Mr MILLAR (Gregory—LNP) (4.39 pm): I rise to speak to this bill with mixed feelings of relief and frustration. I am relieved that this bill has finally come before the House, but I am frustrated that it has taken so long.

I am frustrated that while we waited we saw the deaths of eight mine workers in Queensland mines in 18 months. This was still insufficient to get the Labor government to ensure this legislation was put before the House for debate.

I rise to speak on the Resources Safety and Health Queensland Bill. I am relieved that, finally, some action is being taken with regard to mine safety. I am frustrated that it has taken the deaths of eight Queenslanders in 18 months to get the government’s attention and to have this matter debated in the House.

I rise to put on the record the LNP’s sympathy for the victims of the current bushfires in Queensland and across Australia. Since the current fire season started in Queensland last September, the courage and kindness displayed by ordinary Australians responding to an extraordinary public disaster has been inspiring.

Today is a dark day for agriculture. Being true to form, the Labor Party has again abandoned the bush by introducing amendments to the bill to repeal the Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges Act 2005.

I rise to talk about a good news story in parliament. I rise to speak at the behest of Mr Paul Wiggins and place on record his profound gratitude to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the community of Windorah in my electorate of Gregory. More specifically, I wish to place on record the events that happened to Mr Wiggins and his partner in what is one of the most remote locations in Western Queensland.

I rise to make a contribution to the debate on the bill, which is of great concern to all Queenslanders. I acknowledge the member for Bundamba, who tried to shine a spotlight on corruption but was ignored for a long time.

The shock that went through the communities and the families of mineworkers in Blackwater, Emerald, Springsure, Rolleston, Tieri, Dysart, Moranbah and Clermont was profound as we discovered through the media that coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, or black lung, had re-emerged in Queensland.

I rise to speak to this truly important bill. The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (Commonwealth Powers) Bill 2018 will provide Queensland victims of child sexual abuse with redress for abuse suffered while they were under the control of Queensland institutions.

I rise to speak on this motion. Firstly, I wish the senator all the best as she returns to the Senate but I also call on the senator: you are a senator for all of Queensland, not just inner-city Brisbane. I represent a large section of the state, the seat of Gregory, which contributes a lot to the state economy. That includes agriculture and mining—the two industries under constant attack from the Greens.

If there is one seat in this House that relies on the trucking industry, it is certainly the seat of Gregory. The seat of Gregory, as many of you know, is 460,000 square kilometres and trucking is a big part of our industry.

In terms of getting goods from Brisbane ou to Windorah or Longreach, moving cattle or heavy machinery, or relying on the heavy vehicle industry for the mining industry, trucking is big business when it comes to regional Queensland.