Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to make it perfectly clear and to put the Turnbull government on notice that I'm here to fight for jobs for Townsville. Let's look at the history of unemployment in Townsville. When Labor left government in 2013, the unemployment rate was five per cent. Townsville's unemployment rate was below the state and national average. What is the situation now under the federal coalition government? Under the Abbott-Turnbull governments, unemployment in Townsville has almost doubled. This is the impact that the Abbott-Turnbull governments have had on jobs in Townsville. To be quite frank, this is simply what the coalition government appears to do in regional Queensland: they just cut jobs. Where was the Turnbull government when more than 800 workers lost their jobs at Queensland Nickel? Where was the Turnbull government when 580 meat workers were told that the JBS plant would be on an extensive shutdown? Where was the Turnbull government when 300 jobs were lost from Aurizon? Where was the Turnbull government when the LNP Newman state government cut 398 frontline health workers' jobs? Where was the Turnbull government when 197 local jobs were cut from TAFE? Where was the Turnbull government when our local manufacturing jobs halved and our local manufacturing firms also halved?

The big question is: where is our missing-in-action Prime Minister Turnbull? It appears that Townsville is being forced to play a game of Where's Wally to find our own Prime Minister. Not only am I asking where you were, missing-in-action Prime Minister Turnbull, on these job losses in Townsville; I am also asking why you continue to cut jobs in Townsville. Why have coalition governments cut more than 110 Australian tax office jobs from Townsville? Why have the coalition governments cut 50 Defence staff jobs in the last five years? Why have the coalition governments cut 19 CSIRO jobs from Townsville? Why have the coalition governments cut 30 jobs from regional Queensland customs? Why has this coalition government relocated the 38 Squadron King Air fleet from Townsville to Victoria, which translates to 40 jobs lost, with not a word about replacing these jobs? Why has this coalition government closed the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which has cut five jobs from Townsville? I might add: these were perfect jobs for veterans transitioning from the defence service into civilian life.

Why has the coalition government cut the national partnership on remote housing, which will effectively remove seven apprenticeship jobs from Palm Island—taking seven jobs from young people where, on Palm Island, the unemployment rate is 27 per cent? Why has the Turnbull government cut $14.8 million from Herbert schools, the equivalent of cutting three teachers from every school? Why has the Turnbull government cut $36 million from James Cook University and $38 million from Central Queensland University, which will only deliver further job losses for our community? It is job cut after job cut after job cut under coalition governments. Then there are the job creation projects that would create hundreds of jobs, except the Prime Minister is also missing in action on delivery.

Where is the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, in matching Labor's $100 million commitment on long-term water security for Townsville? And where is the Prime Minister in matching Labor's $200 million commitment towards the construction of hydropower at Burdekin Falls Dam? Where is the Prime Minister on commitments towards funding outdated tourism infrastructure in Northern Australia? Where is Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on commitments towards delivering ongoing blue-collar worker jobs? The question clearly is: where is the missing-in-action Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull?

The missing-in-action Prime Minister's lack of support for Labor's commitments has cost Townsville jobs and business confidence. By not matching Labor's $100 million commitment on water security and infrastructure, the local turf industry has almost halved, creating further job losses, including apprenticeships. By not matching Labor's $200 million commitment to construct the hydropower plant at the Burdekin Falls Dam, he is also putting at risk 150 jobs that this project would create. Shame on you, Prime Minister Turnbull, because when times get tough for Townsville, you are nowhere to be seen. And the data speaks for itself. Townsville's unemployment has almost doubled under the Abbott-Turnbull governments. Townsville's unemployment rate when Labor left federal government in 2013, as I said earlier, was lower than both the state and national averages. Now Townsville's unemployment rate is higher than both the state and national average and almost double that of the national average. It is clear that the Turnbull government is setting out to destroy jobs in Townsville. The Turnbull government doesn't care that, two years on, there are still former Queensland Nickel employees who are without a good, secure full-time job. The Turnbull government doesn't care that Townsville is drought-declared on level 3 water restrictions.

The facts that I have presented clearly demonstrate that the Turnbull government simply does not care about jobs for Townsville. And whilst the Turnbull government is cutting jobs to Townsville, it is giving big business a $65 billion tax cut. I will fight for jobs for Townsville. I will fight for blue-collar manufacturing, tourism and public sector jobs for Townsville. Townsville deserves better and we certainly deserve better than the missing-in-action Prime Minister that we now have. Townsville is ready, willing and able to work. We want the jobs and we are hungry for them. But, instead, all we are seeing from the Turnbull government is job cuts and losses. It will only be Labor that will deliver jobs for Townsville because it has only ever been Labor that gives a damn about Townsville and North Queensland. Fourteen times and counting, the Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten has visited Townsville since late 2015—fourteen times and counting! The Leader of the Opposition has demonstrated his commitment to Townsville. He's on the ground and he's talking with the people of Herbert, but once again I ask the question: where is Prime Minister Turnbull?

The people of Townsville have very long and very good memories and they will remember that the Turnbull government delivered job losses and, what's more, you were nowhere to be seen when the Newman state government took a sledgehammer to our city and jobs. The people of Townsville will hold this Prime Minister to account for their job cuts and the people of Townsville will remember that the Turnbull government failed to deliver on jobs, water and energy infrastructure. The people of Townsville will remember who was there for them on jobs, and it was, and is, Labor. My message to the missing-in-action Prime Minister is clear and simple: instead of cutting jobs, how about the Turnbull government cuts the nonsense and gets on with delivering the jobs for Townsville because we want to address our high unemployment rate and we most certainly need to reduce our youth unemployment rate, which is sitting at around 20 per cent.

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