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

I thank Senator Hanson for that very important question on a very important project.

I can understand the Labor Party's reluctance to have this issue discussed at all this week in this place. It is only the most important job-creating project in the State of Queensland and certainly for North Queensland. But I will make a prediction. I predict this: we're only how far? We're half an hour from the end of question time this week, and I don't think the Labor Party will ask one question this week about jobs in Queensland. Not one question about the most important job-creating project in Queensland at the moment! Not one question about what they want to do to help create jobs in Queensland! That's because they're running to hide. They're hiding from the embarrassment that is the Queensland government right now when it comes to creating jobs in Queensland. So, I welcome Senator Hanson's question about this important project. I acknowledge that we both support it and want to see the Galilee Basin opened up.

I thought that until a few weeks ago the Queensland Labor government were on side too—and I want them to be on side. I want important nation-building projects in this country to be bipartisan. We should be able to work together to create these kinds of opportunities and jobs. I thought they did, because a few months ago or early last year the Queensland government wrote to the federal government, saying that we should look to use NAIF funds—the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility funds—to fund the Galilee Basin rail line. That's what they said. Behind the scenes they were encouraging Adani. They were saying: 'Please apply to the NAIF. Don't apply here to us; go down to Canberra and get the funds there.' And then they led Adani and the people of North Queensland down the garden path.

Then, a few weeks ago, the Premier came out and said that she had to veto and oppose this project. That was an act of betrayal against the interests of jobseekers in North Queensland. And, worse, she used an excuse that didn't even stack up—didn't even subject it to closer scrutiny. It was not even correct and she tried to mislead and misconstrue it to the Queensland people.