Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party, Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for that question. The member for Forde knows that, even in those tough economic reports today, there is a ray of hope for the Australian people, and it is in the resources sector. How does that affect the member? The member for Forde has the Caterpillar distribution centre at Yatala—so jobs in the member's electorate directly affected by the resources sector.

We know the coronavirus has hit regional Australia hard. We know it has hit Australia hard. I am absolutely heartbroken for all of those individuals who have lost their jobs, who have lost hours, who have lost their businesses, who find themselves in incredibly difficult circumstances. But I say to each and every one of them: there is a ray of hope in the story today, and it is in the resources sector and it is in mining. Those numbers are straightforward. The resources sector went up 0.2 per cent in the June quarter, and that is up 1.1 per cent compared to last year. So it is a sector which continues to grow and continues to provide jobs. And the industry is still investing in Australia. It is still investing in our country and our people and jobs. In fact, that investment was up 1.3 per cent in the June quarter compared with the March quarter and up 7.9 per cent since June last year. That is $13½ billion worth of investment in the last three months and $52 billion over the last financial year.

They are numbers, and those numbers probably don't mean a lot to most Australians, but what they do mean to each and every one of them is jobs and opportunities. There is hope in our economy. There is a path forward. We have a JobMaker plan, a plan for a recovery. I was in Mount Isa in recent weeks. Glencore at Mount Isa has more than 300 open positions right now—300 jobs in Mount Isa, well paid, well trained and available for individuals who meet those needs. I met with an adult apprentice who has taken on an electrician's job. I'm very partial to electricians, as a former electrician, I have to say! This individual had arrived in Mount Isa, towing a boat, to visit a family member, and what happened? He got a job at the mine and he stayed. He went to town for two weeks and he hasn't left for years. These are the stories of opportunity in regional Australia. These are the opportunities that we have for all Australians.

The resources sector is a shining light in our economy. I want to thank every single one of the working men and women in the resources sector who are doing everything they can to continue to build Australia's economy, to continue to build opportunities for us and our kids and those into the future. They need to continue to do that, because it is in the national interest. For those who are opposed to the mining sector, I say, 'Shame on you,' because where would we be positioned right now if not for this industry, if not for this sector, if not for the jobs that it provides, the taxes it pays, the royalties it pays, for hospitals and roads? (Time expired)