Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for the question. Yes, I can outline what their position has been over time; indeed, it's documented in writing. The Queensland government wrote to the Australian government in February last year—to my predecessor, Minister Frydenberg—and had a list of NAIF candidate projects that they provided us that they would like us to invest in, which included Galilee Basin rail and port developments. They actually applied for these funds. They sent us a letter saying that they would like them. Then, about eight months later, the Deputy Premier, Jackie Trad, said, 'We have determined as a cabinet that any money sourced from the NAIF must come directly from the Commonwealth and not go through the state as a middleman.' Within days, I wrote to the Premier and asked her to clarify the position. The Treasurer wrote back to me and said, 'We will not stand in the way of those arrangements, of those funds flowing through to the project.' Then, a few weeks before the election, we had the Premier pull their position. The Labor Party have been all over the shop on this. The only way we can make this project go forward and these jobs be created is for the Liberal National Party to be elected. (Time expired)