Colin Boyce
Flynn · Liberal National Party · Australia
“We all know the recent budget was a disaster. However, there's an initiative that I do welcome, and that is the $10.7 billion fuel security package, comprising $7.5 billion to establish a fuel and fertiliser security facility, $3.2 billion for a government owned Australian fuel security reserve and $10 million for a feasibility study into…”
“We will restore common sense to housing and immigration by ensuring Australia only brings in as many people as it can house. Under the coalition's policy pledge, net overseas immigration will be capped each year at the number of new homes completed in Australia.”
“After four years of higher taxes, more debt, fewer homes, weaker borders and falling living standards under Labor, the coalition is putting forward seven policies to restore Australia's standard of living and protect our way of life. Under Labor, inflation has pushed up prices, wages and tax bills.”
“We'll deliver more fuel, more storage and more security for Australia and reduce pressure on families and small businesses by scrapping Labor's safeguard mechanism, a carbon tax on business that will cost refineries, for example, around $165 million by 2029-30.”
“It is a clear opportunity to build on that strength and secure Gladstone's future as a powerhouse of industry and energy. With the right backing, this project can drive economic growth, support local businesses and provide greater certainty for families across Central Queensland.”
“By increasing defence spending to three per cent of GDP, the coalition will provide increases to defence spending so that the men and women of the Australian Defence Force have the proper platforms, equipment and protection to fight for us.”
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“She was approved for domestic assistance through My Aged Care, but because she lives regionally—less than an hour from a large city near the coast—she has contacted no less than 11 providers, and not one can help her. She is now on a waitlist, and it may be six weeks or more before she can get any assistance at all. What's the point of funding if services simply aren't available in rural and regional areas? I've also heard from constituents where their home-care-package providers simply don't show up, even for an entire month. This treatment is unacceptable. When you're battling through an aggressive cancer or you've made it through the system to be approved for home-care assistance, you need this to make your life manageable. It gets worse than that.”
“The coalition has pledged to fix this situation, and we recognise that it takes eight to 10 years to train a GP. This needs to include giving incentives to junior doctors who choose to be a GP in country areas. We know that becoming part of a regional community can lead to a lifetime of connections where families can thrive in a country lifestyle. This helps to permanently fix these workforce shortages. It took the Albanese government 282 days to finally commit to matching this plan. It is another example of how Labor doesn't understand or care about rural and regional Australia. It wouldn't be right to discuss health issues without mentioning a constituent of mine who had a fall recently, resulting in a broken lower lumbar.”
“Our regional areas feel the brunt of poor policy by the Labor government, and it's lack of medical services that really drives home how badly some of our residents are treated. Every time we travel to a specialist the dollars go out of our regional towns. The flow-on effect increases the impact on small businesses, with at least $1,000 removed from the local economy if families travel to a larger centre for medical services, and that's just for one day. Those who need to wait in a bigger city—for example, for the birth of a child—can expect to spend two to three weeks and thousands of dollars all because of the lack of doctors and service specialists. These people are still dealing with Labor's cost-of-living crisis. The Flynn residents know that it's never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor than it is right now.”
“You don't have to look very hard in the Flynn electorate to see evidence of the failures of the Albanese Labor government, and it's even more obvious if you focus on the health and aged-care sectors. Workforce shortages, particularly for GPs, have been ignored by the Labor government. Hospitals are struggling to attract and retain doctors or even locums to serve our hardworking people of the Flynn electorate. Flynn constituents are the people who keep the lights on. They keep your heaters and air conditioners running, keep your phones charged and put food on your table via our large agricultural sector. They are the ones who suffer most under Labor's poor management.”
“You cannot run the fourth-largest coal terminal in the world and two refineries and an alumina smelter on wind turbines and solar panels. It's simply not feasible. While Minister Bowen uses his 'Chrisinformation' to attempt to persuade Australians that the footprint of renewables is minor, in the Flynn electorate we know differently. There are over 90 projects planned in my electorate, and this means 3,000 wind turbines and millions of solar panels covering our agricultural food production land. Our industries can't run on targets. They need reliable power every day. Risking our energy security risks Australia's prosperity, and in turn this will cost jobs in Gladstone and in Central Queensland.”
