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

No, I don't believe my colleague Senator Macdonald is correct. As I said on the night of the election, and to be serious and substantive about this issue, Senator Watt, there is a level of anxiety and disillusionment in regional Queensland that is connected with the fact that it has been very tough economic times for the last couple of years. I very much think the takeaway from any election result is not to return to Canberra or Brisbane or anywhere else and start talking about leadership. What we've got to do for the people of all of Australia, but particularly those hurting in regional Queensland, is redouble our efforts to solve the problems that exist in their lives.

Senator Watt, I do congratulate you on the fact that it looks like the Labor government have been re-elected in Queensland, and I will commit to working with them to get things going in regional Queensland. Let's hope that, post the election, we can work together on things like the Rookwood Weir and the Townsville port widening and hopefully get the Galilee Basin open as well.