Julia Gillard’s announcement of an election date sparked a frantic closing down sale in the people smuggling industry, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Another boat arrival, with 68 people on board, on Monday, marked 25 boats to arrive for the year with a week of February still to go. “We have just witnessed the most ag...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has launched a petition to secure a more reliable 000 emergency phone service for North Queensland. The petition comes as a result of cases where emergency phone calls could not be made for an extended period on the Australia Day weekend after Telstra’s main line and back-up line were both cut. Mr Ch...

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The Labor candidate for Dawson is an embarrassing lone voice in the denial of Federal health cuts to the Mackay and Townsville Hospitals and Health Services, including hospitals in Townsville and the Burdekin, Mackay, Sarina, Proserpine, and Bowen.Even her puppet masters in Canberra have had to admit the Gillard Labor government slashed $103 m...

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The Gillard Labor government that slashed $3.2 million from funding, the equivalent of 30 full time jobs at Mackay Sarina, Proserpine, and Bowen hospitals, has reinstated funding to Victorian hospitals but not to Queensland. The same round of Federal health cuts also slashed $7.8 million, the equivalent of 70 full time jobs at Townsville region hos...

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Important projects on the Bruce Highway are disappearing every day as the Gillard Labor government wastes taxpayer money paying interest on their record debt. We are now paying more than $800,000 an hour in interest on Wayne Swan’s credit card. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said in just 18 days, the interest payments on Labor’s d...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:13): I thank my colleagues on both sides of the chamber for their valuable contributions on this matter of natural disasters. Firstly, I wish to comment on the natural disaster that we witnessed over the last month, then, to address two important issues that arise from that disaster and which require urgent attention fro...

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The mining powerhouse in the Central Highlands is being undermined by a deeply divided and dysfunctional government, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Mr Christensen said the Greens, Independents, and some Labor MPs (including Kevin Rudd and Joel Fitzgibbons) were attempting to change the Gillard Labor government’s failed...

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The Whitsundays could have had Goorganga Plains flood-proofing work funded in just 18 days if the Gillard Labor government had not created the biggest government debt in Australian history, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “We are now paying $800,000 an hour in interest on Julia Gillard’s credit card,” Mr Christensen sai...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (17:28): I rise—I would say with gladness but unfortunately I cannot—because of what is contained in the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2012-2013 and the Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2012-2013. It is a case of saddling up again for another spending expedition by the Gillard Labor government. Together these bills load an additional...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:34): I rise to speak on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012. In doing so I would like to note the bipartisan support the NDIS has in this parliament. I would also like to stress the importance of this issue across the nation and in my own electorate of Dawson, including the importance of getting the&n...

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The Haughton River Bridge has been a danger to traffic for too long. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has the narrow crossing in his sights and is calling on the government to act before it’s too late. Mr Christensen is sending a postcard petition to Dawson residents in the Burdekin and Townsville, gathering support for urgent actio...

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North Queenslanders must retain control of agricultural land and food production by limiting foreign investment, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   The Federal Liberal National Coalition released a discussion paper this morning on Foreign Investment in Australian Agricultural Land and Agribusiness.   “Allowi...

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The Liberal National Party's Fix the Bruce Convoy got under way today, with a cavalcade of cars and members of parliament departing from the Brisbane CBD - bound for Cairns. Thankfully, the first stage is only a short one - about 100km up to the Sunshine Coast. It's a Sunday and it even feels like a Sunday drive, knowing it is a short stint compare...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (09:43):  Thank you for the opportunity of allowing me to speak on a constituency matter. Given this jacket that I am wearing, I am grateful to the Speaker that I have not been ejected and grateful to the members opposite that they have not raised a point of order as yet—and the member for Higgins for a comment that thi...

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The Bruce Highway is important to North Queenslanders but, unfortunately, we have had 20 years of a hard Labor Government in Queensland who were flat out finding the Bruce Highway on a map. Queensland Labor fumbled the ball on the Bruce Highway because it didn't understand what the problem was and it refused to raise the necessary funds t...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (21:39): You would think the importance of the Bruce Highway to North Queenslanders could not be underestimated. It is vital for supplies coming in, for goods going out and for getting from point A to point B. In many cases it is a link between where people live and where they work. It is a link between businesses and their ...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:13): In a video recorded for the Australian Christian Lobby and for the benefit of people of faith right across this country, just before the 2010 election, the Prime Minister made this statement: "We have determined, as a Labor Party, that the Marriage Act will stay unchanged so marriage will be defined as it is in our...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (16:01):I rise to highlight issues of significance both nationally and in my electorate of Dawson. Contrary to what this government would have us believe, people are doing it tough. The Prime Minister and Treasurer have been eager to spruik the economy and to say that everything is so much better than it is in Greece, but th...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (18:12): In rising to address this Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill, I have some difficulty getting past the name of the bill itself. It makes it sound like the bill will make things 'fairer'. But this bill has nothing to do with fairness. In fact, it is the exact opposite of fairness. It is about trying to ju...

