Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to speak in the adjournment debate tonight. We all know that, as a former Cairns Taipan, Matt Smith towered over his opponents on the court. But as Labor's candidate for Leichhardt he has been a champion for the community since day one.

In the last few weeks alone, it has been nothing but net for Matt Smith as he has continued to deliver for the community in Far North Queensland. In the past few weeks alone he's met with Minister Rowland and Minister Collins to announce the $18 million On Farm Connectivity Program to enhance connectivity for primary producers. He's also been with the Minister for Emergency Management in Cairns, in Holloways Beach, to announce the next round of the DRF funding, which included crucial funding for mapping and flood mapping for the Cairns Regional Council. He's delivered good news for local early childhood educators on their 15 per cent pay rise; announced a $91 million joint investment in Barlow Park to upgrade the sporting facility; had a tour of the Cairns Marine Precinct; marked 10,000 patients having visited the Cairns South Medicare urgent care clinic; and, importantly, announced with the Prime Minister the biggest social and affordable housing project in Queensland history—we are going to build 490 social and affordable homes in Cairns. Of course, he's welcome to the Cairns Taipans season, which has opened; we are two wins at home. He also launched the 2024 Tangaroa Blue Great Barrier Reef Clean-up last week with the minister. Last week we also announced recipients of the government's $200 million landscape repair program with Minister Plibersek, and last week we announced $2.6 million for local sporting organisations to increase women's and girls' participation in sport in Far North Queensland; that is really important and crucial funding.

These are all the things Matt Smith has been able to achieve in the very short time he has been a candidate for Leichardt. This is a tall list, as some might say, with such achievements in such a short amount of time, but why don't we compare that to Jeremy Neal, the LNP candidate for Leichhardt, to see if he measures up to Matt Smith in any type of way. We don't know much about Mr Neal because, even though he was announced as the LNP candidate for Leichardt over four weeks ago, he has refused to speak to the media. I find this very curious. It's probably the fact that Mr Neal doesn't want to explain to the people of Cairns a number of things. He doesn't want to explain he doesn't support tax cuts or cheaper child care. Mr Neal doesn't want to say he doesn't support cheaper power bills or cheaper medicines. But the No. 1 reason why Mr Neal has not spoken to the media in the last four weeks is he would have to come clean about Mr Dutton's risky nuclear plan that we know would wreck the Great Barrier Reef.

There's only one choice when it comes to protecting the Great Barrier Reef, and that is delivering net zero through renewable energy. If you don't support that plan, then you don't support jobs in Far North Queensland. Matt Smith has been really clear about his support for renewable energy, achieving net zero and protecting reef jobs. But Mr Neal hasn't spoken to the media to make sure he expresses his views. He is hiding from the media so he doesn't have to fess up that he supports Mr Dutton's risky nuclear plan.

I think it's time that we measure up these candidates, and I think you'll see that we have in Matt Smith a fantastic champion for the community—someone who's prepared to go out there and support every single type of community organisation, whether it's a sporting organisation or community organisation, all the way up in the Torres Strait through to Cairns. Unfortunately, we haven't seen the same commitment from the LNP candidate, Jeremy Neal, and that's because we know that he does not support cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, tax cuts or the plan to deliver net zero through renewable energy which will reduce power bills, lead to cheaper energy and, most importantly for the people of Cairns, protect the Great Barrier Reef.

You cannot support Peter Dutton's risky nuclear plan and also support Barrier Reef jobs, so it is time for Mr Neal to come clean about which side he stands on. Does he support Peter Dutton and the risky nuclear plan or does he support the jobs of the Great Barrier Reef that are the economic lifeblood for the community of Cairns?