Jobs flow from new overlaking lanes
12 APRIL 2017: MORE overtaking lanes are in place along the Bruce Highway, with two new sections opening between Proserpine and Bowen three months ahead of schedule. Completion of the overtaking lanes near Dingo and Emu Creeks – funded as part of the Coalition’s record $50 billion infrastructure investment programme – highlighted the government’s drive to improve safety and efficiency on the Bruce Highway.
Foreign aid an insult to victims of Debbie
7 APRIL 2017: NORTH Queensland cyclone victims are struggling to access government payments while billions of dollars are being sent overseas. Today Icalled for a halt to all foreign aid while the nation is struggling to deal with its own domestic disaster.
Funds for bridges on offer
Councils throughout the region have the chance to get local bridges in poor condition fixed with the help of direct funding from the Federal Government with the commencement of a new round of funding under the $360 million Bridges Renewal Programme.This is a great opportunity for state, territory and local governments to apply for funding to have ageing bridges fixed, with up to half the cost met by the Australian Government. This will be the third round of funding under the programme, which is continuing to keep communities connected and local industries profitable.Our councils can get on board by nominating local bridges that need upgrading or replacement. Residents who might like to put forward their ideas should get in touch with their Council to find out about any plans they have to nominate local bridges, or put forward suggestions.
Elitists try to write off jobs in the North
The elitists are trying to write off jobs for struggling unemployed Central Queenslanders and North Queenslanders with their letter to Gautam Adani opposing the Carmichael Mine.Styling themselves as ‘prominent Australians’, these elitist wankers include investment bankers, CEOs of major corporations such as Telstra, pretentious literati, professional activists and has-been celebrities.I’d love for just one of them to come down to the Larrikin Hotel in Bowen and explain to the locals there who have been suffering from a stalled economy for years on end, why they think the jobs from the Carmichael Mine and Abbot Point coal port expansion should not be created.
Surf club election pledge takes shape
WORK to fulfill an election commitment to the Eimeo Surf Life Saving Club will soon get under way, with the end result of an upgraded premises with a dedicated first aid room and training facility.I was happy to make the commitment in June last year that a re-elected Liberal National Government would provide $100,000 for this upgrade.The club's president Bill Landsbury and vice president Duncan Sanderson told me they hope to have it up and running by the end of April.
Time to bring Wilmar into line
7 FEBRUARY 2017: IT’S time for the government to step in and resolve sugar marketing dispute with a mandatory code of practice for the sugar industry. Wilmar has had more than enough time to the right thing of their own free will and it’s time the government stepped in to stop the Singaporean-owned miller from bullying farmers.
NQ jobs, cheaper power a step closer
2 FEBRUARY 2017: New jobs and lower power prices could come to North Queensland as momentum builds for a low-emissions coal-fired power generator in the North. My call for a clean coal generator in North Queensland has received a boost with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull supporting the technology and emphasising the need for affordable and reliable electricity.
Ovarian cancer drug subsidised
1 FEBRUARY 2017: From today, Australians have subsidised access to new drugs for ovarian and lung cancer – which would otherwise cost more than $100,000 per course of treatment – but are now available for just $6.30 for concessional patients and $38.80 for general patients.
Apply now for round one of Building Better Regions Fund
18 JANUARY 2017: Community groups and local councils are encouraged to apply for funding under the Building Better Regions Fund, which is available for community and infrastructure projects in North Queensland. Applications will be assessed in three categories depending on the size of the project – so small community projects are not competing against huge projects worth tens of millions.
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.
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.