COVID-19 Stimulus Package must include water

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The Federal Government’s COVID-19 stimulus packages must address how Australia can be more self-reliant in food production, and calls for a guarantee of water for farmers to plant essential crops this month.

Senator Roberts said, “COVID-19 has changed our world forever as nations like Vietnam ban exporting their home-grown rice to us, and now more than ever, we need government to prioritise food production in Australia because our basic food security is threatened.”

“Nations are now prudently keeping their own food for themselves while stupid government policies mean we are dependent on the importation of food staples that we can grow here in Australia.”

While recent rains across the Murray Darling Basin have been welcomed, farmers need the certainty of a water allocation during the season to have the confidence to plant crops.

“When harvested, not only would this winter crop create a regional monetary stimulus but would also protect us from new food shortages caused by countries’ COVID-19 export restrictions,” stated Senator Roberts.

Absurdly, Australia already relies on importing cereals like wheat and rice and now COVID-19 trade restrictions means even durum wheat used for pasta has become impossible to source.

“It is in Australia’s national interest to prioritise water to farmers to improve our farming productive capacity, that has been damaged by successive Liberal and Labor governments who have given our competitive advantage away to overseas,” added Senator Roberts.

Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian farmers have received zero general security water allocations for irrigation in the last 3 years. The Murray Darling Basin Authority has chosen instead to water forests unnecessarily and send irrigation water out to sea in South Australia.

“I call on our Governments to guarantee the release of 1000gl of water for irrigation, to give our farmers confidence to plant a full winter cereal crop.” “The COVID-19 crisis has given yet another reason to reset the Murray Darling Basin plan, with a focus on sensible environmental practices and on growing and protecting the productive capacity of regional Australia,” declared Senator Roberts.

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Senator Roberts demands people see modelling for 6-month hibernation

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One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts calls on the Prime Minister to immediately release COVID-19 modelling upon which the government bases its planned six-month hibernation of Australia.

“We can’t let this debilitating economic slow-down go on one day longer than it needs to, yet right now the government refuses to share vital information with the Australian people,” said Senator Roberts.

He added, “The data continues to show that we are passing peak COVID-19 infections, yet rather than offering people and businesses an economic recovery plan, the Prime Minister simply repeats his chorus line saying Australia could be closed for six months.”

Strong leadership making the tough and unpopular decisions does not need to remove hope from people for when lives can return to some normality.

Senator Roberts urges the Prime Minister to ensure rigorous wide testing, with strict isolation of the sick and vulnerable, allowing the healthy to return to work as soon as possible.

The Government has instead chosen to isolate the huge majority of healthy people, when data strongly suggests that with effective testing, all we need do is isolate the sick and protect the vulnerable.

“We can’t have massive swathes of the economy hibernating without any idea of the indicators that will trigger a re-start. 

Business owners and families need to make decisions around how long they can hold out and not be left in limbo.”

The Prime Minister has a duty of care to show the evidence to justify business closure for up to six months, and the indicators he will use to trigger a change in strategy.  

“No other country is promising to close its economy down for six months and healthy Australians would rather go back to work than to receive partial wage subsidies.”

Taiwan’s approach to COVID-19 should be used as a template, to primarily focus on and avoid a health crisis, and in that way avoid an economic crisis. 

Taiwan managed the virus with a clear priority on people’s health using rigorous temperature testing and hand hygiene practices, isolating those in danger and allowing the economy to keep running.

Senator Roberts added, “Taiwan with less than 260 people infected and only 5 deaths is a stunning example of how to manage the virus – putting people’s health as first priority – so that healthy people continued working and the economy barely blinked.”

Considering that about seventy-five percent of all COVID-19 cases in Australia are from people who travelled overseas or had direct contact with those travellers, the current arrangement of forced quarantine for overseas travellers should see a decline in cases within weeks. 

Once we are assured of people’s health we can end this debilitating economic slow-down and give people what they need: real hope through a plan for the next step, economic recovery.

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MEDIA RELEASE: Senator Roberts calls for PFAS Compensation now

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How many more investigations and committees is it going to take for property owners living in PFAS toxic contamination zones around Australia to be compensated so they can move on with their lives?

