Your vote counts: Colin Boyce, LNP candidate for Flynn in the 2022 Federal election

Here’s what LNP candidate for Flynn, Colin Boyce thinks about key issues such as housing affordability, the region’s energy future and better health infrastructure for remote Queenslanders.

Investing in infrastructure and regional health so doctors are trained and remain here are among the LNP candidate's top concerns as he says it will be technology not taxes that will incentives Gladstone’s energy transition.

A boilermaker by trade, Colin Boyce still lives on his family’s Taroom cattle property, the now resigned Callide state MP is looking to continue the legacy of his retiring mate, Ken O’Dowd.

Here’s how Colin responded to the questions we put to all seven candidates vying for your vote in Flynn.

Colin Boyce, Liberal National Party candidate for Flynn at the campaign office opening day. Picture: Brad Hunter (Deputy PM office).

What are the three issues that you believe matter most to voters in the Flynn electorate?

I believe the top three issues for Flynn residents are economic security, energy security and national security.

All three tie back to every facet of life including having a job, creating jobs, raising a family and cost of living.

The Liberal Nationals Government is the only team with a plan and the knowledge to keep our economy strong and growing, to the benefit of everyone living in Flynn.

How will you address and seek to resolve the increased pressure of cost of living?

Responsible and experienced economic management is the first step and the Liberal Nationals is the only team with a plan and the knowledge to keep our economy strong and growing, to the benefit of everyone living in Flynn.

This year’s Budget delivered additional tax relief to people over the next four years and gives low and middle income earners up to $1,500 from 1 July in tax relief, including the one-off $420 cost of living offset.

We also delivered a six-month cut of 22.1c/litre on fuel excise, saving drivers money every time they fuel up and a new one-off $250 Cost of Living Payment for 6 million pensioners, carers, veterans, job seekers, eligible self-funded retirees and concession card holders.

Together, with existing indexation arrangements, this will see a single pensioner receive more than

$500 in additional support over the next 6 months, just when they need it most.

We will also cut $10 from the cost of PBS medicines, and will increase the singles income test threshold from $57,761 to around $90,000 from July 1 this year, to give more senior Australians access to the concession card.

The couple’s threshold will also increase from $92,416 to $144,000. An extra 50,000 seniors will

benefit from these changes.

How will you make house prices and rent more affordable, increase public housing and reduce the number of homeless residents?

There are certainly housing challenges which is why the Liberal Nationals Government has put in

place so many programs to assist particularly first home buyers, and the Home builder program

which has helped 140,000 people get into a home.

In this term of parliament this government has assisted more than 300,000 Australians into a home.

Labor opposed the Home builder program. Labor’s new housing plan is crumbling already.

Every time somebody sells their home under their scheme, they face a 40% housing tax as the Government

takes its share.

This financial year the Federal Government expects to spend around $9 billion to improve housing

outcomes across the nation, including $5.3 billion in Commonwealth Rent Assistance and $1.6 billion

under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA).

Under the NHHA, Queensland will receive $333.7 million.

With the focus of Flynn often being on Gladstone, what are big projects and issues you will address in more remote parts of the electorate?

The Liberal Nationals are the only party focused on delivering better health and infrastructure for

our regional centres.

I’ll have more to say in weeks to come but commitments to date include:

-$10 million for health training facilities in Emerald, in partnership with JCU

-Inclusion of the region in the $2 billion Regional Accelerator Program

-Almost $800,000 for disaster preparedness and resilience programs in Banana Shire

-More than $1 million to install a Telstra macro base station in the Woorabinda area

-$10.7 million to upgrade Lowmead Road, $3.3 million to upgrade Cracow Road and $1.7

million to upgrade Stanwell-Waroula Road

-A share of $400 million to upgrade key beef transport routes throughout Central

Queensland

-$5 million to help a major upgrade of CQLX facilities at Gracemere

-$1.7 million to help create an alternate route for heavy vehicles through Theodore

-$1.3 million to replace the Hermanns Gully Bridge at Bucca

-An extra $15.4 million for works to upgrade Bonnie Doon Road and the Springsure Tambo

Road in the Central Highlands

Do you support the Mt Morgan water pipeline project and do you support the rehabilitation of the Mt Morgan Mine by Heritage Minerals?

The water challenges faced by Mount Morgan, and the responsibility of the State Labor Government to provide a solution, are issues I have raised regularly both publicly and privately.

Labor has chosen to make this a political football, but I won’t play their games – as a candidate fighting for the people of Mount Morgan, I will fight for a re-elected Liberal Nationals Government not only to fund the feasibility study, but to deliver the pipeline.

I welcome any project which will invest and create jobs in the Mount Morgan region.

The potential to rehabilitate the site and recover gold and copper from historical waste could have positive outcomes for the local area, including environmental benefits and job creation – all of which would be welcome.

Do you support Gladstone being reinstated as a “Distribution Priority Area” for doctors and what other commitments will you make to health services in Flynn?

