The ne w minister needs to step up

not one person from our region having a voice in important nationbuilding discussions?

Senator Murray Watt, Labor’s federal spokesman for Northern Australia, weighed in saying the fund had to fully explain why it rejected funding for Townsville and immediately restore North Queensland representation to the board.

Senator Watt also asked why in six years just a pitiful 6 per cent of the NAIF’S $5bn budget had been released to projects to build Northern Australia. That’s a fair call, at a time when the tourism industry has been hit for six and the economy is trying to break away from the shackles of Covid-19, why isn’t more money allocated? The organisation has been left in a mess by the federal government and the new minister needs to step up and restore order.