hansard home page: e-mail: phone: (07) 3406 7314 fax: (07 ... · legislative assembly titled annual...

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGSHansard Home Page: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/hansard

E-mail: [email protected]: (07) 3406 7314 Fax: (07) 3210 0182

FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTY-FOURTH PARLIAMENT Page

PROOF ISSN 1322-0330

Subject

Friday, 14 September 2012COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ....................................................................................................................... 2039

Report ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2039Tabled paper: Committee of the Legislative Assembly: Report No. 4—2011-2012 Annual Report. ...................... 2039

PETITIONS ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2039TABLED PAPERS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2039MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................ 2039

Banyo, Level Crossing Incident .......................................................................................................................................... 2039Public Service, Redundancies ............................................................................................................................................ 2039State Finances ................................................................................................................................................................... 2040Budget, Credit Rating ......................................................................................................................................................... 2041State Finances ................................................................................................................................................................... 2042

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Voluntary Separation Program, Employees who received Expression of Interest Letters, as at 12 September 2012’. ........................................................................................................... 2042

MOTION .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2042Amendments to Standing Orders ....................................................................................................................................... 2042

MOTION .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2047State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee, Terms of Reference ............................................................. 2047

STATE DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRY COMMITTEE .......................................................................... 2047Report ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2047

Tabled paper: State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee: Report No. 7—Subordinate legislation tabled on 10 July 2012 and 31 July 2012. ............................................................................................ 2047

EDUCATION AND INNOVATION COMMITTEE ............................................................................................................................ 2048Report ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2048

Tabled paper: Education and Innovation Committee: Report No. 9—Annual Report 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. ........................................................................................................................................................ 2048

ETHICS COMMITTEE .................................................................................................................................................................... 2048Report ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2048

Tabled paper: Ethics Committee: Report No. 125—Matter of privilege referred by the Speaker on 31 July 2012 relating to an alleged deliberate misleading of the House by a Minister. ......................................... 2048

SPEAKER’S STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................................ 2048Microphones in Chamber ................................................................................................................................................... 2048

FS SIMPSON N J LAURIE L J OSMONDSPEAKER CLERK OF THE PARLIAMENT CHIEF HANSARD REPORTER

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/hansard/

Table of Contents — Friday, 14 September 2012

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE ...................................................................................................................................................2048Prisons, Dog Squads ..........................................................................................................................................................2048Rural Fire Service, Jobs ......................................................................................................................................................2048Rural Fire Service, Jobs ......................................................................................................................................................2049Budget, Tourism Industry ....................................................................................................................................................2049State Finances ....................................................................................................................................................................2050Lotus Glen Correctional Centre ..........................................................................................................................................2050Bligh Labor Government, Redundancies ............................................................................................................................2051Flying Foxes .......................................................................................................................................................................2052

Tabled paper: Form letter, dated 7 September 2012, from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to residents regarding the flying fox colony in Yungaburra. ...................................................................2052Tabled paper: Letter, dated 12 September 2012, from Mr John Pollock to the Premier, Hon. Campbell Newman, regarding mitigation of problems from flying fox camps for communities. ..............................................2052

Bligh Labor Government, Redundancies ............................................................................................................................2053Emergency Management Queensland ...............................................................................................................................2053

SPEAKER’S STATEMENT .............................................................................................................................................................2054Fire Drill ..............................................................................................................................................................................2054

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILLAPPROPRIATION BILLFISCAL REPAIR AMENDMENT BILL ............................................................................................................................................2054

Second Reading (Cognate Debate) ....................................................................................................................................2054BODY CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL ..........................2076

Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................2076Tabled paper: Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012. ........2076Tabled paper: Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012, explanatory notes....................................................................................................................................................2076

First Reading ......................................................................................................................................................................2078Referral to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee ........................................................................................2078

MOTION ..........................................................................................................................................................................................2078Portfolio Committee, Reporting Date ..................................................................................................................................2078

SURAT BASIN RAIL (INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT) BILL .........................................................2078Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................2078

Tabled paper: Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012.....................................2078Tabled paper: Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012, explanatory notes. .....2078

First Reading ......................................................................................................................................................................2079Referral to the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee .......................................................................2079

COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY .......................................................................................................................2080Portfolio Committees, Reporting Dates ...............................................................................................................................2080

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILLAPPROPRIATION BILLFISCAL REPAIR AMENDMENT BILL ............................................................................................................................................2080

Second Reading (Cognate Debate) ....................................................................................................................................2080Tabled paper: ALP Costings: 2012 State Election. .................................................................................................2103Tabled paper: Extract from Capital Statement 2011-12, page 111, Transport and Main Roads budget. ...............2104Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Entsch Bruce Highway brochure nothing more than “junk mail”’. .........................2104Tabled paper: Extract from Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2012-13 to 2015-16—Far North Region.....................................................................................................................................................2104

Referral to the Committee of the Legislative Assembly and Portfolio Committees .............................................................2133Second Reading .................................................................................................................................................................2133

Division: Question put—That the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill be now read a second time. ...............................2133Resolved in the affirmative......................................................................................................................................2133

Consideration in Detail ........................................................................................................................................................2133Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill .............................................................................................................................................2133

Clauses 1 to 195, as read, agreed to. .....................................................................................................................2133Schedule, as read, agreed to. .................................................................................................................................2133

Third Reading .....................................................................................................................................................................2133Long Title ............................................................................................................................................................................2133

SPECIAL ADJOURNMENT ............................................................................................................................................................2133ADJOURNMENT .............................................................................................................................................................................2133

