Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government. Will the minister update the House on how businesses and workers in regional Australia are benefitting from our plan to deliver a stronger economy, including in my seat of Wide Bay? Is the minister aware of any threats to small and medium businesses across regional Australia?

John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wide Bay for his question. His advocacy for his community is very well recognised, right throughout the Wide Bay Burnett region, and that is ongoing advocacy. Be it in Gympie, Maryborough or Noosa, the coalition is delivering a stronger economy—more jobs, more confidence, more opportunities. We are have a plan for regional Australia, and we are getting it done. Australian workers and businesses are definitely benefitting from the coalition government's pro-jobs, pro-growth, pro-investment agenda.

The coalition's Regional Jobs and Investment Packages, for example, have seen close to $700 million invested in local infrastructure projects right across the nation, creating more than 11,000 jobs. More than $14 million of this was invested in the member's own electorate. This includes support for Dale and Meyers, an iconic timber and recycled wood processing business in Maryborough, beefing up their processing facility, allowing them to bring on 10 new staff, supporting 10 families in the Maryborough community, spending more money, investing more of their hard-earned in the local community. Our tax relief package is seeing family businesses like them employ more people and spend more money right across the nation. They are up to it because they know they have a coalition government that's backing them in.

If we compare that with the war on business led by those opposite, we'll understand where those risks are. Last week Labor voted against giving more than 52,000 low- and middle-income earners in Wide Bay much-needed tax relief. This week they announced that they would slog family owned businesses with increased taxes. As sure as night follows day, Labor will keep pounding Australians, and family businesses in particular, with bigger and heavier taxes to pay for their spending addiction. This opposition leader believes that the Labor Party of waste and mismanagement—you remember pink batts, those overpriced school halls and the cheques to dead people—is better placed to spend your money than you are. What a ridiculous notion! Dale and Meyers timber is just one of the thousands of businesses that Labor clearly does not care about. They'll be put to the sword by this mob. I've spoken to the boss, Curly Tatnell, and he is worried about Labor's tax hike. Wide Bay knows that those opposite, with the dead wood in their team, would simply mean fewer jobs and more taxes for Queensland. (Time expired)

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McEwen made an unparliamentary comment, and I ask that it be withdrawn.

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members will cease interjecting. Did the member for McEwen make an unparliamentary remark?

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to stand, but I'm getting a bit tired of these false accusations from the member for Corangamite.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're not going to have a debate about the matter. There is an established practice for dealing with this that occurs every time. I have to ask the member for McEwen to stand up and answer the question as to whether he made an unparliamentary comment.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said before: no, I didn't.