Michelle Landry (Capricornia, 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 outline to the House the steps the government is taking to support employment in the agriculture sector in Queensland? Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of any threats to existing and future jobs in regional Australia, particularly in my electorate of Capricornia?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. During question time I have been listening quite closely to the Queensland budget and exactly what is going on up there. As far as the Queensland Labor Party's budget is going, nothing is going to happen for Central Queensland. It is hopeless. It is pathetic. We have given them a project. We have put $130 million on the table for it and we put $2 million on the table for the business case. And what do they give? Nothing. So I thought they might have had something in the budget for Hells Gate. No, there is nothing for Hells Gate. I thought they might have had something for Nathan. There is nothing for Nathan. I thought they might have had something for Emu Swamp down at Stanthorpe. But there is nothing there. I thought they might have had something for Urannah, but there is nothing there. At the very least, you would think they would have something for Rookwood—which would underpin the fact that more water is required from that project than we actually have. It is oversubscribed. We know that it has an incredible return. We hear that the return on equity is around three times.

But what we did hear in the Queensland budget was a lot about Cross River Rail. For the Labor Party, it was always a budget for inner suburban Brisbane. The shadow minister for infrastructure, the member for Grayndler, had a chance today to come to the dispatch box and say that he supported Inland Rail and Labor had money on the table for Inland Rail. But not only do they not allow him to have a question except once every six months or so; he does not have money for Inland Rail. There is no money for Inland Rail from the Labor Party. There is no money for Rookwood from the Labor Party. They do not have a belief in the working men and women of Central Queensland anymore. They have given up on the working men and women of Central Queensland. They have given up on the coalminers at Carmichael. They have given up on the steelworkers at Whyalla. And they have given up on Central Queensland.

The Queensland Labor Party today, in the budget they have just brought down, had a chance to show their belief in Central Queensland. But, once more, they have shown themselves to be completely lacking. So I can say to the member for Flynn that, if he thinks the Labor Party are going to look after Central Queensland, he has no worries—because the Labor Party are doing nothing for Central Queensland. And I say to the member for Capricornia that you do not have to worry about the Labor Party coming in and showering Rockhampton with gifts—because they are doing nothing. They never did Rookwood Weir. I say to all members in Central Queensland that it is a shame the Labor Party have lost sight of labourers, lost sight of water infrastructure and lost sight of the Inland Rail. They have no vision for Queensland. They have no vision for Australia. They have no vision—except for the Cross River Rail!