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

I thank Senator McGrath for his question and recognise his longstanding support for our great, world-beating resources sector. We on this side of the chamber know how much the mining sector delivers to our country in terms of jobs, in terms of wealth and in terms of prosperity. That's why we are never ashamed of defending and supporting that sector and wanting to see it grow and back those projects. This week, the figures from my department show that the resources sector has smashed another record: this financial year the resources sector will export $285 billion worth of products on behalf of our nation. It smashes the record of $275 billion that was set last financial year. These figures show that, every year, the resources sector will be exporting a larger volume of resources, for 10 years straight—every year, a new record being set. The resources sector in this country are delivering more records than the Beatles. They continue to deliver year on year on year for our country, and that's why we support them.

We didn't need the Australian people to give us a spanking at the election to remind us about how important the mining sector is! I notice there are now more people here in this parliament, since we were here last, supporting the resources sector, supporting coalmining, and that is fantastic. I welcome so much the result of that election. Isn't it amazing, though, that it has taken 15-odd million Australians having their say for the Australian Labor Party to realise that maybe—just maybe!—the mining sector might be important to our country's wealth and prosperity and people's livelihoods? We didn't need to have that result, because we live in these regions, we work in these regions, we talk to people who wear fluoro orange, yellow and pink colours. We know what it means to their lives, and that's why we support and back them. That's why we support the opening of the Galilee Basin. That's why we support the opening of the Browse Basin in Western Australia. That's why we support the continuing development of resources markets right around the world.