It has been years since the shocking disclosure to residents that PFAS contaminations had made their homes worthless and there was a real danger that it may cause serious illnesses like cancer.

“Families have lost their homes and in many cases their incomes, leaving people with no place to live and no income to survive. They have been forced out of their homes through no fault of their own”, stated Senator Roberts.

At today’s Senate Estimates Senator Roberts was clearly frustrated that all the focus from the Defence Department and the government was about remediation of sites, rather than compensation and buy-backs for the victims whose properties fall within the toxic “red” zones.

“While the investigation into how to remediate the hundreds of sites around Australia is vital, what is a matter of extreme urgency is giving families back their lives. No more delays”, the Senator added.

The second PFAS Senate report tabled in December 2018 included a recommendation for property buy-back.  This is just one of the nine recommendations the government are yet to respond to.

“One Nation calls on the government to provide immediate compensation for affected residents.”

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MEDIA RELEASE: Hunter Valley’s forgotten workers doing it tough

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One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts was recently made aware of the plight of the many labour hire mine workers in the Hunter Valley who have been left high and dry by their employer and the CFMMEU.

“We have all heard the stories about how well people can do in the mines but for these people today, this could not be further from the truth.”  Senator Roberts said.

“Every day Australians like Simon Turner and Brodie Gilks are people who have been working hard to put bread on the table for their families and then they were injured on the job.”

The labour hire employer and the CFMMEU have ignored calls for help from these workers.  There are many stories like this of labour hire employees being underpaid and over-worked, then being left broken and in despair.

“Imagine how hard it must be for Brodie not even being able to pick up and nurse her child due to workplace injuries for which she was never properly compensated,” Senator Roberts added.

Christmas 2019 will be a tough time for these workers, with no money to spend on gifts for the little ones, and wondering if they can make the next mortgage payment. 

This is life for these forgotten workers and they have the physical and the invisible scars to prove it.

The union and the employer have established an Enterprise Agreement that hoodwinked these workers; it offered poor job security and lacked the conditions that every day Australians have a right to expect from our industrial relations system.

The employer labour hire companies employ these everyday Australians as casuals when there is no such provision under the relevant Coal Award.  As casuals some slipped through the cracks in the insurance system and missed out on fair entitlements, and Fair Work Australia did not notice.

Senator Roberts added “When these workers complained, their complaints fell on deaf ears until our One Nation team listened and acted.”

“The real question is what is the Government going to do for these people, people like us?”

Senator Malcolm Roberts and the One Nation Team are listening to everyday Australians and they are helping real people with real problems.

Media inquiries for Senator Roberts contact Robyn Cross, M: 0428 483 098

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PRESS RELEASE: PM Needs to walk the talk

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PRESS RELEASE – 04 October 2019

Prime Minister needs to walk the talk

Senator Malcolm Roberts welcomes the Prime Minister’s criticism of “unaccountable internationalist bureaucracies” like the United Nations yet doubts Morrison has the character to pull out of their destructive agreements.

“Our Prime Minister has a history talking the talk, but never walking the walk and this speech contradicts his precious actions. I challenge him to now walk the talk,” stated Senator Roberts.

“Since the 1975 UN Lima Declaration, successive Australian Prime Ministers have signed a myriad of damaging agreements, treaties, protocols and declarations that have removed our sovereignty and watered down our democracy,” said Senator Roberts.

While many would describe the United Nations as a ‘toothless tiger’, Senator Roberts added “this doesn’t explain why Australian governments eagerly and enthusiastically adopt the UN’s socialist agenda to the detriment of the Australian people and our future.”

How is it possible that the Prime Minister can claim “Australia’s international engagement will be squarely driven by Australia’s national interests” and yet embrace the Paris Agreement which is making power unaffordable and causing the de-industrialisation of our once prosperous country.

The Prime Minister states “We can never answer to a higher authority than the people of Australia”, but I bet the Prime Minister does not have the gumption to hold a referendum on whether Australia should leave the Paris Climate Agreement because he knows he would lose.

“If the Prime Minister has genuine intent on putting Australia first, he needs to identify the specific actions that must be taken. I await his policy announcement,” Senator Roberts concluded.

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