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  The sentiments behind the push to exempt churches from having to perform same sex marriages, if they are legalised, may be welcomed by some but it is clear from the global experience that any such sentiments, legislated, codified or otherwise, will not withstand the ongoing march of Christophobia that is occurring throughout the West. Arti...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (10:34):  I would like to associate myself with the comments of the Prime Minister; the Leader of the Opposition; the members for Melbourne Ports, Kooyong and Riverina in particular; and other members who have spoken so eloquently here this morning and yesterday on the condolence motion for Sir Zelman Cowen. Like them I...

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  A few dollars saved at the checkout is a pittance compared with the cost of driving our farmers out of business. You can’t blame customers for wanting to save money wherever they can but someone has to pay for the supermarket price wars. One thing you can be sure of – the ones who pay will not be the supermarkets. Now that the milk price...

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The tourism industry will welcome this week’s reduction in the reef tax but the timing of the announcement must have operators scratching their heads. It was only last year that the Government was increasing the reef tax. In June last year, I pleaded with the government to abandon the planned increase (of almost 10%) to the reef tax on the ground...

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The Gillard Labor government’s planned lock-up of one million square kilometres of the Coral Sea should be a wake-up call that our country, industry, and livelihoods are being sold out.   If this plan is let go through to the keeper, it will not only decimate what’s left of the Queensland fishing industry but it will drive Aussie seafood pri...

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  North Queensland got ready for digital TV but it appears digital TV isn’t ready for North Queensland, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Only days after the analogue television system was switched off, residents across North Queensland are reporting partial to complete loss of digital signal, prompting Mr Christens...

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  Bodies corporate in Mackay facing huge insurance premium hikes are urged to lodge a submission with a federal parliamentary inquiry into the industry. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said people in Mackay and the Whitsundays were reporting massive increases in residential strata title insurance after Cyclone Yasi and the sum...

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A GREEN Jobs Corps graduation ceremony was held for the last time in Mackay today with the federally-funded conservation training program being scrapped by the Gillard Labor government.   The programme was that successful in this region that not one graduate of the program was able to attend the small ceremony as they all had secured jobs th...

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Burdekin cane farmers will have to leave one of their most valuable tools locked in the shed this summer because of what Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, claims is a "Greens-inspired act of bastardry" by a government regulator.   Mr Christensen toured Burdekin, Whitsundays and Mackay cane farms yesterday with Sha...

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During the last sitting of Parliament, I made public an invitation to Julia Gillard, her Treasurer Wayne Swan and her Transport Minister Anthony Albanese to come on a summer road trip of the Bruce Highway. The drive I suggested would be from Rockhampton to Townsville – approximately 725 kilometres – almost half of the total length of the highway....

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THE announced closure of the iconic Club Med Lindeman Island resort should be ringing alarm bells within both State and Federal government that all is not well within the tourism industry, according to Federal MP for Dawson George Christensen.   “In fact the alarm has been going for some time in the tourism industry and this latest sad news...

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\Support for the coal industry under the carbon tax has been culled for next year in a desperate bid to create a surplus in the budget, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   The Labor Government has committed to spend $1.3billion of carbon tax revenue over six years to support the mines slugged the most by the carbon ...

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Member for Capricornia, Kirsten Livermore, rejected the Westminster Traditions of the Australian Parliament in declining her nomination to act as Speaker of the House of Representatives this afternoon (Thursday).   Speaker, Harry Jenkins, resigned in a dramatic opening to the last sitting day of the year this morning (Thursday), leading to a...

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Grand vision for Northern Australia   A visionary plan to turn Northern Australia into a booming economic powerhouse was touted by Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, in a speech to parliament last night (Wednesday).   The plan would see incentives for living and investing in the region, including: ·    ...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen has been appointed to the parliamentary inquiry established this week to investigate claims of price gouging in the North Queensland insurance market.   Mr Christensen said outrageous insurance premium hikes in the order of 300% to 800% for body corporate policies in North Queensland prompted an ...

