Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for those many and important questions. I can understand the confusion that Senator Macdonald has here, because we are all confused about what the position of the Australian Labor Party is. We have the remarkable situation where, just 10 days before the Queensland election, we really don't know what the Queensland government's position is on probably the most important project in North Queensland. This is the biggest investment from an Indian company ever in Australia and the Queensland government doesn't have its story straight.

The Queensland government called this election; no-one else did. No-one else surprised them that the election would be in 10 days time. They called the date, they decided the date and they did so before they had their show in order, before they had their story straight. The people of Queensland have no idea. We have this absurd situation where, just three weeks ago, the Premier apparently pulled her support for the project and the thousands of jobs that would come from it. Then a few days later the Treasurer of Queensland said in the Townsville Bulletin that in fact his position hadn't changed and he still supported federal government investment in the rail line, only to retract that position a few hours later, to be pulled into line by the Premier and say, no, in fact he's deserted the people he's meant to represent in North Queensland and that he no longer supports the loan. Then we had the situation in the last couple of days, where Labor candidates running around central and north Queensland are still trying to protest and say that they in fact support the project. We know, and the people of Queensland know, that if they want these jobs there's only one answer. If they want these jobs, the Liberal National Party is not shy of expressing our support. We don't know where Senator Watt is, we don't know where Senator Chisholm is, we don't where Senator Ketter is and we don't know where Senator Moore is. They've said 'boo' on it. They've said nothing. But we know, and the people of Queensland know, where Senator Macdonald is and where the members for Dawson, Capricornia and Flynn are, and they know where I am. We're behind this project and we're backing these jobs.