Andrew Willcox
Dawson · Liberal National Party · Australia
“I recently was honoured to visit the wonderful Domenica in the Burdekin, who celebrated her 100th birthday. To hear her deeply moving story of her arrival in Australia as a nine-year-old was amazing.”
“We all know Whitehaven, the best beach in the world, was completely robbed, but we'll let them off the hook this time with a cheeky warning. If you head further down south in Dawson to Yalboroo in the Mackay region, you can find Hold It Flats, which took out a well-deserved second place for the best camping and four-wheel-drive spot.”
“In our local businesses where you can get warmed up, Mal's Pies and Pastries in Oonoonba took out silver, fuelling an army of tradies for 30 years with beaut pies while also backing our community.”
“As a former tomato farmer, I know firsthand that the agricultural sector would be completely lost without the visas that allow international workers to fill critical gaps. Without them, crops would literally rot on the ground.”
“Giving a family a $5 weekly tax cut when their mortgage has skyrocketed by thousands of dollars is like tossing a glass of water onto a roaring bushfire. By continually fuelling government spending, the Albanese Labor government continues to stoke the inflation fire. Let's be real; $5 in this economy doesn't even cover a cup of coffee.”
“Under the Albanese Labor government, this delicate balance has collapsed into chaos. Labor's migration numbers have been far too high, and the entry standards have been far too low. The government allows unmanageable numbers to flood our capital cities, putting immense pressure on housing and infrastructure.”
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“I rise today to celebrate a significant milestone in our region and to pay tribute to the rich cultural tapestry that strengthens North Queensland. Recently, I had the great honour of joining the Townsville Tamil community to celebrate Tamil Heritage Month and the vibrant festival of Tamil Pongal. Tamil is not merely a language; it's one of the oldest living classical languages in the world—a bridge to an ancient past, that continues to thrive in North Queensland. For 11 years, the Townsville Tamil community has met to share their identity, ensuring their heritage is woven into the broader Australian story. This year's celebration was particularly special, marking the very first time Tamil Heritage Month has been celebrated in a regional city.”
“As the chair rightly spoke about earlier, the committee has observed an increase relating to consultants, both in the number of consultants being used and in the amount that consultants are charging for projects. What we want to see is the money going into the bricks and mortar of the fit-out—things that are actually tangible—not just being spent on consultants. Moving forward, we're going to put those consultants right under the microscope. We believe that the scrutiny is very important for this, and we want to make sure that we get the best bang for our buck. All in all, I believe that the public works committee is working and functioning very well. We are applying a lot of pressure to the people who are bringing projects forward, to make sure that the Australian taxpayer gets the best value for money. I commend the report to the House.”
“When you have a detention centre, compared to an office building in Canberra, obviously the fit-out costs are very high, but we can use some of our research and our expertise to see how they compare to make sure that we're getting the best bang for our buck. The committee also expects to receive proposed works projects with a P80 level of confidence, which some of the projects previously have not had. It's been clearly shown that, when you have a project that has been costed to P80—so 80 per cent confidence that the price will be correct—you get a better outcome. The better the design, the costing and the work that's done upfront, the fewer the blowouts further down the track.”
“They look after us. The quality of information that we get from them, in the research that they do, is second to none. Tanya Pratt, from the office, makes sure we're all in the right place at the right time, and we do a bit of travel with this. I thank them all very much for everything they do. The chair has described eloquently the number of referrals and the amount of money that's involved in what comes through our committee, so I won't reprosecute that. It's very high. But I would like to brief the parliament on some of the scrutiny that we have undertaken as part of our work. One of these things is cost. We've had a really good look at the cost per square metre for works in the private sector and in the public sector, and we've done some analysis of how that works.”
“by leave—I rise today to speak on the 89th annual report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. I'd like to start by acknowledging our chair, the member for Makin, Mr Tony Zappia, and thank him for his diligence, hard work, professionalism and leadership through this committee. I would also like to acknowledge the chair from the 47th Parliament, former member for Moreton Graham Perrett, and the deputy chair from the 47th Parliament, former member for Hinkler the Hon. Keith Pitt. And I thank committee members from the 47th Parliament and the 48th Parliament. I'd also like to thank the hardworking staff: Jeff Norris, our committee secretary; Danton Leary, our inquiry secretary; Liana Leilua, our senior researcher; Grace Cremen, our researcher; and Tanya Pratt, our office manager. These folks go above and beyond.”