Davis, Dr RJ ........................................................................................................................................................................2134Carey, Mr H; De Bono, Mr G ...............................................................................................................................................2134Ginger Industry ...................................................................................................................................................................2135Police Commissioner, Appointment ....................................................................................................................................2135Murrumba Electorate ..........................................................................................................................................................2136National Stroke Week; Playgroup, Picnic in the Park; Law Society ....................................................................................2136

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘National Stroke Week activity ideas’. ....................................................................2136Newman Government .........................................................................................................................................................2137

Tabled paper: Extract from the Courier-Mail, dated 14 September 2012, titled ‘Government hasn’t sacked any public servants, they took generous options to leave, says Premier Campbell Newman’. ..............................2138

Table of Contents — Friday, 14 September 2012

Whitsundays Electorate, Athletes ....................................................................................................................................... 2138Warren, Mr EHW ................................................................................................................................................................ 2138Parliamentary Service, Staff ............................................................................................................................................... 2139

ATTENDANCE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 2140

14 Sep 2012 Legislative Assembly 2039

FRIDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2012

Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly met at 9.30 am.Madam Speaker (Hon. Fiona Simpson, Maroochydore) read prayers and took the chair.

COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

ReportMadam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table report No. 4 of the Committee of the

Legislative Assembly titled Annual Report 2011-2012. I commend the report to the House. Tabled paper: Committee of the Legislative Assembly: Report No. 4—2011-2012 Annual Report [1060].

PETITIONSThe Clerk presented the following paper petitions, lodged by the honourable members indicated—

Yeppoon, LeveesMr Young, from 92 petitioners, requesting the House to investigate the need to install levee banks on Charles and Morris Streets,Yeppoon to protect residents and businesses adjacent to Fig Tree Creek and to carry out excavation of the main channel [1061].

Vlieg, Mr AMr Powell, from 152 petitioners, requesting the House to keep the Acting Principal of Maleny State School, Mr Adam Vlieg, as apermanent arrangement [1062].Petitions received.

TABLED PAPERSMEMBER’S PAPER TABLED BY THE CLERKThe following member’s paper was tabled by the Clerk—Member for Cleveland (Dr Robinson)—1063 Overseas travel report—Report on an overseas visit by the Deputy Speaker (Dr Robinson) to Honiara, Solomon Islands

on 22-31 July 2012—Report to the Queensland Parliament on overseas visit to Honiara, Solomon Islands on 22-31 July2012

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Banyo, Level Crossing IncidentHon. CKT NEWMAN (Ashgrove—LNP) (Premier) (9.32 am): This morning I have been informed

of a serious incident near the Banyo train station. A truck was struck at St Vincents Road crossing by the6.04 Roma Street to Shorncliffe train and pushed it into a second stationary train that was waiting at theBanyo station. Emergency services responded to the incident.

I am aware that a number of passengers were treated by paramedics this morning, and the truckdriver has been transferred to hospital. The incident has brought down powerlines, and power has sincebeen turned off to the Shorncliffe line. It is advised that motorists and public transport users should avoidthe area where possible. All trains between Northgate and Shorncliffe have been suspended in bothdirections, and all traffic along St Vincents Road is being diverted.

TransLink has arranged buses to transport passengers on the Shorncliffe line. Queensland Policenow have control of the scene and will investigate the matter as a road accident. Queensland Rail isworking on a recovery plan to restore the service as soon as possible.

This government takes rail crossing safety very seriously and the Rail Safety Regulator will workclosely with Queensland Rail to determine if there are any rail safety lessons that need to be taken awayfrom this incident for the future.

Public Service, RedundanciesHon. CKT NEWMAN (Ashgrove—LNP) (Premier) (9.33 am): Our government understands that

the changes to Queensland’s Public Service workforce are hard on the community and it is notsomething we would do if we had a choice. The harsh reality is that the previous government’s reckless

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/docs/find.aspx?id=0Mba20120914_093107






http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/docs/find.aspx?id=5412T1060




2040 Ministerial Statements 14 Sep 2012

spending had grown the Public Service to unmanageable levels—and our government has had to dealwith that. However, as we move to reshape the Public Service, we are doing as much as we can toassist affected employees.

Despite all the hype and hysteria, not one permanent employee has been ‘sacked’ as a result ofthe budget process. That is right—not one permanent employee has been ‘sacked’ as a result of thebudget process. It is simply not true to say that this government has ‘sacked’ or ‘cut’ 14,000 people.

Public servants affected by decisions to cease programs and restructure departments have achoice to be redeployed or to take a generous voluntary redundancy package. We are putting$800 million on the table for the voluntary redundancy program for people who choose not to seekredeployment. I will say that again: the VR money of $800 million is for people who choose not to seekredeployment.

I note that, of the people who have so far been asked if they want to be redeployed in the PublicService or take a VR, around 70 per cent have chosen to take a VR. Many of our employees acceptinga voluntary redundancy will leave with in excess of a year to a year and a half’s pay.

Opposition members interjected.Mr NEWMAN: I will say it again because those opposite do not want to listen. They do not want

to hear the facts. Many of our employees accepting a voluntary redundancy will leave with in excess ofa year to a year and a half’s pay.

Let’s take an example of a full-time administrative officer level 6.4 who has 15 years of service, agross annual salary of $87,691, four weeks annual leave and 19½ weeks long service leave owing. Thisstaff member would be eligible for a package of approximately $97,635—I will say that again: $97,635—after tax. That is an extremely generous payout—far better than most private sector redundancypackages.

Opposition members interjected. Mr NEWMAN: And those interjecting would not know because they have not been in the private

sector. I do genuinely feel really sorry for people affected by the tough decisions that we have had tomake. They have every right to be upset, but I am afraid it is not going to sway our decision to take thehard road—but the right road—to tighten the belt of this government.

