Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Glencore is an international commodities trader. In Queensland, from the days of Ernest Henry in 1866, when he went to Cloncurry, my home town, and also the forebears of Scott Morrison, our Treasurer, we have the choice of making money out of mining and creating jobs and prosperity for our people or allowing the resources to be owned by international commodity brokers who want to play stock market games. This also occurs with Australian companies. In Queensland we had two policies, and the history of Australia and the people of Queensland can be extremely proud of this: use it or lose it. It was introduced by Edward Theodore, the great founder of the labour movement in Australia, and was carried out with ruthless brutality by the Bjelke-Petersen—God bless him—and also me as mines and energy minister. We served notice on what was, I think, the first coal mining venture at Emerald: 'You either use it or I'm taking it off you. I'm calling for expressions of interest to give it to somebody else. You can make the choice yourself.' They called my bluff and that mine is operating today, but not by them. We must enforce 'use it or lose it' as a government here and in Queensland. (Time expired)