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

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Federal Government's Northern Australia White Paper was released more than four years ago,

  (ii) there have been three Prime Ministers and two Ministers for Northern Australia in that time period,

  (iii) the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), announced in the 2015-16 Budget, as part of the White Paper, was described by the then

Treasurer, Mr Hockey, as the 'first major step in our plan for our great North',

  (iv) over four years, the NAIF has only released $44 million—less than 1% of its $5 billion budget,

  (v) the NAIF has been the subject of four reviews, including another one just announced by the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia (the Minister),

  (vi) the NAIF has recently announced the collapse of one loan awarded to a project in the Pilbara,

  (vii) the NAIF has also been forced to delay its largest loan to date, a

$610 million loan to the Genex Kidston hydro pumped power station in North Queensland,

  (viii) the Minister will not reveal how jobs have been created in Northern Australia as a result of projects that have received loans from the NAIF, and

  (ix) more than $400,000 in bonuses have been paid to senior executives at the NAIF, in the last year alone; and

(b) calls on the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia to fix the failures of his Northern Australia agenda, and start delivering real jobs in the North.

This matter was listed for debate yesterday, essentially to provide an opportunity for senators to make a contribution on their thoughts on the government's performance in relation to northern Australia. The reason we did so was that this week the minister has tabled his statement on the northern Australia progress report, and I note that he didn't think it was worthy of actually speaking to. He simply tabled it instead. But we did have a fairly lengthy debate and discussion about that yesterday, so I won't prolong things unduly today.

All I really want to do is note that even after yesterday's tabling of the northern Australia statement—when I had quite a lot to say about how ineffective the NAIF is and the level of frustration with the northern Australia agenda in general—there was an opinion piece that was run in the NT News today, which I want to put on the record. It was written by Mr Dave Malone, who's the head of Master Builders Northern Territory. I don't think anyone would argue that Master Builders are a Labor stooge organisation or the kind of organisation that, in the government's opinion, might be worthy of deregistration; they are an employer organisation. But I noted that Mr Malone, speaking on behalf of Master Builders, was also very critical of the northern Australia agenda. In his opinion piece today, he referred to the fact that he and other business groups gave evidence at our recent Darwin hearing of the northern Australia inquiry. Basically, what Mr Malone had to say on the Morrison government's attitude to northern Australia was:

The North is more out of sight and out of mind every day.

He goes on to note that there's been inadequate investment in Kakadu and that, despite all the government's talk about making northern Australia and Darwin in particular a defence hub:

… the number of military personnel in our neck of the woods is the lowest in a decade.

So the government is actually withdrawing military personnel from Darwin, despite saying that it's a priority. He talks about the Closing the Gap measures and the fact they're a priority for COAG to close the gap on a whole range of measures between First Nations people in our country and the general population, but he then goes on to note in his op-ed:

… no-one can recall when the number of federal public servants was lower in the NT. In fact, key Australian agencies have almost no-one here.

So I suppose the point I want to make is that it's not just the opposition who are raising serious concerns about the progress with the Northern Australia agenda. We've actually got business groups out there, who—let's face it—tend to support the government, but even they are disappointed with this. I referred yesterday to submissions to our inquiry from Central Queensland University, the Darwin Major Business Group and many others that also expressed disappointment.

It's no real surprise when you think about the fact the Prime Minister has not even deigned to visit the Northern Territory once since the election this year. I'll be interested to see what Senator McMahon has to say, because recently she was quoted in the NT News as basically saying that she didn't think there was any need for the Prime Minister to visit the Northern Territory. She's actually a senator for the Northern Territory, and she says that no-one has given her a reason why it's necessary for the Prime Minister to go up there. If you haven't got decent representatives arguing the toss for your state or territory, how on earth can you expect your state or territory to get a fair share? It's that kind of poor representation that means that the Northern Territory and northern Australia in general are missing out. It's about time the government took this northern Australia agenda seriously. It's about time Minister Canavan took it seriously. Fix the NAIF, get this agenda moving and start delivering on the potential of northern Australia. The opposition wants to see it work, business groups want to see it work, First Nations people want to see it work and the general community wants to see it work. It's time to get it working.

