Coal Mining Royalties - Speech to Parliament
A significant number of community members in my region are employed by the coalmining industry and related supply chains. The Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday region, which I am proud to represent alongside the member for Burdekin—he has more coalmines in his region than any other electorate—contributes $18.4 billion in gross regional product. This is a significant contribution to the Queensland economy. Of nearly 85,000 jobs, 79 per cent come from these areas of employment. The mining sector, which we are very grateful to have operating in our region, has a spend in the region of $1.7 billion in wages. That is over 18,000 jobs.
When those opposite talk about billionaire companies, they are talking about the mums and dads and members of my community who are out there working each and every day putting their lives at risk in what is a high-risk industry in mining coal that yes, I agree, all Queenslanders own. However, what we have not seen as part of this legislation is an equity share in royalties being invested back into our regions. Unlike Labor, the LNP will consult with industry. In fact, over the last four years the LNP has been listening to the industry. We have been engaging with industry. As the shadow Treasurer has outlined and as a member of the committee, I can say we are not voting against this bill. What we will do is ensure, like we do with other stakeholder groups, that people will not be surprised when it comes to a new tax, like the industry was caught off guard. We value their workforce and we value the contribution that those workers make.
I know the members of my community and in particular across Mackay and the Whitsundays have welcomed the cost-of-living measures. What they cannot understand is how this government drove up the cost of living so significantly with the lack of maintenance of our power generation assets. These taxes could actually be contributing to greater enhancement of social infrastructure across our communities. Instead, they have to be returned because of the failings of this Labor government to control the cost of living across this state.
Like me, our community wants to see coal royalties that contribute to the liveability and the safety of our community. They want it to fund things like the maintenance of the Bruce Highway and our hospital and health service. We have a $250 million hospital expansion in Mackay that has blown out and our CQ Rescue helicopter has not been able to land at our hospital. I would like to say on the public record thank God for BMA. If it were not for their private investment in our rescue helicopter and the funds raised by grassroots community groups to the tune of $5 million, lives would be at risk in my community. Where is the member for Mackay in advocating for the royalties to be spent on our CQ Rescue emergency service? There is silence and crickets.
I am proud to engage with BMA, with BHP, with a number of mining companies and with Bowen Coking Coal. I am proud to engage with those industries that employ locals, keep locals employed and also support our small and family businesses.
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Clearly some people are a bit sensitive about the royalties unlike those on this side of the House. We went through the committee process and I do want to put on record my thanks for the secretariat. It was actually a complete and utter waste of time and the resources of the parliament in terms of some of the hearings and things that went on. This was a political stunt. Why was it a political stunt? 'Keep them in the bank'—it is like the Treasurer watched an episode of Utopia and thought that was a really clever line. I would love the Treasurer to keep the royalties in the bank so that there is something we can invest in the future for future generations, for future catalytic infrastructure. However, I fear that the Treasurer will have spent all the royalties over the coming weeks and we will know beyond 26 October just how much is left in the bank.
There is another thing I would also like to put on the record about the current Labor government—and I have heard many including the Minister for Energy speak about the Pioneer-Burdekin. If this government was so committed to that project and so committed to the protection of progressive coal royalties, maybe a larger proportion of those royalties would be allocated to that project instead of what we have seen from this Labor government, which is once again smoke and mirrors. What we have seen from the current member for Mackay and the Labor candidate for Mackay is that they are willing to sell out their community, the beautiful national park of Eungella and the Pioneer Valley; and disrupt families, generations of farmers, those who take care of that beautiful pristine environment. There is no representation from the community that contributes so much to this state's economy.
Once again, I want to place on record the lack of consultation. When speaking with those who invest in the sector they say they want to make sure that they have investment certainty. That is something that the LNP will bring back to this state of Queensland. We are an incredible state, rich with natural resources. We want long-term investments. We want to value relationships. When I reflect upon some of the relationships in the coalmining industry like with Mitsui coal, which has been around since my great-uncle was the minister for mines, and with representatives of that company, I think how they were treated with contempt by this Labor government was disgraceful. If those opposite are so naive to not think it has altered our reputation both nationally and internationally when it comes to investment, they are kidding themselves.
I have also heard many of those opposite talk about the increase in royalties which has obviously been due to the high coal price. Absolutely, we need to make hay while the sun shines. However, I remind those opposite—and I look forward to reminding them maybe for the next decade to come—that the coal price does not always remain high. When they have neglected regions like mine in Mackay, a region that has been a safe Labor seat for 109 years, our community remembers. I can tell honourable members right now that the community of Mackay is looking forward to a change on 26 October.
Nigel Dalton will bring the change and the representation that our community needs to ensure that the royalties that this government wants to keep in the bank are reinvested in communities like mine, in Mackay and the Whitsundays, to deliver the road infrastructure, to ensure we have a hospital we can be proud of, not one that under this member for Mackay was disgraced and embarrassed and that has caused harm—it is not funny. The fact that the member for Mackay wants to pull faces flies in the face of the women who were butchered under her watch as the assistant health minister. What a record!
I hope that royalties are invested back into our hospital, unlike what we have seen under this Labor government. An LNP government will ensure that royalties are invested back in our region so that we can have the social infrastructure we can be proud of; so we can fix the failings, the chaos and the crisis of this Labor government; and fix the failings, the chaos and the crisis that the member for Mackay delivered for our community. Show Labor the door in '24.