“That is Australia saying: the current laws are not good enough. A country that cannot protect its flag cannot honour those who fought under it. I ask this government: can you look a veteran in the eye and explain why the flag they served under, the flag they buried their mates beneath, means nothing to you? The Australian flag deserves protection. I am demanding it, and the Australian people are demanding it.”
“The Australian flag is far more than cloth and colour. Under this flag, generations of Australians have fought and fallen. They gave their lives to protect this land and to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. Those freedoms include the right to free speech, but they do not include the right to deliberately desecrate the very flag that represents our nation. Twice in recent months the Labor government has been asked to act. In September last year and again in January this year, proposals to criminalise the burning and desecration of the Australian flag were put forward, and on both occasions the Albanese government refused to act. Australians have made their views crystal clear. In less than 24 hours, more than 2,000 Australians signed my petition calling for the Australian flag to be protected under law.”
“He has failed the economy. He needs to step up, take responsibility and fix this mess. Stop spending money that we simply do not have.”
“The Treasurer spent last week in this place claiming that government spending had nothing to do with the latest interest rate hike, yet the RBA governor herself has directly refuted this. She confirmed that government spending is a key driver pushing inflation higher. Mortgage holders have been paying, on average, $21,000 more a year in interest since this government took office. That's an extra $400 a week on the Australian dream. That's unbelievable, and that suggests that the burden will increase even more. If this treasurer cannot understand the problem, he cannot fix it. Under Labor, we are becoming poorer. We should be a nation of prosperity and growth. Farmers know that you can't harvest what you do not sow and that you cannot spend what you do not have. It is a lesson for this treasurer. He has failed Australia.”
“We're seeing $200 million a day pour out of Canberra, much of it on this reckless renewables-only agenda. It's crazy. Independent experts have made it clear: inflation will be higher for longer in Australia because this government refuses to make the hard decisions. As the price of everything continues to climb, families are forced into heartbreaking trade-offs. They are deciding whether to keep their kids' Saturday sport or keep the lights on. What kind of life is that for our Aussie kids? Our small businesses, our tradies and our manufacturers are on the front line of this failure. Last year alone, 15,000 small businesses closed. Under the Albanese Labor government, Australia has experienced the largest decline in living standards in the developed world.”
“Electricity prices are up, insurance prices are up, grocery prices are up, housing prices are up and mortgage costs are up. Mums and dads across Dawson are feeling poorer because they are poorer. They are being governed by an Albanese administration that cannot stop spending taxpayers' money—and, folks, we all know what that means: when Labor run out of money, they come after yours. This is the highest spending government in 40 years outside of a global pandemic, with $50 billion of new discretionary spending in the current financial year alone. If a CEO in the private sector presided over a $50 billion blowout in six months, they would be sacked. Why do we have a lower standard? Why are we holding the Treasurer to a lower standard of accountability? Is it any wonder that inflation is soaring?”
“We remember the Prime Minister standing before the nation making a definite vow; he said life will be cheaper under Labor. But as we stand here in 2026 those promises have been shattered. The reality is that Australians are struggling more today than when the Albanese Labor government came to office. Australians are experiencing a Labor-created cost-of-living crisis. It is a mathematical reality that, when this government spends, prices rise, and it's the families in our regions who pay the price. I've been speaking to families right across my electorate of Dawson. They've just finished the back-to-school run, and they are looking at the receipts with genuine fear. They're staring down the barrel of a world where everything costs more.”
“The most expensive sound in Australia today is the silence of a shopfront where the door no longer swings open. It is the heavy, suffocating silence of a ledger book filled with red ink—a ledger that a small-business owner in Mackay or a farmer in the Burdekin stares at late into the night, wondering what went wrong. A financial crisis arrives in the quiet erosion of a bank balance. It's the unsettling realisation that, despite working long hours, despite cutting every luxury, the numbers simply no longer add up. For the people I represent, the Australian dream is being replaced by a daily struggle of survival. We heard from the Prime Minister last year that interest rate rises were a thing of the past. We were promised a different path.”
