Article – Committee hearing to visit the city

1 April 2014
The North West Star
SIX weeks of inspections and public hearings have started for the Australian Parliament’s Northern Australia Committee with Mount Isa on the list for tomorrow.
Visits across Northern Australia began last week with the committee stopping at Mackay, Bowen, Ayr, Townsville and Mount Isa in Queensland’s north.
Committee chairman Warren Entsch said the visits were crucial to the development of the north.
“This is an important phase of the inquiry when the committee visits existing and potential projects and talks to local people and organisations about their vision for developing northern Australia,” he said.
The committee will conduct five public hearings, receiving evidence from more than 35 organisations and individuals and inspecting a number of projects between Mackay, Townsville and near Mount Isa.
“Northern Australia has great potential to boost Australia’s economic development and significantly contribute to our exports,” Mr Entsch said.
“The committee will be seeking to identify ways to unlock this potential as well as identifying key projects of merit.”
The committee’s inquiry has received more than 220 submissions from regional communities and stakeholders from every sector.
Submissions and other information on the inquiry are available on the committee website at www.aph.gov.au/jscna.
Courtesy of The North West Star