Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While Central Queensland is booming in the coal and gas industries, small business and local manufacturing companies are doing it very tough. Mobbs and Co. Steel Fabrication is the latest victim and have announced this week that they will close their operations in Biloela and Rockhampton. This year is shaping up to be a record one for business failures which is on a par with Eurozone countries.

As with Mobbs and Co. our industries must remain competitive on global terms and reduce the amount of government red tape that is hampering small business. The other problem facing small industry in our region is the ability to hold onto staff, with the tempting offers coming from the coal and gas companies, who can offer double or triple the normal wage. This is making it very difficult indeed for small business. If it wasn't for backpackers, 457 visa workers or Pacific Islanders, our meat abattoirs, citrus industries and many other smaller type industries would be left with no workers as we grapple with this two-tier economy that we are working in. I ask the government to seriously consider the plight of these regional communities and invest in regional infrastructure projects to help regional Australia in its time of greatest need. The last round of the RDA funding totally ignored the electorate of Flynn and for that the government should stand condemned.