“By offering this simple human comfort and support network, they are easing the journey for locals living with cancer. They remind us: while these diseases may be silent, our response must be loud! This February, I urge everybody to learn the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Be a shining light for this disease. We are raising awareness. We are saving lives.”
“Board member Pauline Townsend is a valued member of my Mackay electorate office, and I see her work tirelessly for the foundation. The foundation is also championed by two patrons: the Queensland state member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm, and my own media adviser, Amanda Wright. Ms Wright faced her own stage 3 cancer battle less than two years ago. Her presence here in Parliament House today is a sobering reminder that this disease does not discriminate. It doesn't care about your age or your plans for the future. The scourge of this disease touches us all. While the foundation's roots are firmly planted in the soil of ovarian cancer awareness, its branches have grown to support families facing all forms of cancer across the greater Mackay region.”
“This mission is powered by a board of locals and family members who lead with their hearts. I wish to formally acknowledge founding director Jacquie Camilleri; along with Trudy's husband, Damian Crowley; Trudy's sons, Levi and Jacob; Luke Phillip; Lassara Camphuis; Aggie Murphy; Sonia Crowley; and Pauline Townsend. Founding director Jacqui Camilleri is the driving force behind this organisation. Her journey began as a volunteer tea lady at the Mater Hospital, where she first met Trudy. In the quiet of a hospital ward, Jacqui saw a spark in Trudy and knew that this could not be extinguished. What began as a chance encounter has blossomed into a beacon of hope that now lights the way for people with cancer. My own connection to this mission is personal.”
“Despite her stage 4 diagnosis, she remained a fierce advocate for ovarian cancer awareness. As we mark the first anniversary of her passing this month, her legacy lives on through every woman who hears her words, 'Know your body, know your normal'. It's a plea to get women to trust their intuition, and it is a demand for our medical system to listen. In my electorate, the Trudy Crowley Foundation was formed from a legacy of courage. Trudy Crowley was a woman of extraordinary grace and grit. When she was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, she chose not to retreat. Instead, she proved that personal can be powerful. She turned her own private battle into a public mission, ensuring that no-one in the greater Mackay region would have to walk the cancer path alone.”
“It is the lived reality that requires a community led response. February is also Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a time when we don the teal ribbon to shine a light on what is devastatingly referred to as the silent killer. It is a call to action to remember those whom we have lost and to bolster the courage of those currently in the fight. Ovarian cancer is a particularly brutal disease. Symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain and fatigue are vague and easily dismissed as something else until it's too late. This is why the message of 'know your body, know your normal' is so vital. These were the words of the foundation's former ambassador, Bridgeen, and they are the words that now define the foundation's mission. Bridgeen battled ovarian cancer for many years with spirit—the foundation of the foundation.”
“The words fall like stones in a silent room, heavy, cold and irreversible. A diagnosis doesn't arrive gently; it crashes in, shattering the quiet of an ordinary day and turning life as you know it upside down. In that moment, the world you knew just seconds ago vanishes, replaced by an unsettling shadow. Fear begins to coil around you—fear of the unknown, fear of the fight and the terrifying question of what this means to you and the people you love. This is the reality for thousands of Australian women, and this is why I rise today to give a voice to those fighting in the shadows and to advocate for the life-changing work of the Trudy Crowley Foundation. Yesterday was World Cancer Day, a global day of unity in the fight against this disease. But for those living with cancer, the fight is not a single day on the calendar.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Given the Prime Minister's broken promise that households would be $275 better off on their power bills by 2025, and with families now being smashed by higher electricity prices under this government, on what exact date will retail electricity prices actually fall—or was the $275 promise never going to be delivered?”
