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Last week the Nationals held their first party room meeting of the year in my electorate
of Hinkler. The party's visit was a clear demonstration of the Nationals' commitment
to regional Australia. It gave my community an opportunity to show the rest of the country
that after a tough couple of years of natural disasters Hinkler is open for business.
A year on from the floods and tornadoes, as part of the visit Deputy Prime Minister Warren
Truss and I announced that repairs to the rock wall at the port of Bundaberg would be
underwritten by the federal and Queensland governments by natural disaster recovery and
relief arrangements. While it is anticipated that insurers will meet a significant part
of the costs, the announcement of government funding for the shortfall will ensure that
the wall is repaired more quickly. Shipping access to the port is vital to local industries
and jobs, which is why the now Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and I made the commitment prior
to the election to get it fixed. Since the election I have been in regular contact with
Mr Truss's office to ensure the matter is resolved.
The sugar industry is just one group reliant on the port. The sugar industry generates
around $230 million a year for the Wide Bay-Burnett region, supporting some 600 cane farmers and
800 direct local jobs. While in town the Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, discussed
electricity pricing with Isis and Bundaberg canegrower groups and toured the farm and
processing facilities at Macadamias Australia and Farmfresh Fine Foods before meeting with
Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers.
The Assistant Minister for Employment, Luke Hartsuyker, had dinner with various local
chamber of commerce groups and toured jobs service provider IMPACT, where he had his
blood pressure taken by some local aged-care students. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs,
Nigel Scullion, toured the construction site of the new Indigenous Wellbeing Centre and
joined morning tea with staff at the Mater hospital, where construction is set to begin
on new patient and family accommodation facilities.
We also attended a civic reception with Brisbane Lions AFL players Daniel Rich and Simon Black
at Bundaberg East State School, which was devastated by the floods in January last year.
MPs Andrew Broad, Michael McCormack, Darren Chester, George Christensen, Michelle Landry
and Ken O'Dowd, Senator Bridget McKenzie and Senators-elect Matt Canavan, James McGrath
and Barry O'Sullivan also keenly participated in the events. This included a tour of Central
Queensland University's Bundaberg campus and a community breakfast at the Old Bundy Tavern.
Local constituents were encouraged and heartened by their genuine interest in the issues that
are impacting their daily lives. I would like to thank my colleagues for their support and
their willingness to engage with the Hinkler community. I trust that what they learnt will
inform their deliberations here in this place.