The Coalition Government’s Bundaberg Jobs Fair will bring together local job seekers and businesses in and around the region on Thursday 16 September at the Bundaberg Multiplex Sport and Convention Centre.

Mr CONAGHAN (Cowper): My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government is sticking to the national plan and supporting the resources sector in taking advantage of increasing demand for Australian minerals, as we safely reopen? And is the minister aware of any alternative policy approaches?

Mr PITT: I love following the Member for Watson. He’s got a bit of showmanship about him. In some of the workplaces I’ve come from he’d probably get the nickname ‘show bag’, but you can’t have everything!

Mr O’DOWD: My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government’s commitment to sticking to the national plan will help sectors like the resource sector safely reopen and on what opportunities exist for communities such as mine in Flynn? Is the minister aware of any alternative policy approaches?

Mr CHRISTENSEN: My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Minister, will you update the House on how the Morrison-Joyce government is creating jobs in regional communities by undertaking reforms to remove regulation duplication? Is the minister aware of any alternatives?

Mr PITT: It’s not often I get the opportunity to say thank you to the member for Ballarat for opening up a debate like this and, in particular, mentioning something within my portfolio, which is the Beetaloo basin. We know those opposite will go to any lengths to look for mud. They’ll turn over every rock, open every cupboard, go to every dark space. I can say to those opposite: you are barking up the wrong tree. You are barking mad if you think there is an issue in terms of the Beetaloo basin and the support that we are providing. So I say to the member of Ballarat, and I say it here and say it publicly: if you have an allegation to make, step up. There’s a press gallery just over there looking for a story. Step up to them, make the allegation, and say what it is you are trying to intimate.

Mr RICK WILSON (O’Connor): My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Will the minister update the House on the strength of the resources sector and the plan that Morrison-Joyce government is implementing to streamline and cut red and green tape through reform so we can create more jobs and support regional communities like those across my electorate of O’Connor? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Mr PITT: I always enjoy coming to a debate led by the member for Shortland. The member for Shortland is always focused and he’s passionate and he’s disassociated from reality—and he’s also wrong. These are the challenges for the member for Shortland.

Mr O’DOWD (Flynn—Deputy Nationals Whip) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Will the minister inform the House how the Morrison government is positioning Australia as a leading supplier of critical minerals and rare earth elements to meet the growing global demand for the new energy technologies required in a modern economy? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Ms BUTLER: My question is to the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia. When did the minister first become aware of the National Party’s plot to shred the Murray-Darling Basin Plan?