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The middle section of the Bruce Highway, including Yellow Gin Creek and the Haughton River Bridge, is off the radar of both State and Federal Labor governments, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   Mr Christensen attacked the government in Canberra last night over a lack of action on the Bruce Highway between Rockham...

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In light of the fact that we are all about to go on a summer holiday from this place, I suggest we take a little tour—two tours, in fact: one on paper and one in a motor car. I will start with the last one first. I would like to invite the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport to come on a little tour with ...

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Mackay residents are sick of seeing criminals going unpunished, Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, told Federal Parliament in Canberra this morning.   In addressing a motion calling for alternatives to incarceration, Mr Christensen issued a thinly veiled warning to magistrates and the government: If criminals do the crime, they s...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (12:03): We are here in the 21st century talking about the threat of TB in the Australian parliament. Tuberculosis almost disappeared with 19th century novelists, who wrote of consumption as an everyday occurrence, both giving it to their characters and falling victim to it themselves. Sadly, TB, which was the cause of the d...

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While the Federal and Queensland Labor governments are ripping themselves apart about whether or not to send uranium to India, Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, voiced strong support for the benefits uranium and thorium mining could bring to Mackay and North Queensland. He said rich uranium and thorium deposits in North Queensland rep...

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Most of Townsville’s community groups were locked out of the Regional Development Australia Fund process on November 3, a week before the Minister’s office was encouraging them, through the Townsville Bulletin, to apply for the next round. Hundreds of regional community groups were rejected for Round One funding in favour of applications from orga...

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It was to be North Queensland’s biggest opportunity for growth and employment.   But the Abbot Point Multi-Cargo Facility is in limbo and likely to drown in a sea of red tape and green degeneration.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said a combination of the Greens and extreme left wing political group, GetUp!, were mou...

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Billions of dollars in revenue supposed to fund Labor promises are in doubt following revelations big mining companies will not be contributing to the mining tax as much as the Federal Treasurer assumed.   Analysis from accounting firm BDO suggests three of Australia’s four largest mining companies will not have substantial Mineral Resources...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has slammed the Insurance Council for asking members of parliament to spread misinformation in an attempt to justify price-gouging.   Mr Christensen said the Insurance Council issued a “fact sheet”, for use “should you receive any queries from your constituents”.   “For obvious reasons, t...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has called for close monitoring of radical extremists of the kind who attacked the good name of the Australian soldiers whose bodies were returned over the weekend.   Radical Ibrahim Siddiq-Conlon launched a Facebook page attacking the soldiers who were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier last week...

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The stalling of the Multi Cargo Facility project at Abbot Point has Senator Bob Brown’s fingerprints all over it, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.Mr Christensen accused the Greens of stopping the facility from going ahead during a speech on the Labor Government’s economic mismanagement in parliament this afternoon.North Q...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:56): Residents of the Whitsundays are fed up with not being listened to by their local council and the state government. This time we have had local Mayor Michael Brunker, his council and state Labor MP Jan Jarratt all pushing for a land swap on the Airlie Beach foreshore, against the community's wishes. The proposed l...

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Whitsunday Labor MP, Jan Jarratt, and Whitsunday Regional Mayor, Mike Brunker, have joined forces to defy the wishes of their own constituents and back a costly alternative for a redevelopment of the main street of Airlie Beach. In a speech to Federal Parliament in Canberra today, Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, questioned the wisdo...

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The Burdekin has delivered a resounding “no way” to carbon tax in a comprehensive ballot result for the electorate of Dawson.   Opposition to the carbon tax was voiced on more than 1000 votes from the Burdekin, compared with just 35 who agreed with the tax now being considered by the Senate.   After more than 6,000 ballots from voters...

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An indigenous corporation for Townsville youth, Helping Our People Everyday, will receive $5000 in funding under the Federal Government’s Volunteer Grants initiative announced this week.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said the organisation played an integral role in the community and deserved the support.   “Helping ...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen has awarded Dawson Medals to students in the Burdekin this week.   Burdekin recipients were Home Hill State High School student Stuart Woods and Ayr State High School student Shannon Dillon.   Mr Christensen, who established the Dawson Medal, presented Shannon with her award at last night’...

