Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week in Townsville we had a tough week, but it was good week, with the announcement that we will be enacting the fair entitlements guarantee for the workers of Queensland Nickel. The workers of Queensland Nickel do not want a handout from the taxpayer, and they will be taking this with a grain of salt. What they want is the management of Queensland Nickel to stump up and pay what they have taken, to make their money available to them. I will tell you this: my city of Townsville is not going to be defined by what happened last week. My city of Townsville is going to be defined by what we take from this, how we prepare for our future and, in that, what the government is doing about developing the north of Australia. We are looking towards our markets in Asia and the Melanesian world, looking to new industries around our city—the bases of science and technology that will drive our industries and our people further.

Our city is a great city and we are great people; we are resilient people. Our city will never be defined by the likes of the member for Fairfax—however long he is in that space. What we need up there is a state government that will do the right thing by North Queensland and make sure that we are pushing ahead with the infrastructure that we do need. In that instance, the Queensland state government, for the way it is treating the social infrastructure of the south-east corner and its paltry offer towards our entertainment, convention and sporting facilities in Townsville, should be brought to account by all concerned. I thank the House.