Petition to stop abuse of legal system
9 DECEMBER 2016: To the thousands of North Queenslanders who joined me in the push to get Adani’s Carmichael Coal Project over the line, I would like to offer sincere thanks and also to congratulate you on the successes we have achieved to date. Mr Adani’s visit to North Queensland this week brought with it a wave of confidence and a positive outlook for our region as we look forward to the jobs and economic boost that will follow.
Right to clear land assured
ANY suggestion that the Federal Government will intervene and ban farmers from tree clearing is just utter nonsense.There have been media reports which gave the impression that Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg would “stop Queensland farmers clearing land in an effort to protect the Great Barrier Reef”.The Liberal National Coalition Government will not be stepping in and banning farmers from undertaking tree clearing on their own land.Any media reports which claim we will are overblown nonsense.
Rail line to boost jobs & economy
5 DECEMBER 2016: Construction of a rail line linking the Galilee Basin with the port at Abbot Point will open up jobs and economic opportunity far beyond Adani’s Carmichael Coal Project. I am supporting a Federal Government loan for construction of the multi-use rail line under the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF).
Tax deal a win for backpackers and local workers
28 NOVEMBER 2016: A 15 per cent tax rate for backpackers is a good outcome for North Queensland farmers, backpackers and Australian workers. The Liberal National Government announced today it had negotiated a deal with One Nation for the tax rate applying to working holiday visa holders.
Regional funding better than ever
23 NOVEMBER 2016: Regional funding takes a quantum leap forward with today’s launch of the Building Better Regions Fund. Most importantly, capital cities will no longer be eligible for regional funding because this is a fund for rural, regional and remote communities.
Sugar tax will cut jobs, not kilos
23 NOVEMBER 2016: A TAX on sugar will cut jobs but it won't obesity - and it will hurt people on low incomes the most. The Nanny State today launched a report from left-wing think tank, the Grattan Institute, called: Taxing Sugary Drinks: Recovering the Community Cost of Obesity.
Wilmar 'forcing government to act'
21 NOVEMBER 2016: Despite having crops already in the ground and the best prices for years, most cane farmers have not signed cane supply agreements with Wilmar because Wilmar’s proposed agreements deny farmers their right to choice in marketing.
Call for sacked mine workers to speak up
17 NOVEMBER 2016: Today, I am calling for any German Creek mine workers who believe they have been made redundant so their jobs could go to labour hire contractors to contact my office so I can take up their case with the Fair Work Ombudsman. I have had ongoing concerns about the rise of casualisation in the mining industry and particular concerns about what was happening at Anglo American’s German Creek coal mine near Middlemount.
Shorten needs to back up his outlandish claim
16 NOVEMBER 2016: Bill Shorten needs to back up his outlandish accusations today about 457 visa-related voting in parliament with fact. He claims I voted “no” to legislation that, according to Bill, Labor “proposed to help improve the governance, the regulation of the visa system to make sure that Australians were getting looked after and people weren’t getting ripped off and exploited”.
Shorten fails to own up to issuing record 457 visas
16 NOVEMBER 2016: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten missed a golden opportunity today to explain to North Queenslanders why he signed off on a record number of 457 visas when he was the Employment Minister. Although the purpose of Mr Shorten’s Mackay visit was to talk about 457 visas, he failed to mention that Labor oversaw the largest increase in 457 visas during their last term of government.
Moratorium needed on foreign workers
15 NOVEMBER 2016: I wrote to the Prime Minister this morning, calling for a complete ban on 457 visas being issued for jobs located in Central and North Queensland. I also wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister and the ministers for Employment and Immigration, requesting a moratorium on 457s in the region hardest hit by the mining downturn.
8 million visitors: Australia sets new tourism record
14 NOVEMBER 2016: AUSTRALIA welcomed more than eight million international tourists over the past 12 months and the benefits have flowed to North Queensland, especially the Whitsundays. This year’s results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics is the first time Australia has broken the eight million visitor mark.
Supplanting Australian law with Sharia should cost citizenship
7 NOVEMBER 2016: Today I called for citizenship to be revoked from new residents who broke Australian law in order to comply with Sharia law during a speech in parliament on forced marriages. Political correctness should not stop Australia from upholding and enforcing Australian law, including for those who voluntarily came to Australia.
Next step on $30 million jobs and investment boost
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.
Give local youth a go
3 NOVEMBER 2016: An innovative Youth Jobs PaTH programme is getting young North Queenslanders ready and able to join the workforce. Youth Jobs PaTH (Prepare-Trial-Hire) will help increase young people’s job prospects by ensuring they are better prepared for the workplace and encouraging more businesses to open the door to them.
Free shingles vaccine for over 70s
2 NOVEMBER 2016: Good news today that 70-year-old Australians can get the shingles vaccine for free. The vaccine will be free to eligible people, with a catch-up program available for adults aged 71 to 79 years.
NDIS rolling out in Mackay
31 OCTOBER 2016: The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will roll out to Mackay residents from tomorrow, improving the lives of more North Queenslanders with disability and generating hundreds of jobs in the region.
Upgrade for Mackay to Galilee road link
24 OCTOBER 2016: A vital road link between Mackay and the Galilee Basin will be upgraded under the Liberal National Government’s road funding program announced today. The Clermont to Alpha road has been talked about for years as the missing link in an all-weather transport route from the Galilee Basin to the service centre on the coast.
Name needed for Yellow Gin Creek bridge
18 OCTOBER 2016: I put a call out this morning for North Queenslanders to help name a new bridge over Yellow Gin Creek on the Bruce Highway, south of Ayr. The yet to be named two-lane, 120m bridge opened to traffic in June, replacing an old crossing that regularly flooded and caused road closures.