Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. I know that she is intensely interested in making sure the Adani mine gets going, as all Central Queenslanders are, as the member for Flynn and the member for Dawson are and as the member for Herbert should be but of course he is not. The reason they should be interested in the Adani mine is the $34.5 billion that the coalmining sector brings into Australia and the 44,000 workers, predominantly blue-collar workers, who are employed in the mining industry—a group of people that once upon a time the Labor Party used to support. The Labor Party used to support labourers, but they have given up on that. I remind the member for Herbert that the unemployment level in Townsville, at 11.3 per cent, means that she should be a strong advocate for the Adani mine and she should be driving the Labor Party, that used to support labourers, to support the Adani mine, and in that quest to get the Adani mine going she should be supported by the member for Shortland. He should be supporting coal workers. The member for Hunter should be supporting coal workers. But they are not.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

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