Mr PITT (Hinkler) (12:20): It is always a great pleasure to follow the member for Fowler, a very generous supporter of my predecessor, Mr Neville. I thank him for his words of support. I rise to speak in support of the Shipping Legislation Amendment Bill 2015. The bill will help to make the Australian shipping industry more competitive and efficient. I note the comments of the member for Fowler on Mr Neville’s previous involvement in previous committees, but the reality is very straightforward. The legislation that was put forward by Labor, and enacted, simply has not worked. In fact, it has had the opposite effect, as we have had large decreases in Australian coastal shipping. I am a common sense person and a practical person. If things do not work you need to make changes. That is the harsh reality of the world.

This government is committed to ensuring Australia is open for business, so that we can grow our economy and create jobs. That is why we have signed free trade agreements with China, Japan, and South Korea. The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, the biggest global trade deal in 20 years, will improve Australian trade across the 12 countries that make up 40 per cent of the global economy. The full benefits of these agreements will be reached only if we have the networks and services to support trade. Global connectivity is key to creating opportunities. As an island nation, shipping is essential to Australia’s prosperity.

For too long, companies wanting to move goods or passengers by sea have had to deal with a complex and burdensome licensing systems. The reforms contained in this bill will help reduce the burden on business, open up new opportunities and unlock the potential of our coastal trading routes. Under the previous Labor government, the fleet of major Australian registered ships—over 2,000 tonnes dead weight—with coastal licences was in sharp decline. They have plummeted from 30 vessels in 2006-07 to just 15 in 2014. As I said, the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the reality of the changes that Labor made previously. There has been a sharp reduction in Australian vessels; we need to act and we need to make these changes. Between 2000 and 2012, while the volume of freight across Australia actually grew by 57 per cent, shipping’s share of the Australian freight task fell from about 27 per cent to just under 17 per cent. That is a massive reduction. Between 2010 and 2030, Australia’s overall freight task is expected to grow by 80 per cent, but coastal shipping is only forecast to increase by 15 per cent. It is the great ocean highway. It is an opportunity for us to reduce road and significant other areas of transport. Over the first two years of the former government’s coastal trading act, there was a 63 per cent decline in the carrying capacity of the major Australian coastal trading fleet.

As explained by the Deputy Prime Minister in his second reading speech, evidence shows that Labor’s legislation increased the price of coastal shipping services but failed to improve the quality and availability of those services. Bell Bay Aluminium reported a 63 per cent increase in shipping freight costs from Tasmania to Queensland in just the first year of the 2012 regime—from $18.20 a tonne in 2011 to $29.70 a tonne in 2012. As someone who comes from a business background, I can say that you cannot sustain those types of increases. A 63 per cent increase in freight costs in just one year is simply unsustainable and it costs Australian jobs. It is absolutely alarming that it is cheaper to ship sugar from Thailand to Australia than it is to ship Australian sugar around our own coastline. As someone who has been involved with the sugar industry since the age of five, I know that this is an absolutely diabolical outcome for Australian growers, Australian millers and all the people associated with sugar. Across the Queensland coast, there are major sugar storage facilities which rely on shipping.

In my electorate of Hinkler, in the city of Bundaberg, the sleeping giant for our economy is the Bundaberg port. There are enormous opportunities for us to grow and diversify our local economy. The Bundaberg port has real opportunity in the future. We have had announcements from companies such as Knauf, an international plasterboard manufacturing company, that it will build a $70 million manufacturing plant at the Bundaberg port, subject to a few conditions. One of those is the supply of gas. This is unusual, I am sure, but I congratulate the new Labor state government on recognising how important that infrastructure is and maintaining the previous state government’s commitment—because, without that gas pipeline, this project would not go ahead. It will create 200 to 300 jobs in construction and around 65 full-time positions and add some two per cent to the local GDP. That is an enormous addition to our local economy. The Bundaberg port has just started to export sand, which is a new opportunity for a local producer, and, of course, with the new gas line I am sure other businesses out there will be attracted to the port facility for opportunities for manufacturing.

But sugar is Queensland’s largest agricultural crop by volume and value. With 80 per cent of Australia’s sugar exported overseas, it is also Australia’s seventh largest agricultural export. Australia’s sugar exports were worth $1.4 billion in the financial year before last, making us the third largest supplier in the world. I congratulate Minister Robb on signing the TPP. Whilst our growers have not been glowing in their endorsement, they recognise that it is a significant improvement on our current access to the US market. I have spoken to my local growers, they are satisfied that we have done everything we could and I congratulate the minister on his work. This industry also employs 50,000 people, and nearly all of those are located in regional centres and regional areas—not just the farmers but the people who supply machinery and provide fertiliser and all of the add-on services. It is an incredibly large and important industry for the Queensland economy. Thousands of people in my electorate are reliant on the sugar industry to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table for their kids. It is an industry which has been around for over 100 years and, I hope, will continue strongly into the future.