Sam McMahon (NT, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Northern Territory is a wonderful gem that Territorians know is one of the best kept secrets in Australia. We have vast quantities of natural resources, stunning scenery, world-class fishing, a very unique lifestyle and much more. While we have successfully developed many aspects of the Territory, such as the cattle industry, tourism, agriculture and mining, industries are limited by our small population. That limits our capacity to fully realise our potential. Further inhibiting our capacity for growth was the arrival of a man-made disaster of epic proportions. In August 2016, an unseasonal dark cloud loomed upon the horizon in the Northern Territory. That menacing, sinister cloud grew and grew until even those who had invoked the cloud could no longer deny the rotting, all-pervading odour of another failing Labor government.

Responsible fiscal management is a concept that Chief Minister Michael Gunner and his Treasurer, Nicole Manison, have consistently failed to demonstrate. Indeed, by their actions, the Gunner government have a proven desire to not adhere to basic principles such as living within your means. This is a familiar story of Labor governments in Australia. Not even the unprecedented magnitude of wanton waste has come as a surprise on this occasion. What is different about this most disastrous of Labor governments is the catastrophic effect on the economy of the Northern Territory. There are plummeting levels of investor confidence, business confidence and consumer confidence. The tremendously high number of small and medium businesses that have been forced to close in the past two years is another record the Gunner government can hang it shabby hat on. How proud they must be of their workers' party in the face of rising unemployment, a contracting population and out-of-control debt that they have created. Oh, how they must lament the fact that hypocrisy is not a currency they can spend.

I am, in equal measure, both relieved and pleased to report there is a small sliver of blue sky appearing on the economic horizon in the Northern Territory. That glimmer of hope is the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. While the inept duo of Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Treasurer Manison grope for solutions they are incapable of grasping, NAIF lowers the hand of optimism to the NT well of economic despair. Let me assure you, the presence of NAIF in the Northern Territory has the undivided attention of all major businesses.

What does NAIF mean to us in the north? To date, there have been $345 million in approved loans in the Northern Territory. To date, NAIF has delivered to the NT economy $27.5 million for the Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia group. This project provided an airport runway, upgrades to the taxiway and apron and the installation of runway lighting to help generate $370 million of benefits to the wider community over 20 years. Eighty construction workers were employed in this project and there are 320 ongoing jobs directly related to this NAIF project. Let me put that in some perspective for you. Three hundred and twenty jobs is approximately equivalent to 0.15 per cent of our population. If this project were in Queensland, it would equal 650,000 jobs. That's the significance of this project to the Northern Territory.

Humpty Doo Barramundi is another NAIF success story. The $7.18 million project saw the construction of a solar farm and fish nursery and the purchase of processing equipment that has allowed this business to grow, with thirteen construction jobs and seven ongoing jobs. This successful NAIF project is precisely the kind of project that reignites confidence in the business community. Again let me put that into perspective: that would equate to 14,000 jobs in Queensland.

There is more to come, with the recent announcement of NAIF funding for a Country Liberal Party project at the Darwin airport. An expansion project for NT Airports will see $150 million invested into augmentation of existing onsite power generation and construction of a coolroom facility that will permit better care and handling of our high-quality agricultural produce. Estimated to support 1,000 construction jobs, 500 indirect jobs and 140 ongoing jobs, this project will be a game-changer. Once again, all eyes from the business community in the NT are watching.

Another Country Liberal Party project is the proposed ship-lift facility in Darwin. The calamitous duo of Chief Minister Gunner and Treasurer Manison are hanging all their hopes for political survival on NAIF to deliver this project through a $300 million loan. At a time when the business community holds record-low confidence in the Northern Territory economy, the boost that such a project could provide is considerable. Chief Minister Michael Gunner knows this and is busy extolling the benefits of the project. That's right, even the worst government in Australia—as noted by Prime Minister Morrison—loves NAIF. Indeed, this is what the Northern Territory government says about NAIF:

The Territory has experienced a constructive relationship with NAIF to date, and has found it to be generally flexible and responsive in the handling of Territory related applications.