Gladstone is already a Distributed Priority Area under the Liberal Nationals Government, as are Gracemere and Mt Morgan. Labor’s lazy calls for this shows how little they understand health in the region.

Currently there is a real shortage of doctors in regional areas but it can take 10 years or more in training.

That’s why the Liberal Nationals Government has invested so much in training doctors in the regions because a doctor trained in a regional area is more likely to practice in a regional area.

Earlier this year, the Government invested $10 million for health training facilities in Emerald, in partnership with JCU.

Improving access to health in regional areas is a real focus of the Liberal Nationals Government.

The Stronger Rural Health Strategy has delivered 5000 new doctors, nurses and allied health professionals collectively into regional, rural and remote communities since 2018.

The Liberal Nationals Government has created more medical places for students to study in regional campuses; made it easier and more affordable to access Medicare funded MRI scans in the regions; wiped the HECS debts of doctors and nurses if they work in rural towns and remote communities; and made Telehealth permanently available everywhere, allowing timely access to health professionals no matter where you live.

In fact, on Tuesday Barnaby Joyce announced a regional health policy, with a re-elected Liberal Nationals Government investing more than $1 billion to boost regional health.

This policy covers a range of initiatives including: attracting, supporting and retaining more GPs, nurses and allied health professionals; allowing our doctors in training to work across both community and hospital-based services, which will boost their skills and increase people’s access to a doctor.

And investing in more training posts, which will allow rural generalists to gain advanced skills in critical fields like obstetrics, palliative care, paediatrics and mental health.

Do you support net zero emissions and do you endorse the shift to hydrogen and other renewable industries emerging in Gladstone?

The Liberal Nationals Government has committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but is sensibly looking to technological advances, not taxes, to reach it so we don’t unnecessarily harm our resources sector.

I’ve always said Australia should invest in technological developments, but not at the expense of local business and jobs and any transition needs to be proven, reliable and affordable.

We all know hydrogen isn’t going to displace other industries anytime soon, so we are working to build it alongside other energy systems.

In line with that, the Liberal Nationals Government has already committed to making sure that Gladstone embraces the jobs that will come from hydrogen investment, including recent announcements that we will invest:

-Up to $69.2 million to establish Stanwell Corporation Limited’s The Central Queensland

Hydrogen Hub (CQ-H2 Hub), with a total project value of more than $148 million

-Up to $1.25 million for Origin Energy Future Fuels Pty Ltd’s Origin & ENEOS MCH Gladstone

Project, with a total project value of $2.5 million

– Up to $3 million for Vena Energy Services (Australia) Pty Ltd’s Euroa Energy Project, with a

total project just over $6 million

-Up to $44.9 million for Fortescue Future Industries’ Green Hydrogen Gigafactory – Electrolyser Manufacturing Facility at Aldoga in Gladstone, with a total project value of

$136.2 million.

Do you support traditional industries in Flynn such as coal and gas?

Absolutely, and I know people working in the resources sector are disappointed to see Labor has placed the Greens – who want to end mining – above the LNP on its How to Vote card.

While Hospitals are a state issue, residents are telling us it is unacceptable that Gladstone Hospital is a level three facility, without and ICU unit, will you lobby for upgrades to the Gladstone Hospital?

Yes, it is time the State Labor Government properly invested in the Gladstone Hospital.

Has Scott Morrison handled this term as Prime Minister well and do you think Anthony Albanese would be a better Prime Minister going forward?

PM Morrison has led a Liberal Nationals Government which is leading the world in terms of recovery from the Covid pandemic, which has been very tough for our country but on almost every measure – economic growth, jobs growth, debt levels, fatality rates or vaccine rates – Australia’s recovery is leading the world.

Treasury predicted unemployment could reach 15%. In February, it fell to just 4% – the equal lowest in 48 years.

The Budget also saw the biggest turnaround in our finances in over 70 years and Australia is one of a small number of countries to maintain a AAA credit rating from all three major ratings agencies.

To build a stronger future, our plan will:

• Deliver more jobs, with unemployment below 4%.

• Deliver tax relief for workers and small businesses.

• Invest in roads, rail, water infrastructure and renewable energy technology.

• Make record investments in health and other essential services.

• Invest in stronger defence, security and borders.

This election provides a clear choice, with real consequences for Australia.

Over the last 30 years, Labor governments have, on average, delivered higher unemployment, higher interest rates, higher electricity prices – and not a single balanced budget.

Should people in Flynn put independents and minor parties above the major parties, and why?

No, because a vote for so-called “independents” and minor parties will help hand Government to a Labor/Greens alliance, decimating this region’s economy.

What makes Flynn different to other electorates?

Flynn is one of the largest and most productive electorates in the nation, with a diverse economy underpinned by resources and agriculture.

Our people are proud of their patch, proud to work hard and proud to punch above their weight in producing wealth for the state and the nation.