When it comes to coastal shipping and this bill, we need to act now. Without change, shipping will not be able to deliver the internationally competitive and efficient services that Australian businesses and farmers desperately need. The main focus of the bill is a greatly simplified permit system that will reduce costs to business and enhance access to competitive international shipping services.

While we talk about those opportunities, I would also like to speak about the opportunity for a submarine maintenance base at the Bundaberg port. This is something which has been put forward for consideration by the Defence white paper, which I am sure will be released soon. I encourage the new defence minister to look at this opportunity. It certainly stacks up. It has been assessed by people who have considerable experience in defence. It is a location where it is actually cheap to live. There is lots of housing, there is plenty of available land and the local facilities are second to none. There is a real opportunity to put that base in Bundaberg.

We are simplifying the rules for moving cargo, simply because we must. Labor’s laws have failed—as I have explained in this speech today, they have simply failed. If we do not take action, there will be even less coastal shipping for Australian flagged ships. Australia’s rigorous maritime safety and environmental laws will continue to apply to all ships operating in Australian waters. The bill also has built-in protections for Australian workers. This is a brief contribution, but thank you for the opportunity, Mr Speaker. I commend the bill to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (13:56): Last week the Assistant Minister for Science, Karen Andrews, and I hosted a community science forum at Central Queensland University to inspire businesses and young job seekers. About 65 people attended the forum, including students from Bundaberg Christian College.

As a former electrical engineer, business owner and farmer, I was very impressed by the level of innovation coming out of my region. We heard from Sweet Sensations Manager Craig Van Rooyen about trialling non-lethal methods of pest management, such as drones, on orchards. Run4 owner Henry Thomas explained how he turned a hobby of designing bicycles into a successful business, inventing the Bionic Runner.

Bargara Brewing Company owner Jack Milbank spoke about isolating yeasts locally rather than importing them. He also spoke about social enterprise beer and crowd-funding campaigns. In the best line of the forum, ‘STEM leads to beer,’ according to Mr Milbank—a great encouragement to our young students, I am sure!

We heard about the local success stories like Best Practice Software. Lorraine and Frank Pyefinch are committed to maintaining their head office in Bundaberg and are now an Australian market leader in general practice software, with over 12,000 doctor customers.

CQ University lecturers spoke about some of the exciting research being produced by local students on topics such as gambling behaviour, humanitarian infrastructure design and sports related concussion. I hope the forum has shown Hinkler businesses what they can achieve through innovation and encourage a few more people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Just quickly, I would like to say g’day to the students of St John’s Lutheran Primary School who are in the House today. I am sure they are having a great visit.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (11:36): This is been a week of highs and lows, of losses and triumphs, but I will leave it to the commentators or so-called experts to pick everything apart. Today, rather than focus on any of the negative, I want to reflect on what it all means for the people of Hinkler. They are, after all, my No. 1 priority and the reason I am here today.

I am a member of the Liberal National Party in Queensland but in Canberra I sit with the Nationals. This means I do not get a vote on the Liberal leadership, just as those who sit with the Liberal Party do not get a say on who leads the Nationals. In 95 years the Nationals have had just 12 leaders. Our party continues to be a strong voice for regional Australia.

On Wednesday, the Nationals negotiated a new coalition agreement with the Liberal Party to form government, with Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. The agreement contains some very significant wins for the Nationals, and I applaud our leader, Warren Truss. He is a man who gets things done, not via the media but through steadfast negotiations behind closed doors. I have strongly expressed my views on the renewable energy target previously and the impact it will have on electricity prices for those who can least afford it. While I do not agree with all our policies on climate change, I am pleased we have been able to get a guarantee that they will not be broadened or increased under a Turnbull government.

The responsibility for water policy will be transferred back from the environmental portfolio to agriculture, where it belongs. Farmers are the great guardians of water, because without it they do not survive. Our policies and programs, to date, have already started having a positive impact on my region’s local unemployment rate. The establishment of a new jobs program specifically focused on regional Australia will only further the positive trend.

The coalition agreement also maintains the existing policy on same-sex marriage, to hold a plebiscite of the people, should we win another term. We will increase family tax benefit part B payments to stay-at-home-parent families with a child below the age of one eligible. Importantly, we have agreed that cabinet will give proper consideration to amendments to the Australian Competition and Consumer Act that were recommended in the Harper review. The Harper report made 56 recommendations, laying the ground work for a more competitive and flexible economy to make markets work better for all Australians. The key one for cabinet consideration relates to section 46 and the abuse of market power. Some argue it will reduce productivity, chill investment and lead to higher prices. The reverse is true. The current laws have failed to protect consumers and smaller competitors, with only one case every two years making it before the courts. The system favours firms which can afford legal representation to help them engage in anticompetitive behaviour while remaining just within the bounds of the law. Strengthening section 46 would be a significant win for the consumers and especially businesses in my electorate: the farmers, food manufacturers and commercial fishers. In relation to Tony Abbott, I will say this: he delivered on his key election commitments. He got rid of the carbon tax, he got rid of the mining tax, and he stopped the boats. Everyone said that it could not be done, but he did it.