“The recent announcement regarding the possible early closure of the Gladstone Power Station has sent shock waves through the Gladstone community. Rio Tinto gave notice that they could close the power station early—in fact, six years early—and, in line with the AEMO requirements, they are required to flag this potential closure. And make no mistake—this is a direct result of the federal government's target to pursue 100 per cent renewable energy at all costs, and this needs to be addressed. The early closure of the Gladstone Power Station will be devastating to industry. It supplies approximately 80 per cent of its power production to the alumina sector, the Port of Gladstone and heavy industrial industry.”
“It is an astonishing $1.38 trillion to industrialise Australia with intermittent and unreliable power, clearing over 44,000 kilometres of new access roads—up to 60 metres wide—to allow for blades and infrastructure around 100 metres long. These are the real costs. There are over 90 of these projects in the Flynn electorate, including Moah Creek. The projects directly affect significant amounts of flora and fauna, including ancient cycads that should be protected under the EPBC Act. These landscapes must be preserved.”
“Today I rise to applaud the recently launched Australian renewables truth map by Steven Nowakowski and Rainforest Reserves Australia. It has taken three years of voluntary work to collate the information to create this website, and it's not an easy task to find and then map it for everybody in Australia to view and use. With over 1,200 projects proposed across the country, this should have been on the radar of our own environmental department, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. After all, they're the ones signing off on the vast amounts of clearing to allow half a billion solar panels and more than 31,000 wind turbines to be imported and installed across Australia. The mapping has allowed the real costs of the projects to be calculated, and it's not free energy.”
“This will drive up the prices of new and second-hand cars and make life harder for families, again particularly in rural and regional Australia. Labor's tax is estimated to add up to $7,400 to the cost of a Ford Ranger in 2026 and up to $14,400 by 2029. A popular RAV4 hybrid family vehicle will incur almost $5,000 of additional cost by 2029. Under this Labor government, many Australians in rural and regional Australia are doing it tough. They're grappling with the cost-of-living crisis and a growing shortage of housing and have been bulldozed by overseas renewable developers that are profiting from Australian taxpayer dollars. To any ministers of the Labor government: I invite you to the Flynn electorate, where I can introduce you to real people that the Labor government is affecting with their crazy policies.”
“Last week, he said this in the Senate: We are building electricity generation hand over fist here, and the big obstacle to … transmission projects in the regions … is the silly billies wandering around, stoking fear, stoking resentment … You couldn't be any more out of touch than that. On 1 July, the Labor government's fuel efficiency standards commenced, and this new tax could add up to $17,000 to the cost of a new petrol or diesel fuelled car by 2029. Australian families and small businesses will now have to start paying Labor's tax every time they buy a new vehicle, and who is going to be worse off? It's rural and regional Australians. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, our nation does not need its own government penalising drivers of petrol and diesel or hybrid cars and utes with an additional tax.”
“Right now, the electorate of Flynn is feeling the wrath of Labor's renewables-only approach, with over 90 proposed projects in the Flynn region I represent. This is tearing rural communities apart. Weekly, if not daily, my office and I are contacted by mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who are at their wit's end. The terrible burden of fighting these solar, wind and battery projects, as well as associated transmission lines, is emotionally and financially destroying families. What does the Labor government say about these people? Let's hear directly from the Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, Mr Tim Ayres.”
“To tax unrealised gains at 30 per cent, when a farmer never knows what's in store for them in the next season, is just bound to hurt farmers' ability to plan for the next season. Labor's tax on unrealised capital gains means that Australians will be hit with a 30 per cent tax on the increase in book value on that asset, such as property, that hasn't even been sold. How is that possibly fair? Shamefully, taxing farmers in this way is unprecedented in the Australian tax system. For younger Australians, going forward, more and more young workers will ultimately be caught by the Labor tax grab. Critically, the proposed $3 million threshold isn't indexed to inflation, and who knows what inflation will be over the next 30 or 40 years?”
