Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to discuss a subject very close to my heart—namely, regional Western Australia, and the enormous opportunities that are now within the grasp of our regional communities. Specifically, I will focus on those parts of Western Australia that together comprise the federal electorate of Durack, which, as many Senators will be aware, is the largest electorate in Australia in geographic terms and indeed is the second largest single-member electorate in the world, bested only by the electoral riding of Nunavut in northern Canada.

In our last sitting period, we farewelled from our ranks Western Australian Liberal senator, Alan Eggleston, after a parliamentary career of 18 years. Eggy held a special affection for the communities across central and northern Western Australia. He had an affinity for those communities because, fundamentally, he was one of them, having served the people of Port Hedland and surrounding regions as a medical practitioner for over two decades before he embarked on a parliamentary career.

With now former senator Eggleston's retirement, I have agreed to step into the breach and help our Liberal member for Durack, Melissa Price, elected just last year, to provide a strong and effective voice within government for our north-west. It is an enormous challenge, but one I have accepted with great relish. While I cannot claim the long-standing residency in that part of the state that 'Eggy' could, like him I do have some personnel connection to the region. I, too, spent some years living in Port Hedland in the early 1970s, when my father served the community for a time as a local police officer. I was quite young at the time so I do not have perfect recall of everything. But I do remember some aspects of the challenges that come with living in regional communities that are so far removed from major metropolitan centres.

While there is no doubt that things have improved in the years that have elapsed since that time, I think it is fair to suggest that we still have quite some way to go. I have often said in this place that Western Australia is very different to the rest of Australia. That is doubly so in the case of the north-west, where local communities face a range of challenges that, frankly, would never occur to those living in suburban Sydney or Melbourne. There is the constant battle to attract and retain professional, qualified staff to provide the high-quality health and education services to which people living in regional and remote communities are entitled. There is the challenge that comes from Mother Nature—high temperatures, flooding and the occasional cyclone have always been a part of life in the north-west of Western Australia. But facing a flood in a small remote community where there is only one road in and out is a very different prospect from dealing with the issue in a metropolitan community. Those living in the north-west routinely have to plan for such contingencies.

Cost-of-living issues are especially significant for many people across the region. Food and other goods have to be transported long distances—all of which adds to the cost. Yes, the mining industry is a magnificent feature of the Pilbara and of Western Australia's north-west. But its strength has also produced externalities that are often the companions of strong economic growth—increased housing costs, additional pressure on limited local services and a pressing need for better infrastructure to meet the needs of growing communities.

I do not offer all this as a catalogue of complaint. But I think it is important to correct a perception that I think exists in some other parts of our nation—and that perception is that there are limitless rivers of money flowing throughout Western Australia, including the north-west. Sadly, there are not. While no sane person would seriously question the benefits that the mining and resources sector have brought to this part of Western Australia, I am mindful always of our obligation to look after the interests of those living across the region who are not directly working in mining and resources but who have every right to participate fully in their life in their local communities.

This is particularly true of the significant population of Indigenous Australians who live within the Durack electorate, for whom Alan Eggleston had the highest respect. He carried a determination to work with Durack's Indigenous communities to find ways to include them in the growth of the region, and, in particular, he worked with mining companies and industry bodies to provide apprenticeships and job opportunities for local Indigenous people. This is a commitment I am keen to carry forward.

As I said a few moments ago, the years ahead offer enormous potential for growth across the north-west of Western Australia. This is an exciting time to be living and working in the region, and I am particularly enthusiastic about several aspects of the Abbott coalition government's forward program that I think will be key to, at last, unlocking the potential we all know exists. Yesterday, we saw our own Prime Minister accompany the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, to the Pilbara region. While the focus of much of the commentary on that visit has been on mining, I think it is only part of the story. The historic trade agreement signed between our two countries yesterday will be a significant boost for the export of the high-quality produce of Australia's agricultural producers, of which there are a great many in the Durack electorate.

I also think that the closer economic ties between our two countries will inevitably witness increasing levels of tourism from Japan to Australia. It is up to us to harness this by highlighting to the market the benefits of choosing Australia's north as a holiday destination—not least of all, the spectacular unspoiled beauty of the Kimberley. It is easy to imagine that time spent relaxing in a sparsely populated region would be a welcome break from the pace of some of Japan's hectic and crowded cities. In addition to the growth driven by increasing demand overseas, there is the question of what more can be done by ourselves—what more we can be doing to achieve the enormity of these tasks.

I am pleased that with the Senate changeover that occurred last week I have become a member of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia. The interim report that committee has already released amply demonstrates some of the challenges before us if we are to make the most of our opportunities. The report is complemented by the Abbott government's Green paper on developing Northern Australia, which is the first phase in the development of a comprehensive white paper that sets out a clear plan for development in the lead-up to 2030. Not all of this work will be done by government; in fact, much of it will not be. As the coalition has made clear, we believe our role is to create a policy and regulatory framework that allows businesses and communities to chart the course they believe best suits their own needs.

Already in the last few months, I have visited many towns across the Durack electorate—among them Geraldton, Jurien Bay, Cervantes, Green Head, Moora, and, just last week, Derby and Broome. In each of these visits, which have involved talking with local residents, businesses and local government leaders, two things have struck me in particular. The first is that despite the hysterical claims from the government's political opponents, people do generally accept that Australia's budget position needs to be put back on a sustainable footing. People are imbued with a lot of common sense—they know that we cannot keep spending as we have been and that we need to provide the nation with a buffer to guard against our future economic shocks. The second is that there is a genuine excitement about the high priority this government is placing on the development of northern parts of Western Australia through developing better road and transport infrastructure, and through the white paper process and associated reviews of agricultural competitiveness, energy and, most importantly, the white paper on reform of the Federation, which will finally reverse the seemingly endless growth of Canberra control over our local regional communities.

But it is here I also want to inject a note of caution. The enthusiasm will only be sustained if we make genuine progress. The time for talking is over. My sense is that communities across Western Australia's Kimberley, north-west and Gascoyne regions have heard enough talk about the potential transformation of the region. They are now eager for words to be translated into action. I am confident that the Abbott coalition government is up to the task, and I look forward to playing an energetic and active role in that over the years immediately ahead.