Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the coalition are supporting family-owned transport operators across Australia, and how will the coalition's actions drive jobs growth in my electorate of Flynn and, indeed, Central Queensland?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I note that he more than most, having also been in the transport business, understands what this means, what it means to be an owner-operator. It is great to see owner-operators here today. I note the Welshes from Kootingal in the gallery at the moment and other owner-operators and their wives and their partners who have to deal with all the trials and tribulations of making those payments, making the lease payments, making the insurance payments, making the registration payments and making the payments to the fuel distributor and to the mechanics. They keep the economy of the local towns going. They are the sorts of owner-operators who go out to towns like Monto, Bilo and Jambin and make their way up the dirt roads behind Weabonga and out into the western districts. They are the kinds of owner-operators that keep this nation's economy going. They are the owner-operators for whom today we introduce a bill to remove this incredible impost.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs is now warned.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no way on earth you can say that making people broke makes them safe. Making people broke just makes them broke and puts them out of business. On this side, we believe in the vision of someone who might not start with the education that so many of us have got, who might not start with the money that some people might have. They start with a vision and a drive and a desire to take themselves forward by reason of their endeavours in owning a rig and getting out onto the road and earning a dollar.

There is so much about this. It is so frustrating when we see Australian men and women having to come to the front lawn of this parliament to try to make sure, once more, they sweep up after the disaster of the Labor Greens Independent alliance of the previous government, a Labor Greens Independent alliance so well noted for some of their other remarkable decisions where they put people out of business—like what they did with the live cattle trade when they put people out of business, like what they did with the budget when they tried to put the whole nation out of business and like what they are going to try to do with their housing policy and their rental policy and their negative gearing policy, which looks like a Hindenburg policy looking for a match. This is what these people are trying to do. They have no idea how this works.

They have never experienced business. They have never been in business. They have never had to get out on the road and earn a dollar. What they have are the experiences from this chamber—that is about it. That is about the only experience they have. But we will drive this forward. Just like the member for Flynn, just like we voted against it in March 2012, we will have the joy this time of kicking it out and making sure that we get the Welshes back onto the road, that we get the lorries back onto road, that we get so many of the working men and women—the true working men and women of Australia—back on the road to keep our economy going.

Government members interjecting—

Mr Williams interjecting—

Mr McCormack interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hindmarsh is warned and the member for Riverina will cease interjecting.