“Under Labor's plan, earnings on self-funded superannuation balances above $3 million will be taxed at 30 per cent, up from the current 15 per cent, without indexation. This includes both realised and unrealised gains on small businesses, farms and shares held in self-managed retirement accounts. This superannuation tax carries enormous risk for farmers and young people in particular. In relation to agriculture, the Labor government doesn't care that, in Australia, many farmers own their farms through a self-managed super fund—$3 million doesn't buy you a lot of farm. With land values increasing, how can they possibly pay the proposed tax on an unrealised gain on that asset? Farms are businesses that face a lot of uncertainty and volatility in terms of weather, natural disasters, and land and global commodity prices.”
“I rise to support today's matter of public importance moved by the member for Gippsland regarding the Labor government's failure to govern for all Australians. Regional communities in my electorate of Flynn feel completely abandoned by the current Labor government. Since their re-election, the Labor government have utilised almost every opportunity to treat rural and regional Australia as a cash cow and as nothing more than an obstacle in the way of their high-spend and high-tax agenda. Let's first look at Labor's proposed new super tax. The Labor government is determined to push on and impose a 15 per cent tax increase on unrealised gains—paper profits—on superannuation balances worth more than $3 million.”
“This is an important topic to discuss because the government simply will not answer the question: what is the economic cost of the road we're going on to decarbonisation and of trying to achieve net zero by 2050? So I say to the minister, who is here listening to me, he should come out and tell us exactly what this is going to cost the economy, tell us how many businesses will be affected and tell us how that will transfer itself to the cost of everything for consumers, to whom that cost will be passed. So here we are, and I wait for the minister's reply.”
“There are 300,000 registered businesses that use the fuel tax credit scheme, and I declare I have one of them, as do my sons. I want to know how this is going to affect the economy. If you take away this diesel fuel rebate scheme, it will cost all of those producers more, and they will pass that cost on to consumers, and ultimately that will drive the cost of living up even further. Furthermore, in this report they go on to propose we lower the threshold of the safeguard mechanism—the cost impost on companies emitting over 100,000 tonnes, which will affect 215 of the biggest companies in Australia—down to 25,000 tonnes. Again, that will affect many, many more businesses in Australia. We know in Central Queensland 30 per cent of those big businesses are affected now. How many more will now be affected, and what will be the economic cost?”
“It's not often that the gods of politics smile upon me, but right here before me I have the member for McMahon, who is the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who I've got some questions for. It's all in relation to the 'Decarbonising diesel industries' report written by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. What they're proposing is decarbonising diesel industries and, in fact, taking away the diesel fuel rebate scheme from both the mining resource sector and the agriculture, fisheries, forestry and transport industry. Their conclusion says by 'increasing the cost of diesel in a targeted and balanced way, Australia can accelerate its industrial decarbonisation'. Now I would like to know, Minister, exactly what this is going to cost the economy.”
“There are laundry facilities, bathroom facilities, kitchenettes, tea- and coffee-making facilities, access to perishable food items for those experiencing crisis, and information and referral to other services. The demand at Dignity Hub has surged in recent weeks, and the pantry is running critically low. I would like to encourage anybody in the Gladstone region who is able: please consider donating physical supplies of non-perishable food items and cash donations or grocery vouchers to the hub.”
“I would like to acknowledge the passing of Dr Richard Tan, a much-loved member of the Biloela community who had been providing medical expertise to the region since 1968. In those decades, Dr Tan performed over 10,000 operations in the Biloela community and delivered over 3,000 babies. The Biloela community are invited to gather to honour Dr Tan and his life at his memorial service, which will be held on Saturday 18 October at the Biloela Civic Centre. My thoughts are with Dr Tan's family and the Biloela community. On another note: team Boyce has recently donated food supplies and vouchers to Roseberry QLD's Dignity Hub in Gladstone. The Dignity Hub provides community members and families of any age bracket experiencing homelessness access for free.”
“Once again I call on the government to criminalise the desecration and/or the burning of the Australian national flag and to punish those supporting declared terrorist groups. It's time the Labor government showed some leadership. This is the least we can do to honour and respect our veterans, both past and present.”
