Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Canavan.

Opposition Senator:

An opposition senator interjecting—

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mate, I'm this far off being invited into the cabinet—they're getting me ready!

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

Ignore the interjections, Senator O'Sullivan.

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I know about what's happening in my home state is: Adani's gone to the bottom of the sea; the Queensland Labor government will not support a base load power station for North Queensland; they are against the sugar industry and want to get rid of the code of conduct, which would bring that big industry to its knees; and they don't want to develop the coal industry with the support of those on the crossbenches.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do you have a question?

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly do—stand by. Can the minister update the Senate on the coalition government's plans to develop water resources in Central Queensland?

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

We, as a government, have lots of plans to develop jobs in Queensland. Not only do we support jobs in the coalmining sector, and aren't shy about it; we also want to see jobs coming from farming and agriculture. And wasn't it great news today that we've seen the unemployment rate drop in Australia, with the creation of thousands more full-time jobs under this government.

That's why we've got to push on with developing the water resources of Central Queensland. The Fitzroy Basin in Central Queensland is the second-largest water catchment in the country, behind the Murray-Darling, but it has only one major dam in it. We want to change that. We want to build more dams and more water infrastructure in Central Queensland, to create more jobs. That's why we put $130 million on the table to build the Rookwood Weir. That weir could create 2,100 jobs, double agricultural production in the Fitzroy Basin, droughtproof Central Queensland and underpin the industrial development of Gladstone as well. It ticks boxes all over the place, and that's why we're behind it. That's why we're backing the people of Central Queensland and the farmers of Central Queensland—to give them a future; to be able to create more wealth and more jobs.

Earlier this year, we saw some flooding around the Fitzroy River after Cyclone Debbie came through and did a lot of devastation, and, outside my office in Rockhampton, two Sydney Harbours of water a day were flowing past at the peak. Wouldn't it be better if we had some dams and some infrastructure there to keep some of that water, to hold it back, so that we would be able use it at other times of the year to grow food for our country, to create more value in exports and to create jobs in the farming sector as well? That's what we want to do. We want to get on with it. We just need somebody in Queensland who wants to partner with us. We just need a state government that is willing to partner with us on this production, supports jobs in the agriculture sector, wants to droughtproof Central Queensland and also wants to increase the agricultural wealth of this country and get this nation moving.

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

Senator O'Sullivan, a supplementary question?

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise what the anti-job Queensland Labor government is doing to assist these developments?

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

I can sum it up in one word, Senator O'Sullivan: nothing. They have done absolutely nothing on the Rookwood Weir. It was 10 years ago that the former Premier Peter Beattie committed his government to building the Rookwood Weir. He committed their government to building the Rookwood Weir 10 years ago. It has been more than nine months since the project received both state and federal approvals. Now the Rookwood Weir is ready to go. We could get the bulldozers out tomorrow if we got the tick. It is ready to go. It is shovel ready. It has been more than 500 days since the federal government committed those $130 million. And when we asked the Queensland government what their position was, they said: 'We'll get back to you. We've got to do another business case.' So we're waiting for that business case. They've hidden this report from the Queensland people. I see that the water minister, Mark Bailey, is in the paper today, blaming the fact that the local member put a media release out a couple of weeks ago for the fact that he can't release the business case. This is a joke. They are treating Central Queenslanders like mugs— (Time expired)

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

Senator O'Sullivan, a final supplementary question?

Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is disturbing. Is the minister aware of what the people of Central Queensland are saying about this?

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

As I said yesterday in this place, the people of Central Queensland want jobs. They want to see an economic future for their children. And we fully support and back them in that endeavour.

Today in the local Rockhampton paper, TheMorning Bulletin, we read about a local business owner, Simone Lawrie, who owns the Artisan Gluten Free Bakery in Rockhampton. It won business of the year this year. It is a great little business—a new business—in East Street, Rockhampton. Simone says: 'I currently employ 11 staff here at the bakery, but would love to put on more staff and provide more jobs, and I'm sure that will be the case once the Rookwood Weir is under construction.' She wants the weir. She wants to provide more jobs. She wants to sell more bread to more farmers who will be in town as a result of this weir. But the Labor Party don't want to support her. They not going to do anything to help. And, if we do get a Labor government after the next couple of weeks, there'll be more inaction—more doing nothing. The LNP want to build dams. And let's hope they get there, so we can create more jobs.