What we have learnt this week is that the Labor Party and Bill Shorten are planning to bring these laws to Canberra—to bring these same draconian laws that are restricting Queensland farmers now to Canberra and apply them nationally. As the Prime Minister said this week, Bill Shorten wants to land-lock this country away from development, away from progress and away from growing more food. In fact, what he really wants to do is padlock the Queensland farming sector and the Australian farming sector to the land-lock laws of the Queensland parliament.  Read more

I wish to place a matter on the public record today in relation to my brother, who, through his involvement in a consortium, has acquired just over a seven per cent interest in the Ralston coalmine and its related assets.  Read more

As I indicated this week, the government will be carefully considering the findings and recommendations of the Productivity Commission's five-year review of the basin plan and the South Australian royal commission. In respect to the royal commission, it will take time to digest the 746-page report. However, the government has made clear its view that the basin plan has been made consistently with the requirements of the Water Act 2007.  Read more

As many in this place who are familiar with independent investigations like the one that has been conducted by Mr Philip Moss into the department of agriculture would know, it is common practice for such reports to be shared with the organisations that are being investigated before they are finalised. Read more

I'd like to rise to make a brief contribution on the legacies that both Senator Wacka Williams and Senator Leyonhjelm will leave in this place. I might start with Senator Leyonhjelm because I probably have a little bit more to say about Senator Williams as he's a colleague of mine. Read more

This government is the government that has delivered a Basin Plan, a plan that has delivered better environmental outcomes for the Murray-Darling, a plan that is balanced to ensure that communities are protected and their jobs and industries looked after as well as returning water to the environment. Read more

There have been multiple disasters wrapped up in one. There's been the immediate impact of the flood and the monsoon low on Townsville, near where Senator Macdonald lives and where his office is located, which has done enormous damage to households and resulted in the tragic loss of two lives. There's been enormous damage to our agricultural sector and the loss of many, many stock. The numbers will probably never be known.  Read more

Minister Littleproud has welcomed the findings of the parliamentary inquiry into the pet food industry. As you mentioned, Senator Griff, the report was released late last year, October last year, with a number of recommendations around standards and accountability. Minister Littleproud has written to his state and territory counterparts following that review, requesting support for a review into the safety and regulation of pet food. My understanding is that all states and territories have replied and support such a review. Read more

From the moving of this motion, and from the arguments put in this chamber so far, it is clear that there are two main conclusions to make from the contribution of the Greens—both the presentation of this motion and also the arguments put. One is that the Greens political party, as a movement, is much more interested in problems than solutions.  Read more

This government stands shoulder to shoulder with our manufacturing industry in wanting to develop our resources sector to make sure we can continue to support high-paying jobs not just in our resources sector but also in the manufacturing sector, because so many of our jobs rely on having adequate supplies of energy—in particular, gas—to support those high paying jobs in manufacturing.  Read more