“The Institute of Public Affairs released polling data last month that found: … … … Recent IPA research found 71 per cent of Australians believe our National Flag unites us, with just 13 per cent disagreeing, and 77 per cent of Australians are proud of our National Flag, with just 7 per cent disagreeing. I make the assumption that the seven per cent who disagree are most likely the Greens supporters or the far-left side of politics joining the likes of Greens members Senator Penny Allman-Payne and the member for Ryan, who refuse to display the Australian national flag. Many men and women have fought, and died fighting, for our country and for the freedom of its people under the Australian national flag.”
“Some countries across Africa also have bans on flag desecration, as well as many nations in Asia; China, Hong Kong the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, India and Indonesia all have punishments in place for those who desecrate their national flag. In South America, Mexico and Brazil also have laws in place to protect their flags. The US government has also announced their intention to make it illegal to burn the US flag. Whilst some on the left of politics believe that criminalisation of the desecration and/or burning of the national flag is a fringe issue, following are the facts.”
“Australia is currently a divided nation. Recently, masked protesters at pro-Palestine rallies were filmed burning and ripping up the Australian flag. The masked cowards are nothing more than traitors. But, even more disturbingly, the current laws mean that these traitors can walk away scot-free—no repercussions, not even a fine. Criminalising the desecration and/or burning of the national flag would not be a first around the globe. A number of countries in Europe have criminalised the burning of their national flags, including France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. The punishment for burning the national flag in Russia is reportedly one year in jail.”
“The member for Herbert's motion states: That this House: (1) notes the: (a) abhorrent behaviour of protestors burning the Australian national flag at rallies throughout our country which is deplorable, disrespectful and goes against our values as a nation; (b) Australian flag is the flag members of our Australian Defence Forces wear on their shoulders and the flag that sits on the coffin of our fallen men and women; and (c) Flags Act 1953 fails to criminalise the destruction of the Australian national flag; (2) condemns the: (a) Government's failure to enact legislative power to punish those who burn the Australian national flag; and (b) Government for allowing protestors to carry and display declared terrorist flags throughout our community; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) criminalise the desecration and/or burning of the Australian national flag; and (b) punish those supporting declared terrorists' groups.”
“I will just remind you, Deputy Speaker, that we have just witnessed one of the most appalling speeches from the member for Moore in respect of respecting the Australian flag. I cannot believe it. I'd like to start my speech today by acknowledging all Australian veterans, both past and present, for their courage, service and sacrifice, and remember those who gave their lives to protect our freedoms, and we express our gratitude to those who continue to serve our nation. I'd like to recognise my good friend and colleague the member for Herbert, Phillip Thompson, for moving this motion today. Phil's a veteran and he's devoted his life to Australia and to our national flag, and I thank him for his service.”
“What is the total estimated cost of the scheme? How will it be funded? What is shown in forward estimates? Are there any off-balance-sheet liabilities and contingency guarantees? The Parliamentary Library answered those questions as best they could, and I will quote from what they've said: 'The government's maximum liability—that is, the expected cost of the CIS and estimated payments under the CISAs—is classified in the budget and not for publication due to commercial sensitivities.' There is no answer; the government will not tell us what they are committing the Australian public and, indeed, the taxpayer to. How much will it cost to actually implement this Capacity Investment Scheme? Further to that, one of the questions I asked the Parliamentary Library was who was eligible for this—what projects are eligible and so forth.”
“You cannot guarantee electricity generation through wind turbines and solar panels, because sometimes the wind doesn't blow and sometimes the sun doesn't shine. So they've got a problem. The way the government has gone about approaching that problem is that they've invented a thing called the Capacity Investment Scheme. Most people have got no idea what it means. In a nutshell, the Capacity Investment Scheme asks the Australian taxpayer to underwrite the minimum profitability of these projects, whether they produce energy or not. In my quest to find out how much this will cost the Australian economy, I've engaged the Parliamentary Library. They have written an extensive brief for me and done a wonderful job, and here it is. Some of the questions I asked them were: What are the cost and budget implications?”