That is endorsement from the Northern Territory Labor government, not condemnation. The worst government in Australia gave NAIF a glowing report. Even an inept Labor government acknowledges the benefits of NAIF.

There are many more projects for the NT submitted to NAIF, and there are more applications to come in as business and governments understand the benefits and potential. There's $345 million already approved for the NT alone—not the $44 million our colleagues across the room would have you believe—with much more to come. We in the north know NAIF is working and delivering, and it will continue to provide vital funding for essential projects.

For the record, Senator Watt, I did not discourage or say there was no point in the Prime Minister visiting the Northern Territory. I questioned what specifically the detractors in the NT News would like him to come and see, and they could not tell me. We do not need the Prime Minister to physically set foot in the Northern Territory every five minutes for him to know what is going on and what is needed. With the funding through Infrastructure—$184 million announced this week—and NAIF projects, he knows what's needed and he's delivering it. He does not need to physically pop in every five minutes for a cup of tea.

Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Reconciliation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll be brief. I sit on two committees in relation to northern Australia. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who clearly understands this government's agenda for northern Australia. Others have noted, rightly, that Australians are struggling with an economy that's growing at its slowest pace in decades, and this government is not doing anything about it to help.

I want to talk briefly about the NAIF and the northern development from a First Nations perspective. First Nations peoples are a substantial percentage of the population of the north. They have huge territorial ownership and interest in the north, both in land and in sea, but they're amongst the poorest in the country. Their social needs are extreme. They want to be part of the development of the north, but they feel excluded. Development is not just big infrastructure. There has to be social development and capacity-building to get First Nations peoples to contribute to the economy. You don't build capacity by making First Nations peoples sign up to the cashless debit card. How does that contribute to capacity-building?

It has been four years, three prime ministers, two ministers, four reviews and one per cent of the funds released. There's no clear framework for those that, as I have said, have a majority interest in the land and the sea, the First Nations peoples, and this is despite a reference group, made up of First Nations peoples, that advises the minister and the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum. That Indigenous group has made 16 recommendations. There's no indication that any of those recommendations are being responded to in a constructive way, so First Nations have no confidence that they will be part of being beneficiaries of the potential of the north, whenever it is developed.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to start off by commending the government and commending Senator Canavan for the work that he has been doing in progressing, pushing and advocating for the agenda for northern Australia. I acknowledge the comments that have just been made by my colleague Senator McMahon in terms of the work that has been happening in the Northern Territory, and I commend and second her comments.

I'll focus a bit more on Queensland. I acknowledge that this week we had FNQROC down, which is an organisation of Far North Queensland mayors. It was very important, because not only are the elected councillors and elected mayors from Far North Queensland, North Queensland and Central Queensland regular visitors down here to Canberra; so too are the senators from the LNP regular visitors to all regions of Queensland. We've got Senator Scarr in the chamber here, who's a strong advocate for regional Queensland, a new senator and someone who has embarked on that magical mystery tour that is being an LNP senator in terms of spending more nights away from home because you're out there listening to the people of Queensland. When you think about Queensland, all of Queensland is probably northern Australia compared to some of the southern states. But in particular, Senator Scarr—

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Except West End!

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, except West End. The work that Senator Scarr has done has already been acknowledged, and I thank him for that. We've got Senator McDonald, also a new senator, who comes from the north-west of this state and now lives in Townsville. We've got Senator Canavan, who not only is the minister for northern Australia but is someone who lives in Yeppoon. We've got people who are on the ground, listening and working with all Queenslanders to progress the agenda for the development of the north. That's what this debate is about, when you look into it, and that's what this government's agenda is about: it is about the development of the north.

