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

About 3,000 years before Christ, the Egyptians built a dam called Sadd al-Kafara. It was about 566 megalitres and it failed within a few years. The Egyptians didn't have another crack at one until about 5,000 years later. It reminds me very much of the Queensland Labor Party, because 'Sadd al-Kafara' translates as 'dam of the pagans', but they built Paradise Dam and it failed as well—or it looks like failing or they say it's failing—and I don't think they've ever built one since.

But the LNP are going to build water infrastructure. What we see with the LNP is the Bradfield scheme. Thank goodness that we now have the vision to start on this project. But the Labor Party want to have a crack at it as well, so they've started a panel. The chair of the panel is Ross Garnaut—remember him?—of 'Our green super future' and Professor Allan Dale from James Cook University. That's the university that kicked out Peter Ridd. I don't think they're going to build a dam. They should get away from the charade and do what they really want to do, which is probably legalising marijuana, like Ms Ardern over in New Zealand. We want real vision. We have to go with industrious people, industrious people who build the infrastructure. It reminds me of vade ad formicam, which is, 'Go to the ant.' Translated properly, it is, 'Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider its ways and be wise.'