Fresh from completing his new member’s orientation in Canberra, Leichhardt MP Matt Smith catches up with Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn. Photo: Supplied.
With his political induction now behind him, new Leichhardt MP Matt Smith says he is supportive of the potential establishment of a special economic zone (SEZ) for Cape York being investigated.
Catching up with Cape York Weekly after completing the induction for new MPs about the ins and outs of life in Parliament House, Mr Smith said he was ready to hit the ground running as he finalised his electorate office and team.
“Let’s go with political preschool – it’s a great name for it,” he laughed.
“A lot of it is learning the processes and the protocols; the Westminster system is steeped in tradition, and they’re very keen on having that tradition, and then explaining why it’s important and what we do, the way we do it and all those kind of things, and then just getting our heads around how to structure your sentences, how to structure your speeches, to make sure that the Speaker doesn’t sort of give you the big heave ho and send you on your way.
“And then we did a lot of work on just being a good parliamentarian and being a good member; what I’m trying to encourage more people to do is to get in touch with our office when you’ve got an issue, to see where and how we can help.”
On the topic of Cape York becoming a SEZ to boost investment, and provide tax and regulatory incentives for businesses to operate in the region on a more equitable playing field, Mr Smith said he believed the idea was worth looking at.
“Absolutely, I think that’s a really good idea to get that economic development diversification into the region,” he said.
“A lot of these places need to have more than that one string to their bow, and if we can create a special economic zone that maybe brings those sort of things in, then that’s fantastic.
“I’m more than happy to take any ideas up to the relevant ministers, be it the Treasurer, or the Prime Minister, or Catherine [King] in infrastructure, to make sure that our voices up there are being heard.”
The new Leichhardt MP said he believed his Canberra colleagues were starting to see the realities of life on Cape York, and committed to keeping the region on the radar of the Federal Government.
“I think they’re beginning to understand both the remoteness of the challenges, but also the opportunities,” he said.
“The first thing they’re going to hear about from me is ‘Cape, Cape, Cape’, because I think that there’s a bit of a blank canvas up there.
“And just from my week there a couple of weeks back, in and around Weipa, the amount of really good people with really great ideas, we just need to get in behind them to see if we can make some of those a reality.”
Mr Smith said he was eager to liaise with Cook MP David Kempton to ensure the economic prosperity of Cape York and the Torres Strait was approached with a united front between Brisbane and Canberra.
“I am very keen to work with the state in the areas that cross over, and a lot of it does cross over on the Cape, particularly around that connectivity, around transport, health, things of that nature,” he said.
“The Cape is too big for us to be dividing and conquering; we need to be pulling in the same direction to actually get the results for the people up there.”
