House debates

Thursday, 14 February 2013

Adjournment

Electorate of Flynn

4:46 pm

Photo of Ken O'DowdKen O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Many times I have stated in this place how important the electorate of Flynn has been to the prosperity of Australia. I want to take this opportunity to shift the focus to the future of Flynn and how I see its role in the future prosperity of this nation. We have seen a massive period of growth right across the Flynn electorate, from the development of coalmines in the central and western regions to the explosion of LNG developments in the Port of Gladstone, amounting to some $65 billion. This development has come with many growing pains and a great deal of debate over its impacts on the local environment. It is my belief that we have learned a great deal over recent years and with that knowledge we head into the future not being susceptible to making the same mistakes again.

There is a lot of existing industry in Gladstone. We have the aluminium industry, providing 6,000 jobs. We have a coal fired power station. We have a great port, responsible for over 10 per cent of Australian exports. We have chemical plants. We have abundant water supply in the Awoonga Dam. We have a strong mining, farming, grazing, cropping and citrus industries and we have sapphire and gold mines in the west. Potential future projects include QER shale oil just outside Gladstone, the Boulder steel plant, Arrow Energy LNG, Queensland Nickel and new mine developments out in the Baralaba and Springsure area of Emerald. There is also the possibility of a gas fired power station. In relation to future infrastructure beyond that, there is potential for a major rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane which we would like to see extended to Gladstone. The Iron Boomerang is a project for a railway line from the east coast to the west coast, with steel mills on either end of the line. Closer to home, we hope to see the Eden Bann Weir on the Fitzroy River heightened and a new weir at Riversleigh Crossing.

With respect to sustainable development at the Port of Gladstone, I believe the port should be developed to its fullest extent before anyone looks at developing other coal export terminals up and down the coast of Queensland. There is a lot of future development to be done in Gladstone. Places like Balaclava Island should be well and truly put on the back-burner until the Gladstone port is used to its fullest extent.

There is potential for further development of resource projects in the Bundaberg and Burnett regions, and that should be encouraged. Investment in road infrastructure and in health and education is very important in Flynn, just as it is in the rest of the nation. The development of tourism and environmental industries in the area would be of great benefit to us all.

The Assistant Treasurer has labelled some projects in Northern Australia and Central Queensland as white elephants. I do not know of any white elephants in my electorate of Flynn. All industries are producing in the best way they can and they are certainly very important to the Australian economy. Regional Australia has a role to play and Flynn is doing its very best. As the floods have demonstrated, it will be a great loss if we cannot get these projects up and going in Flynn in the future.