“Red Dog Brewery was named one of the best breweries in Queensland, as a finalist in the Queensland Day best-pub awards last year. Congratulations to Jason and his team. And Goanna Brewing is a place where you can actually brew your own beer—pick your own ingredients, roll up your sleeves and make a beer that's as unique as you are. I'll give a shout-out to the team in Victoria Street. It's a fantastic microbrewery with great live entertainment on the weekend. That's the Australian spirit: hands on, proud and community driven.”
“Mortgages are up, groceries are up, electricity is up, and it's all being driven by this government spending that is going faster than the economy can grow. Government spending is running at more than four times the rate of the economy, and Australians are paying the price. Since Labor took office, mortgage holders are, on average, paying $1,800 more per month. Families are paying 16 per cent more for food, 22 per cent more in rent, 39 per cent more for insurance and 38 per cent more for electricity. So, yes, 1c off your beer is a tiny step in the right direction, but it's cold comfort when your grocery bill is going up by 50 bucks and your mortgage is eating your pay packet. In my electorate of Dawson, we don't just drink beer; we celebrate it. In Mackay, we've got two great breweries that come to mind.”
“It's about protecting our way of life, protecting the local pubs, the clubs and the breweries that keep our communities connected. We are talking about the Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, and, look, any relief for our pubs, sporting clubs and brewers is a good thing. The Nationals support this freeze on draught beer excise because we'll never stand between a cold pint and the Aussie public. But let's be honest—this move from Labor is but a drop in the schooner. When you crunch the numbers, this so-called beer tax cut works out to be less than 1c per pint. That's not cost-of-living relief; that's a headline dressed up as a happy hour. The real pressure on Aussie families doesn't come from the bar tap. It comes from the bills on the kitchen table. Inflation has smashed through the RBA's target band.”
“Well, mates, anyone in North Queensland will tell you our one day of winter normally falls on a Wednesday! For the rest of the year, it's prime beer drinking weather. There's nothing quite like the sound of just cracking a coldie open after a long hot day. Whether you're pulling up crab pots out in the creeks of the Burdekin, knocking off after a shift in Paget or wrapping up a week of training in Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, that first sip of frosty beer is one of life's simple pleasures. It's not just about the drink; it's about the moment, the mateship, the laughter, the stories told over the bar, the sense that, no matter what's going on in the world, you're among good people. And that's what this debate is really about.”
“That's why I do not support this legislation. Twenty guns in the hands of a law-abiding grazier, sporting shooter or collector is fine. One gun in the hands of a radical Islamic terrorist is a massive problem. Do you honestly think that terrorists and criminals will come and hand their guns in? Do you honestly think that's going to happen? No. Law-abiding firearm owners will be punished due to the failure of this government. I don't want to even talk about buybacks, but, if this bad legislation does go through, buybacks need to give appropriate compensation. But this is bad legislation. It's time this government faced up to the real problem, which is radical Islam, not the firearm owners.”
“So you need a higher calibre rifle to dispose of that—to put that beast out of its misery. If that landholder is also a sporting shooter, they might have three different types of shotguns. If you're shooting guns at the range, you might want a long barrel for shooting down the line, a shorter barrel for shooting trench or an even shorter one for shooting skeet. That's three different shotguns. If that landholder also shoots, say, western action out at the pistol club, they might need a pistol, a lever action rifle and a shotgun. Again, they're all different. There would also be different actions. You could have a single action, a double action or a semiautomatic. The horse people out there might understand this analogy. It's horses for courses. You don't see a dressage horse racing in the Melbourne Cup.”
“For rats and rabbits, you might use the same sort of calibre, but you might change what projectile you use. For a pig, you might use a .30-30, if you're in the scrub at close range. You might use a .308 if they're out on the open. Pigs come in and rip up your tomatoes and capsicums and make a mess. The golfers have to understand why golfers need so many different clubs. I'm trying to use an analogy here that people will understand. I get that people don't fully understand firearms, but that shouldn't be a reason to be afraid of them. For the golfers, you don't see someone teeing off with a putter. You don't see someone on the green with a driver. If you're a landholder and you come across a beast that's broken their leg or something, and you need to destroy that beast, you can't use a .22 calibre, because that's inhumane.”