“There's a problem there in terms of economics because, while many of these projects have got their environmental approvals—or, if they haven't, they're in the process of doing that—most of them do not have financial closure. There are a couple of reasons for that. One of them is that the proponents cannot guarantee a minimum net return for the people who are investing. For example, if there's a billion-dollar project—and there are plenty of them—the investors are looking for something like a 10 per cent net return per year. Ten per cent of a billion dollars is $100 million a year, and the problem for the proponents and for the government is that they cannot guarantee that return. The reason for that is that the weather is variable.”
“We know the government has implemented emissions targets—43 per cent by 2030 and 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030—and my colleagues and I want to know how much this will cost in terms of economics to the Australian people. How much will it affect their futures and their prosperity? The Institute of Public Affairs issued a report recently that said that the Central Queensland federal electorate of Flynn, which I represent, will be the most affected. There are upwards of 16,000 jobs at risk in the mining and resource sector, the agricultural sector, the transport sector and the heavy industries sector, particularly, if we continue to go down this road of net zero. In the electorate of Flynn, there are 90 projects—wind turbines, solar panels, transmission lines, batteries and all of the associated things that are happening.”
“by leave—I rise to support the Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025, presented by my colleague the member for New England at the last sitting. Unfortunately, this bill has revolved around an argument that if you don't believe in net zero, you don't believe in climate change. I want to put that to bed right now. Climate change is real and is happening right now. Climate change is variable; the earth's geological history tells us that. The earth's climate has been changing ever since the earth began on Thursday afternoon 4.54 billion years ago. So this debate is not about whether you believe in climate change. This is about the economic cost of getting to a position of net zero by 2050.”
“I was amazed to learn that it was reported that a cultural heritage investigation had to be undertaken before this critical highway could be reopened. To break down the issue, a cultural heritage assessment had to be undertaken on an already established highway before it could be reopened to thousands of people and vehicles that use it every day. The current native title and cultural heritage laws are not sustainable or practical in their current form, and I'm calling on both federal and state governments to come together and make important reforms to these laws. I am not suggesting for one minute that we abandon cultural heritage or native title—just stop it from becoming a blatant money grab.”
“The project, originally budgeted for $90,000, ended up costing the council $120,000 just so the council could comply with the cultural heritage obligations. These expenses mean that every single rate payer in the council shire will have to pay more to cover all these expenses. Cultural heritage laws are not just affecting the Banana Shire Council; they are affecting many councils and community organisations in the electorate of Flynn and all over the country. Last year the Bruce Highway was closed after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate crashed and exploded near Bororen in my electorate of Flynn. The explosion created a crater about 20 metres in diameter and three metres deep, and the highway was damaged and remained closed for four days for necessary repairs.”
“Imagine you are inviting a group to lunch to discuss plans for next year, and this group proposed to charge you $16,000 to cover the cost to attend that lunch. This is exactly what happened to the Banana Shire Council in my electorate of Flynn. The Banana Shire Council tried to have an open dialogue with relevant traditional owners to outline upcoming capital projects for the new financial year but were asked to pay $16,000 for four people to attend a working lunch. This is not acceptable—in fact, it's offensive. Another example in the council's July minutes revealed that for a recent road project budgeted for $90,000, where council had to pay four people's wages for each day plus accommodation and travel, the cost to council having to undertake onsite cultural heritage searches cost more than $30,000.”
“at Emerald, for a sustainable shade outdoor kitchen. Local community groups are the heart and soul of our region. Their dedication and tireless efforts improve our social fabric, enhance our local amenities and foster community spirit, and I thank them all for their efforts. I congratulate all the successful applicants for their vision and community commitment, making the Flynn electorate a better place to be.”
“These successful applicants include GAPDL Communities for Children in Gladstone, for a facility upgrade; the Mount Larcom and District Social Society, for a disabled toilet and shower building; Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association, for the replacement of AEDs at the PYCs in Gladstone, Blackwater and Emerald; South Burnett Regional Council, for the Wondai Street tree-replacement program; Taroom Kindergarten Association Inc., for outdoor blinds; Calliope Football Club, for a defibrillator; Moore Park Beach Arts Inc., for an annexe fit-out; Youthspace Gayndah, for the student laptop initiative; Emerald and Districts Athletics Association, for the Athletics to Go Go Get Ready Project; the Gladstone RSL Sub-Branch, for the installation of solar; and Borilla Community Kindergarten Association Inc.”