Border protection and national security is one of the top issues of concern among my Hinkler constituents. ‘Stopping the boats’ is not just a three-word slogan; it is backed by a policy of tough measures that have deterred people from risking their lives at sea. In the 12 months before the coalition introduced Operation Sovereign Borders there were 401 illegal boat arrivals carrying 26,542 people, compared to only one illegal boat arrival in 2014. Since coming to government two years ago our policies have resulted in the closure of 13 immigration detention centres, saving the 2015-16 budget $500 million. We have reduced the number of children in detention by 90 per cent. As a result, we have been able to increase the humanitarian program from the current level of 13,750 places per year to 18,750 places per year by 2018-19. It has also enabled us to take 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees, in addition to the 4,400 we settled last financial year.

Over the past two years I have enjoyed a good working relationship with Malcolm Turnbull as a member of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications, and I expect that will continue. I wore a path to Mr Turnbull’s door in relation to the NBN rollout, and I thank him for heeding my concerns and agreeing to list Bundaberg as one of 10 sites prioritised nationally for the fibre-to-the-node rollout. It is expected to be switched on toward the end of this year. The fact that Bundaberg is a point of interconnect for the NBN bodes well for further expansion across the electorate. More than 20 fixed wireless NBN towers are either delivered or under construction in the rural parts of the electorate. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Turnbull to continue doing exactly what I have been doing for the past two years, and that is delivering for the people of Hinkler.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (13:46): When the Torbanlea licensed post office closed suddenly two weeks ago, I gave a commitment that I would work to ensure local postal services were restored as soon as possible. As such, I was in regular contact with Australia Post and the office of the then communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to impress upon them the importance of retaining local services. As a direct result of strong lobbying by me and the local Torbanlea community, for the first time in 40 years the Torbanlea community’s mail will soon be delivered directly to their homes instead of to PO boxes. Those who do not wish to install a letterbox outside their home can have their mail sent to a PO box in the nearby town of Howard for the standard rate. Unfortunately, Australia Post has been unable to secure another licensee to run the Torbanlea LPO. Residents will still be able to access over-the-counter Australia Post services in Howard, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Australia Post will be in touch over the coming months to provide details of the changes, when they will come into effect and what actions residents will need to take.

I recognise that the sudden closure came as a shock to many, but I assured residents that Australia Post does not make these decisions lightly or without good reason. Australia Post is to be commended for heeding our concerns and acting swiftly to find a middle ground. I thank Prime Minister Turnbull’s communications staff for their input. I thank the Torbanlea community for their patience, and I also congratulate them on their advocacy. They were incredibly strong on this issue. They ran a petition and they have had a success.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (12:33): I rise to speak on the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Legislation Amendment Bill 2015. This is a very important bill for people in regional Australia. These reforms will ensure Australia’s foreign investment framework is modern, simple and effective. It will add integrity to the system so that everyone plays by the rules. It will also grant new compliance powers to the Australian Taxation Office and the Foreign Investment Review Board. I note that in a press conference just some hours ago, the Australian Taxation Office stated very, very firmly that they will be targeting the third-party facilitators that are being used to break Australian laws, and they will do that through the new penalty systems introduced as part of these bills.

There are new penalties for a foreign person who makes an acquisition without approval. There is an increased criminal penalty for an individual, a natural person, of 750 penalty units, which is equivalent to $135,000 or three years in prison. For a company, it will be 3,750 penalty units, which is equivalent to $675,000. The civil penalty for individuals is 250 penalty units or $45,000; for a company, 1,250 penalty units and $225,000. A foreign person who fails to comply with the condition of approval will get the same penalty levels as the previous one. It is important to note that without strong penalties and a strong enforcement framework this legislation will not work.

Foreign ownership, not foreign investment, is an issue of great importance to the people of my electorate, but not only for the people of Hinkler. I have travelled across our great nation, particularly throughout Queensland, whether it be the people in Flynn or the people in Capricornia, whether they are in Betoota or Birdsville, this is an issue of concern to them. It is something which has been of concern for a very long period of time. In fact, for the Nationals this has been an issue for many years, as I am sure the Minister for Agriculture, who is at the desk this morning, would agree with me. We have been fighting for this for a long time.

