Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House how our rural and regional export industries depend on a high standard of social infrastructure? Are there any barriers to improving that social infrastructure that underpins vital export industries in regional and rural Australia?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hinkler for his question. Of course, representing that part of Queensland that he does, he understands the importance of export industries such as the Australian coal industry. We have seen some incredible growth in resources exports in recent years. In fact, the coal exports grew from 2004 to 2005 from $13 billion to $22 billion—a lot of those being exported out of the ports in the member for Hinkler’s electorate. So our export industries are very reliant on the infrastructure available, not just the transport infrastructure such as the ports—we all remember the debacle in Dalrymple Bay last year holding up the flow of exports and particularly coal exports going out of Queensland—but also the social infrastructure that is largely the responsibility of the state governments in Australia to maintain, provide and support.

To this end, we do not believe that some of the state governments have the same focus on the importance of exports, industries, employment and safety in regional Australia as the Commonwealth government does. To give an example: last year BHP’s Blackwater coal mine in Central Queensland was compromised by the Queensland Labor government’s chronic underfunding of public hospitals and health services in Queensland. When the Queensland Health doctor at the Blackwater Hospital was away on sick leave, the Queensland government refused to replace him. They refused to provide a locum at that hospital to service that part of Queensland. In that area, BHP operate the Blackwater mine and, to their credit, BHP had a helicopter on stand-by in Emerald to fly a doctor into Blackwater if needed because the Queensland Labor government would not replace the doctor at Blackwater Hospital. Because of the Queensland Labor government’s failure to deliver reasonable health services in regional Queensland, the Blackwater mine operation was interrupted by an unlawful industrial action. It was aimed at the Beattie government because they would not replace the doctor at Blackwater when he was off sick.

Australia’s export industry should not be put at risk and Australia’s exports should not be interrupted because state Labor governments like that in Queensland—who participate in receiving $42 billion during the course of the health care agreements to help pay for public hospital services—do not live up to their responsibilities. Not only that but also Queensland this year are in receipt of an extra $525 million in GST receipts. So they are $525 million better off. They get money for their public hospitals through the Australian health care agreements, yet they still do not deliver the services where they are needed and they are interrupting the ability of Australian companies to export out of Australia. The states have to get serious about supporting Australian exports and they have to get serious about providing a decent level of services to regional Australia.