“The coalition supports the National Firearms Register. The question is this. Everything is already in place for the gun register's introduction. It's been in place for two years. Why hasn't the Albanese Labor government implemented it? That's the question. As a fully licensed firearm owner myself, who shoots rifles, pistols and shotguns for pest control and recreation, I'd like to explain to the parliament why shooters use so many different guns. The reason is, essentially, they do different jobs. They're for different purposes. For the destruction of birds and other pests that destroy crops, farmers might use a .22 calibre, which could be a .22 calibre long rifle, a .22 calibre Hornet or a .223 for longer range. They all have different jobs. They're the same calibre, but they shoot further.”
“I rise today to speak against the proposed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026. These should not even be in the same sentence—this is totally ridiculous! This bill is a diversionary tactic. It will not stamp out antisemitism, hate or extremism. This bill will not change the culture of antisemitism, hate, extremism and radical Islam that has been allowed to flourish due to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's weak leadership. All this will do is punish law-abiding firearm owners that are being used as a scapegoat. Australia already has the strictest gun laws in the world and the most stringent licensing. They do thorough background checks and withholding periods both before you get a licence and before you obtain a firearm. The coalition supports law-abiding firearm owners.”
“Make no mistake. The Bondi attacks will forever be a very dark day in Australian history. We are a country changed and a country wondering if we, as a nation, can pick up the pieces. Honouring the victims means more than words. It means resolve, vigilance and a shared determination to ensure our public places remain free and part of this great Australian country—part of joy, not fear. That is why, as we meet here today, returning to this place to mark our respects, we must honour all of those impacted by taking the right and strong actions needed to safeguard our communities and ensure Bondi is never repeated. We must remember the victims and their families—not only today, but forever.”
“Their hearts are aching for Matilda's mum, dad and little sister. No parent should ever have to imagine such loss, and no child's life should ever be taken away in this way. I also want to give thanks to those who were the first responders and helped prevent further casualties. I thank you for your courage in that moment. Your bravery should never be forgotten. While, rightly so, much attention is given to the victims and their families, I also want to acknowledge the bystanders and those who bore witness. These people are also victims and will now have the horrific images burnt in their memories. These people escaped with their own lives, but many will be haunted by the events for years to come. Heading down to Bondi for a swim, a surf or even a coffee with friends may be hard to reconcile for the many who were there that day.”
“This religious event could have been any event in any community across Australia. I reflect and think about the many times I took my own kids to similar events. The one that sticks out to me most is our local carols by candlelight, where I would take my children each year. I'd watch them, with joy on their faces. They sang along with the Christmas carols and played with other kids. Many others have drawn connections with other events they've attended as a family. In communities across Dawson and communities across Australia, parents shed tears when the news broke, and they still cried days later when images of Matilda were shown on the nightly news in their living rooms. For mums and dads this is raw. It is raw because they see in the beautiful eyes of Matilda an innocence and joy. They see their own children.”
“My electorate of Dawson may be almost 2,000 kilometres away from Bondi, but the people of Dawson are standing with you in spirit, with many prayers being sent your way. Fifteen innocent lives were lost at one of our country's most iconic locations. Bondi will now be forever synonymous with the worst terror attack on Australian soil. This hate filled rampage by two hate filled terrorists has devastated families, shattered communities and scarred a nation. It should never have happened. This occurred at a family event, a love filled celebration, a place where ordinary Australians felt they were safe and could never have anticipated that this would be a place of such horror. It was a place where kids ran around and played, had their faces painted and patted animals at a petting zoo.”
“We've heard a lot of sadness and sorrow today from all corners of this parliament. Today we all share similar sentiments, and we've come together to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives at the hands of terrorists at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. I too wish to offer my condolences to the victims' families. The loss for those families is unimaginable. No words can undo the pain and grief those families have experienced, are feeling right now and will carry forever. I am terribly sorry for your loss. I would further like to extend the condolences from my constituents of Dawson. Many people in my region have reached out to show their support, to send their love and well wishes, and to share their stories of reflection.”
“We would really like to thank you for everything you've done, not just for Bowen Gumlu Growers but also for agriculture within Australia. You're outstanding.”
