No refugees for Mackay
I have restated his position that there be no intake of any Syrian refugees in Mackay, following suggestions that other towns like Nebo and Middlemount should be considered for refugee resettlement.I firmly believe that Mackay is not in a position to take on the resettlement of any refugees, and my objections are not religious or cultural; they are purely economic.We have a severe unemployment issue in the region right now, and the facts are that refugees need considerable support for a number of years.
MP takes up BoM job losses with PM
THE loss of on-ground Bureau of Meteorology staff in Mackay and Townsville was raised directly with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra this morning.It was announced on Friday that bureau staff in both Mackay and Townsville would need to relocate after weather stations switch to fully automated systems between now and 2017.I was informed this morning that this decision to take away all of our on-ground weather monitoring staff from Mackay and Townsville, as well as other centres, was made by the management of the Bureau of Meteorology, rather than Environment Minister Greg Hunt’s office.Regardless of who made the decision, I am seeking to have it reversed.
MP urges Labor to support job-creating bill
THE call to put an end to extreme green legal warfare against job-creating projects in Central and North Queensland was on the agenda in Canberra this morning with the presentation of a Private Member’s Bill on the issue.I called on the Australian Labor Party to support the Liberal National Government’s amendments to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act in order to put an end to frivolous legal challenges which held up major projects.An endless round of legal challenges from the extreme green eco-terrorists against projects such as Adani’s Carmichael Mine are destroying this country’s reputation and we risk sending investors elsewhere to secure the fossil fuels they will need for decades to come.
Adani needs patience of saint to wait for state
NOT only is the Queensland Labor Government dilly-dallying on the approval of a mining lease for the Carmichael Mine, but there is a swag of other approvals pending which are holding up progress on the massive job-creating project.A major developer needs the patience of a saint when dealing with the Palaszczuk Government and quite frankly it’s ridiculous.It’s not like this combined mine, rail and port project hit the in-trays yesterday; it’s been going on for years.
MPs: Grant Adani mining lease so work can begin
I joined several of my Queensland colleagues at Parliament House today in a joint call for the Queensland Labor Government to issue a mining lease for the Carmichael Mine, now that an environmental authority has been issued.Doing so would allow Adani to get started on the massive job-creating project which has been 10 years in the making.The development of the Carmichael Mine is an absolute no brainer.
$5 billion funding bill for the North ready to go
THE draft legislation to enable the flow of $5 billion into projects in Northern Australia has been released and this is a key step in developing jobs and opportunities for the north.The exposure draft legislation for the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) paves the way for the flow of funding into the development of infrastructure, so that this region and other parts of Northern Australia can reach the potential we know is there.The north holds the country’s rich reserves of energy and resources, it has many thousands of hectares of arable land if we get the right water infrastructure, like Urannah Dam, in place, and we have world-class tourist attractions.
Next step for international flights & jobs
DREAMS of flying high on direct international flights out of Mackay and Whitsunday Coast and providing a vital tourism boost to both centres have moved a step closer, with work underway on identifying the airport infrastructure and resourcing requirements needed to support international flights.Following my approaches to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton, I have been informed that his department representatives are working with management at both Mackay and Whitsunday Coast airports to look at airport infrastructure and identify border agency resourcing requirements so we can make these plans a reality.
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.
Hopes raised on flow of Urannah funds
I WAS pleased to get confirmation today that an application for funding for a Urannah Dam feasibility study has been submitted to the Federal Government’s National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.The Urannah Dam project has the potential to create thousands of jobs and immediately open up more than 12,000 hectares of agricultural land with the potential for approximately 30,000 hectares in total, but the crucial next step for its consideration was to secure funding for a $5.2 million feasibility study..Expressions of interest for funding had to be lodged by state and territory governments by Thursday last week, and I am happy to confirm that this has taken place.
Time for Premier to walk the walk
THE Queensland Premier’s talk of fast-tracking infrastructure projects in North Queensland is an absolute joke when two of the biggest job-creating projects, namely the Mackay Ring Road and the Haughton River Bridge replacement, are lost in a bureaucratic bog.We need more than rubbish talk from Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on fast-tracking these big projects, because the blame for holding up hundreds of jobs lies squarely with the State Labor Government.The Federal Government had already committed to fast-tracking funding for these infrastructure projects at my insistence; that promise was secured back in September 2014 from then Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
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.
Taking the tax pledge
HAVE signed a Tax Pledge demonstrating my commitment to vote against any tax increases, and I'm challenging Labor Leader Bill Shorten and his local Labor candidate to do the same while they’re both in Mackay tomorrow.I've taken this stance ahead of an orchestrated “GST Forum” being hosted by the Labor Party on Wednesday night.I didn’t go into politics to increase taxes, I went in to lower taxes, and in fact in my maiden speech I said exactly that.
Bank to reassess Mackay lending restrictions
The National Australia Bank (NAB) has promised to reassess their lending restrictions for Mackay home buyers.Earlier this year the NAB changed their guidelines for Mackay to restrict home loan lending to only those who could provide a 30% deposit.Following a meeting in October with more than 20 real estate industry leaders, I issued an invitation to the National Australia Bank’s CEO to visit Mackay and hear firsthand about the effects of the bank’s ruling that buyers in Mackay were essentially a "credit risk".
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.
More work for the Bruce
26 NOVEMBER 2015: Work is set to begin on constructing two overtaking lanes on the Bruce Highway between Proserpine and Mackay, with a contract for the $7 million project being awarded to Doval Constructions. These constructions projects on the Bruce Highway are bringing jobs and economic growth to the region. The jobs and wages that will come into the region are a welcome boost to the local economy in the short term and in the long term, a more efficient Bruce Highway keeps the economy on the move and more productive.
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.
More jobs in highway works
11 NOVEMBER 2015: More road construction jobs will be created when overtaking lanes are added to the Bruce Highway near the O’Connell River north of Bloomsbury. Tenders for the construction have been issued for a south-bound overtaking lane near Thomsetts Road.
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.