Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. I refer to the government's announcement on Friday that a deal has been struck with Gina Rinehart through an enterprise migration agreement to employ 1,700 overseas workers at the Roy Hill project in Western Australia. Why is this arrangement vital if this $10 billion investment is to go ahead?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am surprised to get a dorothy dix from my friend the member for Brisbane, but I do thank her for it. This project is vital for Australia's future, and this agreement is vital for delivering it. The money needed to be raised for this project is $9.5 billion. That needs to be raised on international markets, and that makes this the biggest single debt-raising to occur on the planet this year. To get that finance, Roy Hill needs to reassure its investors that it is able to complete the project on time and on budget. Because the very significant expansion in the resources sector in Australia as we speak is so big—which goes to show the myths that are peddled by the Leader of the Opposition about the resource sector and the impact of the carbon price and the minerals resource rent tax—Skills Australia estimates that an additional 89,000 workers will be required in the mining sector by 2016 compared to November 2010.

It is important that this agreement delivers on those jobs. There have been a lot of myths perpetrated over the last few days. Let us be very clear about this: 6,700 jobs are being delivered to Australians because of the actions of this government, because this government has entered into this agreement. That is something I am justly proud of.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Canning is warned. I might show the member for North Sydney the door, if he is not careful.