Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes. Many people played a role in helping me to hold Hinkler. First and foremost was my wife Margaret, who has been my strongest supporter throughout my political career. She is politically alert. She listens to things, to radio bulletins, she types letters and doorknocks with me. She is a very keen political observer. My campaign director, Rod Wilson, has now seen me through six elections and his guidance and counsel have always been the mainstay of our Hinkler campaigns. He worked closely with my deputy campaign directors, Dick Bitcon, Alf Bonanno and Lin Powell, who were dedicated in their duties in the three areas of the electorate, and also Betty Reddacliffe, who was a wonderful campaign treasurer. She watched every cent and the campaign came in on the positive side. I have—as the member for Brisbane said of his staff—been singularly blessed with excellent and experienced staff. Led by Lesley Smith, my staff of Heather Hawkins, Leanne Ruge, Kate Barwick, Rosina Johnson and Janelle Geddes worked tirelessly on the campaign, doing everything behind the scenes to make sure we got the right result on the day. As the member for Brisbane said, it is really a three-year campaign.

Sadly, both Lesley and Leanne have left my employ—Lesley because of the new government staffing outcomes which have deprived the National Party of a whip’s clerk, and Leanne because, due to the redistribution, I am not entitled to a second office in the new seat. Lesley has been my office manager and sounding board ever since I first won the seat in 1993. She is a lady of great humour, great patience and great skill. I cannot speak highly enough of her contribution to my political and constituent successes. Our entire office misses her greatly.

The same can be said of Leanne Ruge, who single-handedly ran my Gladstone office and gave quality contact to the entire Gladstone region. There are many other people to thank—too numerous to mention by name. I thank each and every one of those who assisted me, especially those who spent countless hours putting up the corflutes when they were knocked over, and the like, planning functions and especially manning the polling booths. ‘Team Hinkler’ put in a tireless effort for the months before the campaign proper commenced and continued to work nonstop up to the victory.

I must admit that my Labor opponent’s campaign never recovered from an early gaffe in Hervey Bay, calling the Australian-resident mother of a British soldier serving in Afghanistan a ‘Pommy warmonger’. That was an unforgivable statement that quite understandably upset Rosemary Arthurs and her husband Tom. I do not care what your view is on these particular issues or policies; there is never any excuse for name-calling or personal insult, much less to those whose children serve our country or its allies.

I would like now to talk about what lies ahead for the people of Hinkler. Last night’s budget was a huge disappointment for my electorate. Not one significant road project received funding and no helping hand was extended to local communities. Surf clubs will receive a water tank while the partly completed Elliot Heads Surf Life Saving Club, which needs more money for completion, rusts away. In fact, much-needed funding for two community building projects under Regional Partnerships is at risk. Bear in mind that both the projects I am about to talk about are not flash in the pan ones that were confected for the election campaign; they are longstanding campaigns that have been well assessed but have been under a cloud of indecision for some time.

The first Bundaberg project in the firing line is the expansion of the excellent Austchilli operation. This is the biggest chilli operation in Australia both in terms of fresh product and processed product. It is a tribute to the hard work of David de Paoli, his general manager, Ian Gaffel, and their staff. Austchilli was to receive $650,000 to help stage 2 of its development of an innovative food processing activity. This was a high-pressure sterilising method. What it does is add considerable shelf life to products. That particular process would have been the first in Australia. It was the first time that the technology was available to us and it would have opened up opportunities for small crop growers, technical service providers, job seekers and so on. In fact, it would have created 26 full-time equivalent jobs in the Bundaberg area.

A full six months after the funding had been approved, Austchilli’s hopes sank—they sank last night in fact—when it appeared that this was one of the projects to be axed. Uncertainty has caused the company to shed six staff positions and it has missed out on lucrative contracts, including one which would have seen the company provide avocado product to all the restaurants in the Subway chain.

A more insidious effect, which has just been brought to my attention, is the fact that Australia now will have to import this avocado product from Mexico. Interestingly, Queensland’s Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, a Labor minister I might add, implored her federal colleague to resolve the situation in Austchilli’s favour. In a letter, state minister Desley Boyle says, ‘This project has significant commercial outcomes for the region, both for domestic retail and food service growth and the export advantages this project would have for the region. I am keen to have this matter resolved as quickly as possible.’

The second Bundaberg based project is different in nature but no less important. The Lake Ellen heritage hub is a playground, bicycle safety training course, bicycle skills course and a heritage hub. It brings the community together in a multitude of playground and learning experiences. It celebrates multicultural diversity in Bundaberg and is quite significant to the sugar industry. It had a grant of $236,500 approved under Regional Partnerships program to help purchase playground equipment but has been left in limbo again because of last night’s decision. In fact, it has the Commonwealth’s badging on the fence—actually on the fence. So the Commonwealth does not mind taking credit for it, but is not going to come up with the dough.

Bundaberg City Council committed $150,000 for the project, the Queensland government $215,000 and local community organisations $125,000. But the Commonwealth’s component—as I said, $236,500—is up in the air. The biggest concern for the local community is that the playground equipment has already been purchased and most of it installed. What happens now if the approved Commonwealth funding—I use ‘approved’ in inverted commas—disappears? The project has already received strong corporate in-kind support and the local community will now be put in a position where the same benefactors may have to pick up some of the government’s slack. There is an enormous amount of anxiety about these two projects in the Bundaberg area. The local media has rallied to the cause and many families are pinning their hopes on the new Labor government living up to its mantra about caring for working families.

Not so long ago, on 16 November last year, the then Labor spokesman for regional services, Simon Crean, said on the 2 pm news on radio 4BC: ‘If they’—meaning the Regional Partnerships projects—‘have merit, if they have been approved, we will tick them off.’ Six months on, for heaven’s sake, when will the government confirm its promises? We already know of one project in Hervey Bay which has been axed—the fishermen’s hall of fame, which would have incorporated the Fraser Coast heritage centre and the Hervey Bay Experience. The centre would have been an iconic attraction for the Fraser Coast and its environment, with links to migrating whales, Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Strait. It is ironic that the state Labor government has forced the Traveston dam on these people while the federal Labor government has taken an iconic attraction away. These are important projects to the people in my community and I implore the government to reconsider its position.

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