Senator Malcolm Roberts is heading into north and western Queensland on Saturday 10 April, for a week long trip to see first-hand the tremendous horticultural potential of this area.
Genuine development of northern Queensland holds great promise for local communities bringing enormous wealth and opportunities for locals, making regional Queensland an even better place to live.
Senator Roberts will start with a charter flight from Townsville over to Mt Isa and then Normanton to look at the current irrigation projects, future dam sites and the connectivity between critical infrastructure.
Senator Roberts said, “We need to grow our way out of the devastating affects of border and business closures from COVID and north Queensland offers exceptional opportunities in horticulture and mining if we could just add water and affordable energy.
“To make north Queensland hum we need to ensure all the critical infrastructure works seamlessly together – the roads, railways, ports, affordable energy, well placed transmission lines and reliable water.”
After the charter flight Senator Roberts will visit dam sites and irrigation projects, broadacre cropping trials, and areas of future horticultural cultivation in the towns of Charters Towers, Hughenden, Richmond, Julia Creek, Cloncurry and Mt Isa.
Senator Roberts added, “Just add water and affordable energy through hydro and we can transform this area of north Queensland.
“There is the potential to add between $10-20 billion worth of new agriculture to Queensland’s economy through increase production of food and the value adding that becomes affordable through hydro.”
“In addition to horticulture there is huge potential for mining rare earths in this area, yet outrageous electricity prices make these small mines unviable.”
During this visit Senator Roberts will look at our stranded assets that are languishing and wasting taxpayers money.
“North Queensland is an exciting place full of unrealised potential and it is a priority that we have a well thought out vision for this area to ensure the momentum of development gathers pace. “Every Australian would be proud to see more manufacturing brought back to Australian shores and affordable and reliable water and energy are foundation pieces.”