“I'm pleased to report that 11 community groups in the Flynn electorate will share $130,000 of funding from the federal government's Stronger Communities Program to undertake a range of programs to build community engagement and participation.”
“It's used in six billion hamburgers across the United States each year and enjoyed by countries all over the world. Australia's biosecurity is important. It should not be used as a bargaining chip. It needs to be protected.”
“Australia's strong biosecurity must remain a priority, instead of being used as a bargaining tool by the Labor government. Australia should not be trading its beef industry away in trade talks with the United States. The United States uses cattle from Mexico and Canada in its supply chain, and that poses a potential risk to our industry. Ignoring those risks would be dangerous to the industry. Rather than jeopardise our beef industry, Australia should leverage off our strong historical ties in other areas, such as critical minerals and the AUKUS deal, using real leadership to obtain a fair deal. Australian farms and farmers must not be put at risk, with the red meat and livestock industry making a significant contribution to the Australian economy. Biosecurity is non-negotiable. We have the world's best beef.”
“This is the top cattle region in Australia, with the highest head of cattle numbers anywhere in Australia. In my electorate of Flynn, the beef industry also supports other industries, such as the meatworks in Rockhampton, Brisbane and Biloela—which is the third largest in Queensland—and the heavy vehicle industry, which gets product from paddock to plate. These statistics are important, as our agricultural sector is under threat due to the Labor government's decision to lift biosecurity restrictions on the importation of beef from the United States. Why is the Labor government prepared to trade away Australia's biosecurity advantage to appease the Trump administration? What is the evidence for this move? And why are we only hearing it from anonymous sources?”
“Everybody knows that I am very passionate about the Australian beef industry. It's not just because I am a cattle grazier myself but because the red meat and livestock industry makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy. In 2022-23, Australia's red meat and livestock industry turnover was $81.7 billion, and the industry employed approximately 420,000 people. In 2023, Australia exported 67 per cent of its total beef and veal production, valued at $11.3 billion. The biggest consumer was the United States, importing 37,231 tonnes, followed by China at 21,572 tonnes. The greater Central Queensland area is a huge contributor to the Australian agricultural sector, with over three million head of cattle throughout the region, predominantly dominated by beef cattle.”
“It's time for the debate; it's a line in the sand. People need to understand the ramifications of what happens if we continue down this road of 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and 43 per cent carbon reduction by 2030. We've got things like the Safeguard Mechanism, which is an impost on those 215 big companies around Australia—30 per cent of which are in Central Queensland. On the other hand, now we've got them putting their hands out for government subsidies. It just makes absolutely no sense at all. Let's have this debate. Let's have it properly. Dump net zero.”
“It is all subsidised, and it makes absolutely no sense because this power generation, the renewable energy sector, is unreliable. We also have three coal-fired power stations in the electorate of Flynn—Callide, Gladstone and Stanwell, at Rockhampton. What becomes of that baseload power when it gets put in a position where it cannot compete in the marketplace to sell energy because of the mandates and the RET subsidies that the renewable energy sector gets? What we are doing is driving small business and individuals to the wall. We've got people living in cars and people living in tents because they cannot afford their electricity bills, and it's time this stopped. Let's dump this net zero. It is economic madness. It is overseeing the demise of business, industry and prosperity that Australians have.”
“Furthermore, the cost of energy to these industries is becoming more and more. The aluminium smelter and the refineries in Gladstone and Australia are asking for billions in government handouts just to stay competitive. What happens to the thousands of jobs that are connected to these industries if we continue down this road? We've already seen this sort of thing in Germany, for example, where there is now an economic crisis that is the worst thing that the German people have had since the Second World War, all based on this green dream of renewable energy and net zero. In the Flynn electorate there are over 90 renewable energy projects that will be covering agricultural land and the ranges up and down the Great Dividing Range—thousands of turbines and millions of solar panels. This is dividing communities.”