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After more than a year of intensive campaigning, Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, welcomed today’s news that Mackay had secured a Headspace Youth Mental Health Centre.   “This is definitely a big win for the community,” he said. “At every step of the way, I have had support in the fight from individuals and organisations, like ...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has backed the Australian Workers Union (AWU) stance against sending asylum seekers to work in regional areas.   The Federal Government, desperately seeking a “Plan B” after their Malaysian Solution debacle, suggested asylum seekers could be sent to regional areas while their visa applications w...

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Whitsunday Mayor Mike Brunker and his Labor colleagues have had more than enough time to fix the water water problem in Bowen, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   “Just because we are getting new excuses doesn’t mean it’s a new problem,” Mr Christensen said. “Mr Brunker has long known about the problem but doesn’t w...

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expect to find in the Third World. We have charitable and humanitarian Australian organisations working in various parts of the world to supply safe drinking water to less fortunate citizens. That is how unfortunate the citizens of Bowen must feel in my electorate of Dawson. This North Queensland town was once supposed to be the capital of Queensla...

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Bowen people have been denied access to information and the opportunity to have their say on the carbon tax, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   The carbon tax passed through the House of representatives this week and is due to start on July 1 next year.   Mr Christensen said the government had worked overtim...

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A BOTTLE of Bowen water caused a stir in Federal Parliament on Thursday as Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen called for an inquiry into Whitsunday Regional Council’s supply of unsafe water.   A group of Bowen residents have voiced serious concerns over water quality that they say has been independently tested and shown to be unsaf...

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The introduction of the carbon tax into parliament today marked a dark day for democracy, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.Labor MPs gingerly gave the Prime Minister a round of applause after she introduced the 18 bills relating to the carbon tax, prompting Mr Christensen to yell across the chamber that it was the first ti...

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Speaking on Carbon tax amendment in House of Reps:We have had a million-dollar gabfest on tax reform from a bunch of experts the week before we are introducing the biggest reform that Australia has had in taxation, the carbon tax. It is funny that that was off the agenda. I want to put it on the agenda again. We have passed it today but the people ...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (22:33): The amendment before us is to let the people have a say on this carbon tax by postponing it until after an election. I want to highlight some of the people who have not been able to have a say and really want to have a say. These are people from my electorate. Sallyann Pottinger from Shoal Point says if the carbon t...

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 I rise in this place, this monument to democracy, to eulogise the freedom, the voice and the self-determination the Australian people once had. The introduction of the carbon tax, the biggest, widest, ugliest and most pointless tax in the world on carbon dioxide emissions, marks the end of democracy as we know it in this country. Make no mist...

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North Queensland’s opinion on the carbon tax was voiced with a resounding “no” in Canberra this morning as debate continued on the carbon tax.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, spoke on the carbon tax and delivered the latest update on the ballot he is conducting across the electorate.   At 10am today, a total of 4,423 ...

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An untimely accident cost the Mackay region it’s voice at the rushed carbon tax inquiry.   Given just three weeks to form a committee, conduct hearings, and report before the carbon tax was voted on, Mackay’s only chance for input was a teleconference call, which couldn’t be made due to a mishap with a harvester.   Federal Member for ...

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The Mackay Gymnastics club can’t possibly compete with the mighty Geelong Football Club. Not because Geelong has a leagues club, thousands of members and more poker machine revenue than a full forward can jump over. According to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, Mackay Gymnastics can’t compete with Geelong for nothing more than polit...

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Robbed of a referendum on the carbon tax, Bowen’s businesses, industries, organisations, and individuals were denied their basic democratic rights, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   To enable the people of Bowen to have their say on the carbon tax, Mr Christensen has arranged a ballot to be sent to every letterbox...

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A Mackay hearing has been rejected by the Labor-Greens dominated carbon tax inquiry, despite Mackay being identified as the worst affected region in the worst affected state under a carbon tax.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, is one of only five Liberal National Coalition members allowed on the committee and he requested a h...

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I have been contacted by a lot of constituents who have problems with insurance premiums – in particular body corporate insurance.   Some insurance premiums for bodies corporate have increased by more than 300 per cent.   The lack of competition in the North Queensland insurance market, since the summer of floods and cyclones, opens t...

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There’s probably never been better proof that wasting money and overspending is in the DNA of the Labor Party than question time today. The Prime Minister was asked to correct her claim yesterday that reopening Nauru would cost $1billion, given that the total cost of processing asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island over the six years they operat...

