Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

They might have put it on the mainland, if there had been a place to put it. He said, 'We are not going to go ahead with the next train on Barrow Island, because the economics just aren't in it.'

Can I plead with you—it does not affect me; none of my family work in the oil and gas world in Australia. It certainly affects Australia. It affects my state but, by gee, I tell you who it affects: it affects thousands of Australian workers.

Senator Wright may have wonderful motives in moving this disallowance. But I, like Senator Cash, want you all to understand very, very clearly that, if you move and if you pass this disallowance, you are putting those very Australian jobs about which Senator Lambie spoke at risk for no gain but massive loss.

I will finalise: the demand curve at the moment for the sorts of vessels we are speaking about is so high, every shipyard—the South Korean yards; the Chinese yards; the Singaporean yards—Keppel and Sembawang; and the yards in Malaysia at Johor Bahru—is building them at breakneck speeds. For any of us who think that we in Australia have got this magnetic attraction and everybody wants to come and work in our waters, I say to you: they haven't. I ask that you think very, very carefully. My plea would be that Senator Wright, on reflection, withdraws this disallowance motion. If she will not, I say to each of you: if you pass this disallowance tonight, you are immediately not only putting Australian jobs at risk; you are putting a massive offshore oil and gas industry at risk, one that internationally is already becoming uncompetitive because of cost. Of those who would be worst affected, not one of them operating on a vessel at the moment will lose one dollar, because they will be outside Australian waters so quickly, and the losers will be Australia. I hate to say it, but this Senate will have made that decision. I can assure you that I will, with some pride, be able to look my associates in the oil and gas industry around the world in the face and say, 'I did my best to convince my colleagues not to go down this path.'