Madam Speaker, when you look at the warnings from ratings agencies like Fitch that we haveseen overnight, there are no options if we are to avoid significant higher taxes and much more drasticaction down the track. With this week’s budget, the government has laid down the foundation to fix thestate’s finances and get us back on the path to prosperity.

Our government is getting on with the job of growing a four-pillar economy, delivering betterinfrastructure and planning, and lowering the cost of living for Queensland families. The tough decisionshave now been taken. It is now time to get on with the hard work to get Queensland moving again.

State FinancesHon. JW SEENEY (Callide—LNP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development,

Infrastructure and Planning) (9.38 am): On coming to the government we were faced with some direfinancial circumstances. Treasury told us that the path which Labor had this state on was clearlyunsustainable. Debt levels were high and continuing to escalate. Deficits were the order of the day andalso growing. The ratings agencies had downgraded Queensland’s AAA credit rating, and we were toldof another looming downgrade. It is increasingly obvious that the former cabinet had also been told ofthis situation. What we now know is that last year the Bligh Labor government, as detailed in the Houseyesterday by the Treasurer, had a secret plan to heavily cut Public Service numbers. But, as usual,when confronted with a difficult decision, they could not take it.

We have confronted those questions, we have confronted the problem, we have accepted thereality of the problem and we have a clear course of action to solve it. Firstly, we have acted to lower therecurrent expenditure of the state. Among other matters, regrettably, that meant significant job losses inthe public sector, but those job losses were offset by $800 million in redundancy payments. So$800 million has been allocated in the state budget for redundancy payments for the people who,regrettably, have had to leave the Public Service. We never hear the opposition talking about that$800 million.

Secondly, we are working to grow the revenues of the state. Regrettably, that also meantincreasing mining royalties—an action which has also had its critics. While members on the oppositionbenches join the chorus from the critics on both sides of the budget equation, they should always bereminded that they are the cause of the problem. For the last 14 years, they have been the governmentthat has taken Queensland to the point of financial ruin. In the mining industry in the last 14 years, theyhave piled regulation upon regulation which has been done no doubt to pander to their Green allies and




14 Sep 2012 Ministerial Statements 2041

secure their election preferences. We are offering the industry a significant review and an examinationof Labor’s red and green tape with a commitment that, where it is not justified, where it is not efficient,where it hinders productivity and where it hinders production, we will remove it.

As I have told the House, royalties are but one part of the cost that government imposes on themining industry. Regulation, on the other hand, imposes significant costs and we are offering theindustry a long overdue opportunity to remove many of those costs. Today I can inform the House that atleast some significant sections of the industry are starting to see the sense in this review and areoffering to be participants in this process. Later today the Resources Cabinet Committee, which wasoutlined by the Treasurer in the budget, will meet for the first time. I again urge the coalmining industryto take the opportunity this committee offers. They should make submissions. They should appearbefore the committee. They should take this opportunity to address their whole cost structure. We in thegovernment are determined to ensure that more coal is exported from Queensland each year for thebenefit of all Queenslanders.

Budget, Credit RatingHon. TJ NICHOLLS (Clayfield—LNP) (Treasurer and Minister for Trade) (9.42 am): It gives me

no pleasure to stand here today having learned that Fitch Ratings agency has revised Queensland’scredit rating down from AA plus to AA with a stable outlook. Members will recall yesterday that Iindicated Fitch was considering Queensland’s rating. This decision shows Labor’s appalling financiallegacy continues to haunt Queensland and it entirely justifies the actions taken by this government tosave $7.8 billion over the forward estimates and reduce debt by $6.6 billion in 2015-16. So we have aplan for the future of Queensland but there is nothing from the opposition about what they would do.

Members will be aware that Fitch have a more negative view of the global economy and theprospects of our trading partners due to their European base and experience. Fitch also base theirratings more so on past performance and not future performance, making them different to Moody’s andStandard & Poor’s who have both confirmed Queensland’s rating at AA plus. We all know whatQueensland’s financial past looks like, and Fitch make note of it in their statement. They said—As a result of historically weak budget performance combined with large capital expenditures ... QLD’s ... debt has more thandoubled—

I repeat: doubled—since FY09.

That is, in the last three years. They went on to state that Queensland’s debt matrix has weakenedsignificantly and is no longer comparable with its international peers. Fitch further advised—... negative rating action could occur should QLD be unable to improve or stabilise its fiscal position over the next two to threeyears.

Hence, this has driven the need for the measures that we have put into this year’s budget toachieve a fiscal surplus by 2014-15. This report is a clear condemnation of the past practices of theformer Labor government and the debt and deficits they are so famous for and continue to claim haveno effect on the future of Queensland’s prosperity. Fitch do however endorse the Newman government’splan to undertake fiscal repair and return the state’s budget to a sustainable financial position. Theysaid—The newly elected state government has announced strong measures in its Budget 2012/13 to restore QLD’s financial position, inparticular by achieving an operating surplus by the financial year ending 30 June 2014.

We also outlined our plan to return the budget to a fiscal surplus, a real surplus in 2014-15, asurplus of $652 million, the first real surplus in nine years.

This downgrade reinforces the need for the government to undertake fiscal repair, and ourcommitment to ending Labor’s debt and deficit legacy is unwavering. The Newman government budgetresets the clock for Queensland’s finances. The report went on to say that the stable outlook reflectsFitch’s expectations that the measures taken in this year’s budget will contribute to the restoration of thestate’s financial position in two to three years.

This government has a plan to pay down debt and chart the path back to a AAA credit rating. It isgoing to take time to rebuild the state’s finances from Labor’s ruinous past practices.