Clearly, now that it is affecting the people of Toorak and the good people of Sydney Harbour, it has certainly created a lot more interest. So I thought I would take the time to see how far back in time this has been an issue for. I was fortunate enough this morning to sit through a presentation from the National Archives. I was not aware how important a role they play, so imagine my surprise when I searched Hansard and found this issue went all the way back to the constitutional debate of 1901. I identified one speech in particular, by Senator Guthrie of the Nationalist Party on 13 June 1923 in the address-in-reply to the Governor-General’s speech. For those people who might be listening to this broadcast, the Nationalist Party is not the National Party. The Nationalist Party went on to become the United Australia Party, the precursor and the basis for the modern-day Liberal Party—as I am sure you are aware, Acting Deputy Speaker Goodenough, as a man who knows his history.

Even in June of 1923, there was discussion about the amount of suitable land that was available and its ownership by Australians or otherwise. Also in the same speech, if I could have some indulgence, was talk of a north-south railway. Well, that is something we will deliver. The Deputy Prime Minister has announced those things just this week—the additional money to ensure that we can put the link through, to finalise the great inland railway for the delivery of cargo. And I am sure the Minister for Agriculture will be interested in this: they spoke about water. One of the precursors of the great Liberal Party spoke about the need for water from the Great Artesian Basin and its protection, and the need to open up the rich and fertile lands of the Murrumbidgee, the Murray and Darling—things that are just as important now as they were almost a hundred years ago.

This bill is about getting the balance right. We need to ensure we get the balance right between foreign investment and foreign ownership. In my view, our fears of the unknown are always worse than the reality. Foreign investment in Australian real estate, according to the FIRB report of 2013-14, was just under $40 billion for commercial real estate and around $34 billion for residential real estate, totalling $74½ billion for the year. So acquisitions are not that unusual and under this legislation they will continue, but we have ensured that there is a framework to get the balance right.

I will speak briefly about some of the acquisitions that have occurred in my electorate’s recent history. These acquisitions were of great concern at the time, but many of these companies have gone on to become great local citizens, great corporate citizens of my electorate. That includes Bundaberg Sugar. Bundaberg Sugar is one of the largest landholders in the country, one of the largest agricultural landowners in this country. They provide employment, sugar milling services and railways. They grow all sorts of agricultural products and they have been around for over 125 years. But even they have a history of acquisitions and takeover—from their takeover by a company called Tate & Lyle through to their current ownership by Societe Financiere des Sucres—but they have stayed in business, employing local people, providing local jobs and ensuring the local economy continues to grow.

I will declare that I was an employee of Bundaberg Sugar for many years. In fact I went through an acquisition in the north—an organisation called South Johnstone Mill, a private grower owned cooperative. I really felt for the people of South Johnstone. It was a terrible process for them. But South Johnstone went on to be acquired by Bundaberg Sugar and has since been acquired by Maryborough Sugar—so this is not something which is unusual. This is something which continues to go on, but it is of great concern to the community.

Taxation and financial regulation can be a minefield. It is a complicated beast. It can sometimes be difficult to navigate and understand. I will give a really simple example of how we are protecting the nation. Previously foreign purchases of agricultural land were only subject to the national interest test and close scrutiny if they were worth more than $252 million. On 1 March this year, we reduced that screening threshold to $15 million. That means that any agricultural land purchases worth more than $15 million are now subject to close scrutiny. I know that this will create some difficulties for companies like Bundaberg Sugar, especially since the $15 million is a cumulative amount. They clearly have assets above that, so the test will be triggered when they purchase additional land in the local area.

Foreign investors will be required to register information about their existing holdings and subsequent acquisitions of agricultural land. Up until now only the state of Queensland has held such a register. This government is getting on with practical measures not only to assuage people’s fears but to ensure we have the detailed information that is required to make assessments.

This suite of bills does more than just protect agricultural land; it also relates to company holdings of residential and commercial real estate. From 1 December this year there will be stricter civil and criminal penalties that ensure foreign investors do not benefit from breaking the rules. The Treasurer today announced that there are 500 Foreign Investment Review Board investigations underway into $1 billion worth of illegal real estate holdings by foreign nationals. That is an enormous number of investigations. It is a significant achievement in such a short period of time and I congratulate the FIRB. They are getting on with this and ensuring that the new framework will be enforced.

Fees on foreign investment applications will give Treasury and the ATO additional resources and ensure that Australian taxpayers are no longer funding the administration of the system. These fees are expected to raise $735 million in revenue over the forward estimates. Effective from 1 December 2015, these fees include $10,000 for vacant commercial land, $25,000 for commercial real estate, $10,000 for new business proposals and internal reorganisations, $25,000 for business acquisitions where the value of the investment is less than $1 billion, and $100,000 for business acquisitions where the value of the investment is greater than $1 billion. For a $1 billion investment I do not believe $100,000 is unreasonable. If you were to look at the process Adani have gone through over the last five years, you would see that they have invested millions and millions of dollars in a mine which is not yet approved—a mine which would have created thousands of jobs, not only in Central Queensland but across the entire east coast.