“Emissions today are exactly the same as when the coalition left office. So, after three years of slogans, nothing has changed, except power bills going through the roof. This government loves to hurl insults at anyone who questions their failing policies. But every general knows that where the flack is the thickest you're right over the target. We know we are on target with the coalition's cheaper, better and fairer energy plan. The question is no longer whether Labor's plan is working. The question is, will the government admit the truth before it's too late? I would like to acknowledge Mr Carl Walker, who's in the gallery today. Carl is a friend of mine and the chairman of Bowen Gumlu Growers Association. He's been the chairman for quite some time.”
“Households are paying energy bills shaped by export indexes, not national supply. By gaslighting the nation, the Albanese Labor government has turned rhetoric into reality. The east coast faces looming blackouts due to intermittent supply shortfalls and surging costs. We need a coordinated national gas infrastructure strategy, a shovel-ready blueprint that treats gas as strategic capability and an economic enabler, not as an afterthought. Australians are being let down by this government. They were promised cheaper power. Instead, household bills have skyrocketed by 40 per cent. Australians were promised a $275 decrease in power. Instead, they're paying around $1,300 more. This government said that net zero would lower power bills. Instead, it has pushed them through the roof and delivered no meaningful emissions progress—none at all.”
“Every engineer, every economist and every serious energy analyst knows this. The government knows it too, but they won't admit it. So I ask: why is Labor so eager to destroy the industries that pay for everything else? The future of our economy will not come from weakening the industries that have made it strong. It will not come from strangling regional hubs like Paget or vilifying the people who keep the lights on. It will come from energy that is affordable and reliable—that means gas, it means coal and, yes, it means nuclear. Let's talk about gas. I'll put this plainly: Australia does not have a gas shortage. This government has a vision shortage. We have the gas, but we don't have the leadership to extract it. Eastern manufacturers are paying international prices for Australian gas.”
“Paget is one of the most important industrial precincts in Australia, and it sits in my electorate of Dawson. It's the largest industrial hub in Queensland, outside the south-east corner. Every day in Paget, thousands of highly skilled workers design, build and manufacture the heavy machinery that keeps our mines operating, our exports moving and our national economy afloat. If Paget stops, the coal supply chain stops. If the coal supply chain stops, billions in export revenue completely disappear. It is the engine room of regional Queensland. Let's not forget our future industries. Hydrogen doesn't appear from thin air. Its production requires a lot of energy. Critical minerals don't refine themselves. Advance manufacturing doesn't run on hope. They all rely on the energy backbone of coal and gas.”
“Across this nation, families are sweating—not just because they can't afford to run the air conditioner, but because they fear the next power bill landing in their letterbox. Small businesses are closing—not from a lack of customers, but because their energy bills have become the silent partner taking the biggest cut. What kind of economy is Labor running when a cafe can afford coffee beans but can't afford the electricity to boil the water? Australian manufacturers aren't being beaten by better products. They're being beaten by competitors with access to cheaper power overseas and a government that makes them pay more to produce less. And, through all of this, Labor has gone to war with the very industries that keep this country running. They've demonised gas, and now they're trying to write coal out of Australia's economic future.”
“These communities are entitled to transparency and proper planning. They deserve to be heard, and I will ensure that they are heard. Energy projects must go where they make sense, not be dumped in the backyards of hardworking Australians.”
“They are residential communities. They should not be the dumping ground for poor planning and poor policy shortcuts. Yet, while these communities fight to protect their homes and farmlands, Australia is being asked to tolerate something extraordinary—an energy minister bestowing the virtues of energy and climate across the globe while power bills here have surged nearly 40 per cent. Australians do not need a part-time energy minister. They need a government focused on lowering bills, stabilising the grid and protecting regional communities, not pushing reckless projects onto them. This government's priorities are backwards. Rural communities are paying the price for policies written for people who will never live next to a wind turbine. They'll never lie awake at night worrying about the noise, the flicker or the health impacts.”
