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

This place has been rife with—it is on the news this morning, again, and the Labor people should particularly tune in here—the anti-coal movement. Let's just face it: it is an anti-coal movement. The economy of North Queensland, where there are five federal marginal seats, most of them held by the ALP, will be really happy when they read what the ALP members have been saying here. I do not think the CFMEU is going to be really happy either—they are the biggest donor. These people hand out how-to-vote cards for you. They provide the money for you to fight the election. The biggest donor for the ALP in Queensland was the CFMEU. It is my union, and I am very proud of it—I have never been ashamed of it or denied their association with the Labor Party—but this is unbelievable.

This country has only two sources of income: coal and iron ore. With the free marketers—mostly on my left-hand side but this mob are no different—and the privatisers, every single industry has been exported. So the only exports we have left are coal and iron ore. Let me be very specific—

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—

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

The honourable member over here used to be the deputy leader of the Labor Party, and I can understand why they got rid of her. She is sitting there laughing. She thinks it is funny that 46,000 Australians are going to lose their jobs when you close down the coalmining industry. And they said, 'But the solar industry and wind will replace it.' Well, I have a little story for you. Solar comes in from overseas. It does not provide a single job in Australia. If you had any brains or knew anything about science or metallurgy, you would know that silicon is the second-hardest—I draw the attention of the Federation Chamber, once again, to the deputy leader of the Labor Party as she was sitting there laughing and thinking it funny that we should close down the coalmining industry. She thinks that is funny.

The people of Mackay who have 2½ thousand empty houses do not think it is funny. The people of Townsville—with the highest unemployment in Australia and arguably the highest crime rate in Australia—do not think it is funny. The people of Moranbah to Charters Towers, where there are a thousand empty homes, do not think it is funny. But the ALP think it is funny. (Time expired)