Labor: the party who’ll kill coal jobs

THE Labor Party would kill the Adani Carmichael Coal Project if elected, and that job-destroying fait accompli was made clear on national television last night by a key Labor spokeswoman.The Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition Terri Butler sealed Adani’s fate under Labor on the ABC’s Q&A program last night.Ms Butler showed her true colours on Adani’s coal project last night when she said, and I quote, ‘I don’t support the Adani mine either I’ve got to say’ and then for good measure she repeated her opposition stating ‘I don’t support it’.

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Centre for the homeless gets $20,000 boost

THE long held vision of creating a Drop In Centre for the homeless in Mackay took another step forward today with the presentation of a grant for $20,000 under the Stronger Communities Programme.Mackay Drop In Centre (MDIC) will construct a purpose-built building in partnership with Salvation Army Mackay to provide a day service for homeless people of Mackay.I recommended this project for the maximum funding available under the Liberal National Government’s Stronger Communities Programme, and I’m thrilled to see that it’s been approved.

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$8 million in funding flows to water projects

FUNDING is set to flow to create jobs, provide water security and open up vast tracts of agricultural land with Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen welcoming announcements this morning that pre-construction planning work will begin for the Urannah Dam, the raising of the Burdekin Dam Wall, the Burdekin Haughton Channel upgrade, Hell’s Gate Dam and to upgrade water infrastructure for Clermont.Today’s announcement makes all the hard work fighting for local jobs worthwhile.

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Airlie Beach to benefit from CCTV

Today I had the pleasure of announcing more than $725,000 from Round Two of the Coalition’s Safer Streets Programme to fund closed-circuit television (CCTV) at Airlie Beach.The Safer Streets Programme supports communities at the grass roots to help address crime and anti-social behaviour, and boost crime prevention initiatives to keep our streets safe.I was joined by the Minister for Justice Michael Keenan at Airlie Beach today to make the announcement.

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Volunteer groups get a healthy boost

It has been great to see so many volunteer groups in my electorate benefit from the last round of Volunteer Grants and I congratulate all of those involved, and I thank you for your service.Across my electorate of Dawson, 40 organisations have received a total of $166,946 and this will benefit 1055 volunteers as well as the wider community they serve.The regional breakdown is as follows:Mackay region – 13 groups received a total of $58,496Whitsunday/Bowen region – 8 groups received a total of $35,303Burdekin region – 14 groups received a total of $53,655South Townsville and Alligator Creek – 5 groups received a total of $19,492

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Decision on backpacker tax delivers certainty

The backpacker tax is gone.The Federal Liberal National government is deferring the tax for six months pending a review which is expected to come up with a lower, more competitive tax rate.I met with Bowen Gumlu Growers Association president Carl Walker in Bowen this morning to share the news, which will provide fruit and vegetable growers with greater workforce certainty.The backpackers I spoke to were also happy to hear about it.We definitely need to ensure that our growers have the workers they need to harvest their crops, but we also need to ensure that as many Australians as possible have the opportunity to take up work on farms.

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Tenders called for flood-proofing project on the Bruce

WORK is now at the tender stage for the $57 million Bruce Highway – Sandy Gully Bridge Upgrade north of Bowen, as we deliver a road able to withstand a once-in-50-year flood event.This particular section of the Bruce Highway is regularly closed during bad weather, with wide-ranging effects on surrounding residents and motorists passing through the region.Making this section of highway more flood resistant will have significant benefits for the safety of motorists and the wellbeing of communities at risk of being isolated by flood waters.It’s also a project which will provide 107 direct jobs over the life of the project, so we can look forward to these jobs coming on line in the very near future.

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Labor-Greens alliance would end Adani project

A Labor-Greens government would spell the end for the Adani Carmichael Mine Project and the thousands of jobs it would provide.This has been made crystal clear by Greens and Labor candidates this week.If the Greens get to power-share in a Labor minority government, we can kiss the Carmichael Mine Project goodbye because the Greens will push to overturn the mine approval and sound the death knell on the thousands of jobs it would create.Greens Senator Larissa Waters has said the Adani mine should never have been approved.So this is how it would play out if we ended up in the mess of having a Labor-Greens minority government.

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Why won’t Bill Shorten support job-creating projects for CQ workers?

LABOR leader Bill Shorten has confirmed that his government will do nothing to support the workers of Central and North Queensland who are desperate to see Adani’s Carmichael Mine Project go ahead.Why is Mr Shorten so opposed to the project when it’s vital for the economy of the region?Mr Shorten said in Mackay today, and I quote ‘The Commonwealth Government I lead wouldn’t be putting taxpayers’ money into the Adani mine.’

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$28,400 grant for business to train up staff

SECURING a Liberal National Government Industry Skills Fund grant of more than $28,000 will enable Paget-based business Mackay Conveyor Equipment to train up employees in preparation for a diversified future.I paid the business a visit today and caught up with managing director Jason Kelly, who told me he wanted to upskill his staff so together they could work towards establishing a consistent flow of business.He said it came down to looking further afield to source work for his business which has traditionally provided parts and maintenance services to coal mines in the Bowen Basin.

