Minister’s Mackay visit to canvass ideas
29 JANUARY 2016: Mackay residents will provide direct input into a regional policy process when the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister visits Mackay. The Liberal National Government is formulating a policy that will set out a long-term vision for regional Australia and North Queensland will play a vital role in the process.
A call to action on jobs in resource industry
AS the Member for Dawson, and Chairman of the Coalition’s Backbench Policy Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, I wish to state in the strongest of terms that it’s not just Townsville and the 237 Queensland Nickel workers who are in need of assistance right now; it’s just about every resource community around the nation, and particularly the Bowen Basin.While I am as angry as the next person about the fate of the workers at Yabulu, and they are deserving of every bit of assistance offered, it’s a crying shame that State and Federal Governments of all political persuasions have not done enough to stabilise, stimulate and transition economies in resource communities.In the Bowen Basin we have seen job losses in the thousands at mine sites, at mining service companies and in mining town businesses whose trade has dried up in the downturn.
Carmichael coal for NQ this Christmas
22 DECEMBER 2015: NORTH Queensland received coal for Christmas this morning and is looking forward to a stocking full of jobs in the new year after the Federal Government approved the Abbot Point port expansion.
Greens target "brown faces" in racist anti-mining campaign
EXTREME green groups are guilty of veiled racism in their relentless and targeted campaign against Indian company Adani and its "brown-skinned executives".This is a mining development which will breathe new life into Mackay with the jobs and opportunities it will provide.The extreme green anti-mining campaign has only focussed on an Indian company which is veiled racism, and the veil’s pretty thin.It’s almost a case of ‘you can’t trust the Indians’.Along with defaming an Indian company, these extreme green groups are now attacking the Indian brown-skinned executives of that company.
PM agrees with stance on climate document
PROMPT action was needed yesterday to ensure that a communique which would cost jobs and harm rural and resources sectors was not signed during the Paris conference.I contacted both Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Environment Minister Greg Hunt directly because the communique could have spelt the end of the diesel fuel rebate which protects off-road users such as farmers and mining companies.The loss of that rebate would add millions of dollars to the operating costs of mining companies, and thousands of dollars to farmers, and this would cost jobs at a time when we can least afford any more imposts.
Region needs a ‘year of opportunity’ in 2016
27 NOVEMBER 2015: A dedicated agency tasked with job creation and industry development could make 2016 a year of opportunity for the greater Mackay region.
Solution for stalled jobs
12 NOVEMBER 2015: Thousands of jobs in North Queensland could flow sooner if Federal Labor was willing to back the workers of the resource industry. In parliament last night, I proposed a solution to the stalled Carmichael Coal Project, which would see construction begin sooner and thousands of jobs come on line.
Extreme greens urged to get out of the way
I am heading to Ahmedabad on a mission for jobs.I will be meeting with the Chairman of the Adani Group, Mr Gautam Adani, to deliver thousands of postcards of support from a community saying, ‘Yes, Mackay does support the Carmichael mine, Yes, we can supply a workforce, and Yes, we can be a service hub for the Carmichael Coal Project'.The extreme green movement, who have conducted a relentless campaign against the job-creating Carmichael Coal Project, need to understand that Adani needs coal, and will simply source it from somewhere else if they can’t go ahead with their mine in Australia.
Last call for jobs support
28 October 2015: North Queenslanders have just two more days to return their “Postcards for Adani” to support jobs and economic growth through the Carmichael mine.
Extreme green bother brigade must be stopped
THE extreme green activists have put out the call for donations to fund another legal challenge of the Carmichael Coal Project before they even know what they can oppose.The action is another clear indication that the extreme greens are hell-bent on robbing the region of much-needed jobs and investment dollars.GetUp! has put the call out for donations to fund another legal challenge already, and by these actions they are proving the point yet again that this has nothing to do with conservation and everything to do with stopping coal projects.
Carmichael Mine Project gets green light
THE long wait for a decision on the Carmichael Mine Project is over; with word today that Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has approved the project.Workers and business operators throughout Central and North Queensland will be breathing a sigh of relief.The way is now clear for Adani to get on with the job of building the Carmichael mine and the associated rail infrastructure, and that means jobs and investment dollars will start to flow.
Time to sign up to welcome campaign
THE postcards and signatures on the Adani campaign are rolling into the office as close to 1000 people register their support for the Carmichael Mine Project and Abbot Point coal terminal expansion.It is vital for the region to demonstrate its willingness to work on the project which will create thousands of jobs over the total project.We want to ensure we are a collection point for workers for the Carmichael Coal Project, and it has always been Adani’s intention that this be the case.
MP will travel to India to deliver message
“We’ve got the workers, the industry capabilities and the experience to support your project Mr Adani, and we’re ready to get started.”This is the message I will share personally with mining investor Gautam Adani when I travel to India next month.The region’s need for jobs and investment is too important to leave to chance, and I will do everything in my power to ensure our region does not miss out on the opportunities the Carmichael Mine Project will bring.I’m asking everyone in Mackay to get on board with my campaign to let Gautam Adani know that we are ready and waiting to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Extreme green rot must stop
THE latest extreme green court action mounted against the Alpha Coal Project demonstrates how important it is that the Federal Government stick with legislation to end the sabotage of coal projects.The people who pay the ultimate price for these vigilante court actions are the workers of Central and North Queensland in dire need of jobs, and the businesses desperate for a boost to the region’s economy.The extreme green activists will continue to mount challenge after challenge against coal projects like the Alpha Coal Project and the Carmichael Mine Project.
People of Bowen have their say
THE people of Bowen will finally have their say tomorrow on the actions of extreme green groups and their job-destroying tactics.A public hearing being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment will provide an opportunity for business owners, business groups and individuals to give their side of the story on issues such as the development of Abbot Point.People in Bowen feel like they’re the political football when it comes to resources development in this country and they’ve had enough of it.
Turtle tale a political ploy
IN their latest effort to kill off jobs, the extreme greens have used the plight of turtles nesting to stop the Abbot Point coal expansion.The Australian Marine Conservation Society are now trumpeting the fact that this area is a hotspot for marine turtles in their endless attack on the job-creating expansion of the Abbot Point coal terminal.This is despite the fact that Adani funds the local indigenous people, the Juru people, to run a turtle nesting program where they go and actually install protection barriers around the nesting turtles to stop other animals – foxes, pigs, dogs – from getting into nests and destroying hatchlings.
New Minister ready to tackle extreme greens
THE Liberal National Government’s new Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia has wasted no time in addressing the issue of extreme green activism which is robbing the region of jobs and investment.Minister Josh Frydenberg has already noted the importance of Adani’s Carmichael Mine Project, and the threat to our economy posed by the campaigns of the extreme greens.He understands what’s at stake here, as their destructive extreme green campaigns will not only cost the people of this region jobs and opportunities; they are also likely to result in foreign investors going elsewhere for their coal and iron ore.