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Mackay’s CQ Rescue will now have access to a carbon tax compensation program, after weeks of pressure on the government from Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   The service is facing increased aviation fuel and electricity costs of up to $20,000 under the carbon tax.   “Under the government’s carbon tax package, there was...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, has won a reprieve from massive cost burdens imposed on Mackay community organisations by the Queensland Government.   The Bligh Labor Government made regulations in August that would force a range of Queensland community sector organisations, such as Kalyan Youth Service, into financial difficu...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (10:58): I would like to say that those were fine words from the member for Bradfield, and I associate myself with them. Ten years on, we can look back on the tragic events of 11 September 2001 with a seasoned perspective. We have looked back and mourned for 10 years. We have mourned the loss of loved ones, friends and even ...

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Mackay will have a local voice on the parliamentary inquiry into Labor’s Carbon Tax legislation, which was formed in Federal Parliament today.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, was one of five Liberal National Coalition Members and Senators elected to the committee.   There will be nine carbon tax-supporting members fro...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, called on Australians to stay alert to the threat posed by Islamic extremists in Australia today.   In today’s statement in Federal Parliament regarding the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Mr Christensen pointed to the underlying hatred for Western ideals and way of life ...

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Mackay’s strong Maltese heritage was highlighted in Federal Parliament last night.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, delivered a speech to mark the 440th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, which is a significant date on the Christian calendar and a defining moment in Maltese history.   “In Mackay last week, I had the...

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As a member representing a regional area, I have a keen interest in communication technology and how it can level the playing field for the regions. Regional Australia and the bush have always been at a disadvantage due to reduced access to services and facilities – or, indeed, no access at all. Communication technology has managed to bridge some...

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 It may seem strange, but in my electorate of Dawson in North Queensland the historic European Battle of Lepanto takes a special significance 440 years after the battle itself. Six years before the battle on the island of Malta 600 Knights of St John commanding a force of 8,000 men prepared to defend Malta. The Turkish fleet was desperate to t...

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A form of student apartheid that disadvantaged Mackay students will come to a close at the start of next year, thanks to the efforts of the Liberal National Coalition, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   As part of a $265million package, students from inner regional areas will be able to access independent youth all...

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  Richard Pryor’s movie character in the 1985 comedy “Brewster’s Millions” was surely the inspiration behind Labor’s spectacular ability to spend money on nothing. Brewster is challenged, through a late relative’s will, to spend $30million in 30 days (in order to inherit $300million). The catch is, he can’t have anything to show for it at the...

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The Labor-Greens Government splashed $150million around the regions this week but couldn’t find a cent for Mackay. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said almost 60% of the Regional Development Australia Funding money found its way to Labor MPs or Independents who support the Gillard Government while important projects from our region ...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (13:56):  I rise to express my utter disgust in the book by convicted terrorist David Hicks being short-listed in the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards. Hicks was not a man who took an overseas holiday and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was exactly where he wanted to be. he knew where he was and he...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (10:48):  For most of us a marriage proposal might be a momentous, exciting event, but you will have to forgive me for not getting too excited about the proposal that I and 148 others received in this place last year. My lack of excitement perhaps stems from the fact that it was an indecent proposal, or at least a point...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (18:01): In rising to address the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill, I have a vision of these little men or women in olive green uniforms jumping out of their little olive green car with 'fun police' written on the side in a small and discreet font. Since this minority government was cobbled together with a plethora of promises a...

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GetUp! told to GetOut! of email scam   Left wing activist group GetUp! was accused of falsifying email support for same sex marriage to the Dawson electorate office in Federal Parliament today.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, blasted GetUp! for “attempting to subvert democracy” during a speech in Canberra this morning...

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Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s defence of a convicted terrorist supporter couldn’t have come at a worse time, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   On the same day she was defending the shortlisting of a book by David Hicks for the Premier’s Literary Award, another Australian soldier was killed in Afghanistan, fighti...

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Federal Member for Dawson has described the Labor-Greens Government as ‘arrogant and out of touch’ after protestors were ridiculed in Canberra this week.   After more than 1000 people rallied in front of Parliament House as part of the ‘Convoy of No Confidence’, the Leader of Government Business Anthony Albanese described the event as ‘a con...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (17:50): In rising to speak on the Schools Assistance Amendment Bill, I am reminded of the purpose behind our education system. Regardless of how we build the system and how we operate the system, the desired outcome remains the same—to help future generations to learn. Following the member for Riverina's comments, I want to...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (10:30): The Prime Minister seems to believe that the installation of energy saving light bulbs is compensation enough for not-for-profits and charities that are going to get stung by a carbon tax. In particular, enormous costs will be borne by aviation rescue services, such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Rockhampton’s ...

