Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Central Queensland faces a jobs crisis on a scale not seen for 30 years. As coal prices continue to dive due to global issues, up to 15,000 coal related jobs have been lost in the past two years. This week, BMA announced a further 700 job cuts, directly impacting on towns like Moranbah and Dysart in Capricornia and cities like Rockhampton and Mackay. This is coupled with a downturn in the beef sector. This creates the hallmarks of a perfect storm of concern for jobs and small business growth. This potential crisis is far worse than any Holden or SPC.

That is why I and my federal colleagues George Christensen and Ken O'Dowd have been working to secure meetings with key government ministers to review projects that create local jobs. I want to reassure people in Capricornia that I have been working behind the scenes to ensure that our federal ministers are aware of the jobs crisis we face in the industry. We need to fast-track key priority projects and infrastructure in an effort to boost employment and business growth in our area.

Water infrastructure is one key area on stand-by. I want to see the Connors dam built between Sarina and Moranbah. This project is shovel-ready and is located in the Isaac shire, which is suffering from the downturn in coal. Towns like Moranbah and Dysart need to diversify away from a reliance on coal. Other projects include the Fitzroy agricultural corridor near Rockhampton and the Urannah dam, which would open up the potential for irrigation farming near the mining town of Collinsville.

Today, on a positive note, we saw the minister approve the next stage— (Time expired)