Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia asks if the minister is aware of the importance of the Adani coalmine and what it will mean for jobs in Queensland. I ask the minister if he might be able to update the Senate on progress with the Adani Carmichael project in Queensland. Particularly, could the minister tell me what support the project's received from the Queensland Labor government? I note that the Labor Premier of Queensland was in favour of it, then she was against it; the Deputy Premier was against it, but she was part of a government that was in favour of it; the Queensland Treasurer has a different view; the candidate for Burdekin, which is where this mine is, is all over the ship on it. I'm wondering if the minister might be able to clarify the real position of the Queensland government, the Australian government—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Macdonald, I have Senator Whish-Wilson on his feet on a point of order.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order: we're wondering if Senator Macdonald's got a question.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Whish-Wilson, I heard numerous questions in that. Senators are granted a minute to ask a primary question. I would hasten to add it is used by numerous senators around the chamber. I'll call upon Senator Macdonald to continue his question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, can I just point out—

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Halt the clock, please.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Order! Senator Cameron.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I just point out my very first words were, 'Is the minister aware of the importance of the Adani coalmine.'

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, I have ruled that your question is in order, and the point of order I have rejected.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do you want me to start again, Mr President?

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I heard numerous questions as you were going, Senator Macdonald. I ask you to continue your question. I will grant you a few extra seconds given the clock wasn't stopped early enough.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Can the minister clarify what the real position is of the Queensland government, the Australian government and the members for Burdekin, Dawson, Capricornia, Herbert and, indeed, all Queensland senators?

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

I thank Senator Macdonald for those many and important questions. I can understand the confusion that Senator Macdonald has here, because we are all confused about what the position of the Australian Labor Party is. We have the remarkable situation where, just 10 days before the Queensland election, we really don't know what the Queensland government's position is on probably the most important project in North Queensland. This is the biggest investment from an Indian company ever in Australia and the Queensland government doesn't have its story straight.

The Queensland government called this election; no-one else did. No-one else surprised them that the election would be in 10 days time. They called the date, they decided the date and they did so before they had their show in order, before they had their story straight. The people of Queensland have no idea. We have this absurd situation where, just three weeks ago, the Premier apparently pulled her support for the project and the thousands of jobs that would come from it. Then a few days later the Treasurer of Queensland said in the Townsville Bulletin that in fact his position hadn't changed and he still supported federal government investment in the rail line, only to retract that position a few hours later, to be pulled into line by the Premier and say, no, in fact he's deserted the people he's meant to represent in North Queensland and that he no longer supports the loan. Then we had the situation in the last couple of days, where Labor candidates running around central and north Queensland are still trying to protest and say that they in fact support the project. We know, and the people of Queensland know, that if they want these jobs there's only one answer. If they want these jobs, the Liberal National Party is not shy of expressing our support. We don't know where Senator Watt is, we don't know where Senator Chisholm is, we don't where Senator Ketter is and we don't know where Senator Moore is. They've said 'boo' on it. They've said nothing. But we know, and the people of Queensland know, where Senator Macdonald is and where the members for Dawson, Capricornia and Flynn are, and they know where I am. We're behind this project and we're backing these jobs.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, a supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I ask the minister what the Queensland government has actually told the federal government, and you as the federal minister, concerning its position on Adani? Perhaps that might clarify just what their position is.

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

I thank Senator Macdonald for the question. Yes, I can outline what their position has been over time; indeed, it's documented in writing. The Queensland government wrote to the Australian government in February last year—to my predecessor, Minister Frydenberg—and had a list of NAIF candidate projects that they provided us that they would like us to invest in, which included Galilee Basin rail and port developments. They actually applied for these funds. They sent us a letter saying that they would like them. Then, about eight months later, the Deputy Premier, Jackie Trad, said, 'We have determined as a cabinet that any money sourced from the NAIF must come directly from the Commonwealth and not go through the state as a middleman.' Within days, I wrote to the Premier and asked her to clarify the position. The Treasurer wrote back to me and said, 'We will not stand in the way of those arrangements, of those funds flowing through to the project.' Then, a few weeks before the election, we had the Premier pull their position. The Labor Party have been all over the shop on this. The only way we can make this project go forward and these jobs be created is for the Liberal National Party to be elected. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, a final supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the minister know—is it within his knowledge—whether the Queensland government has actually informed the Adani organisation of its backflip on this very, very important job-creating project in the North?

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

I thank Senator Macdonald for his question. It is remarkable, with what is potentially the largest investment in Australia from an Indian company—a project that will create thousands of jobs and on which, when the Premier visited India only a few months ago, she lapped up all the publicity over there, saying she supported the project; she stood with eight Queensland mayors, saying she supported the project—that, 12 days since announcing she was pulling her support from the project, the Premier apparently has yet to even speak to Adani about her decision and explain to them why she has done this monumental backflip. The Courier Mail reported a few days ago that the Premier of Queensland is yet to pick up the phone to Adani and explain her position. She has run and hidden from scrutiny on this. She has misled and misconstrued the advice that the Integrity Commissioner gave her, and she hasn't even had the wherewithal to explain herself to the people who want to create these jobs in our state of Queensland.