“I second the motion, and I rise to support this Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025 put forward by my colleague the member for New England, Barnaby Joyce. He is absolutely right. Net zero, ultimately, will destroy our economic base here in Australia. The questions that I want to ask are: What will it cost? What will it cost in manufacturing jobs? What will it cost to the prosperity of ordinary Australians? In Gladstone, in the Flynn electorate, we have got the CSG industry and the fourth-largest coal-exporting terminal in the world. Those two resource sectors are worth $160 billion to the Australian economy. By net zero, what we are doing is overseeing the demise of both of these industries. If we continue on this path and we do that, how do we fill that economic shortfall?”
“With the recent budget forecast, the Treasurer knows the impact of the black market on revenue. This is a $4.5 billion hole in the budget. If there were a genuine reduction in the amount of people smoking, and we saw the improved health benefits that come with this, then we'd be celebrating. But, with the knowledge of the thriving black market trade and the flow-on effects in our community, there's no celebrating, with businesses closing and the resultant loss of jobs. As the re-elected member for Flynn, I will continue to advocate for these issues facing my constituents, and I will always fight for jobs and small businesses in the Flynn electorate.”
“Queensland has introduced tough new laws, including the ability to shut down these shops, along with massive fines for operators, which extend to the landlords who lease these premises to the illegal trade. The swift enforcement of these laws must be prioritised, especially where the evidence has been provided directly to those tasked with keeping law and order in our communities. As the receiver of taxes from the tobacco trade, where is the Albanese government in this? The Treasurer would have a vested interest in seeing this illegal trade stopped due to the revenue the legal trade brings to Australian coffers. Surely he would want to help our small retailers in their efforts to stamp out the black market that is forcing them out of their businesses. Every packet of legal cigarettes contributes about $35 in tobacco excise.”
“In regional areas of Flynn, our businesses are still being impacted, despite their efforts to report these illegal operators and shops. My constituents continue to cry out for equal justice in the regions, where their businesses are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why are they being ignored? Why is no action being taken on these reports? They are facing the very real threat of bankruptcy because nothing has been done to stop this illegal trade from operating across the streets from their legitimate businesses. As Australians, we believe in a fair and equitable justice system where we abide by the rules and laws set down by our parliaments, both state and federal, and by our court systems and the police. The penalties and processes are in place to deal with these illegal operators.”
“These illegal shops have been identified and reported to the Queensland police, the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Border Force, Queensland Health and even local councils, with video and photographic evidence all provided. As law-abiding citizens, you feel that this is all that would be needed to attract attention and that action would be swift. After all, these government agencies are supposed to be working together to target the black-market trade. Months later, these illegal operators continue to sell their chop-chop with no penalty. The new Queensland government announced tougher penalties and flying squad raids were carried out which resulted in 15 million illegal cigarettes being seized. Honest retailers were seeing unprecedented enforcement, but not all reports and tip-offs were followed.”
“This new licence includes mandatory employee training and the additional requirement that employees must be over 18 years of age even to sell smoking products in their businesses. This is another issue for small businesses that employ young people. They are now forced to meet this new requirement, which is impacting on their staffing levels. My understanding is that there will be job losses in many communities, as juniors will need to be replaced with adult staff members to comply. At the same time, just across the road, there's another retailer selling cigarettes and chop-chop illegally, but it's not hidden. This is the black market in full view. There are no secret deals and no back road meetings. This is easily verifiable and reported trade.”
“Today I rise to address a matter of urgent and ongoing concern to small businesses in the Flynn electorate and, indeed, across regional Australia. It is unfortunate that two of my speeches today have focused on dealing with the lack of support for regional areas. Our small business owners are already doing it tough, with rising energy and transport costs impacting their ability to run their businesses. They are also dealing with illegal competition, not from another business working under rules and regulation but from the illegal tobacco trade. Tobacco, like alcohol, is strictly regulated. As retailers, the businesses are responsible for complying with the new tobacco laws and obligations, including the smoking product supplier licence in Queensland.”