Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I met with the delegation of AWU members from across Australia. They were in town to talk about gas, and particularly domestic gas as a feedstock for the places where they worked. They included Steve from Incitec Pivot in Brisbane, which I had the opportunity to ask a question about yesterday, and Adam from QAL in Gladstone, both in my state of Queensland. As I mentioned, their workplace is vulnerable from the high cost of domestic gas. So we see across Australia thousands of jobs on the line, causing great uncertainty for families across Australia. That is really driving the ambition from these guys as they meet with people across the parliament to ensure that there is a focus on this issue so that it can be solved.

I think that we need to look at the message that they would have seen from Senator Canavan earlier this week, when he was in the media saying, 'Mission accomplished.' He was basically saying that, as far as he was concerned, the trouble of the high cost of domestic gas had largely been solved. Well, I can say—and this is straight from the workers themselves—that they certainly doesn't feel this, their workplaces don't feel this and their families don't feel it either. Incitec Pivot, in particular, has the clock ticking on securing affordable gas and, if they are not able to do that in the next couple of months, that is going to have a devastating effect for hundreds of families who have workers at that plant. There is also the flow-on effect from that, because the fertiliser that is provided from that plant has so many uses throughout the rest of Australia.

When you look at the impact of this and the flow-on effects across Queensland and Australia, is it any wonder that the Nationals are considered so out of touch? When you look at this, since the election, they really have been distracted. What we've seen since the federal election campaign is that they've really been distracted by issues that don't go to the heart of the political interests of regional Queensland. They've been distracted by One Nation. They haven't been able to work out how they're going to deal with One Nation. We saw that in the federal election campaign, we've seen it in this chamber and we saw it in the Queensland election as well. They've obviously been distracted by citizenship issues at the same time. We know they lost their deputy leader, Senator Nash. We know that they also temporarily lost Senator Canavan as well. Then, in more recent days and weeks, they've obviously been distracted by their leader, Barnaby Joyce. What that means is that the focus on the needs of Queenslanders has been completely out the window since the federal election in 2016.

We only need to look at what they've done. We're almost halfway through this term, and the Nationals have failed to deliver for regional Queensland. They made a series of promises in the run-up to the federal election campaign that they have failed to deliver on. What they have basically done is purport to have all these job-creating policies that have been a hoax to the people of regional Queensland. These policies have been nothing more than a mirage that is really creating cynicism about the National Party in regional Queensland. The obvious, glaring example of this is the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. They talk about it through regional Queensland endlessly, but it has not delivered one project or created one job in Queensland. Is it any wonder that the people of Queensland would be cynical about the National Party's promises?

But there's no better example, in my view, of the failure of the National Party to deliver for regional Queensland than the regional jobs packages that were promised almost two years ago. We know the economic challenges that the people of regional Queensland face. We know the high unemployment. We know the high youth unemployment. Two years ago, they went to these towns and promised regional jobs packages. They have not spent one cent. We know the confusion that was created with Senator Nash going and the dysfunction within the National Party, but it's the people of regional Queensland who are missing out, and there's no better example of this than the regional jobs packages. But this is what is motivating Labor.

We know the cynicism that it has created, and we know that people are looking for alternatives in regional Queensland, and that is what is driving Labor in terms of the policies that we want to focus on. The most recent example of that occurred on Friday when I and my colleague Senator Watt travelled with the federal Labor leader to Gladstone. We made promises that are going to have a real impact on the lives of people in that area. We promised $100 million for the port access road in Gladstone. This will enable more trucks to use the Gladstone port. It will also stop them from having to travel through Toowoomba to the Port of Brisbane, so it will mean quicker access to the port for exports and so on. Labor said we will prioritise this $100 million promise, if we are to win the next election., and be confident that it will have a significant impact on the lives of people in Gladstone, increase the capacity of the port and lead to more jobs being created as a result.

The other announcement we made whilst we were in the region was a $176 million commitment to partner with the state government for the Rookwood Weir proposal. It is something that those on the other side have talked about endlessly. Labor were prepared to step in and announce that we would fund it. This proposal will be able to deliver jobs and opportunities, particularly in agriculture, for regional Queensland. What you see from Labor is a real focus on projects and proposals that are going to have an impact on the lives of regional Queenslanders—no more mirages and no more hoaxes, just real, practical proposals that the people of Queensland can have confidence that a federal Labor government will deliver.

You're starting to see a real contrast in terms of what federal Labor is talking about in regional Queensland to what those opposite are talking about. That is, I think, what is driving the cynicism amongst the community in Central Queensland and the way that they see the National Party. We saw it during state election campaign and we are seeing it increasingly at the federal level as well. Labor will continue to focus on practical projects in regional Queensland that are going to have a direct benefit to the people that live there—no more hoaxes, no more mirages, no more talk, no more putting all your eggs in the one basket, which is what we've seen from those opposite. Labor will look to make sure we can diversify the economies in regional Queensland and also focus on practical projects that are going to have an impact on people's lives.

There's one more issue I want to talk about. Whilst I would be very, very critical of the National Party senators in this place and what they've done in regional Queensland, there is one issue that I'm sure would unite us, and that's the issue around State of Origin. What we've seen today is the NRL announce that a State of Origin game in 2020 will be going to Adelaide. This is on top of a game in 2019 going to Perth. For those who don't know, State of Origin is Queensland versus New South Wales. This is something that is tribal in Queensland and New South Wales. It's a game that belongs in Queensland and New South Wales. I'm a strong advocate for one of the games being played in Townsville, and I would certainly advocate that a State of Origin should be played in Townsville long before it's played in Perth and long before it's played in Adelaide.

I can understand why Perth and Adelaide would want a State of Origin game. I've got no qualms with those state governments pursuing these opportunities, but, if they want a rugby league game, they should pursue a test match. The State of Origin should be in Queensland, and it should be in New South Wales. If the NRL are looking at having a game outside the capital cities, that should be in Townsville. It is such a great rugby league town: it's obviously the home of Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys, and they will have a new stadium soon. If anyone is going to get a game of football outside those capital cities, it should be Townsville and not the NRL.

We know the history of this sport in those states. It was a failure in Western Australia for the Western Reds that were temporarily in Perth. We know Adelaide had the Rams, but it was, again, a failure of the community to get behind them. If the NRL want to grow the game and create more opportunities—and that's admirable—they should look at having test matches there.

The State of Origin is sacred in Queensland and New South Wales, and it's absolutely the case that the games should be played in Queensland and New South Wales. Opportunities to expand the game should be looked at in test matches and other areas. So I'd urge the NRL to reconsider the decision that they've made. Look at other opportunities to grow the game in the states of South Australia and Western Australia, but please, please, keep the State of Origin for Queensland and New South Wales, the home of rugby league. (Time expired)