James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As our lead speaker has indicated, we in the coalition support this bill, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023. We are very proud of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, which we established in government as part of having as a priority the concept of nation-building and investing in projects of a significance that can really help us as a country take a quantum leap forward. When I was first elected to this parliament I served in the party room for one meeting with a very famous coalition senator, Ian Macdonald, who had been defeated at the 2019 election but served until 30 June in that Senate term. Senator Macdonald gave a contribution at that meeting, which colleagues who had served with him in the party room for a long time said was an almost identical contribution to the one he gave at every single party room meeting. It was about the significance of northern Australia—he hailed from Northern Queensland—and how underutilised was the full economic value that northern Australia could provide to our nation, notwithstanding the fact that there is an existing, very significant, spectacular contribution to our economy, particularly in the agricultural, resource and tourism sectors.

My grandfather was a general manager of Mount Isa Mines for the last 12 or 15 years of his career. At one point it was the second-largest company in the country and certainly one of the biggest copper producers in the world. It's way beyond just a copper mine; it's a very significant business in northern Australia. Northern Australia is doing amazing things economically, but it can do even more economically if we understand the value of investing in nation-building infrastructure. That was the concept behind the germination of the NAIF under the previous coalition government—to create a process for the Commonwealth to invest in those kinds of significant projects.

This underscores that we are not seeing the nation-building projects of decades gone by being brought forward by the states, who have almost a monopoly on approaching the Commonwealth with infrastructure concepts that they, of course, want us to help pay the bills for. In some cases, that might be because at a state level it's more difficult to identify projects that provide a benefit beyond the interests of just that state. That's reasonable and fair enough, but it obviously means that there are things that are not specifically prioritised by states but would still be very significant propositions for the national government. That's where the NAIF comes into its own, because it covers a number of states and territories.

Importantly, in this amendment bill we are seeing the inclusion of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, part of the Indian Ocean Territories, in the NAIF's remit. We certainly see that as a very sensible move and a really important opportunity for the Indian Ocean Territories. In the last parliament I served on the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories. We were due to hold a significant inquiry into communications infrastructure in the Indian Ocean Territories and on Norfolk Island. Regrettably, because of COVID, we had a few false starts in travelling there to undertake engagement, consultation and public hearings on the Indian Ocean Territories. So, regrettably, I've never visited the Indian Ocean Territories. I would love to one day, and I hope that opportunity comes my way again in either this career or another one in the future or, no doubt very happily, as a tourist when I have the opportunity in the future. The Indian Ocean Territories absolutely should be eligible for funding under the NAIF. Again, it complements the principle of us, as a Commonwealth government, identifying a role for the Commonwealth government in a direct line of infrastructure investment—in partnership with other levels of government, of course—so that we can have a focus on achieving the full potential of northern Australia.

The other major element in this bill, as has been touched on, is the increase in the quantum of funding. Again, we absolutely support that. In the last parliament we extended the time period of the NAIF, and I hope the NAIF is seen as a permanent agency, a permanent fixture. Whilst we'd love to get to the point where we believe northern Australia has had the underinvestment in its infrastructure rectified, I don't see that happening in the precious few years in which the NAIF will continue to exist. So I hope it will become an ongoing instrument through which the Commonwealth can invest in really important infrastructure projects in northern Australia.

There's a lot of opportunity in northern Australia beyond what is already occurring. Infrastructure unlocks unbelievable economic and social potential in any community, and that is particularly the case in northern Australia. I don't represent an electorate in northern Australia, obviously, but, as I've outlined, my family has a history in Northern Queensland, and I've got a great passion for the development of our country and opportunities for nation-building. I think northern Australia presents some of the greatest opportunities for nation building, and we as a parliament should be and are, through initiatives like the NAIF, understanding and identifying those opportunities. This is a good example of us working together, and I think it's commendable that we've got an opposition that is supporting the government that are equally following on from a legacy from the previous coalition government, some bipartisanship and important continuity to make sure we're achieving the full opportunity anywhere in our nation—in the case of this bill, investing in infrastructure in Northern Australia, and hence I commend it to the House.

See this speech in context