As I have said, this is a matter of significant concern in the community. Whether I am at a market or a business drop-in, whether it is through emails, letters or phone calls, this is something that has constantly been raised with me over the two years I have been here. People are concerned about foreign ownership. This legislation strikes a balance—and it is this government that has taken action. We will get the balance right. We will continue to do what is right by the Australian people and I commend the bills to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (19:22): I must say it is rare in the House that I get to follow the member for Throsby, and his contribution is spoken just like a lawyer, which I believe is his training. Out in the real world in my electorate, the single biggest issue is unemployment. That is the No. 1 issue for the people that I represent. The median personal income is just $411 a week, and the people in my electorate are doing it tough. I have said it many times before and I will continue to say it until the people on the other side of the House start to listen: governments do not create jobs; businesses do. That is why we need investment in regional areas. If people are employed, it improves their self-esteem. They can care for themselves and their families. They can live a better quality of life.

The Wide Bay-Burnett region’s central proximity to the growing markets of Gladstone, South-East Queensland and the Surat Basin presents enormous overflow opportunities for the people of my electorate. Traditionally a farming district with the largest population of any Queensland region outside the South-East Corner, we have the potential for new medium-scale manufacturing to support supply chains in a number of sectors. The Regional Development Australia Wide Bay Burnett has developed a capability document to inform the resource sector and construction companies of the Wide Bay-Burnett’s ability to meet key industry requirements in the sourcing, recruiting and mobilising of fly-in fly-out workforces. That is why I find it completely ironic that those on the other side of the House would side with the green groups and allow mining and infrastructure projects in regional Queensland to be strangled by green tape, stifling job creation that is desperately needed.

If a project is stalled, it does not affect just one region; it flows to all of the surrounding areas. If there are no workers, there will be no members of their beloved unions. Most Labor Party MPs and senators have not worked outside on a tough day in a tough environment, and how many of them have actually been tradesmen, farmers or small business owners, the people who are out there building our economy? I would suggest it is very few. If we look at their leader, for example, what does he know about the people he claims to represent? Probably nothing. I think he spent most of his time in an air conditioned office.

Coalition members know what it is like to work in the real world. Labor only serves its own interest and any minority group that will help them score cheap political points, and I find it absolutely extraordinary that Labor is opposing these changes which merely bring the EPBC Act into line with other Commonwealth laws. This government will not stand by and allow jobs, investment and our economy to be threatened by activist litigation.

Courts should not be used to support green groups’ political tactics. In the past, people with no connection to a development other than a desire to stop it have been able to use the courts to disrupt and delay key infrastructure even after it has been appropriately considered under the EPBC Act. I would like to focus on that point for a moment. These are people who have no connection with the project. Most have never set foot on the proposed site. They have not even visited the towns nearby. To give you an example of the scale of economic vandalism, I will quote from the Greenpeace Australia report titled Stopping the Australian coal export boom:

Our strategy is to ‘disrupt and delay’ key projects and infrastructure while gradually eroding public and political support for the industry …

…   …   …

Legal challenges can stop projects outright, or can delay them in order to buy time to build a much stronger movement and powerful public campaigns. They can also expose the impacts, increase costs, raise investor uncertainty, and create a powerful platform for public campaigning.

They go on to say they will:

Mount legal challenges to the approval of several key ports, mines and rail lines … that delay, limit or stop all of the major infrastructure projects … that have been identified as a high priority in the strategy …

Many of the mining and infrastructure companies we have in Australia take their social responsibilities very seriously. They donate to schools and community groups, build new roads and community infrastructure and employ local people. For example, the proposed Macmines Austasia China Stone project in the North Galilee Basin has committed to sourcing 60 per cent of the operational workforce from regional Queensland: Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers and Wide Bay. They undertook a labour market study to identify the labour source locations for the project and, as such, they will recruit some 775 workers—25 per cent of their work force—from the Wide Bay region. That would be a huge boost for my local economy and the region, with almost 800 jobs created, people bringing money into Hinkler communities and spending it at local businesses that employ local people. The cycle of benefits goes around and around.

This legislation will stop green groups from using the courts to delay projects like these. Delays cost jobs in communities that need them most. People do not know whether a project that has gone through all the necessary hoops, sometimes over many years, will continue to be in doubt. Should they stay there or should they look for work elsewhere? Under this government Australia is open for business, and part of that is removing uncertainty for investors. We have halved the time for approvals and cleared Labor’s backlog of approvals. We have approved over $1 trillion in projects. It is important to note that Australia continues to have some of the most stringent and effective environmental laws in the world, just as it should. I say as it should because no-one is questioning the fact that there needs to be an appropriate balance between the social, economic, environmental and cultural needs of our communities.

