Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

They're very touchy, Madam Acting Deputy President. And I would be, too, if I was a senator elected from a state where I couldn't deliver more than one project being fast-tracked. I'd be embarrassed as well: only one project being fast-tracked in Queensland, none of them north of Brisbane, and the one project that they have fast-tracked in Queensland won't actually start for two years. If that's fast-tracking I'd hate to be in the slow lane, but that's the plan that the Morrison government has. Central Queensland, North Queensland and our regions in general have every right to have projects fast-tracked as much as Sydney, Melbourne or anywhere else in the country.

The second point: how about rebuilding Australian manufacturing? I've had to sit here this week and try and keep a straight face as I've seen government senators talk about how important Australian manufacturing is. Hello! Where were you when you were turning your back on the car industry? Where were you when you were just letting our manufacturing industry slide? Where are you now as your own government tries to rip out $2 billion in research and development tax incentives to help the manufacturing industry? Well, I'm glad that you've finally cottoned on that Australian manufacturing actually matters and that it creates jobs, good blue-collar jobs, not only in places like Brisbane, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast but also in Rockhampton, Townsville, Mackay, Cairns and everywhere in between. So let's start seeing some actual investment in manufacturing to rebuild an industry that has died under this government's watch. Just outside Rockhampton I met with people of Central Queensland Sandstone, who are doing a fantastic job, getting state government grants to upgrade their technology and improve their productivity but nothing at all from the federal government, and it's about time we see it.

Thirdly, how about we see the government invest in training? In fact what we've actually seen from this government over seven years is $3 billion being ripped out of TAFE. In Queensland alone we've got 27,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than were in place when this government was elected seven years ago. Let's start investing. Let's see a jobs plan. Let's get Queensland moving.