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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on the Morrison-Joyce government plans to strengthen regional Australia and create jobs? Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of alternative approaches on regional Australia?

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

Thank you very much to the member for Flynn. Obviously the member for Flynn is a powerhouse in the mining industry and in the coal industry, where so many jobs are. We're unashamed to stand behind those coalminers, unlike the people on the other side. The member for Flynn knows about the work we are doing on the Bruce Highway as does the member for Wide Bay and how important that is. And the member for Flynn and the member for Capricornia would know about the work we are doing on Rookwood Weir and the thousands of jobs that will be provided by that. I acknowledge the member for Capricornia and the hard work that she has done being a person—a lady—who brings jobs to her area and supports her area.

Jobs are very important. We see that in the Inland Rail. We see it because this side understands clearly how agricultural and mining exports put product on the boat that brings the cash in so we can buy the gear, buy the standard of living that you experience. It's so vitally important that we keep reminding the Labor Party—who once upon a time represented labourers, but that's a long time in the past—how important it is that they actually authentically go out and stand behind the coalminers of the Hunter Valley. I know the member for Shortland has got to do a lot of work in that space of getting out and actually representing the coalminers and maybe taking a bit of a lead from the gentleman who sits up behind him.

But you also asked about alternative policies. I've been a bit perplexed lately because the other day we were trying to get through on the ARENA fund, which supports renewable energy, an extension, more money into it, and guess who knocked it down?

Government Member:

A government member interjecting—

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

Yes, you know! Guess who knocked it down? But there are people who've read the Book of Revelation and they reside up the back there, and I want to go through a couple of their quotes. This is the member for McMahon:

The Senate just voted to over-rule Angus Taylor's regulation to waterdown ARENA's commitment to renewable energy. The LNP keeps attacking ARENA …

And Joel Fitzgibbon, the member for Hunter, said, 'I call a spade a spade, and my colleagues won't thank me—no, they won't thank me—but this isn't very clever.' You're not very clever, you see. This isn't very clever. I'm sure we're supposed to win. But the best one is the member for Grayndler: 'But we won't agree to the renewable energy agencies like ARENA, the clean energy fund and supporting things like hydrogen'—which your ALP policy platform actually says you do support. But it is all right, because we had the member for Hunter saying the government was proposing to put more money into something they were already doing. The Labor Party is all at sea on jobs, and maybe the Labor Party is two parties.