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

I thank Senator Brockman for his question. I know he's a big supporter of the resources sector and what it provides for our country. I, too, would like to recognise the mayor of Laverton. We're building a road, The Outback Way, to his little town. It'll be the third sealed road across our continent. It's a fantastic project to develop our nation. As a government, we also support the development of our nation through support for the resources sector.

Today, in the limited time I have, I want to speak about not just all the facts and figures that we often quote about what the resources sector provides—the taxes, the royalties and the exports—but also the people who are in the resources sector. Earlier today I gave an address to the Press Club where I highlighted a few stories of people. I met a young lady called Alicia at the Peak Downs coalmine in Central Queensland last year. She is a young graduate who got her start in life with BHP when she moved up to Dysart from Brisbane. Elizabeth, who runs a company called Gekko Systems, literally started her company in her garage. I caught up with her the other week in Toronto, where she's selling gold-processing technology to the world. It's a world leader.

The resources sector gives so many opportunities for Australians to compete on the world stage. Roger, who manages the Great Keppel Island Hideaway resort, is a third-generation coalminer. He is proud of the coal industry, but he's now in the tourism sector. He also loves the reef, and he understands that a strong resources sector in Central Queensland is needed to get people across to the islands to enjoy the reef, and spend good money doing so. Finally, Patrick is a native title owner. He's a representative of the Wangan and Jagalingou peoples. He's one of nearly 300 Wangan and Jagalingou people who turned up at a meeting almost two years ago today and supported the Adani mine 294-1. We also back how the resources sector can fulfil the promise we've made to first Australians to give them a better life.