Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying before, we have provided $130 million towards the project. We have also provided $2 million to fund the Queensland government's business case. We are funding their business case as well, and we are doing whatever we can to make this happen. The people of Central Queensland want this to happen. The Central Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils, which includes the Banana Shire, the Central Highlands Regional Council, the Gladstone Regional Council, the Livingstone Shire Council, the Rockhampton Regional Council and the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council, has written to me saying that they support this project and want to see it happen. They say that the realisation of these water infrastructure projects will provide a wide range of economic growth opportunities to our regional areas. But, just as importantly, it supports the further development of Northern Australia and improves the water security for the Fitzroy Basin and the Gladstone region. What is holding this project up? What can be wrong now? It creates jobs, it protects the environment and it will secure water supplies for Central Queensland. What is holding it up? One word—Labor.