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

There's a lot of support from locals for this development because of the opportunities it provides to north and central Queensland. There are some opposed and, to put these comments in context, I need to outline that earlier this year, a couple of months ago, the member in the other place, Mr Mark Butler, the Labor shadow minister for energy, said on Facebook, 'I do not support opening up new mines in the Galilee Basin'. Under that post that Mr Butler posted, someone called Mr Stephen Smyth, who is the district president of the CFMEU, who Senator Macdonald and I know well, said, 'Very disappointing to see another ALP politician condemn those blue collar workers in coal. Never forget, ALP, the road to Canberra is through central Queensland. You are out of touch.' Those Labor members who continue to oppose jobs in North and Central Queensland are out of touch because the people of North and Central Queensland want jobs, they want economic opportunity, they want a future for their children and that's what we stand for.