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If anyone should be flying in and out of Mackay, it should be an inquiry into the impact of FIFO on the regions, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   Mr Christensen spoke in parliament this week on the impact of Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) operations on regional cities and has asked for an inquiry to hold a meeting in Mack...

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Mackay’s RACQ CQRescue service is left facing increased costs of $20,000 under the carbon tax after Prime Minister Julia Gillard could not identify how the service would be compensated in parliament yesterday.   Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said the Prime Minister and the Labor-Greens Government had been caught out ripping ...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (12:49): I rise to highlight an often overlooked aspect of the current resources boom. The view of many across this country is that the resources boom is about numbers on a page, about dollars on a budget paper, and about the economy and prosperity. But for families in and around mining regions, particularly in Queensland an...

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The State Government’s history of pillaging the regions for their resources instead of investing in them has invited the call for a FIFO workforce, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   Mr Christensen attacked the Bligh Government in Federal Parliament today, claiming the Labor administration had plundered the wealth ...

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A few cubic metres of returned junk mail is a blunt message to the government about what the community really thinks of the carbon tax and the lie behind it, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen.   Mr Christensen returned to Canberra this week with a collection of carbon tax brochures to be returned to Prime Minister Ju...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, savaged the government regulator in parliament last night over its plan to ban a herbicide that is virtually irreplaceable in the sugar industry.   The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has proposed to suspend the use of diuron, a residual herbicide used extensively in the...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (22:10): They have battled Cyclone Ului, a deluge of unseasonal rain, Cyclone Anthony and Cyclone Yasi, and now it seems that cane growers, particularly in my electorate, are going to be subject to the machinations of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in their deliberations over the continued use o...

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You know a policy is well and truly on the nose when its own proponents start to line up against it. Several Labor luminaries are now joining the fight against the carbon tax. This week, New South Wales Labor leader John Robertson reportedly told his parliamentary colleagues that Julia Gillard had completely mishandled the carbon tax policy. ...

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The impact of the carbon tax will vary depending on who you are, where you live, and what you do. But for Slim Jones in Mackay, the carbon tax provided some inspiration. Thanks to Slim for dropping in this poem to my electorate office. The Carbon Tax If you listen to the pollies They will fill your ears with lies There’s a big hole in the ozone...

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The Federal Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has flagged flood-proofing the Bruce Highway as the issue that should be the Government’s top priority for regional Queensland. Mr Abbott told a meeting in Rockhampton this week that the single most important thing the Government could do for regional Queensland was flood-proof the Bruce Highway. Federa...

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A carbon tax police force with wide-ranging powers will be a further drain on taxpayers if the carbon tax were enacted, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. The fine details for the carbon tax legislation were released yesterday, uncovering expensive administration costs and the new police state for businesses. “The taxpaye...

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Everybody can take direct action for the environment by participating in National Tree Day, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. ‪Mr Christensen will be giving away free trees on Saturday morning for Mackay residents to plant on National Tree Day. The trees on offer are native bottlebrush. ‪“A massive boost in trees planted...

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There were some unhappy LNP members and supporters I had to call today. They were unable to get into the Tony Abbott Community Forum last night because of the overwhelming response from the general public. Typical Tony, he particularly wanted to speak to everyday Mackay locals rather than dyed in the wool party members. There are claims in the me...

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JULIA Gillard must have had an old Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in mind when she came up with her plan to announce the carbon tax details on "Swindler Sunday".   The little known Lloyd Webber musical "Tell me on a Sunday" features stirring lyrics from its pinnacle music number of the same name as the show: "Tell me on a Sunday, Let me down e...

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On Tuesday afternoon in Parliament, I criticised Labor MPs for being “very quick to sink the boot into farmers” on the issue of cruelty to live cattle exported to Indonesia but not saying “anything about the religion that actually inspires the torture of the cattle”. It may be politically incorrect but I stand by those comments. Now that live exp...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (16:31): I commend the shadow Treasurer for proposing this matter of public importance for discussion, because there certainly is an urgent need for consistency from this government so that we can restore confidence in the economy. But, sadly, what we heard from the member for Parramatta for over half of her speech was more ...

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 The mining boom in the Bowen Basin could last only as long under the carbon tax as it takes to bring overseas mines online, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Australia’s credibility on the world market recovered somewhat when Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised there would be no mining tax under a government she l...

