North must get fair go

THE true state of our Queensland economy is not the sort of conversation that happens around the backyard barbecue. We don’t usually want to know, or if we do, then it is way over our bombarded heads so that it is easy to just pass it off. With only 100,514 of our 196,000 population working, for every person working, there is nearly one that is not.

Townsville carries its workload very well considering the value of our contribution to the state’s economy. The biggest employer in the city, is the health and welfare/ social assistance sector. We are the only city on the planet, that refines three different base metals, (zinc, copper, nickel). Queensland’s economy is worth just over $360 billion a year (2020). Of this, Townsville contributes roughly $12.3 billion (3.32 per cent)

So how is it then, with all of this good work, good business and hardworking people, that we can be left out of nearly all of the state government’s consideration with only a sliver of recognition from the federal government. With Labor/greens attacking mining and farming, we will struggle to keep this good record once the regulations hit. To have a huge healthcare sector, we must have those dollars made somewhere first, tax paid, then a government budget to give us the funding we need for the either successful health or the failing justice systems. Queensland coal and bauxite reserves are one of the

largest and highest grades in the world. (81 per cent of our merchandise exports 2019-2020). Queensland is home to just over 20 per cent of Australia’s population, 27.5 per cent of Queenslanders live in regional centres. It matters not to Brisbane Labor, or Brisbane Liberals, that so much of the wealth, and over a quarter of the entire population live in those wealth-making regions. Yet we cannot get fair to market power, we cannot get fair to market development, better water, roads, and the worst travesty – our lower than acceptable health care. The flying doctor and commercial flights have to fly people all over the state for treatment, because the money is only being spent down south. Have we got enough emergency personnel to attend three incidents at once in the Townsville area?

Ask the minister. Have we got enough police resources to actually send the right personnel to the crimes? Ask the minister? Have we got enough water? Try to water the lawn in winter. Have we got acceptable levels of insurance, rates, charges and fees? Nah, that is really hard, but if you think we are all OK, then just do nothing. Because nothing is what we are getting now, and you know how people hate change. We have been silent, while the world of Brisbane, Labor/greens/liberals take what we need.