Mr ANDREW: My question is for the Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water.

Would the minister update the House on a concrete start date for the pipeline to Mount Morgan and also why there are no plans for diverting some of the water from the Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline to the farmers in the Lower Fitzroy agricultural corridor?

Mr SPEAKER: Member, that is a two-part question. I will allow the minister to address either of those issues, or both if he so wishes.

Mr BUTCHER: I thank the member for the question, and I will start with the Mount Morgan pipeline. The Queensland state government and my department have supported that fantastic program for the Rockhampton Regional Council because it knows that water security for the community of Mount Morgan is really important to those people, and our government has put $40 million on the table to support that project.

The Rockhampton Regional Council will be building and operating that pipeline for us with support coming forward from the federal government to ensure that that project continues to go ahead, because we on this side of the House know that water security is certainly something that we need to be doing for these regional communities, and Central Queensland is certainly no different.

Mr Lister interjected.

Mr SPEAKER: Pause the clock. Minister, resume your seat. Member for Southern Downs, welcome to the party! You are warned under the standing orders.

Mr BUTCHER: That investment of $40 million going to the Rockhampton Regional Council is part of our $5.2 billion investment in water in Queensland. We are a government that is delivering water security for regional Queensland, and we can put on top of that the Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline and the Rookwood Weir, which is now 99 per cent complete. I certainly look forward to going up to Rockhampton and celebrating the completion of the Rookwood Weir that we have put money into, and we were also investing money into support for those—

Mr ANDREW: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order under standing order 118(b), relevance. I specifically asked for a—

Mr SPEAKER: Member for Mirani, I am going to cut you off right there. I allowed a question which probably could have been ruled out of order. I have given the minister latitude to answer it. You will resume your seat.

Mr BUTCHER: I note that the opposition had to go over there to tell him to do that, so it is good that the opposition is helping One Nation at the moment to get through parliament. That is good to see. I am going to use the rest of my time to talk for the member about water security particularly in Central Queensland. There are no bigger supporters of water security in Central Queensland than this government and me so that the industries of the future and the agriculture industry get that support from a government that cares about regional Queensland and particularly Central Queensland.

I know that the member was very keen to make sure that the Mount Morgan pipeline was supported, and that is exactly what this government did—supported that fantastic project to the tune of $40 million.

When we talk about the pipeline from Fitzroy to Gladstone, it is important to recognise that the pipeline is being built to not only support existing industries in the Gladstone region but also support the new and emerging industries that are happening in the Gladstone region.

We built Rookwood Weir in the member’s electorate to ensure that those irrigators and the agricultural sector move forward in that region on the banks of the Fitzroy River, and we are delivering that in spades.

We are delivering Rookwood Weir in Central Queensland. We are delivering funding to go to the Rockhampton Regional Council to build that pipeline to Mount Morgan to support the member’s community, and we will be delivering that very shortly. (Time expired)

Mr SPEAKER: Members for Coomera and Burleigh, you may be hidden on the grassy knoll but I can still hear you. You are both warned under the standing orders.