Opposition members interjected.Mr NICHOLLS: I hear them squawking over there—the debt and deficit deniers. They could not

help themselves. The budget outlines our plan to deliver. What did we hear from the opposition leaderyesterday? Not one new idea—not one new idea to return the budget back to a fiscally strong position.Under Labor it would get worse. It was Labor’s failed financial management that cost this state the AAArating in the first place. Only the LNP has the fortitude, the plan and the drive to start Queensland on thepath to recapturing it.



2042 Motion 14 Sep 2012

State FinancesHon. LJ SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—LNP) (Minister for Health) (9.46 am): Yesterday Fitch

Ratings agency again—Honourable members interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Order! I warn members on my left and my right. I ask the Minister for Health

to have the floor.Mr SPRINGBORG: Yesterday Fitch Ratings agency again pointed to the parlous state of the

Queensland government’s finances. These circumstances, bequeathed by the previous government,require major corrective action. Even the failed Labor government had this in mind when they wrote to3,976 Health department employees identifying them as surplus to requirements. This week, unionshave had their members marching in protest at the corporate restructure of Queensland Health and theimpact of the failed Labor payroll bungle. Combined, these factors will cost up to 2,754 positions inQueensland Health.

Given that the bulk of these jobs are the direct consequence of Labor’s mismanagement, I calledon the Leader of the Opposition to explain what possible alternative there might be. I asked her toidentify where these almost 4,000 Queensland Health positions that the Labor Party listed came from.This was to be the implementation of the strategy, which was described by the former Premier in a pressrelease as—The demolition of this agency is about giving people the structures and the leadership they need ...

Yesterday the member for Mulgrave made the following statement—These offers were made only to workers whose separation from the public sector would not impact on services.

So employees in jobs marked for ‘demolition’ by the Bligh government remain surplus torequirements according to Labor’s Treasury spokesman today. Yesterday I asked the Leader of theOpposition to outline this Labor strategy. It remains Labor’s alternative to the government’s current planfor Queensland Health. If nothing was forthcoming, I indicated that I would table the list for the benefit ofQueenslanders who should be spared more Labor hypocrisy—and I do so now.Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Voluntary Separation Program, Employees who received Expression of Interest Letters, as at 12September 2012’ [1064].

There is one list for each of them opposite, as well as one for the Table Office. The list is 68 pageslong. Despite the hypocritical assertions of those opposite, this list includes staff in our Health districts,staff classified as ‘surplus’ and employees whose substantive classification level was healthprofessional, nurse or medical officer. It includes BreastScreen employees, radiographers, forensicadvisors, speech pathologists, clinical nurse consultants, nursing directors, social workers, and chiefnursing and midwifery officers. But yesterday the Leader of the Opposition uttered not one single wordabout this program. It was a job-cutting stitch-up. Unions turned a blind eye so long as Labor was doingthe job cutting.

MOTION

Amendments to Standing OrdersMr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (9.49 am), by leave,

without notice: I move—That the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly be amended in accordance with the amendments circulated inmy name.

1. Schedule 8 CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSISTING OR APPEARING BEFOREPARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES—

Omit, Insert—‘SCHEDULE 8—CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSISTING OR APPEARING BEFOREPARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEESCONTENTS

IntroductionApplication of the CodeGeneral principles—factual or technical information, not policyGeneral duties of public service employeesPowers and responsibilities of committees and communication with Chief ExecutivesPrivate evidence






14 Sep 2012 Motion 2043

Introduction1. This Code of Practice for Public Service employees assisting or appearing before Parliamentary Committees (“Code”) providesguidance for public service employees dealing with parliamentary committees (“committees”) as either an assistant or as awitness. 2. This Code does not provide guidance for a Public Service Chief Executive or other public service employee in a circumstance inwhich they receive an invitation from a committee to make a submission to a committee. Chief Executives and other public serviceemployees should be aware that requests for assistance by a committee in relation to a Bill or another matter as outlined in thisCode differ from instances where a committee invites a Chief Executive or their department to make a submission. 3. Guidance for public service employees in relation to submissions is provided in the Queensland Cabinet Handbook (“theCabinet Handbook”). As part of the processes of Government, Chief Executives and other public service employees are requiredto ensure that the Cabinet Handbook is adhered to if preparing a submission to a committee. 4. This Code seeks to recognise the importance of the Legislative Assembly having a high standard of scrutiny over the executivegovernment and legislation while recognising the duties owed by public service employees to their departments and Ministers,and to provide guidance on the public service employee’s role in this process. 5. This Code has been approved by both the Government and the Legislative Assembly.

Application of the Code6. This Code applies to employees (“public service employees”) of entities declared to be government departments in accordancewith section 14 of the Public Service Act 2008. It may also be used by officers and employees of statutory authorities, governmentowned corporations and other government entities.

General principles—factual or technical information, not policy7. Public service employees may have dealings with committees as either an assistant or a witness. In both roles they can providecommittees with detailed information about the processes and operations of departments and other entities to allow committees toeffectively discharge their functions to scrutinise the executive, consider proposed legislation and conduct reviews and inquirieson behalf of the Legislative Assembly. 8. As assistants or witnesses, public service employees may be called upon to provide factual and technical background toGovernment legislation and administration. However, the responsibility for advocacy and defence of Government policy rests withthe responsible Minister and not with public service employees. Therefore, when providing information to committees, publicservice employees may describe Government policies and the administrative arrangements and procedures involved inimplementing those policies but should not:

• advocate, defend or canvass the merits of government policies or alternate policy options (including the policies ofother past and present local, state, federal and foreign governments); or

• identify considerations leading to Government decisions or possible decisions (such as Cabinet deliberations),unless those considerations have already been made public or the Minister authorises the department to identifythem.