It is disappointing that, when the southerners talk about Queensland, about North Queensland and about Far North Queensland, it's almost like we're some form of oddity that could be held in a Victorian-era museum: 'We've discovered these Queenslanders, and they live in this pristine environment. We're going to lock them away, and they can't have anything that we've had.' It is almost this post-colonial attitude towards development of northern Australia.

I will talk about what the government has done—and I should acknowledge former senator Ian Macdonald for the work that he did over many decades in pushing the agenda for the development of the north. When the Abbott government was elected in 2013, we started to put into place a white paper on northern Australia, and there were nine priorities, which I'll touch upon shortly.

There is this unfortunate negative campaign that the Labor Party—surprise, surprise, ladies and gentlemen—are pushing about the government's agenda for the north. What we've got to remember about the Labor Party is that, when they were in power, they did very little for the north. In fact, they did nothing for the north. It is only the Liberal-National government, elected in 2013, that has started to push a serious agenda for the north. Part of that agenda is the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Senator Canavan has made comments about how that facility has been proceeding. Yesterday, in responding to questions from opposition senators, he particularly commented on how they've been able to essentially change its terms to make it easier for money to flow out the door. Almost $2 billion of the $5 billion has been effectively invested in projects, locked into the financing of projects.

The Labor Party will go around and attack the government for not throwing more money around. That is an unfair accusation, but it also goes to the heart of what the Labor Party are about, because they think money solves all the problems in the world. This money is not the government's money; this money is the taxpayers' money—the money of all Australians, not just Queenslanders—that has been invested to help develop the north. We, as the government, as the guardians for the appropriate spending of taxpayers' money, wish to make sure that this money is being put into projects that will help develop the north but also achieve value for the Australian taxpayer. And that is something that we are actually very proud of. We're not going to throw money around like confetti at a wedding. We're going to make sure that the money from Australian taxpayers is invested appropriately. The Labor Party might sniff at that $2 billion, but that is $2 billion of Australian taxpayers' money that is going into projects. That is a lot of money. What is important is that it's not just about money going into projects; it's about understanding the north. It's about understanding northern Australia and Far North Queensland.

I was there only last week, Mr Acting Deputy President Brockman—and I also acknowledge your strong interest in the development of northern Australia, with your home state being Western Australia. Last week, I was fortunate to meet up with Senator McDonald and inspect the Charleston Dam. If you are excited about dams—which I am—this new dam is being built by the Etheridge Shire Council, which is based in Georgetown, and the federal government invested just under $10 million into helping the local council build this dam. It's very exciting. Go onto my Facebook page if you're excited about dams, and you'll be able to see the base of this dam. Hopefully, Mayor Warren Devlin and the council will be able to get the dam finished by March next year. What this means is that two communities—Georgetown and Forsayth—will be able to have reliable water. Previously, it was just a spike in the river. That is so important for that community. The federal government is working in partnership with the local councils up there on projects like that.

While we were there, we also went to the opening of the upgrade to the Mareeba airport. The federal government, state government and council—and I commend all three levels of government—worked together and were able to put a considerable amount of money into the redevelopment upgrade of the Mareeba airport. This is an airport, for those who do not know, that came into life during the Second World War, when it was a major air base for Allied operations in the Pacific. It is essentially a second airport. If Cairns is knocked out for whatever reason, now there is a reliable second airport in Far North Queensland. Mareeba is about an hour or so away from Cairns.

It is the federal government putting money into projects like the Mareeba airport and the Charleston Dam in Etheridge Shire which shows that, yes, there are glamorous, big, shiny projects, but it is actually the small projects that show that this government is progressing and developing our agenda for the north. It is through both these small and big projects, because there is an agenda for the north. There is a strategy for the north that came about because of the white paper on northern Australia and those nine infrastructure measures that were first outlined in that white paper.

Rather than continue—I realise everybody has had a long few days—I intend to talk further in an adjournment speech at a later time about the incredible work that this government has been doing on behalf of the taxpayers of Australia in terms of building the infrastructure in northern Australia, in particular in the Far North, North and Central Queensland. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.