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The introduction of a carbon tax would cripple the already struggling tourism industry in the Whitsundays, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “The carbon tax will effectively make tourism in Australia more expensive,” he said. “That will encourage Australians to take holidays overseas and will discourage overseas tourists ...

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On my best behaviour today – not a single warning during Question Time. The truth is, though, I’m too sick to move and couldn’t even make it to Question Time. I hope someone in there was keeping them in line. Bedridden in a Canberra apartment - where global warming is only wishful thinking.  The local paper in my home town today carried a stor...

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I knew it was going to be a controversial day. I walked into parliament yesterday morning, ready to deliver five speeches in the one day (a big day even when you don’t have a cold). A couple of the speeches were probably going to ruffle a few feathers, but another two, I knew, would really throw the cat amongst the pigeons. I was going to speak FOR...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (21:22):  The former President of Poland, the late Lech Kaczynski, once a fighter against the repressive Soviet puppet government in his country through the trade union movement, warned that countries that give up the death penalty award an unimaginable advantage to the criminal over his victim—the advantage of life ove...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (18:30): The SS Yongala had a proud history in a young Australia and continues to be a key player in the history of North Queensland. The Yongala steamed out of Mackay, at the southern end of my electorate of Dawson, on 23 March 1911, bound for Townsville, at the northern end of Dawson electorate. It was a journey the Yongal...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (17:21): I rise to speak on Appropriation Bill (No.1) 2011-2012 and cognate bills and to condemn the lost opportunities that this budget represents. This is indeed a budget that has a bark that is worse than its bite. Madam Deputy Speaker, two weeks ago, you might remember, the hounds were out howling at the moon before this...

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Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (12:18): In addressing the Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2011, I have come to understand how the citizens of Troy must have felt when they were greeted with the gift of a giant wooden horse, because this bill is not what it appears. It is a Trojan horse. Just like the giant wooden...

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Mr Deputy speaker, I rise to question the motives behind the proposed Malaysian deal for asylum seekers and also to question the outcomes. This government’s border protection frenzy has become excruciating to watch – like a cross between a bizarre episode of the Amazing Race and a chicken with its head cut off. There are stark similarities with th...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, condemned new legislation in parliament this afternoon as an attack on the rights of fathers that would produce another generation of stolen children.  According to Mr Christensen, changes to the Family Law Act added no further protection to child safety and, in fact, watered down the definition ...

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I got an early mark from question time today – had to go and have a cup and tea and a bikkie and watch the last five minutes from the sidelines. Now I know why they don’t call it Answer Time because we haven’t had one straight answer from this government all week. The Treasurer was caught out this week with comments about the West Australian Premie...

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, challenges Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser to raise royalties on the mining industry and quarantine the funds for developing infrastructure and addressing social impacts on the mining regions - following in the footsteps of West Australian Premier Colin Barnett.

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Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, speaks on a motion regarding the Labor-Greens Government's tactic of holding a Tax Summit after the introduction of a Carbon Tax and Mining Tax into Australian Parliament to avoid scrutiny

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The introduction of a carbon tax is nothing more than wealth redistribution and that means Mackay will be kicked in the guts again. Mackay incomes are higher than average because we work hard, do it tough, have higher cost of living, and fewer services than the capital cities. Mackay families will pay a fortune in carbon tax but a smaller percentag...

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Mackay has the second highest suicide rate in Queensland – mostly young men. Regional centres are worse for suicide than capital cities anyway, but Mackay has additional problems brought about by the mining boom. Mackay is a financially advantaged area but, socially, it’s very disadvantaged. There’s lot so shift work and parents who are away for fo...

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Greens leader Bob Brown are planning to become 21st Century bushrangers, robbing from Mackay and giving to the capital cities, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “The carbon tax will not clean up the environment, it’s just a means of wealth distribution,” he said. "We have a higher than ave...

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Petition pages are already rolling in for the push to fund a Headspace Mental Health Centre in Mackay. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said his electorate office had already received a number of petition pages that were printed in Saturday’s Daily Mercury. “This issue had already gained a bit of momentum since I raised it in parlia...

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A little fine tuning to the digital television rollout will put Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay back in the picture, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. Mr Christensen said digital television was set to bypass the communities because geography made receiving a signal difficult. “We had even been told that it was against the l...

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A commemorative dinner in Mackay will mark 95 years since the first engagement in active service for the 42nd Australian Infantry Battalion. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, this week announced the 42nd Australian Infantry Battalion Association would receive a $2250 grant to fund the commemorative dinner under the Saluting Their Serv...

