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 inform the House how the Morrison-Joyce government is delivering not only nationally significant infrastructure but local projects that will support our communities and regional economies? How will this benefit my state of Queensland? Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware of alternative policies?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question and once again reiterate his support for the mighty city of Gladstone and the people in the surrounding hinterland, in the state seat of Emerald. I once again reiterate his support for the nearly 750 vessels that leave the port of Gladstone every year—750 vessels with produce on board, whether that's coal, whether that's grain, that supports this great nation's standard of living; that underpins its health, its education, its defence; that brings in the export dollars that maintain the value of our currency, so vital is the port of Gladstone to where this nation goes. And I know the member for Flynn has been a great champion of that.

That is why we are building the infrastructure to further enhance the port of Gladstone—the 1,716 kilometres of the Inland Rail, which now you can get a train on from Parkes to Narromine. And today I've just heard of another 30 kilometres, from Ballata up to Moree. We're actually doing the job. We're getting the thing built. We've also started on the business plan to take it down further, from Toowoomba to Gladstone. You always start major projects with a business plan, and we're doing precisely that.

But it's also the smaller roads, the roads that have been left behind by the Labor government up there, especially the Taroom Bauhinia Downs Road. We're asking ourselves: how do we go about these areas that have been left behind by Labor? Or there's the Mundubbera Durong Rd, another road that's just been left behind by Labor. We have to really consider what on earth is going on there.

It's also the case that the member asked for alternative policies. I have to concur absolutely with the Prime Minister—the member for Flynn will want to know what our plan is; it's inspiration, it's making sure we believe in liberties and freedoms—because there is an alternative plan; it's one of legislation. It's the only thing we know about their plan: legislation. Legislation brings in laws, and laws outlaw things, and laws are enforced with penalties. Laws are enforced with penalties. So we do have a clear differentiation. In fact, we have a chasm between the two different policies, because we believe in inspiration and technology, and they believe in laws and penalties. We believe in inspiration; they believe in punishment. We believe in freedom; they believe in enforcement. We believe people can rise up to a higher level to deal with the problems; they believe that they will force them down with further laws, that they will further wrap up their lives in legislation, and that is a vast, vast difference between the processes. So I stand with this side, 100 per cent with this side, believing in the freedom of the individual, and I will make sure that the laws that would put at threat your workers are never brought into place.