Newsletters

Rebuilding regional confidence

16-September-2011

Dear friend,

Last week 12 Members and Senators of my federal Nationals team went on a two-day blitz in central Queensland around Rockhampton and Yeppoon to meet with local people, community groups and businesses.  Like so many other regional Australian communities, the Capricornia region is an economic powerhouse with enormous opportunity to generate even more for our nation.

But the region faces some real threats from the current government and local people are fed up with its performance. Ditto for their local Labor Member, Kirsten Livermore. Overwhelmingly they are angry, frustrated and dismayed over a carbon tax that will hit them hard.

Modelling by Anna Bligh’s government reveals that Queensland will be hit hardest by the carbon tax, with economic output predicted to be 3.5% lower in Queensland, compared to 2.5% lower across the country.

The Rockhampton and Gladstone area will see economic activity plummet a massive by 8.2% due to the carbon tax, and the Mackay area by 5.7% - respectively, that’s triple and double the national carbon tax impact.

Like too many Labor Members, Ms Livermore just isn’t listening. To a man and woman we were told this is the worst possible time for local businesses and their employees to be lumped with the dead weight of a carbon tax.

People across the region are very positive about the great opportunities ahead of them. They see growth and prosperity on the horizon, fuelled by an emerging resources and commodity boom. But their confidence is shattered.

They just don’t trust the Gillard government. No matter what they do Labor seems to undermine them, and now the carbon tax and mining tax will keep the dampeners on their region.

As Nationals we insist regional Australia must be front-and-centre in government planning. That’s why we launched our ‘Regional Investment Strategy’ last month to ensure the regions have the people and services the need to grow and capitalise on the opportunities.

Other key issues raised with us in Capricornia included the over-regulation and red tape imposed on business, with many projects waiting two years for planning approvals. For example, just off the coast near Yeppoon, Great Keppel Island sits idle, boarded up for three years as the state and federal governments delay redevelopment plans.

It used to be billed as ‘A Great Place To Get Wrecked’. Today, it’s a great place that has been wrecked.

Labor has held up the island’s redevelopment since 2008. A revamped 700-unit complex and harbour, a great boon for the entire region, has been thwarted by extensive delays and is still waiting on an environmental approval.

Infrastructure is another major issue in the wake of the summer floods that completely cut off Rockhampton and split the state. While in town I gave a new Coalition commitment to flood mitigation upgrades to the Bruce Highway. A feasibility study is pending, but we need to get that important work done.

Your Nationals team have also been kicking goals in Canberra and this week Senator Fiona Nash’s dogged tenacity in fighting for equity for regional students under the Youth Allowance has paid off.

As part of a $265 million package, students from inner regional areas will again be able to access independent Youth Allowance exactly the same as other regional students from 1 January 2012.

The government has finally seen reason and accepted The Nationals’ proposition that regional students be treated the same regardless of where they live.