NOVEMBER 4, 2016: I will meet with other Federal MPs who represent the Bowen Basin region next week to plan the next steps in delivering a $30 million jobs and investment package, bringing to fruition another Coalition Government election commitment.The aim of the Bowen Basin Regional Jobs and Investment Package is to help businesses diversify and to create more jobs on the ground.The next step in getting this $30 million investment out of Government coffers and into businesses and programmes that will provide jobs is to establish a local planning committee which will operate under the guidance of the Minister for Regional Development Fiona Nash.I will sit down with colleagues, the Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry and the Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd, to discuss the process for engaging our nominees to sit on that committee.We will move quickly on this to have the committee set up by the end of November, so that they can then determine the investment priorities for our region.We would then hope to see a call for funding applications from early in 2017.The Bowen Basin Regional Jobs and Investment Package will offer funding flexibility via three streams to drive economic growth:

• Business innovation grants;
• Local infrastructure projects; and
• Skills and training programmes.

A key aspect of this jobs and investment package is that it’s community driven and therefore the people of the Bowen Basin support region will have direct say over what is needed here and what will serve the region best.The Minister for Regional Development will appoint Local Government representatives to the committee, which will be made up of approximately 12 people, and I will work with Michelle Landry and Ken O’Dowd on the nomination of other industry, business and community leaders who have a good understanding of our current and future needs in various sectors of our economy, whether that be resource-related, agriculture, tourism or other emerging industries.