9. Most assistance by public service employees will be provided in person to committees. However, a committee may request thatinformation be provided in writing. If this occurs, the public service employee should discuss this with their Chief Executive andobtain approval for the content and format of the written information to be provided.

General duties of public service employees10. Public service employees have an obligation to provide committees with full and honest answers and evidence. If publicservice employees are unable or unwilling to answer questions or provide information, they should advise the committeeaccordingly and provide reasons. Committees have a corresponding duty to consider the reasons and provide reasonableopportunity for public service employees to obtain advice and assistance. (See Schedule 3 of the Standing Rules and Orders ofthe Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees Regarding Witnesses and sections 57 and 58 of the Criminal Code). 11. Public service employees appearing before committees must act in accordance with the Code of Conduct for the QueenslandPublic Service. In particular they must:

• act with integrity and impartiality, maintain the highest ethical standards and provide advice that is objective,independent, apolitical and impartial, including answering questions respectfully, truthfully and to the best of theirability;

• promote the public good and be responsive to the requirements of the community and the government byensuring the committee has access to the information they require, within their role as a representative of theirdepartment;

Public service employees as witnessesPublic service employees assisting committeesPrivate Members’ BillsObjections to producing material or answering questionsPotential Criminal consequences for refusing to attend, answer a question or produce a thing before the LegislativeAssembly or authorised committeeThreatening or disadvantaging a witness or assistantContempt of ParliamentPotential Criminal consequences for knowingly giving false evidence before the Legislative Assembly or committeeduring examinationAccess to legal adviceCorrection of evidenceAttendance in a personal capacity

2044 Motion 14 Sep 2012

• act with commitment to the system of government by upholding the law, and operating within the framework ofMinisterial responsibility to the government, the Parliament and the community by understanding and acting withintheir role as a representative of the Minister;

• act accountably and transparently by exercising proper diligence, care and attention and assisting committeeswith complete and accurate information, unless there are good reasons for withholding it.

12. In dealing with non-public information, public service employees have a duty to ensure their Chief Executive is aware of, andapproves the provision of, non-public information to committees. 13. Public service employees should fully understand the provisions of this Code prior to assisting or appearing before acommittee. 14. Chief executives are expected to appear in person for estimates, supported by other staff as necessary. 15. Public service employees may not in their official capacity provide written information to a committee on a Bill without it havingthe specific approval of their Chief Executive.

Powers and responsibilities of committees and communication with Chief Executives16. Committees have the power to summons witnesses to give evidence and order them to produce documents. Under theParliament of Queensland Act 2001 and Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly, the powers of the LegislativeAssembly and its committees to gather evidence are very extensive, with few legal exemptions. Therefore, careful considerationshould be given to whether there are legitimate and recognised grounds, in the public interest, that could be argued to acommittee to not provide the document or information (see paragraphs 39 to 44 regarding objections to producing material oranswering questions). 17. The Legislative Assembly has adopted instructions for committees to follow in their dealings with witnesses. (See generallySchedule 3 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees Regarding Witnesses.) 18. These instructions, among other matters, provide that committees are to:

• Usually invite the production of documents and the appearance of witnesses, rather than order production orattendance;

• Give reasonable notice for appearing and will provide an explanation of the matters to be considered and accessto relevant documents;

• Not question public service employees about Government policy; • Enable a witness an opportunity to object to questions asked or material sought, or to request that the material be

kept private (see below for objections to material or evidence sought by a committee); and • Be generally fair and reasonable in their dealings with witnesses.

19. If a committee decides to conduct an inquiry into a Bill or another matter relating to a department, the committee should writeto the responsible Chief Executive advising of the nature and scope of the inquiry and other details the committee deemsappropriate. This advice should include an indication of whether or not the committee anticipates requiring the attendance ofpublic service employees as either assistants or witnesses. 20. In response, the Chief Executive should, as soon as practicable, advise the committee in writing:

• whether or not they consider that the subject matter of the inquiry falls within the department’s responsibility; and • the details of a suitable contact officer from the department, of appropriate seniority and subject knowledge, to

coordinate requests from the committee for information or assistance. 21. All requests from the committee to the department for information and attendance are to be in writing and directed to the ChiefExecutive with a copy sent to the contact officer. Committee requests for information and assistance should be as specific aspossible. The timeframe in which the information or attendance is required should also be specified. 22. It is the Chief Executive’s responsibility to ensure that public service employees appearing before a committee have sufficientexperience and knowledge of the matter being considered and are thoroughly prepared for hearings. In practice, the ChiefExecutive may identify who should appear before a committee, taking into account the nature and subject of the committee’sconsiderations and judging when it is necessary to consult the Minister about proceedings. 23. All information and material supplied by a department in response to a committee’s request should be accompanied by acovering letter. The covering letter should identify the request by the committee and the relevant information or material beingsupplied. 24. If the department is unable or unwilling to supply the information or material requested, the Chief Executive should write andinform the committee of this and give reasons. 25. Should the inability to provide the information result from the timeframes specified, a committee may then nominate a furtherperiod in which to supply the information and this granting of an extension should be confirmed in writing by the committee.

Public service employees as witnesses26. Public service employees may be called as witnesses for examination of estimates, proposed legislation and to reviewdepartmental performance. They may also be called for inquiries, including public hearings where the media may also be present,unless the committee agrees to hear evidence in private. 27. Public service employees should consult and inform their Chief Executive before and following appearing before a committeeand advise of any significant matters which are likely to arise or do arise. The Chief Executive must in turn judge when it isnecessary to consult the Minister about proceedings.28. If a public service employee is unable to immediately answer a question asked by a committee, the employee should advisethe committee of this and indicate that they will endeavour to ascertain the answer to the question.

