Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was my absolute pleasure to welcome the Leader of the Opposition and, I am confident, our next prime minister, the Hon. Peter Dutton, to the Pilbara recently. As we all know, everything is big in the Pilbara, and Mr Dutton's visit was certainly no exception. From the moment he arrived, Mr Dutton was thoroughly impressed by the vibrant Karratha community and the dynamic businesses and industries that make the region such a special place.

Mr Dutton didn't just observe during his visit; he truly engaged. He connected with the locals and took the time to talk to a wide cross-section of the Karratha community, which illustrated the rich diversity and unique spirit that defines the fabulous Pilbara. Yes, the Pilbara is well known as the beating heart of Australia's resource sector, but the Leader of the Opposition's visit showed that this region is much more than just mining. It's about the strength of our communities, the dedication of local businesses and the drive to make the Pilbara an even better place for our families to live.

During our visit, Mr Dutton toured several local businesses, including the fabulous Pilbara Bakehouse, an industrial bakery renowned across the region. We had the opportunity to visit Corps Group, a family owned earthmoving business that covers a lot of ground across the Pilbara and elsewhere.

These businesses represent the resilience, innovation and dedication of Pilbara locals, and they deserve to be recognised.

We also toured some of the impressive projects that form the fiscal background of this nation. A stand-out was our visit to Rio Tinto's impressive iron ore operations at the Dampier port, where we saw firsthand the scale of WA's export activities. Thanks to Simon and his team for being such good hosts. We also visited the team at Woodside, which is another pillar of Australia's economy. Peter Dutton's visit demonstrated genuine engagement, unlike our fly in, fly out Prime Minister who recently visited my hometown of Geraldton for just one hour for a quick photo-op. How disrespectful to the people in the mid-west community! It is further evidence that our Prime Minister has walked away from WA. He has failed to face our farmers and our pastoralists, whose very lives and futures he is destroying.

What a contrast! Thank you so much to the Leader of the Opposition for showing true commitment to my remarkable electorate of Durack, and thank you to the Pilbara community for their very, very warm welcome to Peter Dutton. When our leaders take time to really engage, they strengthen our communities and the future of our nation.