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Mackay poised to reap benefits from $1 billion Singapore partnership

THE established industry capabilities of Mackay could allow the city to ride the back of a new Australia-Singapore partnership which will see the tiny Asian nation invest $1 billion in strengthening our defence partnership and accelerating collaboration in innovation, science, research and technology.The new partnership would see Rockhampton and Townsville become bases for the Singapore Army.A $1 billion investment in Singapore’s defence capabilities to the south of us in Rockhampton and to our north in Townsville puts Mackay in a great position to tap into opportunities for the manufacturing and maintenance of equipment which may be required.

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The fight for funds for our ‘chappies’

I will lead a backbench revolt against any decision to terminate funding for local school chaplains beyond 2018 if I have to, because I am concerned that it is not listed in the Budget's forward estimates.This is a programme I support personally through donations, and it will continue if I have my way.Education Minister Simon Birmingham has said that Federal funding for the School Chaplaincy Programme will continue until the end of the 2018 calendar year, as it was funded as a four year program from 2014. It will then be due for consideration ahead of the 2017-18 Budget.

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Investing in Dawson

THE Dawson electorate will benefit from a significant infrastructure boost in the 2016-17 financial year, with $43.6 million allocated for specific projects in the region, and that's in addition to any Federal funding which will flow for the $448 million we will invest into the Mackay Ring Road.The electorate will also receive its fair share of a further $6.4 billion across a range of infrastructure initiatives, including the $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.This demonstrates the Liberal National Government’s commitment to regional communities, outlined in last night’s Federal Budget.The funding is about boosting connectivity, building critical infrastructure, supporting innovation and fostering local leadership to support regional communities in Dawson.

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Push to keep aqua park afloat

Aqua Fun Park Mackay at Andergrove is a enterprising venture which not only boosts Mackay’s tourism offering but provides much-needed jobs for youth. It is in danger of being lost to the region and I'm keen to see what I can do to help.A government handout is not appropriate for a private business but if a not-for-profit organisation acquired equipment as a community asset and leased it out to a business to manage, that may be a viable solution.Operators Amanda Pelagalli and Kirk Langford have told me they lease their inflatable water park equipment and it will not be available to them next summer. So they need to buy their own equipment.This is a community-based tourism facility which helps Mackay to diversify and provide more reasons for visitation. Importantly it also provides casual employment for as many as 50 young people in our city, at a time when jobs for our kids are hard to find.

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Launch of NBN services by satellite

AN ESTIMATED 3195 homes and businesses in more isolated rural areas of the region can begin to connect to affordable, high-speed broadband with the launch of services on NBN’s Sky Muster satellite network today.This is great news for people in more rural areas that will finally be able to access high speed internet.There’s an estimated 3195 homes and businesses in my electorate in rural pockets between Mackay and Townsville who can connect and achieve download speeds of up to 25 megabits per second and uploads of up to 5 megabits, as the Sky Muster service will provided a faster online experience.To be eligible to connect to the service, you must be outside of NBN’s fixed line and fixed wireless coverage areas, and you can find out if you are by visiting www.nbnco.com.au or freecall NBN on 1800 687 626.

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MP pushes for Urannah Dam funding

THIS morning I met with key proponents for the Urannah Dam which would provide water to underpin growth and development in the Mackay, Whitsunday, Isaac and Burdekin regions to discuss the push for funding for planning and design of the dam.I hope to see funding flow when the successful applicants for the Liberal National government's National Water Infrastructure Development Fund are announced.I have done everything in my power to get the Urannah Dam on the radar of those in Canberra, and I am hopeful we will be able to start work on the project through the $25 million National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.There’s funding which will be specifically directed to Northern Australia, and the planning and design work for Urannah Dam is in the running for this.

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Labor plan a threat to farmers’ livelihoods

AS if farmers don't have enough to deal with when it comes to tree clearing laws, we now have Federal Labor pollies from city seats announcing fancy plans to introduce more ‘green police’.Bill Shorten has announced a plan to overrule state tree clearing policies, and send in Federal 'green police to tell farmers what they can and can't do on their own land.So we would have jumped-up federal bureaucrats flashing badges, stopping landholders from doing the work needed to run a normal farming enterprise.Only city slickers like Bill Shorten would come up with such a restrictive and blatantly unfair policy.

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Labor plan for another carbon tax whack

Labor’s announcement today that they would essentially bring back a carbon tax if elected beggars belief.The Opposition’s climate plan also includes an option for them to further restrict farmers’ ability to clear their own land.Labor’s fearless leader Bill Shorten will go blindly where Labor leaders before him have gone, and that’s down the path of introducing a carbon tax which will cost jobs and drive up power prices.Shorten has announced that a Labor Government will introduce an emissions reduction target of 45 per cent by 2030, so this would essentially double Australia’s emissions reduction targets.

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