Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 8:53:36 to 9:02:23
Senators express frustration over the lack of new agricultural and mining projects in Northern Australia and the impact of infrastructure delays on Closing the Gap targets.
Topics: Closing the Gap, Infrastructure
Speakers: Senator Susan McDonald, Jessica Hall, Kynan Gowland, Lisa Rauter, Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Senator Glenn Sterle
>> well we're reporting on it through the progress report but we're not holding accountability for those individual
>> progress progress report the action plan doesn't actually speak to any specific projects does
Um yes it does report on a range of projects. Yeah
>> through through the through the annual progress report. Yes it does go to particular projects.
>> So do you report on those projects that are abandoned stalled or delayed?
>> Uh sorry senator I without knowing a particular project. No.
>> But any I mean I'm just trying to think of a project that's been delivered in So if any does does the Commonwealth track what causes the delay and what action the Commonwealth has taken to resolve it?
>> The individual departments that are responsible for them would be tracking that. Yes.
>> So there's no coordinated discussion about that. Has the department quantified the impact of regulatory compliance, duplicated approvals, conflicting government requirements on investment and productivity in Northern Australia?
>> No, we haven't done that work.
>> What reforms has the office of Northern
So Senator, we provide advice to government through various um cabinet submissions that um but and we put the lens through those cabinet submissions about the um you know whether it's adverse weather events that of northern Australia or the tyranny of distance in northern Australia um um thin markets and the like. So we provide that policy advice through those submissions which
>> Have any of those been implemented those recommendations? Can you point to any think of any?
>> Sorry, Senator. I can't point to anything uh anything particular off the top of my head. Obviously some of this goes to cabinet um consideration. Uh but none that uh sorry I can't point to a particular I
the points that you're making and and uh Minister McCarthy will no doubt share some of my frustrations because Northern Australia is approximately the same size only slightly bigger than Southern Australia. So the tyranny of distance, adverse weather effects. Just ask Victoria lately. Same. You know, all of Australia's got these issues. And yet in Northern Australia we have a whole department sorry a section of the department 26 people and every time I come to estimates I struggle to find a reason and a purpose for being we've just done this excellent report that identifies the lack of coordination across agencies and government and so I'm seeking to have have you read the report have you >> yes yes and uh and I'm hoping that there has been some recommendations that you've looked at that and gone Oh, what more could we do? Perhaps even ask for some more resources if resources is the
>> Um, yes, Senator, obviously we've that report's only recently landed and we would be putting advice to government in terms of their response to that report.
I don't want to labor this point because I am, you know, so frustrated by our lack of progress in Northern Australia. And of course, it's not just the economic outcomes, the lack of agricultural development, the lack of new mining projects, the lack of defense capability, um, but it is the terrible result for, you know, closing the gap doesn't work as a result of the our failure in Northern Australia. Every community, be they indigenous or non-indigenous, is is falling behind the rest of Australia because of the lack of action. We've allocated billions of dollars and and yet there's not I was hoping that I'd come tonight with and that the would be a change in the air that you would say we've read this report and we've we've we've decided that there could be better coordinated response and obviously I'm you know I had views on this as the special envoy for Northern Australia when we implemented the master planning project to try and coordinate the money and the approvals and Uh, let's actually get something done. Sorry, I'm flogging a dead horse, so I will not continue. But I I I appeal to you. You have the agency to make strong recommendations about coordinated funding and act action. Um, and I hope that minister, you will convey this back to the minister. We can't keep spending money and talking about Northern Australia and not doing anything about it. If you can think of a project that has been delivered like the Barkley regional deal still ongoing
>> Nolan's rare earth we've had there just only a few
>> broke ground and that took how long how long to get out. So I'm just saying this
is that's certainly been out there. We've got the um you know billion dollars of investments in the B uh island aluminum smelter. No, no, no.
That's an existing project that is being subsidized because of government policy on renewable energy. What's new? What's exciting? What's going to draw more people to the north, increase agricultural production? Boy Island is not going to do one more moment of bork site out of that facility as a result of billions of dollars of spend. Minister,
>> I can say though through closing the gap uh the remote jobs program, especially in your region, we've got significant um jobs coming through in the remote jobs employment program.
>> Have you got any data on that?
>> We can provide that for you.
>> I would like to see data on that that is new jobs on new projects that aren't government funded that won't disappear at the end of the of the program. I can
certainly provide data through uh NIAA to you on that
>> and and Office of Northern Australia, please give it to them because apparently they're not getting any data to be able to be coordinating with the rest of the the department. >> I'm sorry. >> Is that unfair?
>> Slightly. Um we do we are coordinating across government as I said to pull together the next progress report and you will see in that progress report when it comes out in November um reports on projects that have advanced and been
also information in the blue book that comes out, the regional statement book that comes out at budget as well. So, Archer River Bridge is a really great example of uh a fantastic project that was also delivered up in the north that links communities and ensures that there is um a community that used to be underwater for nearly 200 days a year is now only underwater maybe two days a
year. What about uh connection of Kyama or Dumagi that's underwater and out of contact for up to seven months a year? What works being done on that?
>> So we are working through a range of um land transport projects as well, Senator. So there is um there are works that are being completed um both within this portfolio and in other portfolios um and the team is doing a very very good job of coordinating um across that and I know at the next Northern Australia Ministerial Forum um that is coming up in the next um week or so. It is a conversation that the minister is keen to have um and to talk about what other things that they can do as well.
So, as somebody who lives in Northern Australia, uh, as the minister does, we are exhausted and and to keep talking about this. I mean, at the last estimates, I asked about specific projects and the Office of Northern Australia hadn't heard of them. >> You know, the Mitchell River Bridge,
>> we've we've covered other bridges as well in um infrastructure previously when we've had questions on um Western Australia. So we can take we can take we can take on notice a number of bridges and um other land transport for you as well because that sits within this portfolio. So we can take that I don't have my people here anymore but we can take that notice.
>> Mitchell River Bridges in Queensland. I I have no further questions. So I I had really hoped that we might have had a more productive estimates we did last time, but uh it is you are underresourced and government continues to not take Northern Australia seriously. I'm demoralized and depressed.
>> I shall take that as a statement.
>> It is a statement. Thank you, chair.
>> Does anyone else have any further questions without come through?