Senator Matt Canavan talks nuclear energy after being re-elected into senate

Queensland Senator Matt Canavan has outlined some of his priorities for his next term in the senate after being elected for a third term. Here’s what he had to say.

The federal representatives for Central Queensland have been officially declared with the LNP taking both seats in the house of reps and a spot in the senate.

Incumbent Senator Matt Canavan was returned to the senate for the LNP and will be joined by another Central Queensland representative, but from a different party.

Gladstone-based Greens senate candidate Penny Allman-Payne was successful in her campaign and will join the Queensland side of the senate in Canberra.

This election marked Mr Canavan’s third time being elected to the senate, and his second re-election.

His first election was in 2013, and he was re-elected in 2016.

Mr Canavan said it was a “great honour” to be re-elected for another term in what was a “crowded field” of candidates for the senate.

But now his party is in opposition, there will be a different job at hand.

“Our job now going into opposition will be to ensure that we hold Labor to account, and ensure they don’t pull money already committed to Central Queensland out of the budget,” he said.

“This includes the funding for Urannah Dam, near Collinsville, funding for the $400 million Beef Corridors throughout the Central Queensland Councils, and smaller projects like the $2.5 million to the Boyne Tannum Football Club, and $8 million to the Fitzroy Community Hospice.

“But most importantly, we’ll be standing up and fighting to ensure that we keep jobs and opportunity in Central Queensland.”

Mr Canavan said he would continue to be a voice in Canberra for people in regional areas.

He said one of the things he would fight hard for was reliable and affordable energy.

“There’s obviously an energy crisis going on right now and in my view that crisis in principally because we have not invested in reliable energy sources like coal and gas and also nuclear,” he said.

“I’ve already got legislation in place to end the federal prohibition on nuclear energy, I’ll be progressing that and also talking about how we should be investing in all types of energy, renewables, coal, gas and nuclear, it’s only through harnessing that energy that we’ll create a thriving manufacturing industry and secure and make a strong Australia.”

Mr Canavan said while Labor was in government, the party was “well short” of a majority in the senate and would need the support of other senators to get anything through.

“In my view the Labor Party do no have a mandate for their policies, they achieved their lowest vote since 1910, it’s the lowest vote an incoming government has ever received,” he said.

“Two thirds of voters voted for parties other than the Labor Party at the Federal Election, and so to represent the will of the Australian people at the election, the Labor Party has to negotiate with other parties who represent those people who did not vote for Labor.”

The first sitting of parliament in Canberra is expected to take place on July 26.