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

Prime Minister, 80 per cent of Australia has only 80 million megalitres of water; North Queensland has 200. Current irrigation proposals include the Chinese entrepreneurial Ord to Gilbert. Ethanol, sugar, electricity and cattle feed from Mackay Sugar and GHDQ2's upper Burdekin scheme would create $1.5 billion a year and 5,000 jobs in Mackay, Charters Towers and Townsville. It has the powerful support of the excellent member for Dawson and the humble and innocuous member for Kennedy. Will the government initiate this—Australia's first irrigation scheme in 30 years?

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

I presume that question is to the honourable the Prime Minister.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for Kennedy for his question. Humble and innocuous, he says, but his voice has been heard in the land as, indeed, has the member for Dawson's voice—as it should be. I am more than happy to consider the irrigation scheme that the member refers me to. As is well known, this is a government that, before the election, committed to ending the dam phobia which has afflicted our polity for the best part of 30 years. We do believe that we need more water storages because not only are water storages a marvellous source of wealth to our farmers and a source of sustainability to our cities but they are also a source of energy to consumers, because they can be used for clean, green hydro power. There is an abundance of reasons for wanting to look again at major irrigation projects and major water storage projects. That is, in significant measure, what the Northern Australia white paper will be considering. That is, in significant measure, what the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia, under the chairmanship of the member for Leichhardt, has been looking at. I commend that committee for its work, and, certainly, this is one of the projects which the government is looking at.