It is one of the most important sectors in Queensland because it employs 300,000 Queenslanders in both direct and indirect jobs. Brisbane is the biggest mining town in Queensland, with 128,000 people living in Brisbane owing their livelihoods, owing their jobs, to a strong resources sector. Read more

The National Party team are delivering results for particularly regional Australians. Since Mr McCormack became leader, we've achieved another $1½ billion for Roads of Strategic Importance in Northern Australia, which is one of my portfolio responsibilities, Read more

When this government announced its white paper on northern development three years ago, we mapped out a 20-year plan to develop the north, the first white paper by any Commonwealth government to develop Northern Australia.  Read more

We have a 20-year plan to develop northern Australia, and we need to keep the pace going. We need to have persistence to see this plan through and to develop opportunities for all Australians but, of course, particularly those Australians that live in the 40 per cent of Australia that makes up northern Australia. Read more

There have been some very important developments in our northern Australia development plan. It is the first time in our history that a government has had a white paper and a plan to develop northern Australia. It was a great pleasure this week to announce a $95 million investment from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility towards Sheffield Resources' Thunderbird mineral sands project in the Kimberley region.  Read more

Senator Macdonald's efforts are certainly starting to bear fruit now. It is great to have been able to announce in the last few weeks a major investment and project in the Northern Territory in particular. Read more

It's a great privilege to contribute to this debate. I'd like to recognise up-front the very personal and difficult issues that this debate does confront individual senators and people in the public with. I would like to place on record, up-front, that I always would recognise the difficult decision that any individual mother or father has to make in these matters. They are very, very tough decisions, but it is important on an issue of life and an issue of humanity that we do discuss them in a way which really does consider the latest science and information about the formation of human life, including from its earliest days. Read more

The government has already conducted an ACCC inquiry into the dairy industry. We've received those recommendations back. The most significant of the recommendations is the establishment of a mandatory code of conduct for the dairy industry.  Read more

Adani made a very important announcement today in Rockhampton that they are proceeding with this project with a changed design for their rail line. Their original design was a 388-kilometre rail line, which was sabotaged for political reasons by the Queensland Labor Party to try to win an election, sabotaged to try to trade off jobs in Northern and Central Queensland for votes in Brisbane.  Read more

On this side of the chamber we want to support all Australian industries to become better and stronger and to provide more jobs and opportunities for Australians. That includes the processed sector, which is very important for Australia in the export of lamb, beef and other products. We can grow those sectors as well as have a sustainable and well-regulated live export trade. Read more