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

The Australian Labor Party is no longer the party that stands for jobs and communities as they would have you believe. This is nowhere more evident than in my home electorate of Capricornia and Queensland's coal and beef export belt. Lately there have been many examples of this, ranging from their failure to support our nation's much-needed free trade deal with China to Labor's reluctance to fully support key coal projects like Adani's, and to the ongoing impact of Labor's own policy of 100 per cent fly-in fly-out workforces, which has locked local people out of local jobs on Central Queensland mine sites.

In Queensland, Labor's 100 per cent FIFO initiative alone has resulted in the decimation of small businesses and families in places like Moranbah, Dysart, Collinsville, Middlemount and Clermont. Further to this, in Capricornia Labor has failed to provide a boutique gaming licence for a proposed multimillion-dollar tourism resort on Great Keppel Island off Yeppoon which could potentially create 1,500 new local jobs.

If this were not bad enough, the same Labor Party still has made no significant commitment in Queensland to support water infrastructure projects in Capricornia such as the Eden Bann and Rookwood weirs, which would lead to 2,100 new jobs in the Rockhampton region. Rumblings from Brisbane suggest that Queensland's state Labor cabinet are split on this issue, with many wanting to bed down with the Greens to secure future voting preferences instead of much-needed water projects. I ask the House this question: does that mean that a vote for Labor and a vote for the Greens in Capricornia equals no Eden Bann and Rookwood weirs?

All these points demonstrate a worrying attitude from the Labor Party in Capricornia, with a noticeable bent against creating jobs for local families. In contrast, I am fighting for large-scale projects; for water infrastructure, like Eden Bann and Rookwood; and for vital international free trade deals that spell jobs for Central Queenslanders.

As a member who is both listening and delivering, I will have plenty more to say on these matters at another time. For now, let me focus specifically on the FTA deal with China.

Headlines in The Australian newspaper scream that the Leader of the Opposition and his union backers are at bitter odds with the rest of their experienced political rank-and-file when it comes to a free trade deal between Australia and China. According to reports, Labor premiers Daniel Andrews, Jay Weatherill and other Labor voices like Bob Hawke, Andrew Barr and Simon Crean all back our coalition government's free trade deal with China, recognising that it will create jobs.

I note that it is a shame that Labor's federal candidate for Capricornia also does not support the deal, despite the views of more experienced ex-Labor prime ministers and foreign ministers who want to see it proceed. In fact, it is hypocritical of this Labor candidate, her federal party and her union backers to harp on about job creation initiatives when they themselves are standing in the way of free trade agreement that could potentially build new industries, increase our export trade in Central Queensland and create hundreds if not thousands of jobs across Queensland. Labor and the unions in Central Queensland cannot afford to ignore good advice from former ALP Prime Minister Bob Hawke on the subject of Australia's free trade deal with China. It is ironic that, while one of Australia's most prominent Labor prime ministers insist the deal must go ahead, the current ALP opposition leader and his union guards are deliberately scaring people by falsely claiming that thousands of Chinese workers will flood the country to steal Aussie jobs. Perhaps they did not see an article in the Herald Sun published online recently. The article states:

Bob Hawke has issued a stern warning to the Labor Party and the trade union movement not to oppose the China-Australia Free-Trade Agreement, arguing it is in the national interest that it be adopted.

"I am all in favour of it," Mr Hawke told The Australian. "The party must not go backwards on this issue — the party and the trade union movement. Talk of opposing it is just absolutely against Australia's best interests."

The report went on to state:

It is frightening to see Labor now siding with a xenophobic union campaign against a trade deal that will create jobs and wealth. Bill Shorten's Labor is a sick joke when compared to Bob Hawke's.

I challenge Labor's federal candidate for Capricornia to try to ignore Mr Hawke's powerful views and the potential for new jobs that could be created for Central Queensland families as a result of increased trade from the deal with China, particularly in our local beef and meat export sector.

Labor and union criticism of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is simply hypocritical. Despite well-publicised safeguards to protect Australian jobs, Labor and the unions continue to attack ChAFTA, stirring fears about an influx of foreign workers on 457 visas. This is completely hypocritical. Over the past 10 years the highest rates of 457 visa—when the figures topped 100,000 foreign workers per year—were all under Labor governments. The unions are running a political campaign against the coalition on this issue now, using television advertising, media stories and even telephone calls to voters in marginal electorates. But where was the union back when the Rudd and Gillard governments were bringing in foreign workers at record rates? We did not see anything like this current union campaign back then.

Immigration department figures show 457 visa worker numbers topped 100,000 in both 2007-08 and 2008-09, when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister, and soared to more than 125,000 in both 2011-12 and 2012-13, when Julia Gillard was PM. In contrast to Labor, the work tests supplied under the possible China free trade deal will ensure 457 skilled work visas will only be issued if there are no Australians to do those jobs.

People in my electorate of Capricornia and particularly the city of Rockhampton are well aware of the positive role 457 visa holders can play. For example, how would our abattoirs find enough staff if not for 457 visa holders? In the beef capital of Australia they are making a very important contribution to the economy of the city and the region. Under ChAFTA, any Chinese applicants for a 457 temporary work visa will still need to have the requisite skills, qualifications and work experience to work safely in Australia. They also will have to obtain any required federal state, or territory licences or registration, including workplace health and safety, to commence work.

My Rockhampton based coalition colleague Senator Matthew Canavan asserts that, when Labor was in government, Labor itself facilitated foreign workers taking up jobs in Australia. Allow me to quote a statement from Queensland's new rising star. Senator Canavan, an economist, says:

In government, Labor won first prize on 457 visas. More were issued by them in history or since.

He goes on to state:

It was the Gillard Government in early 2012 – when now Labor leader Bill Shorten was Workplace Relations Minister – that green-lighted 1,700 overseas guest workers for Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill mine project under Labor’s Enterprise Migration Agreement scheme.

To quote another ex-Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam: it's time. It's time the Labor Party in this House and Labor's candidate for Capricornia acknowledged Bob Hawke's advice and backed Australia's free trade deal with China and job creation for Central Queenslanders.