ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT - BILLS - NORTHERN AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY AMENDMENT (MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES) BILL 2023 - SECOND READING

I'm glad to see the minister, the member for Brand, in the chamber. I know that she is doing all she can to help northern Australia—I commend her for that—and certainly the resources sector. It is a difficult role, being a Labor minister for those portfolios, particularly resources.

Only last night we saw the handing down of the budget—you'd almost argue the first budget for the member for Rankin. I appreciate he did one last October through the MYEFO process, but last night was his first real May budget. The budget last night was supposedly brought back into surplus. I say 'supposedly' because we'll believe it when we see it. If it is to be in surplus, it will have been on the back of resources. When I say it is difficult for a Labor person to be in that ministry, it is because all too often we see the resources sector, particularly gas and coal, being demonised by members opposite. More is the pity about that.

We just heard from the member for Kooyong in her own way rubbishing not just those sectors but, in doing so and through that, the people who work in those sectors, the people who put on their hard hats with the torch on the front, the people who put on the high-vis and go underground, who work hard and who, by their very zeal and their determination, efforts and hard work, getting their faces blackened with grit from the endeavour that they do, help pay for the hospitals and schools which are enjoyed by those people, particularly, in capital city electorates, who then turn around and unceremoniously bag them at every opportunity. I get a little bit frustrated by those members from capital cities who come in here and rubbish those people and those industries which have helped make this country great.

I appreciate that some on my side of politics don't like the transition to renewables. Yes, it's on its way and, yes, many of those so-called fossil fuel companies—let's call them 'mining companies'—are leading the way. They are leading the charge. They don't need to be told by the teals. They don't need to be told by Labor and certainly not by those flaming Greens that they need to transition. They're already doing it, and they're people who should not be demonised. They should not be criticised for the job that they are doing, the job they did to help bring the Labor budget into surplus. That surplus is on the back of coal. That surplus is on the back of iron ore. That surplus is on the back of gas. And those industries of the mining sector in particular have been demonised for way too long by people who are educated and, quite frankly, should know better.

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023 is important, and it's important to delve into a little bit of the history of the ministers for northern Australia. A quick read sees that Kep Enderby was the first such minister, as Minister for the Northern Territory. He was appointed by the Whitlam government back in 1972. He was followed by Rex Patterson and then none other than Paul Keating, who was later Treasurer and later Prime Minister. The National Country Party then had Ian Sinclair, a former leader of our party, fill this role. The role disappeared after 1993, until 2015, when one member for Kooyong—a very good member for Kooyong, and one I hope will be back as the member for Kooyong very, very soon—Josh Frydenberg, was the Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia. I remember people said, 'Why would you put in Josh Frydenberg, the member for Kooyong, in urban Melbourne, as northern Australia minister?' I have to say that the Prime Minister of the day was onto something, because he knew that Mr Frydenberg was going to play a big part in this nation's future, and he still will, rest assured. Mark my words, he will be back sooner rather than later.

You need someone who is on the way up to fill this role because it is important. I like to think that the member for Brand is on the way up too. It's important that we have a good minister for northern Australia. I don't care what side of politics it is; we need somebody who is going to be prepared to speak her or his mind in this role. I commend the member for Brand for doing just that in her time thus far. But in Mr Frydenberg we had a minister who came to the role with fresh eyes. He came to the role knowing that it was going to be an important position for him—and that's why Tony Abbott put him there—for what followed later on. And, certainly, Mr Abbott was right in that appointment.

You only have to look at what northern Australia has to offer to see the unlimited potential. I heard the member for Kooyong talking about the Beetaloo basin. I went and spoke to those people who were front and centre of that proposal. Of course it needs the cultural tick-off. Of course it needs the Indigenous provisions met. Those projects always do, always have and always will, and that's important. But the Beetaloo basin and the associated roadworks that we were putting in place when I was the infrastructure minister were so important, because they were going to open up gas exploration and gas reserves that were going to really help develop the Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory is one of our best kept secrets because it has unlimited potential. That's why I worked so hard to make sure that the seat of Lingiari was preserved. The Australian Electoral Commission was going to abolish the seat of Lingiari until I stepped in and said: 'Hang on a minute. You can't have somebody in Alice Springs, somebody in Katherine or somebody in Tennant Creek having to traipse all the way up to Darwin to get representation. No, no, no, no, no. That's not fair.' Regional members deserve the very best representation. Even though Labor won the seat—and good on you, to the new member for Lingiari—I'm glad that it is its own seat, apart from the member for Solomon. When I talk about the seat of Solomon and talk about northern Australia, I will give a little shout-out to Natasha Griggs, the administrator for Australian Indian Ocean Territories, who has done a very, very good job. She was formerly the member for Solomon, and she's done a very good job in that regard.

