James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to speak in this general business debate on the bill moved by Senator Patrick, the Customs Amendment (Safer Cladding) Bill 2019. I may disappoint Senator Patrick with some of my comments, but he can take it up with me tomorrow when we're in Melbourne. Australians do deserve peace of mind when they purchase a unit or a building, and the safety and welfare of all Australians is this government's main priority. Indeed, since 2013, when we were elected after the previous Labor government, when you look at the actions of this government, you see they have all been about providing security to Australians and ensuring their safety, whether through ensuring our borders are safe or through making sure that we have an economy that is stable and safe and provides jobs for people.

The problems in the building industry actually are a result of noncompliance due to a lack of enforcement of the National Construction Code, and I'm not falling into the trap in terms of a hospital pass, but they are state and territory government issues. I stand here talking in this debate this afternoon as someone who is a constitutional conservative and a federalist. I know that Queenslanders and senators for Queensland are concerned about how more and more powers are seeping down to Canberra. Under any federal government, regardless of the colour, I am someone who believes that we should be devolving power back to the states and territories.

Senator Watt interjecting—

I will take the interjection from Senator Watt in terms of the Palaszczuk—it should be the Trad Labor government, actually. I don't know where the Deputy Premier of Queensland is at the moment. I think we should put out a search party for her.