David Batt (Hinkler, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's the one symbol for mateship, freedom and a fair go for all: the Australian flag. On the recent Australia Day long weekend, I was proud to attend awards and citizenship ceremonies in my electorate of Hinkler and fly our Australian flag with pride. Australia Day 2026 was a wonderful celebration of my community, recognising the ones who go above and beyond, and a chance to welcome new Aussies who now get to call the best country in the world their home. Our flag was everywhere, and so it should be. It represents a story of service, sacrifice and the freedoms we share. It's an expression of our identity and pride. This year, I joined my parliamentary colleagues to launch a 'Proud of our flag' campaign, and many of the wonderful people in my electorate of Hinkler continue to show support for our flag as they drop into our offices in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg to collect a 'Proud of our flag' sticker and make requests for flags to fly at their homes.

While I enter 2026 filled with hope and enthusiasm for my electorate of Hinkler and our great nation, there is an overwhelming sense of unrest. This is a time when we must unite as a nation. Today I join with the calls for urgent action to criminalise the burning and desecration of the Australian flag. It's something numerous people have contacted my office about, especially since the awful violation of our flag that we all witnessed on Australia Day in Brisbane. Despite repeated attempts, including an amendment during the recent sittings, the Labor government voted against making flag burning a criminal offence. This leaves the national flag, the enduring symbol of our history, freedoms and shared values, vulnerable to public desecration.

The Australian flag is not just a piece of fabric. It represents our shared history, our sacrifices and the freedoms earned through generations of courage and service. Burning our Australian flag or any flag isn't bravery or activism. It's disrespectful and wrong. Protest is a democratic right, but desecrating our national flag is not. Our flag represents our shared history, the sacrifices of Australians before us and the freedoms that allow peaceful protesters to occur in the first place. It's a flag our service men and women fought under and a flag that is draped over the coffins of our heroes who died defending our treasured Aussie values and our way of life. Burning our flag doesn't advance justice or unity; it deepens division and erodes respect. I am forever immensely proud of our flag.

Just before the end of 2025, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Deputy Leader of The Nationals to my electorate of Hinkler. At the time in his role as shadow minister for trade, investment and tourism, Kevin Hogan joined me in hosting two full days of roundtable meetings with leaders of local tourism and agricultural sectors. We heard directly about the great achievements, opportunities and challenges facing local businesses. I'm committed to showcasing first-class businesses who are exporting across the globe and to celebrating the tourism sector, which is also famous across Australia and the world. We met with seafood exporters, including Australian Ocean King Prawn Company; whale watching boat operators, including Whalesong; farming and hospitality representatives; and tourism providers, including Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort.

We as the Nationals will always support regional Australia and promise to deliver a cheaper, better, fairer future, and that starts with supporting local business and cutting red tape. Hinkler is an economic powerhouse with an abundance of great products that bring immense opportunity. Those meetings will help guide our policy settings because we want more jobs for locals and we want to give young people a real chance to live and stay in their home region. The Nationals' energy plan was at the heart of many discussions. We heard from exporters who are battling huge diesel bills and rising energy costs. Labor's obsession with trying to lead the world in cutting emissions is unaffordable and, indeed, unattainable. Yes, we want to lower emissions—but only to the levels of other OECD countries.

I thank both the Bundaberg Region tourism CEO, Katherine Reid, and the Fraser Coast tourism and events CEO, Martin Simons, for assisting with Mr Hogan's visit and for providing the opportunity for our operators to share a slice of Hinkler's beautiful backyard, all while, importantly, outlining the opportunities regarding regulatory reform and the challenges and pain points where industry needs more assistance. The biggest challenges right now are workforce shortages, the cost-of-living crisis and housing limitations for potential employees. I'm committed to working with our tourism sector leaders and all levels of government to support our tourism and export industries. As we begin a new year, I look forward to getting on with the job, serving you, serving Hinkler.

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