Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Canavan. This week, the minister sought to distance the federal National Party from the Queensland election result, saying, 'We have a separate Nationals party room and we will have a separate Nationals campaign.' Is the Liberal Party brand under Mr Turnbull so bad that the National Party needs to distance itself from the Liberal Party?

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

The answer to that is no. We are proud at the federal party level that we have a separate party room here in Canberra. We have achieved great results for regional Australia. We do have a policy for Central Queensland—to build Rookwood Weir and to create jobs in the Galilee Basin—unlike the Labor Party, who have deserted the interests of Central Queensland. We will be proudly standing by our record at the federal election as Nationals.

I think why those on the other side take a unique and special interest in the National Party in this place is because they're jealous; they're just a little bit jealous. They all want to be secret Nats at heart. They would all love the freedom that my colleagues have to bark and voice their opinion. But these guys are little kelpies tied to their Labor ute! When the Labor ute moves away, the little kelpies have to run along—they can't bark; they are muzzled; they can't say anything. They all want to be over here. It's unfortunate you can't be, Senator Watt. But we're always willing to take applications from people who have seen the light, who would like to stand up and actually have an independent voice for those in regional Queensland.

I am proud about the fact that we do fight for those who don't necessarily have a loud voice in this place. We have 226 people across this chamber and the other place, and there's not many of us who come from regional Australia. All of us here do. We're a little corner and we have to fight from that corner. We fight for the regions. That's why we're passionate about delivering dams. It's why we're passionate about building new industries in regional Australia. It's why we're passionate about supporting those wealth-producing industries of our nation like our mining sector, our agricultural sector, our forestry sector and our fishing sector. We will stand up for these people and we'll continue to do so as long as we're here.

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

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

Order on my right. I won't call Senator Watt until there's some degree of silence and capacity to hear him. Senator Watt, a supplementary question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can assure the minister that I'm not jealous of running fourth in his own home town of Rockhampton, like his party did on the weekend. I refer to the minister's comments, 'I do think we need to do a better job in Queensland of marketing and selling what we do here in Canberra.' Has the minister raised his concerns with the Prime Minister about the Turnbull government's performance in Queensland?

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

Of course, I've spoken with my colleagues about what we need to do in response to the Queensland election. I take the preamble there too. Yes, we may have come fourth, but the Labor Party has probably lost the seat of Rockhampton for the first time in history. That's no record to be proud of. They deserted you, Senator Watt. You have no policies for Rockhampton. Your own candidate didn't know anything about the Rookwood Weir. He couldn't answer a question about it—it was embarrassing. The people of Rockhampton have worked you guys out. You take them for granted. You think you don't have to do anything for them and, finally, they've worked out that there other choices on the ballot paper.

I think Senator Watt's a little jealous. We have got a Christmas party next week and he's welcome to come along too. I'm extending a personal invite to Senator Watt: come to our Christmas party and see if you like the feel of the party room. We may be able to take you in next year!

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

A final supplementary question, Senator Watt.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have some standards when it comes to the Christmas parties that I go to. Is the minister's fellow regional Queenslander, Senator Ian Macdonald, right to say earlier today:

There's no doubt about it—Malcolm is not seen as representing people in northern and regional Queensland.

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

No, I don't believe my colleague Senator Macdonald is correct. As I said on the night of the election, and to be serious and substantive about this issue, Senator Watt, there is a level of anxiety and disillusionment in regional Queensland that is connected with the fact that it has been very tough economic times for the last couple of years. I very much think the takeaway from any election result is not to return to Canberra or Brisbane or anywhere else and start talking about leadership. What we've got to do for the people of all of Australia, but particularly those hurting in regional Queensland, is redouble our efforts to solve the problems that exist in their lives.

Senator Watt, I do congratulate you on the fact that it looks like the Labor government have been re-elected in Queensland, and I will commit to working with them to get things going in regional Queensland. Let's hope that, post the election, we can work together on things like the Rookwood Weir and the Townsville port widening and hopefully get the Galilee Basin open as well.