The proposed amendments contained in this legislation do not change environmental standards. Farmers, landowners and any other person whose interests are adversely affected by the decision will continue to have a right to appeal any decision. The EPBC Act standing provisions were always intended to allow the genuine interests of an aggrieved person whose interests are adversely affected to be preserved. This will continue to be the case. Changing the EPBC Act will not prevent those who may be affected by a project from seeking judicial review. It will maintain and protect their rights. This legislation will, however, ensure that environmental activists no longer receive special treatment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Once projects have met these tough environmental requirements, they should be able to proceed without being subjected to legal sabotage. Environmental groups will still have ample opportunities to put forward evidence and make their cases through our rigorous environmental impact assessment processes. No longer will they be able to delay, limit or stop major projects that this country desperately needs. We are putting an end to the economic vandalism.

To those people who are out there listening to this speech live and to those who might read it after delivery I say: if you get up in the morning and you put on your steel-cap boots and your Hi Vis shirt; if you go to work at a mine as a truck driver, as a diesel fitter, as an electrician or as many of the thousands of other occupations, the changes in this legislation are for you. If you get in your service vehicle first thing in the morning and work on servicing equipment at the local gas plant, the local mine, the local feedlot, the local trawlers, the changes in this bill are for you. If you are one of the thousands of Australians who are up at three in the morning, providing catering services to those men and women who start early and finish late, whether on-site or in transit, making takeaway breakfasts and lunch packs— (Time expired)

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (09:37): As I was saying, if you are one of the thousands of Australians who are up at three in the morning providing catering services to those men and women who start early and finish late, whether on site or in transit, making takeaway breakfasts and lunch packs, cleaning on-site accommodation or cleaning hotels, this change is for you. If you are the teachers, the nurses and the doctors working in regional Australia, helping the people working in regional Australia, this change is for you.

If you are the union members of any stripe, I say to you this: the Labor Party are interested in your membership fees; they are not interested in your long-term employment. If they were, they would be supporting this change, because the Greens have publicly stated:

Our strategy is to disrupt and delay key projects and infrastructure while gradually eroding public and political support for industry …

So, every time you see a political ad from the Greens, it is not about the environment. If it were, they would be talking about matters which are doing enormous damage to our flora and fauna: the feral cats that are wiping out entire species; the feral dogs that are destroying livestock for fun, not for food; the feral pigs that are eating to extinction our sea turtle eggs and hatchlings and, in my region, the loggerhead turtles. They are turtles which nest in only two locations in the world, one of them Mon Repos beach, right in the middle of my electorate.

We on this side of the House are the ones improving the environment. It is this government that is allocating money to control feral pigs, to control feral cats and to control wild dogs. When the Greens speak about the Great Barrier Reef or Queensland ports, know that they speak with a forked tongue, because the Greens’ aim—the Greens’ only aim—is to ensure that Australians do not have a job. That is because the Greens’ goal is to destroy industry. The Greens’ goal is to close Queensland ports. And they will do anything, say anything and spend anything to ensure that investment in this great nation stops.

We must end the economic vandalism of the Greens, and we must end it now. I commend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Standing) Bill 2015 to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (16:09): It is terribly unfortunate that I have had to sit through the contributions from the other side this afternoon. I note that member for Rankin’s complaints about the five-minutes of his life he would like back. I will see his five minutes and raise him to 10. I had to sit through the contribution of the member for McMahon, who is apparently the shadow Treasurer. In the 10 minutes that the member had, he spoke half about TV shows and the other half about the Treasurer.

I have not heard anything about a plan from Labor or what they intend to do or what they will do for the economy or what they will do for the nation but they certainly talked a lot about Blankety Blanks and everything else. If we were to talk about TV shows, the closest we would get to those opposite would be the Muppet Show because we know who is pulling their strings. Every time the Leader of the Opposition speaks, we know who moves his lips and it is certainly the CFMEU, and that is not in the interests of this nation by any way at all.

The member for McMahon also spoke about the nation paying the price. Well, the nation is paying the price of six years of instability of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government. That is the reality. Those opposite had literally rivers of gold to play with. The country was in an incredibly good economic position and they blew what was left from the Howard government. They spent the whole lot.

Where is the plan of those opposite? We have heard absolutely nothing about what they will do for the economy. The shadow Treasurer does not even know what the tax-free threshold is. Many of the people on this side of the chamber have been in business. We know the tax-free threshold and we know what the correct pay rates are. We know how to make the money that we need to pay those bills at the end of the month because there is nothing more difficult than meeting wages. So I congratulate the people who are out there in the economy doing their best for this country and employing Australians to participate in the economic stability of the nation.

