Labor’s just not working for North Queensland

THE problems faced by North Queensland have been at the top of my agenda since I became Leader of the LNP 21 months ago.

Since then I have visited Townsville 15 times and I have listened hard to what the locals have been telling me.

They are desperate for change and feel forgotten by Annastacia Palaszczuk. And they have every right to feel that way.

The simple truth is Labor has been a disaster for North Queensland.

Eight thousand people in Townsville are out of work, more than 500 businesses collapsed last year and property prices have fallen through the floor. Those numbers don’t even begin to describe the hardship that has been inflicted on families.

Labor knew how tough it was in Townsville but for five years they refused to approve the Carmichael mine — the biggest job-creation project in North Queensland.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Townsville now has the highest crime rate of any Queensland city.

Robberies are up 113 per cent, car theft is up 52 per cent and break-ins up 42 per cent.

Even this week there were shootings on the streets of Townsville.

This week Annastacia Palaszczuk had a chance to offer real solutions to these problems, but all we saw was more spin and media stunts.

That’s not good enough.

North Queensland needs a clear and effective plan for the future and that is what my new LNP team has developed.

This is just part of my plan for North Queensland:

The LNP will ensure our police have the resources they need and back them up with tougher laws and tougher sentences.

We’ll make breach of bail a criminal offence instead of letting juvenile offenders terrorise the community.

We’ll close down Labor’s bail houses and give North Queensland its own police helicopter to track down and apprehend criminals.

We will take the handbrake off the Galilee Basin by freezing royalty rates for a decade — giving the resources sector the confidence it needs to unlock 15,000 mining jobs.

We’ll give Queenslanders a no-newtax guarantee, cut red tape and give small firms a bigger slice of State Government contracts.

And we’ll start to raise the Burdekin Falls Dam — because water means jobs.

Competition between electricity retailers is driving down prices in Brisbane, but Townsville consumers have been stuck with Ergon’s big bills.

The LNP will let regional Queenslanders shop around and save — slashing the average bill by $300 a year. This policy has worked in Brisbane and the LNP will bring it here.

North Queensland is crying out for change — but only the LNP can deliver it. My plan will work for Townsville. And unlike Labor, I will never forget that I work for you.