Tuesday September 10 2013

Returning Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch talks about Saturday’s federal election win and outlines his plans for the seat over the next term of Government.

"I’m very pleased that the community has put their faith in me for another three years and I thank the Port Douglas, Mossman and Daintree communities for their support. I’d also like to say a big thank you to the volunteers who helped on the booths on Saturday, they did a wonderful job.

"I’ve got my ‘hot file’ of constituent work that has had to go on hold for the last week or two while things are in caretaker mode, but that’s back on my desk to follow up, so it’s business as usual, starting from day one.

"So, what happens now? I’m now technically the Government Whip, not the Chief Opposition Whip, so I’ll shortly be required to call all the Members together to vote on the leadership. I think that will happen sometime this week, which allows our leaders to move to the next step of forming the ministry and the cabinet. We have to reconfirm our leadership immediately, get our ministers locked in and government formed, because there is a desperate need within the community to see that happen.

"From my perspective, I’m very keen to see the Government formed, we need to start work on getting rid of the carbon tax; I’m pleased to see that Tony Abbott has said that he’s not going to rush into these things but he wants the legislation in place before we actually sit so it can be the first thing on the table.

"We’re sending out a very strong message to the community that we are open for business. I think it’s important that we start looking at all sorts of opportunities that have already materialised and look at them on their merits, rather than on philosophical opposition or trying to pander to some minority group in the hope of staying in government, as has happened in the past.  

"Just looking at what is proposed to happen in this region, I think we’re in for some very prosperous times, and if we – as a government – don’t assist in facilitating these opportunities, in three years’ time, we will be judged accordingly."

Priorities

Small Business

"The first thing we’ll do is fulfil our commitment to get out of the way of small business. There is an expectation that we’re going to do something different. We have to stop the rot, enable businesses to prosper and become profitable, and allow some of these projects that are being touted to start to actually turn the first sod.  We need to see that within our first term, then we will see unemployment issues dealt with comprehensively."

China

"We’re talking about opportunities with China. It’s all very well to talk about China Eastern and China Southern but we are not going to get those opportunities if we don’t deal with our visa problems. Both Scott Morrison and Bob Baldwin are committed to making this happen. We need to have multiple entry visas, premium visa processing and also have to have electronic visas. If we want to get our fair share of the Chinese market, we have to make these changes."

Mossman Botanic Garden

"I’m looking forward to working with the Mossman Botanic Garden project as that progresses, creating new economic opportunity in the town, and hopefully when the new council is formed they will put a focus back on the Port Douglas waterfront as that is a must in the near future." 

Aged Care

"I’ve made a strong commitment to keep working with the Mossman District Nursing Home committee to get the aged care facility established; the Coalition has committed to review the system under which aged care beds are allocated, as it’s clearly broken." 

Electricity

"I’ll also continue to support Daintree Coast residents and businesses in their bid for reliable and affordable electricity; I hope it won’t be long before the State Government and Ergon actually sit down with the community and outline the parameters."

Aquis Development

"The Aquis resort at Yorkey’s Knob – if it stacks up, and they’ve got the funding behind them to do it - we’ve got to make sure in the next three years they’ve turned the sod. We don’t want to be sitting here in three years’ time finding excuses why we have to have another study." 

Renewable Energy

"The same goes with the Mount Emerald wind farm project that has stalled. If it stacks up, it must be allowed to proceed. I’d like to be able to turn on my light switch and know that at least half of my power is coming from renewables based here, rather than being subsidised by the State Government from coal-fired power that’s being sent up from down south.  We can’t continually find excuses for stoping things happening and that’s what’s occurred here for far too long."

North Australia Policy

"The Northern Australia policy will be front and centre.  This is going to be the single biggest policy for us and we need to have it well and truly embedded in the next three years.  We have 12 months to put up a White Paper, then two years to start implementation and putting resources to it. I’m going to make sure that the expansion of HMAS Cairns is a focus and the Tropical Campus for the Australian Institute of Sport is well and truly a centrepiece for our region, it’s great to see TTNQ, council, Advance Cairns, everyone’s on board with the vision of us becoming a centre of tropical sporting excellence."

The Food Bowl and Tropical Health

"The food bowl concept is an important component. As part of achieving that, the National Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine will put Cairns at the centre of the world’s best practice for tropical health. There will be opportunities for manufacturing of specialised medical equipment, and from an education perspective, we will be the centrepiece of people coming to be educated and finding treatments for tropical diseases. Take the Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis - XDRTB – here’s an opportunity for us to be at the forefront, it’s huge. And we’ll get people fishing here again – no point in becoming a food bowl if you’re importing your seafood from unsustainable fisheries in third world countries. As long as it’s sustainable, we should be able to do it."

Insurance

"We couldn’t sort out the insurance debacle from opposition, but I can assure you that the ICA will be talking to us now we’re in government. I happened to be taking to Minister Crisafulli the other day at Amateurs and thanked him for his commitment to flood mitigation and I said I was looking forward to seeing him at the round table, which we’ll be organising soon.

"If, by the end of this three year team, we don’t see all these projects either underway or completed, or there is a very good non-government related reason why they aren’t, then we won’t have done our job and there’ll be a situation where we‘ll be judged accordingly. It’s a big task, but I’m very excited, I know I’m up to it, and a lot of it is about enabling rather than massive spending or cuts, as is the Labor party way."

Future Plans

"A lot of people are asking me if I am seeking a ministry. It’s not for me to seek; quite frankly, it is up to the leader to invite. In the past, in the Howard Government, on two occasions I contacted the PM and asked not to be considered because I had heard I was in line, and for good reasons. On the first occasion in 2001 I wanted to consolidate my position as a local member and focus on the electorate, and on the second in 2004, I had already made the announcement that I wouldn’t be re-contesting in 2007 to spend more time with my son. My requests were accommodated, now we’re back in government again I’ve certainly made it known that if I’m invited, I will give it serious consideration.

"I enjoyed my job as the Chief Opposition Whip and it was very challenging in a hung parliament. But at the end of the day, there are a lot of people with skills out there, I’m just one of them, but if I was asked to consider a position I’d give it some serious thought."

On the Palmer Party

"The only thing the Palmer Party believed in was the dollars they were being paid to be there on the booths or distributing the core flutes, and a promise of a bucketful of money in your back pocket if Clive became Prime Minister. It’s going to be interesting to see how long Clive can sustain bankrolling a political party all around Australia. He’ll have to show more commitment to causes, especially the indigenous cause, rather than just adding dinosaurs to his golf course or building a memorial to a sunken ship.

"We did underestimate the impact about the percentage of votes that he could take, but we also underestimated the number of people who actually believed that they would get $10,000 in their back pocket if Clive became Prime Minister.  Even the idea of Clive becoming Prime Minister after one campaign is ridiculous."

Now that you’re not in opposition, is there pressure to come through on commitments?

"I was in government for almost 12 years and of those I had eight years on the executive. In that time we saw the construction of the Esplanade boardwalk, the establishment of the medical school at JCU, the vet school, the commitment of funding for the dental school, a lot of things happened. I’m fortunate that I’ve had significant experience in government, I’ve had three years in Opposition, but I haven’t wasted that time – I’ve lined up a lot of ducks, there are a lot of things that I want to see happen."

Gallery photos courtesy www.Facebook.com/thesocialguy.

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