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

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Minister, when does the government intend to release the Pentland irrigation baseload power station study promised for release in December last year by the previous government? Since some investors have already lost interest in a report that is now long overdue, could he consider how many reports over the last 10 years have been undertaken on northern development and water, how much they have cost, and what action has resulted from these myriad reports, whether white papers, green papers, scoping papers or, quite frankly, toilet papers?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I missed to whom the question was addressed.

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

To the Deputy Prime Minister, the Acting Prime Minister, the minister for regional development.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question and welcome him to the parliament!

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

Having spent today here, I don't think I'll spend tomorrow!

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think that is probably right. More than one day in a week is too much for the member for Kennedy, particularly since tomorrow is not a sitting day!

The answer to the member's first question about when the Pentland irrigation baseload power station study will be released is next Tuesday, in Townsville. I am looking forward to being there for that release with the member for Herbert, the member for Leichhardt and others who have had a particular interest in that study and indeed in northern Australia.

I might add that, on the same day, the green paper on northern Australia that we committed to during the last election campaign will also be released. That follows extensive meetings across Northern Australia with communities in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland; the meetings of the parliamentary committee under the leadership of the member for Leichhardt; and submissions and contributions from many people across the north.

Like the honourable member, I am disappointed that a lot of the work that has been done on northern development in Australia has not seemed to progress too much over the last six years. I know that in areas where I was the minister a number of reports were done—

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lingiari will desist!

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and unfortunately they made no progress during the term of the previous government. However, we are committed to the north. We are committed to ensuring that northern Australia is able to achieve its potential. There are significant commitments in that area in the last federal budget. There is substantial expenditure on roads—the Bruce Highway, in the honourable member's electorate; the Barkly Highway; the Leichhardt; Roads to Recovery; the bridges program—all of which will be of significant benefit to the north. There is funding also for the Northern Territory, an extra $77 million for their highways, and of course in north-western Western Australia as well.

We will be looking at the broader opportunities for development in northern Australia. I believe that northern Australia can play a bigger role in our national economy, and the coalition government is determined to make that happen.