MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator McDONALD (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (16:24): It is an enormous responsibility to come to this parliament, the federal parliament of Australia, and it behoves us to act in a way that is at all times responsible, particularly economically. It is the decisions we make today that chart the course of Australia for our children and grandchildren.

We've seen, under Labor, some of the most reckless decision-making over the last four years—things that have turned the ship of Australia away from the prosperity we've enjoyed in past generations, that have turned it away from our children believing they would have the same or a better quality of life than we have had. This is the first time in generations that young people feel they will be worse off than previous generations.

The last four years under the Labor government have seen those opportunities squandered. We've seen the war on fossil fuels. We've seen them turn their back on the energy sources that would mean Australians would continue to be the First World country we've enjoyed being.

I've been disappointed to see the Greens embrace this same kind of economic nihilism, and this urgency motion to expand public transport around Australia, whilst well meaning, is incredibly poorly thought through. Senator Waters proposed the expansion of public transport across the country but then went on to use examples in Queensland, where there is no public transport in the vast amount of the state.

Sure, there's a bit of public transport in Gympie and on the Sunshine Coast, and Brisbane and the Gold Coast. But the rest of the state does not enjoy public transport. Once again, we're cementing the disadvantage.

You come to Townsville, Senator Waters, and find out just how little public transport there is. Senator Waters interjecting— Senator McDONALD: Anyway, it's my turn now, Senator Waters. I didn't interrupt your input.

The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Polley ): Senators, I think it's fair to say that everyone listened to Senator Waters in her contribution. I remind senators that interjections are disorderly. Senator McDonald, you have the call.

Senator McDONALD: Thank you. So, we further cement this disadvantage between our regions and rural parts of the state and the cities, where we continue to subsidise those public transport arrangements. But I am pleased that the Crisafulli government has embedded 50c fares in Queensland for those people who are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy it.

I want to continue, though. The Greens, with this urgency motion, have continued to somehow think that they can hypothecate gas taxes with public transport. Given that the government doesn't hypothecate fuel excises to road maintenance—to a whole lot of things that you would normally think would be linked—I think it would be reasonable to think this is a complete fantasy.

The Greens are continuing to ignore the fact that gas is so important to our energy security, particularly at a time when we rely on the countries that we export to for liquid fuels. The Greens are proposing that we tell those countries that we're going to increase the cost to them of gas—something that's critical for their energy needs—at the same time as we are begging them for fuel; the Prime Minister is out there negotiating with those countries to maintain liquid fuel supplies to Australians.

We've heard today just how desperate Australians are to receive fuel. It is more than $4 a litre for diesel in parts of Queensland now, if you can get it. So this idea that we are going to damage those relationships by increasing gas taxes—future investment will be frozen and damaged.

It is extraordinary. It is a dismal state that our economy exists in now under Labor. Inflation is high.

Interest rates are high. Real wages are lower. We have a high cost of living because of this government's out-of-control spending.

All of this happened prior to the conflict in the Middle East. This is not new. So we want to see reduced red tape and streamlined approval processes so that we can get more investment into Australia and more prosperity, not less.