The member for McMahon does have an advantage though. There is one Labor leader in the country who is actually worse, who does not know anything about the economy or how it works, and that would be Premier Palaszczuk, who, when asked what the GST rate actually was, did not know. I guarantee that everyone here knows that it is 10 per cent. It was a very poor reflection on the current Queensland Labor government. Hopefully they will do much better.

What are we doing? We are getting on with it. One of the first things we have sorted out this week is we have got rid of Labor’s bank deposit tax. You have not seen too much in the press but that is a 1½ billion-dollar tax put forward by Labor, placed on people’s bank deposits—that is, every business, every pensioner, every single person that holds money in the bank—and we have gotten rid of it. We have got rid of the trouser tax. If you did not use your account for three years, Labor took your money. It was absolute criminality. It was theft. We have sorted that out and put it back to where it should be.

We have approved 176 projects for the environment worth more than $1 trillion. That is where the jobs are. It is not us that produces jobs; it is up to business. They are the ones that employ and we must build the framework for them. It is incredibly important.

The Chinese free trade agreement will affect 95 per cent of exports and be duty-free. It includes seafood at 15 per cent. It will eliminate coal tariffs. In my electorate of Hinkler, it will certainly help the horticulture producers. Do not listen to me about it; listen to someone that actually produces stuff. Trevor Steinhardt, from Macadamias Australia, has provided me a quote. He said:

There are great benefits in the free trade agreements. Japan, China and South Korea will definitely help and they have come at an ideal time. Free trade agreements will give us a better return. The macadamia market is rapidly expanding due to tariffs on the ramp down.

This is a great reflection on what we are doing because the more we can put on someone’s bottom line, the better the opportunities for them to employ Australians and that is what we are about.

Those on the other side talk about economic management. But this is what they do: they throw all the money in the air and look where it lands and whatever department it falls in basically spends it. The rivers of gold, they certainly roll around in—they turn it into gold body paint and wash it down the river. They do not know how to manage money. Quite simply, they just spend. They gave $900-cheques to people who basically did not need it—some who did not exist, some who were deceased and certainly some who were not even Australian citizens.

On this side of the House, we are about a stronger economy. We are about lowering taxes. We are about ensuring the security of this nation and that there are jobs for our people in the future, including our children. What those on the other side will promote when it comes time for the election will be free televisions. Their economic plan will be to give everybody a free TV, which is what they did previously over and over again.

My electorate is named after the great aviator Bert Hinkler.

After distinguished service in the First World War, the boy from Bundaberg was the first pilot to fly solo from England to Australia.

Last month, on the 2^nd of August, a very special memorial and walking trail – named the Hinkler Ring – was unveiled at the Tuscan crash site in Italy where Bert Hinkler was killed in 1933.

The memorial was the brainchild of Capalaba-based aviation history enthusiast Kevin Lindeberg, who helped research a number of historical books about the pioneer.

Mr Lindeberg co-ordinated the Hinkler Ring’s establishment from start to finish; first marking out the Italian crash site in 1974.

The LNP State Government contributed $37,000 towards the relocation of a basalt boulder from Mon Repos beach to the crash site in Italy, to become the memorial’s centrepiece. 

The memorial also features a time capsule containing a letter from Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister of Italy and the Queensland Premier to be opened in 100 years.

In June, President of the Senate Senator Stephen Parry and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop signed a special framed poster celebrating Bert Hinkler’s visit to the Australian Parliament on March 14, 1928.

Featuring extracts from Parliament’s visitor books and a photo of Bert being welcomed by the then Prime Minister SM Bruce, the framed gift was presented at the Hinkler Ring unveiling to be displayed at the Chalet Da Giocondo in Italy.

A second copy takes pride of place in the Hinkler electorate office, in Bert’s home town. 

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (17:35): I rise to speak on the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Primary Television Broadcasting Service) Bill 2015. It will be a brief contribution, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker Vasta. We switched to digital fully and completely in December 2014. There were a number anomalies in places and my office, like many other electorate offices, was swamped by any number of complaints. A lot of those turned out to simply be operational issues where people could not manage to retune their televisions. After a short period of time that all came around. There was one in particular person whom I would like to mention.

This gentleman was aware of ACMA. He had a large knowledge about the broadcasting act and communications legislation. In fact, he was quite demanding about how we might deal with the issue and how it affected him. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be one Paul Neville, the former member for Hinkler and former chair of the infrastructure and communications standing committee. Mr Neville was well aware of the ways to address some of the issues and we did sort them out after a period of time. He now successfully has some quality digital television reception at his home.

