Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 2013 election campaign the LNP raised great hopes for we one million Australians living in North Queensland by committing to a $500 million water development fund and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Peta Credlin on television last week said $5,000 million was provided 5½ years ago and not one single cent of the $5,000 million has gone out in the 5½ years. On the record is $17 million that went to Onslow, which the media said was a foreign-owned corporation. There is no reference to jobs whatsoever. There is $7 million that has been given to barramundi farms—I think that's a good decision—creating 50 jobs. That's it out of $5,000 million in 5½ years.

There is still time for redemption. We would strongly urge the Hughenden irrigation scheme, for which we got support from the honourable Deputy Prime Minister as he then was, God bless him. We're going to see now whether Hughenden gets the money or whether it was only ever a pork-barrelling exercise. Let me warn the government that there is pork-barrelling, which is legal; then there is donor democracy and cronyism, which is on the edge; and then there is straight out misappropriation. Their record in this area is very bad. (Time expired)