Private evidence29. Committees can receive evidence in private sessions. This evidence will remain confidential unless the committee otherwiseresolves. Before publishing information received in private, committees will provide the opportunity to submit that the materialshould not be published. Material that is not relevant to the committee’s inquiry and reflects adversely on a person may beexpunged from the transcript of evidence. (See generally Schedule 3 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the LegislativeAssembly—Instructions to Committees Regarding Witnesses.)

14 Sep 2012 Motion 2045

30. While private meetings of committees are generally confidential and should not be revealed without permission of thecommittee, the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly exempt disclosure from a public service employee to theirChief Executive and Minister.

Public service employees assisting committees31. Public service employees may be asked to assist committees in relation to Bills, or in relation to an inquiry.32. In relation to Bills, a public service employee may be asked to assist the committee by providing information about the Bill andhow it will be implemented, clarifying how evidence received by the committee relates to the proposed legislation, producingdepartmental reports on submissions received by the committee, and identifying potential solutions to emerging issues, includingpossible amendments and sometimes assisting with negotiations between the Minister and the committee on the detailed contentof the Bill. 33. Public service employees are to seek their Chief Executive’s approval to provide assistance to a committee, and the form anyassistance will take (including any limits there may be to that assistance). Any limitations placed on the involvement of publicservice employees should be made clear to the committee. 34. Where assistance is provided in relation to a Bill, public service employees need to ensure they understand the Government’sposition on the Bill and the extent to which the Government will consider amendments, so that they can work constructively withthe committee. 35. Any conflicts of duty should be managed from the position that while the committee is entitled to expect the public serviceemployee to assist them as far as their role permits, public service employees represent and are accountable to their ChiefExecutive and the Minister. Where committee members question government policy, the public service employee should clarifytheir role with the committee and seek leave to consult or defer to their CEO or Minister. 36. It is the committee’s responsibility to clarify with the public service employee the nature of the meeting or proceedings—i.e.whether it is confidential or not. Where the proceedings are confidential, care must be exercised to ensure information remainsconfidential, unless otherwise authorised by the committee. Inappropriate disclosure of information or documents may beregarded as a contempt of the Parliament. However, the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly exemptdisclosure from a public service employee to their Chief Executive and Minister. 37. In assisting a committee on a Bill, public service employees may be expected to undertake consultation with Ministers andother departments to ensure the advice represents Government policy rather than a narrow departmental view. Committeepermission is not needed to do this, so long as confidential committee proceedings are not disclosed without the committee’spermission. However, people consulted must understand the confidential nature of any committee proceedings under discussion.38. If public service employees assisting a committee need to consult or obtain factual information outside the public service, theymust obtain the committee’s approval before disclosing any committee proceedings. Again, those involved must be cautionedabout the confidential nature of committee proceedings.

Private Members’ Bills39. Committees may request assistance with Private Members’ Bills. Even when the Government is opposed to the policy in a Bill,it may make public service employees available to assist committees because of the public interest involved in producing goodquality legislation. Assisting public service employees should clarify the Government’s policy toward the legislation, the level ofresources to be made available and the nature of the assistance to be provided. 40. The Government may decide to make a submission to a parliamentary committee on a Private Member’s Bill, particularlywhen such Bills affect the interests of the State. However, as part of the processes of Government, Chief Executives and otherpublic service employees are required to ensure that the Cabinet Handbook is adhered to if it is decided that a submission is to bemade.

Objections to producing material or answering questions41. If a public service employee objects to producing material or answering a question from a parliamentary committee they will beinvited to state the ground of the objection. (See section 34 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 and Schedule 3 of theStanding Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees Regarding Witnesses.) 42. Recognised grounds for objection to producing material or answering a question include:

• that the question is asking a public service officer to comment on Government policy (see Schedule 3 of theStanding Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees Regarding Witnesses);

• that the information sought or question asked is not relevant to the Committee’s inquiry; • that the information sought should be asked of another Department; • that the material sought is commercially sensitive information relating to a Government Owned Corporation and

should only be given in private session (see sections 100-101 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001); • the material or question involve matters of a private nature that do not affect the subject of the inquiry (see section

34(a) Parliament of Queensland Act 2001); • the information or question might tend to incriminate a person and the person would be able to claim privilege

against self-incrimination in a Supreme Court action (see section 34(b) Parliament of Queensland Act 2001); • the material sought or question asked relates to briefing, opinion or advice given to Ministers, unless the Minister

has agreed to its release, as this may infringe the privileges of the Minister as a Member of the LegislativeAssembly (see sections 8 and 9 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001); or

• the information sought is subject to statutory confidentiality or some other legally recognised privilege, such aslegal professional privilege, and it is not in the public interest to disclose the matter, particularly in public session.

43. The committee may choose not to seek the material or press the question, or will consider in private whether to insist upon theproduction of the material or an answer, having regard to the public interest of the information sought and whether the publicinterest requires that the person be provided with appropriate protection. 44. If public service employees are asked for information they believe should not be released, they should seek the committee’sleave to obtain their Chief Executive’s view on the issue, rather than refuse to produce the material or answer the committee. 45. In the event that the committee insists upon an answer, the committee may nonetheless decide that it is in the public interestfor the answer to be heard in private.

2046 Motion 14 Sep 2012

46. If there is a significant or unreasonable cost associated with providing information, committees should be advised of theanticipated costs. The committee may revise its request, but if it does not the request must be complied with. A committee cannot,however, require public service employees to undertake new research or analysis as the power to call for papers and recordsrelates to existing material.

