Perin Davey (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

What we're seeing is a dark day for working men and women across Australia and particularly in the regions. What we see today is Labor, the party born of Central Queensland, the party born of workers, turn its back on both its history and on the contemporary workers of today. It is like their connection to their roots died along with the famed tree of knowledge. Like that tree, which was maliciously poisoned, the Labor Party is now poisoned by Greens ideology.

We now have a party born in Barcaldine, Queensland, that fantastic Central Queensland community, allowing the New South Wales Socialist Left faction to lead the Greens in a motion to deny Queenslanders jobs, to deny an entrepreneurial Indigenous enterprise an opportunity to prove the business case for those jobs and to deny the potential development of reliable and affordable power. I wonder how Senator Murray Watt—oh, that's right; he's Left, isn't he?—or Senator Nita Green—what faction is she?—feel about being told what industries they can have in their state by their New South Wales branch? It is no wonder, as referred to by my colleague Senator McKenzie, that CFMEU in Queensland have quit the Labor Left faction.

But I say that's not going far enough, because what today shows us is that the rest of Labor are being led by the nose by the Left. They are being led to side with the Greens and to disregard workers and their very roots. It is no wonder the CFMEU's Queensland mining division has vowed to stop donating to Labor and will instead fund candidates committed to a strong and viable resource industry. That's because those industries support Queensland, they support our nation and they support our economy. We have heard time and time again that our economic recovery will be led by the regions, including through forestry, agriculture and mining—the very industries Labor have turned their backs on. In these industries there are jobs. It is through these industries that we produce our key exports and bring in billions for our economy.

But Labor continue to prove they've got no regard for jobs or these industries, particularly in Queensland. The New Acland mine has been waiting for an approval to expand since 2007. There are 150 immediate, direct jobs contingent on that approval, but Labor don't care about those jobs, as they proved when they voted against a motion in this place by my colleague Paul Scarr earlier this year calling on Queensland to approve that expansion. Labor voted against that; they voted against jobs. The failure of Labor to support jobs in Queensland should be ringing alarm bells for workers across Australia. The fact that this motion is being brought on by the New South Wales socialist faction shows that the New South Wales branch also has no regard for workers.

It is no wonder the member for Hunter is quaking in his boots, when the whole of his electorate is dependent on mining and Labor are turning their backs on mining. I say to the people of Hunter: remember which party stands in this place and supports your jobs. Remember which party will ensure your job has a future. I say to the people of Queensland that, despite the fact that my colleagues Senator Matt Canavan and Senator Susan McDonald couldn't be here due to COVID travel restrictions, they stand up for your jobs, they stand up for your industries and they support your workers. Senator Paul Scarr reminded me of that fact just today, too.

Labor don't care about jobs. They don't care about the hundreds of jobs that could be created through the development of a high-energy low-emissions power plant in Central Queensland, just like they don't care about the flow-on jobs created when Queensland's commercial and industrial sectors gain access to affordable and reliable power. But we care. That is why we are funding this study to determine the feasibility of such a project. Labor should not hide behind climate change, because this party that is willing to throw workers out into the cold in the name of climate change still does not have an emissions reduction target.