hear the honourable minister for infrastructure say this on a daily basis in the parliament, and God bless him for saying it—

prevent this growth and more important still, place in jeopardy existing mines

…            …            …

At 1% of SE QLD’s population, the North West should be entitled on a pro rata basis to $93m—

in the light of what has been expended in the principal parts of Queensland. We have no water. We have two towns servicing this area; one is carting water in by rail at the present moment. This is an area producing $15,000 million. The whole country only produces $200,000 million of export earnings. This area is producing nearly 10 per cent of it, and one of the two towns has no water. The railways have informed Legend, which holds the biggest of the proposed new mines, that they cannot carry any more product on their railway line, so we cannot open up what is potentially one of the world’s biggest mines.

The electricity is working off a power station which is 40-odd years old. It is gas-fired, which is an extremely expensive way of producing electricity, and there is no excess capacity to service any of the proposed new mines. So there is no transportation, no water, no electricity and, of course, no land—one of the issues at Eureka Stockade, I might add. (Time expired)