Potential Criminal consequences for refusing to attend, answer a question, or produce a thing before the Legislative Assembly or authorised committee

47. Section 58 of the Criminal Code provides that a person who fails to attend before the Legislative Assembly or an authorisedcommittee; or who fails to answer a question, or produce a document or other thing to the Assembly or an authorised committeeas required under the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 may face legal consequences. Specific reference in this regard shouldbe made to sections 29, 30(4), 32(6) and 33(8) of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001.

48. Section 58 of the Criminal Code does not extend to a circumstance under which a public sector employee, such as theDirector-General of a Government department, is invited to make a submission to a parliamentary committee inquiry or is invitedto appear at a public hearing, and the public sector employee declines to accept the invitation. This is because in thesecircumstances, the invitation is entirely voluntary.

49. Public service employees should seek the advice of their Chief Executive and/or their Minister if they are in any doubtregarding these matters, particularly as they relate to the objections to producing material or answering questions as outlined inparagraphs 41 to 46.

50. Also see paragraphs 57 to 58 regarding access to legal advisors by witnesses.

Threatening or disadvantaging a witness or assistant51. Parliamentary proceedings, including committee proceedings, are subject to absolute privilege, so that those participating inthem can do so without fear of external consequences. There must be no pressure placed on public service employees appearingbefore a committee, in order to deter them from giving honest and impartial advice or evidence, nor should action be taken againstthem as a consequence of their giving evidence. Such conduct could be punished by the Parliament as a contempt.

52. The absolute nature of parliamentary privilege should not be seen to give public service employees the right to ignore theprocesses and expectations for their conduct set out in this Code or in the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service.Inappropriate conduct before a committee may, along with either criminal proceedings or disciplinary actions within theirdepartment, result in actions for contempt by the Parliament.

Contempt of Parliament53. The Parliament may treat any conduct which amounts to, or is intended to or likely to amount to, improper interference with thefree exercise by the Parliament or a committee of its authority or functions as contempt. In certain circumstances a matter whichamounts to a contempt may also amount to a misdemeanour or criminal offence (see sections 57 and 58 of the Criminal Code).

54. Examples of conduct involving committees which may comprise contempt include:

• breaching or interfering with any of the powers, rights and immunities of the Parliament, (including itscommittees);

• deliberately misleading a committee, noting that where a person deliberately misleads a committees duringexamination before the committee, the person may face criminal consequences (see section 57 of the CriminalCode);

• removing or falsifying documents or records belonging to the Parliament (including its committees);

• conduct not consistent with the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service in the presence of acommittee;

• divulging the proceedings or the report of a committee contrary to Standing Orders or orders of a committee;

• failing to attend before a committee after being summoned to do so (this may attract criminal consequences undersection 58 of the Criminal Code);

• intimidating, preventing or hindering a witness from giving evidence to a committee; and

• refusing to answer a question or provide information required by a committee except as permitted (this may attractcriminal consequences under section 58 of the Criminal Code).

(See sections 57 and 58 of the Criminal Code, and more generally section 37 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 andStanding Order 266.)

Potential criminal consequences for knowingly giving false evidence before the Legislative Assembly or committee during examination

55. Section 57 of the Criminal Code provides that a person who, during an examination before the Legislative Assembly or acommittee, knowingly gives a false answer to a lawful and relevant question put to the person during the examination commits acrime and may face a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.56. Public service employees should seek legal advice if they are in any doubt regarding these matters. Also see paragraphs 57 to58 regarding access to legal advisors by witnesses.

Access to legal advice57. Witnesses may request attending with a legal advisor. This is not usual where a witness is appearing in their capacity as apublic service employee, although it is appropriate for a government legal officer to appear with other public service employees inorder to provide their expertise to the committee, as opposed to as legal representation for the department. 58. The committee will consider requests for legal representation, taking into account the need to ensure proper protection of thewitness. If leave is not granted, the witness will be advised of the reasons for the decision. If leave is granted, the legal advisor canadvise the witness of their rights, but may not address the committee. (See Schedule 3 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees RegardingWitnesses.)

14 Sep 2012 State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee 2047

Correction of evidence59. Public service employees must inform the committee as soon as they become aware of any inaccuracies in information theyhave supplied to a committee, and supply the correct information, consulting with the Minister when necessary. (See Schedule 3 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly—Instructions to Committees RegardingWitnesses.)

Attendance in a personal capacity60. Public service employees have the same political rights as other members of society, including the right to make submissionsto, and appear as witnesses before parliamentary committees. Public service employees should be careful that their attendance ina personal capacity is consistent with their professional obligations. In particular, public service employees who appear in a privatecapacity should, in accordance with the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service:

• make it clear to the committee that they appear in a private capacity; • avoid commenting on policy issues related to their own department or agency or which they have been

professionally associated with; • maintain confidentiality of information they have access to due to their professional roles; and • advise their Chief Executive that they will be attending.’

2. CHAPTER 43 (CONTEMPT)—Heading ‘CHAPTER 43 CONTEMPT’ and footnote reference—Omit, Insert—

‘CHAPTER 43 CONTEMPT1’.3. Schedule 3 (INSTRUCTIONS TO COMMITTEES REGARDING WITNESSES)—

Heading ‘SCHEDULE 3—INSTRUCTIONS TO COMMITTEES REGARDING WITNESSES’—Omit, Insert—

‘SCHEDULE 3—INSTRUCTIONS TO COMMITTEES REGARDING WITNESSES2’.

Question put—That the motion be agreed to.Motion agreed to.

MOTION

State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee, Terms of ReferenceMr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (9.50 am), by leave,

without notice: I move—That the terms of reference for the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee’s inquiry into the future andcontinued relevance of government land tenure across Queensland, agreed to by this House on 7 June 2012, be amended byproviding that the Committee provide an interim report to the Assembly by 30 November 2012, and a final report by 30 March2013.


