Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since the global financial crisis started, employment growth in the northern and north-western statistical divisions of Queensland has been truly remarkable. According to recent research, the region—which is based on Townsville, the capital city of Northern Australia—is ranked equal top in Queensland and equal fourth in the nation for employment growth. The key reasons this has occurred in the northern and north-western regions—the reasons they performed so well—include industrial diversity, a strong public sector, a solid education sector and a growing need for health sector workers. What we find happening is that, in more flexible workplaces, instead of cutting jobs, our North Queensland employers are cutting hours of work in order to retain their key employees. The outlook for strong continued employment growth in our region is sound. However, there remain challenges on the horizon. These include an emissions trading scheme that could suck up to 1½ per cent out of economic growth in 2011-12, with rising interest rates being a concern, and school leavers joining the workforce in January 2010. Congratulations nevertheless to North Queensland for performing so well.

On the other side of the ledger are the surging food and petrol prices and accommodation and entertainment costs in the North as well as the increased pressure on the household budget. A cost of living report by Colin Dwyer of DS Economics has revealed that the total cost of living in Townsville has increased by $4,147 for renters and $2,723 for homeowners over the last three years. What is interesting is that the Rudd government has provided the consumer price index figures for cities such as Darwin, Cairns and Mount Isa but not for Townsville. How could the Rudd government leave Australia’s largest tropical city out of the CPI index reporting? Why have we been forgotten? Having CPI figures would enable us to better monitor changes in the cost of living and be prompt in moving towards workable solutions. The other situation for us in the North is that we were going to have the grocery choice to keep food prices affordable for families, but rising food prices have had a big impact on Townsville, where the cost of food is 18 per cent of the average household budget. As with the CPI, Townsville does not have a grocery price index, so we cannot know the full impact on families. That is indeed a shame; it is a slur on Australia’s largest tropical city.

I would also like to refer to an article in today’s Australian by Mark Dodd, which refers to the 1st Brigade in Darwin as ‘the army’s rapid reaction force’. That is not correct—it is no such thing. The 1st Brigade is a heavy brigade, and it takes a minimum of 28 days to deploy a heavy brigade. In the Australian Defence Force, it is quite widely said that by the time the 1st Brigade deploys, the war is over. That can probably be sourced to the 3rd Brigade, Australia’s premier brigade, which is of course garrisoned in Townsville. In addition, the article refers to Brigadier Krause’s ‘male and female soldiers’ already in Afghanistan—this is in relation to the story that surfaced yesterday about having women in the infantry. While what the Brigadier has said is certainly true, there are only a few soldiers involved, and I would point out to the parliament that the majority of soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan are from Australia’s premier brigade, the 3rd Brigade in Townsville. Under the command of Brigadier Stuart Smith, our brigade in Townsville is the one that responds in the first instance; it is set up to move very quickly on very short notice, which it does so well and has done so well over the years. I well remember that, when we last went to the Solomon Islands, the 3rd Brigade took 18 hours from notice-to-go to being on the ground there. That is a tremendous tribute to the commanders and the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade and the infantry battalions at Townsville. I am pleased to see that we are getting an additional infantry battalion, the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, which is due at the beginning of 2012. Our city is looking forward to that, and we are very proud, as a garrison city, of our 3rd Brigade. (Time expired)