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Memorial plaques and honour boards will be restored and upgraded though a project undertaken by Bowen RSL sub-branch. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, this week announced the sub branch would receive a $4000 grant to fund the project under the Saluting Their Service Commemorations grant program. “Saluting Their Service is an Austral...

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The powerhouse economy of the Mackay region has been undermined by the Bruce Highway, according to Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen. “Parts of the Bruce Highway are so flood prone, it only needs a cane toad to pee on the side of the road and the highway is cut,” he said. “We’ve seen in the past week how flooded roads can stop producti...

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Thank you for the opportunity to come and talk with you this morning. I’m sure you’re all hoping this isn’t going to be some political spiel that’s all spin and no substance. When I talk to community groups in Mackay, I don’t’ tend to talk about politics because I like to focus on letting people know about some of the things we are working on and ...

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As a Federal Parliamentarian, I find myself in the same position I was in as a councillor. For that matter, it’s the same position school teachers have found themselves in too. In the classroom, it was focusing on the Three R’s – Reading, Writing, and Rithmatic. Councillors know that the best way to get elected is to focus on the Three R’s too. O...

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It’s a daunting task, for a young man, to be given the task of addressing the Older Women’s Network. Who am I to be telling you anything? So, in a way, I would like to also take this opportunity to seek guidance in my role as the representative for Dawson. I often think to myself: “I wish I had listened to what my mother told me”. It’s funny h...

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Wow. There was something rotten in New South Wales and the voters chose to take out the trash. If we have learned anything in the past few months, it’s the fact that the Labor brand is on the nose. There was a standard flogging in Victoria but that is nothing compared with the annihilation that took place in the New South Wales State election. Judg...

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I rise to speak on behalf of all servicemen and women in the electorate of Dawson – people who make a proud commitment to this county and deserve careful consideration of their needs and their welfare. The electorate of Dawson has a large number of military and ex-military personnel, taking in suburbs like Annandale and Wulguru in Townsville where...

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I was in parliament house today when the news came through about Campbell Newman and the leadership of the LNP in Queensland. My first thought is that the move will be one of the greatest – a monumental disaster or a stroke of genius. After thinking about it for a few hours, I’m leaning towards genius. Campbell Newman can offer so much to the State...

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I rise to highlight issues relating to the digital television switchover in my electorate of Dawson. The residents of Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay, in the Whitsundays, are justifiably upset at the fact they have been effectively left out of the switchover. These residents need access to the same local television broadcast in other communities wi...

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I come here tonight as the voice for the electorate of Dawson. As your representative, I am, literally, your voice in Canberra. That may be the case, but it’s only part of the story. I am a voice. But I am a representative of voices. In the words of the great John Farnham, You’re The Voice. I come here tonight to talk but also to listen. To listen ...

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You might enjoy a pastime now but whatever it is the government will put an end to it. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said the Federal Government was coming across as wowsers, determined to put an end to anything people might enjoy. Mr Christensen was commenting on the introduction of new packaging regulations for the tobacco indu...

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I rise as a representative who lives in an area that is classified as an Inner Regional zone of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification–Remoteness Area. I represent students in the Mackay region who are discriminated against by Labor’s legislation which restricts the independent status of Youth Allowance. The members opposite have cre...

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Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this private members bill and offer my gratitude to those who have made an outstanding contribution during this summer of floods in Queensland.  Over the summer, we witnessed people across Queensland pulling together during the floods.  I was fortunate enough to be able to witness the efforts of volu...

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Mr Speaker, the death of 17 year old Che-Nezce Perrie Shepherd at Bowling Green Bay National Park in Alligator Creek in the electorate of Dawson was horribly tragic.  On the 12th December last year, Che was swimming with friends when her foot become trapped under a rock.  It was raining heavily that day and she was trapped in the rising...

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I stand here in this chamber today in the knowledge that I am but one man among many who have been elected by their peers to serve their community and their nation. I stand here as but one man aware that many others have served the Dawson electorate before me. I wish to acknowledge the previous member, James Bidgood, as well as the previous two Nat...

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I stand here in this chamber today in the knowledge that I am but one man among many who have been elected by their peers to serve their community and their nation. I stand here as but one man aware that many others have served the Dawson electorate before me. I wish to acknowledge the previous member, James Bidgood, as well as the previous two Nat...

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