“They are real health concerns—sleepless nights, persistent headaches and other known documented effects of ultrasound. Some of these turbines will be less than two kilometres from homes. There'll be increased heavy traffic movement on narrow rural roads. And this is not to mention the heightened threat to our delicate ecosystem, which is home to eagles, brolgas and the Proserpine rock-wallaby. Above all, there is the destruction of peace that generations have enjoyed. These are proud rural Australians—people who have already invested in solar, batteries and sustainable practices. They support clean energy. What they do not support is a project forced upon them without respect, without honesty and without proper scrutiny. Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek are not suitable locations for wind turbines. They are farming communities.”
“In Dawson, the quiet of Crystal Brook and Kelsey Creek is under siege from the threat of a wind farm that would steal a sunrise, drown out the dawn bird chorus and loom over homes and farmlands. The Mt Challenger Wind Farm is not a minor project. It is an industrial-scale intrusion placed within minutes of family homes, farms and one of our region's most treasured recreational landscapes, the Peter Faust Dam. Residents were blindsided. A handful of landholders were approached in private. Turbine locations are vague. There is no genuine consultation. In response, more than 120 residents have now united, through the Whitsunday Wind Farm Action Group, to defend their homes, their health and their livelihoods. Their concerns are not hypothetical and they are not political.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Peter Doyle, a canefarmer in Dawson, fears he will lose money by harvesting his crop because his average power costs have doubled. Despite installing solar, Peter is still going backwards. Minister, when will the power prices come down?”
“Peter should be concentrating on producing the best possible crop, but instead he navigates wind, tariffs and irrigation schedules just to avoid being punished for turning on the pump. That is not fair, and it is not sustainable. Behind Labor's flawed energy policies are thousands of farmers like Peter doing everything right and still falling behind. We owe them an energy system that sparks opportunity, not one that leaves them powerless. The coalition has a cheaper, better and fairer energy policy, and I say bring it on for Australia's sake—the sooner the better.”
“Last week, I stood in a field of sugarcane and saw a man pouring his heart and sweat into the land. Despite doing everything right, cane farmer Peter Doyle is shackled by soaring electricity bills that punish hard work and ambition. He has invested heavily in solar and he chases every tariff and every saving available, yet his power bills keep rising. This is why Australians deserve a cheaper, better and fairer energy system. Imagine every farmer across Australia in the same position. Producers should be focused on feeding the nation and instead are being forced to manage their energy use like another full-time job. Families feel the pain at the checkout because, when a farmer's costs increase, the whole country pays for it. When electricity is unaffordable, everything is unaffordable.”
“This is the reality for too many Australians today: a shrinking Medicare promise, regional communities forced to delay care, and families waiting until illness becomes an emergency. For some, that delay will result in death. That is the cost of this government's failure. The reality is that families are paying more, waiting longer and getting less. Medicare is not strengthened by token slogans. It is strengthened by access, and there is no access when the GP workforce is shrinking, when clinics can't afford to bulk-bill and when families must budget for something that should be universal. This government needs to stop treating health care like a talking point and start treating it like the lifeline it is, especially for regional Australia. Right now, under Labor, a Medicare card is little more than a discount voucher.”
“And that $100 gap in up-front costs could mean the difference between early detection and ovarian cancer going unnoticed. Or tell that to the father in Home Hill, chalking up his chronic fatigue to overtime hours working to put food on the table for his family, unaware he could be weeks away from cardiac arrest. Tell that to the apprentice tradie in Paget, who cannot afford more than $100 to see a doctor. A simple blood test might have caught prostate cancer early, but by the time the symptoms are severe, it's diagnosed as stage 4. We know early detection saves lives. This government's failure to fix Medicare is not just short-sighted but also putting lives at risk.”
“Everything is going up and the Medicare rebates aren't keeping up with 'Jimflation'. This is not economic management. This is a cost-of-living crisis delivered through the front door of every medical practice in regional Australia. You cannot blame the doctors for walking away from bulk-billing when the numbers no longer stack up. Only 13 per cent of metropolitan GP clinics have signed up to Labor's bulk-billing program. If the program can't survive in Melbourne and Sydney, what hope do Mackay, Bowen and Burdekin have? Does this government really think 2030 is an acceptable target? Tell that to the mother in Airlie Beach, ignoring the back pain that she can't afford to have checked because nappies and formula come first.”