This legislation is responding to an exponential change in the media and how it is working. Many of the people in the House and those listening on other broadcast services would be well aware that the media landscape is changing considerably and at an exponential rate. Regardless of whether you use a portable device like an iPad or an iPhone or whether you use a streaming service or Netflix or you choose to listen to your radio from Sydney, Melbourne or Western Australia, quite simply the landscape has shifted and we must shift with it. This is a common-sense change to legislation and one which is fully supported of course by both sides. It is a good outcome.

The things we do need to consider though are those people out there who it may affect. Currently there is a mandatory requirement for a standard definition broadcast, particularly for the AFL and NRL finals. With your indulgence, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker Vasta, I would like to speak about that just briefly because it is something I am incredibly passionate about. During this NRL season it became very clear that there was a potential for two Queensland teams, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos, to actually finish one-two at the top of the table and potentially then go on to play a final. My greatest nightmare would be, as it would be for all local NRL supporters, the fact that those teams would come up against one another in the first week and, unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened. On this weekend, the Brisbane Broncos will play the North Queensland Cowboys. Fortunately it is not an elimination final but it will be a great game of football. I am sure lots of people will be out supporting it. However, we can still keep our fingers crossed, as passionate Queenslanders, that they will end up in the grand final. Imagine having two Queensland teams in the national rugby league grand final.

Mr Neumann interjecting—

Mr PITT: The Intrust Cup is another great league. Thank you very much for the interjection, Mr Neumann. I am always passionate about rugby league.

Once this legislation is changed, if the broadcaster does choose—it is up to the broadcaster—to transmit in high-definition then those people out there who own HD TVs will get an incredibly clear picture. Television is one of those areas where there has been exponential change. In fact, the price of HD televisions has come down substantially. Many homes now own HD TVs. Whether you support that very strange game of AFL or you support the national rugby league, I am sure there are good opportunities.

I notice the member for Herbert has just entered the chamber. I am sure he will definitely speak about the North Queensland Cowboys and how fantastic they will look in HD broadcast when the opportunity occurs. I congratulate the minister for moving on with these things.

I would also low speak about the Save our Voices campaign. This is something which regional broadcasters and other media outlets have been running over a long period of time. I would like to put my views firmly on the record—that is, simply that the Communications Act at the moment will be a Pandora’s box. We cannot cherry-pick the elements that one supporter or the other may well like to pick up. But if we do open the box, I think everything should be on the table because, as I said, the media landscape has shifted completely.

You can now read your news from anywhere in the country or in fact from anywhere in the world. You can take your broadcast directly from the US if you so choose. The communications legislation that was put together in the mid-90s is relatively ineffectual and certainly is not up with the times. However, if we are to open Pandora’s box, we must ensure it is not an exercise in futility. It may well be, because if we cannot gain Senate support for changes which might be proposed, it will be a significant waste of time and resources of the parliament to even look at it.

There are also some amendments to the VAST service—that is, the free-to-air satellite—which also has a regulatory provision for standard definition broadcasts for local news—another mandatory requirement. There is a common-sense change that the broadcasters may elect to broadcast local news in HD if they so choose, so there is more flexibility. This is certainly a well supported piece of legislation. For those people in regional Australia, their No. 1 priority is actually getting reception of digital TV, to have a service that works consistently, one which is not washed out by storms or trees that move or wind that blows. Quite simply, they are the things that we must ensure happen with some urgency and as a No. 1 priority.

This is a common-sense change. I support the legislation fully. There will be an opportunity to broadcast those finals in HD. I look forward to seeing the Queensland teams out and running in positions one and two and then it will not matter—whichever to team gets up, Queensland will still be a winner. I commend the bill to the House.

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (16:40): Last week I had the absolute pleasure of meeting some members of STEPS Care for Carers group at Childers, a small town in the middle of my electorate. They are a small group of dedicated seniors who are full-time carers of a family member. I thank Carol Hawkshaw for inviting me to attend. The meeting was held at Forest View Aged Care at Childers, which is an exceptional facility. It was great to get the opportunity to get direct feedback from those involved in using government systems.

There are some 2.7 million unpaid carers in Australia, many of whom are so modest and humble that they do not identify themselves as carers. Carers often experience social isolation and financial hardship as a result of their caring responsibilities. Volunteer carers play a vital role in our communities. They are part of the social glue that holds them together. Without them the cost to taxpayers of caring for those in need would be significantly higher than it is today. That is why we must support our volunteers to care for their loved ones.

Carers aged 25 years or younger have until 28 September to apply for one of more than 330 bursaries worth $3,000 each to help them continue their education. I urge young Hinkler carers who are juggling part-time work, study and their caring responsibilities to apply for the 2016 Young Carers Bursary Programme. Next month, 11 to 17 October, is National Carers Week. I hope other members and senators will join me in raising community awareness of the issue and thanking our carers for the extraordinary work that they do.