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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Million dollar boost to aged care facility

It was a pleasure to represent the Prime Minister today at the opening of a new specialist care wing which will provide a million dollar boost to Townsville’s aged care facilities.The Good Shepherd Home at Annandale was successful in gaining further funding under the second round of the National Stronger Regions programme last year, and today we celebrated the opening of a new wing for the facility which features 90 new rooms with private ensuites, a premium accommodation floor, a high care accommodation floor and an entire level dedicated to the care of dementia patients.This project has been completed over two stages and features three levels, and it provides a premium care facility for Townsville’s aged community.

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Flicking the switch on cricket lights funding

A PROJECT which will drive sports tourism in Mackay and draw cricket and AFL fans from far afield will now become a reality thanks to a significant boost of Federal Government funding.I’m happy to announce that Harrup Park Country Club’s application for $497,026 in funding under the National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF) to upgrade the lighting at their Premier Oval has been successful.This means that Harrup Park will be able to meet the standards required by Cricket Australia and the AFL to host premier sporting events during the popular evening timeslot which is televised.This million dollar project ($997,026 in total) will stimulate the economy and create jobs both now and into the future.

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$266,000 in the hoop for Burdekin basketball

I am pleased to announce that I have fulfilled an election commitment to the Burdekin Amateur Basketball Association made during the final days of the recent election campaign.I spoke to Burdekin Amateur Basketball Club president Steve Plaza at the time, and gave an undertaking that I would do my utmost to secure the funding they were seeking to make their outdoor stadium a reality.They now have more than $266,000 on the way.

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Work kicks off at Sandy Gully

We've turned the sod to mark the commencement of work on the Sandy Gully Bridge upgrade north of Bowen today, and this $57 million project will improve safety and flood immunity on this 3.7 kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway.The project will create in excess of 100 jobs, and I was happy to see this work was awarded to a Mackay-based business, Vassallo Constructions.This section of the Bruce Highway floods regularly in bad weather and closures can seriously impact on drivers in the region.

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Decision on backpacker tax a win for region

TODAY’S announcement by Treasurer Scott Morrison that a backpacker tax of 19 cents in the dollar will be introduced next year, rather than a proposed 32.5 cents, is a win for our regional economy.Those in the horticultural, agricultural and tourism sectors in this region had legitimate concerns about the effects of a backpacker tax and I was happy to champion their cause and seek a fairer deal to ensure that the backpacker workforce was not decimated.

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Register shows who owns our land

7 SEPTEMBER 2016: The first report from the Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land was released by the Liberal National Government today. I have long been an advocate for the register and this report provides the basic transparency needed to ensure oversight and confidence in agricultural investment.

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