When we talk about northern Australia, the unlimited potential there is not just in our mining endeavours but also very much in our tourism. It has huge potential. But, to that end, we also need to look after those people who have lived in those hot climes for, let's say, tens of thousands of years. I digress a little from the legislation to something no less important—Mornington Island. Kyle Yanner is the mayor there. It is in the seat of Kennedy. It does not have a swimming pool. It does not have an aquatic centre. I went there as Acting Prime Minister just before I was deposed as the Deputy Prime Minister—more's the pity. The golden age of Australian democracy, I call it. But I went there—

Honourable members interjecting—

Mr McCORMACK: I'll take those interjections. I'm sure they're applauding that line I just used. But, importantly, Kyle Yanner is a very good mayor. He's one of those grounded, earthy mayors that we know and love in our local government sphere. He has fought to get a swimming pool in Mornington Island. I've been to see the minister for infrastructure. It's unfinished business of mine. For God's sake, why shouldn't a community of 1,200 in the Gulf of Carpentaria have a swimming pool they could call their own? Why shouldn't they? It just beggars belief.

I know that regional funding was severely cut back last night. I appreciate that the Building Better Regions Fund is continuing. I appreciate that the member for Parkes has been asked to be on a board that oversees future projects. I urge, encourage, implore and beg—I'll get down on my hands and knees if I have to. We need to see a swimming pool for the Mornington shire. It's a long, long way from my electorate, Riverina, but it doesn't matter. It's the right thing to do. It's in northern Australia, so, Member for Brand—Minister—if you have anything to do with it, if ever you can use your persuasion and your ministerial skills, please help me help that community get a swimming pool. They deserve it, they need it, they want it. It's a no-brainer, quite frankly.

This legislation is important. We know how important the NAIF has been. When changes were made to the NAIF to make sure that more money got out the door because the original conditions around it were probably a little restrictive, I think you saw it at its best self. This Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023 makes a number of amendments to give effect to previous coalition government announcements, and it clarifies definitions and existing powers relating to Indigenous persons. Indigenous people should have a say in this. It expands NAIF's appropriation from $5 billion to $7 billion.

It expands the geographical remit to include the Indian Ocean Territories, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. I mentioned Ms Griggs before. This was announced by the coalition before the last election because the coalition cared about northern Australia. I see the minister nodding. I'm sure she does too. She knows, being from Western Australia, how important the Northern Territory, northern Queensland and northern Western Australia are. To expand the remit for this is important. It also makes a technical clarification under constitutional powers to specifically refer to the benefit of Indigenous persons, a power originally added under the coalition's 2021 reforms.

It's a government bill, but it adds to what we did in government. While those opposite might come in often and decry what we did as a government, we were a good government. We certainly were a government that looked at northern Australia with a lens to the future. We looked to the areas, the cities, the regional communities in northern Australia, knowing that there was so much potential there.

I look forward to Lia Finocchiaro being the future Country Liberal Party Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. I look forward to next year's Queensland elections. I think they will put an important marker in the ground as far as the future for northern Australia particularly. I commend the work that is being done and I commend the previous work that was done by such ministers as Senator Canavan and Mr Pitt in their ministries for northern Australia. It's too important to get wrong. Whilst I come from a long, long way from northern Australia, I appreciate why we have a Minister for Northern Australia. I appreciate why it is important.

That's why we as a coalition government introduced the NAIF in 2016. It was in order to provide grants in such a way that states and territories were also able to tip into this important bucket to get things done. When I talk about getting things done and I talk about northern Australia, I am very disappointed that water infrastructure seems to have been pushed to the side in last night's budget. I just finished speaking in the House on the jobs and skills bill. If you can get things done in a nation-building way, it is through water infrastructure. It floodproofs areas, it builds agriculture, and it has been completely ignored in the budget. I am so disappointed about that. Rest assured; northern Australia is important. Forget what you just heard from the member for Kooyong. Mining is also important, and I'm sure the minister, the good member for Brand, in her summing up will back me up almost all of the way in everything I have just said.