Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about the importance of infrastructure and building a secure economy for my electorate of Capricornia. Building bridges, improving roads, upgrading airports, building dams—they may not be glamorous and they may not spark much excitement, but they certainly lay the groundwork for a strong and diverse economy. I've fought hard to deliver these projects for my electorate of Capricornia and I want to thank the many ministers who have delivered the funding programs to make them possible. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, the Minister for Regional Development, and the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, in particular, have thrown their weight behind the bricks-and-mortar programs that are making a real difference. I'd like to touch on a few of these major projects to explain how they are laying the foundations for a strong economic future.

The first big project was the delivery of the Yeppen South flood-plain bridge in 2015. The bridge meant that, for the first time in Rockhampton's recent history, the city wasn't isolated by major flooding of the Fitzroy River. Central Queensland has remained open for business, and it has already proven to be a game-changer for our region. In the flood earlier this year we didn't run out of fuel and we didn't run short of fresh food. Shops were fully supplied, and travellers could still fly into Rockhampton via Gladstone. Back in 2013 the highway was cut at the Yeppen flood plain for nearly two weeks, causing millions of dollars of economic loss to our economy.

Even our local economic development and tourism organisation understands the bridge's importance. Mary Carroll from Central Queensland's economic development group, Capricorn Enterprise, said that this bridge marks a turning point for Central Queensland: 'We are avoiding losses of nearly $5.5 million per day in Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast alone. The 2011 flood basically cut Queensland in half, so the economic impact was devastating. But this time traffic continued to flow through the city. Whilst 215 businesses were directly affected by this flood, over 6,000 businesses in the region were not.'

Earlier this month my electorate also received notification that the Rockhampton airport will receive a vital upgrade through the coalition government's Building Better Regions Fund. The airport pavement upgrade will receive $5 million, making future military and public-use expansion a reality. The Rockhampton Airport Pavement Upgrade Project will deliver asphalt resurfacing to the main runway, as well as surface enrichment to the taxiways, runway shoulders and both the military and regular public transport aprons. It is not glamorous, but it will reduce the impact of flood enclosures and reduce the clean-up costs, protecting jobs and economic growth during and after flooding disasters.

The Rockhampton airport is a major gateway for the wider region, providing key labour and goods supply-chain linkages and other services for sectors, including transport and logistics, tourism, health and emergency services, defence and agriculture. This project will address significant constraints to job creation, commercial investment and economic growth in Capricornia immediately and for the long term. The upgrade will reduce closure times during flood events, reducing investment risk and allowing for growth and diversification of the economy. The airport upgrade will significantly reduce closure from flood events by 8.5 days, saving the economy around $6.29 million, based on the 2016 figures, creating 27 jobs and delivering incremental benefits of $22.9 million to the economy over 15 years. The efficiency of emergency air services like the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Angel Flight and CQ helicopter services based at the airport are vital during natural disaster events, and these services are disrupted during post-disaster closures.

We will also see increases in efficiency of airport operations for both service delivery and operating efficiency, negating the need for ongoing surface enrichment treatments that are disruptive to airport operations. Councillor Neil Fisher from Rockhampton Regional Council fought long and hard for this project, so it's great to see that it's being delivered. A long-time advocate of improving airport infrastructure, Councillor Fisher said, 'This project is a game changer.' It will enable the airport to reopen faster after future inundation events as well as improve surface resilience to accommodate forecast increases in military activity. Finally, it will support future heavy air freight traffic growth associated with the Galilee Basin, the Bowen Basin and agriculture exports. I wholeheartedly commend the federal government for working with council on this project and delivering this fund.

Our local councils understand the benefits of bricks and mortar infrastructure and the potential this creates for the economy. Rookwood Weir has been described as another game changer for Central Queensland. It has the potential to create 2,100 new local jobs in the region as well as doubling farming output along the Fitzroy River. The Fitzroy catchment is the largest river system draining to Australia's east coast. The future potential from this weir cannot be underestimated. Rookwood has the potential to double agricultural production in the Fitzroy corridor from $1 billion to $2 billion, increasing additional services and secondary industries in the area by three times the current size. That's thousands of potential jobs and investment flowing straight past Rockhampton's door. Rockhampton, Gladstone and Livingston shires all need the weirs to secure a stable water supply as urban and industrial development continues to grow.

According to Growing Central Queensland, the group charged with investigating the projects, Rookwood represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build water infrastructure in Central Queensland. In terms of economic potential, northern Australia is really our nation's next pioneer frontier and, in terms of location, northern Australia starts from the Tropic of Capricorn. This makes Rockhampton a new gateway to northern Australia—a fact that we should be highly promoting. The federal government's white paper on agricultural competitiveness endorses the need for water infrastructure in northern Australia through a $500 million National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

In a further sign of the growth potential for regional Australia, farm production is forecast to leap 8.3 per cent during this financial year. The Turnbull-Joyce government has committed $2 million to the business case. It has completed EPBC approvals and has committed $130 million towards construction. All that remains for this game-changing project is commitment from the Queensland state government, who have been sitting on the business case for nearly 18 months. Central Queensland will be ripe for investment in agriculture, so now is the ideal time to investigate opportunities.

I'm also looking forward to seeing council's plans to create an international export hub at Rockhampton airport. It's great to see that council is recognising the huge potential of agriculture exports, and this is a testament to the growth that can be expected with the construction of Rookwood Weir. With a robust business case and sound economic management, Rockhampton airport could be well positioned to transition into international operations, particularly given that it already acts as a temporary international airport when troops fly in for exercises. My electorate of Capricornia is also welcoming the growth opportunities that will arise from the expansion of Shoalwater Bay, a project made possible by the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Local businesses are working together to maximise the benefits and are developing clusters so that they can compete for contracts. All these projects lay the groundwork for a thriving economy secured by its diversity. With the right infrastructure, Central Queensland is poised for significant growth in agriculture, mining, tourism, aged care and logistics. By building the right infrastructure, securing the right agreements and making business easier, we are creating an environment where the free market can thrive.

I thank my colleagues for supporting business development through infrastructure and trade, and I thank the business community of Capricornia for driving these opportunities forward.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 18:44 to 19:08