Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) | Hansard source

The recent Future Townsville event put a spotlight on a glaring truth and exposed some deeply critical topics facing our region. The reality is that there is no real investment in protecting North Queensland, and if a conflict breaks out our shipping lines could be completely cut off in a matter of days. This government has no way to protect them, with its lack of defence funding. When you look at the very true strategic vulnerability, it isn't a lack of ammunition; it is liquid fuel. The fact is that 50 per cent of all imports into Australia are liquid fuel. Think about that; Australia would completely stop without diesel. If a conflict hits our northern waters and cuts off those supply lines, we are around a month away from absolute anarchy.

Australia is a wealthy nation, and the resource towns of Mackay and Townsville should be absolutely prospering with the immense wealth that is created on their very doorstep. Instead of relying on unstable foreign supply chains, it is time to dig, drill and lower every bill. There must be a drive to drill for domestic oil and a serious look at coal-to-liquid conversion technology. There is plenty of brown coal sitting in Victoria that cannot be exported, but it is perfect for creating reliable domestic energy and synthetic diesel right here at home.

Local supply chains must be unlocked. Both Mackay and Townsville have excellent port facilities, so let's use them to take the heavy pressure off the Bruce Highway by increasing ocean freight. It is a classic chicken-and-egg issue; we need more sea freight for the cost to come down, and that is exactly where a forward-thinking government should step in and assist. Getting heavy trucks off the road makes the Bruce even safer for everyone and provides a necessary space to finally get on top of its shocking condition, with real investment in proper duplication. This government must stop offshoring our security and start backing the regions that power this nation.

The coalition has a real plan to change this through the Future Generations Fund. Under this plan, 80c in every single dollar of resource tax windfalls will be banked safely, creating a permanent nest egg for our nation. This fund will be used to pay down debt and invest heavily in nation-building infrastructure. And, in a move that will be a significant boost to Dawson, 25 per cent of these infrastructure flows will be locked into directly supporting regional Australia. It is time to return the wealth back to the regions that actually fuel, feed and power this nation.

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