STATE DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRY COMMITTEE

ReportMr MALONE (Mirani—LNP) (9.50 am): I lay upon the table of the House report No. 7 of the State

Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee. This report examines subordinate legislationtabled on 10 July 2012 and 31 July 2012 and considered by the committee. The subordinate legislationhas a disallowance date of 31 October 2012 and 14 November 2012 respectively. The committee didnot identify any significant policy issues or technical concerns regarding consistency with fundamentallegislative principles. The committee, therefore, concludes that the subordinate legislation as examinedis lawful. I commend the report to the House. Tabled paper: State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee: Report No. 7—Subordinate legislation tabled on 10 July2012 and 31 July 2012 [1065].

1.Section 37 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 provides a definition of contempt of Parliament as a breach or disobedience of the powers, rights or immuni-ties, or a contempt, of the Assembly or its members or committees. Section 9 of the Constitution of Queensland 2001 provides that the powers, rights and immunities of the Assembly and its members and committees are—(a) as are defined under an Act; and (b) until defined under an Act—the powers, rights and immunities, by cus-tom, statute or otherwise, of the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom and its members and committees at the establishment of the Commonwealth [1 January 1901]. Section 39 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 provides (1) the Assembly has the same power to deal with a person for contempt of the Assembly as the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom had at the establishment of the Commonwealth to deal with contempt of the Commons House [1 January 1901] (2) To remove doubt, it is declared that the power includes power to fine the person and impose imprisonment on the person in default of the pay-ment of the fine, as provided for under sections 40 to 45.Section 57 (False Evidence before Parliament) and section 58 (Witness refusing to attend, answer question or produce a thing before Legislative Assembly or autho-rised committee) of the Criminal Code provide penalties for some matters that may be dealt with as a contempt under this Chapter.2.Section 57 (False Evidence before Parliament) and section 58 (Witness refusing to attend, answer question or produce a thing before Legislative Assembly or autho-rised committee) of the Criminal Code provide penalties that may apply to witnesses.






2048 Questions Without Notice 14 Sep 2012

EDUCATION AND INNOVATION COMMITTEE

ReportMrs MENKENS (Burdekin—LNP) (9.51 am): I lay upon the table of the House the Education and

Innovation Committee’s annual report for 2011-12. As committees were only established in May of thisyear, the report covers a shorter period than normal. The report summarises the committee’s work overthat time, the bills referred to the committee, reports we have tabled in the parliament and governmentresponses provided to these reports. Committee expenditure over that period is also summarised.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the Education and Innovation Committeefor their enthusiasm and hard work during 2011-12 and also to thank the secretariat. I look forward to uscontinuing to develop our knowledge of the portfolio and supporting the parliament to fulfil its functions in2012-13. I commend the report to the House. Tabled paper: Education and Innovation Committee: Report No. 9—Annual Report 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 [1066].

ETHICS COMMITTEE

ReportDr DOUGLAS (Gaven—LNP) (9.52 am): I table report No. 125 of the Ethics Committee titled

Matter of privilege referred by the Speaker on 31 July 2012 relating to an alleged deliberate misleadingof the House by a minister. I commend the report and the committee’s recommendation to the House. Tabled paper: Ethics Committee: Report No. 125—Matter of privilege referred by the Speaker on 31 July 2012 relating to analleged deliberate misleading of the House by a Minister [1067].

SPEAKER’S STATEMENT

Microphones in ChamberMadam SPEAKER: I would ask members that they ensure they have their microphones turned

on before they start speaking and to talk into the microphone and to speak at a level that can be pickedup. This is not only for the benefit of the House but also for the benefit of Hansard.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICEMadam SPEAKER: Question time will finish at 10.30 am.

Prisons, Dog SquadsMs PALASZCZUK (9.53 am): My question is to the Minister for Police and Community Safety.

Will the minister confirm that his decision to cut six of the 48 dog squads from Queensland’s prisons willnot have any impact on public safety?

Mr DEMPSEY: I thank the Leader of the Opposition. I can confirm that there will be no risk toprison staff or to the community. The hardworking members of Queensland Corrective Services do aterrific job. What this government is about is ensuring that we cut out the bureaucracy and red tape thathas grown over the last 15 years, we ensure that efficiencies are promoted within our jail system and weensure that the high standards in terms of safety and regulations within those corrective servicesfacilities are maintained.

Rural Fire Service, JobsMs PALASZCZUK: My next question is for the Minister for Police and Community Safety. I refer

to a message posted on the Rural Fire Brigades Association website yesterday in which the minister isquoted as saying—I have not approved the organisational chart released to your members yesterday ...

and compare this with the minister’s statement in this chamber less than 48 hours ago. Will the ministeradvise the House which statement is correct?

Mr DEMPSEY: I thank the Leader of the Opposition. As I told the House previously, I am currentlyinvolved in discussions with the rural fire leadership and the Queensland Rural Fire BrigadesAssociation Queensland. These discussions have been positive and I am confident that we will finalisea restructure that will benefit all stakeholders. As I told the House, any efficiencies to be made will takeplace after the end of the current fire season, which is more than six months away. I will not approve anyrestructure until I am fully satisfied that every stakeholder has been consulted, particularly our brave









14 Sep 2012 Questions Without Notice 2049

rural fire volunteers. This review will be part of an overall appraisal of our firefighting preparedness inboth urban and rural areas. Again, I stress that, as yet, no decision has been made on the restructuringmodel, and I will continue the positive dialogue that has been taking place with rural fire.

We identified the need for efficiencies after listening to our rural firefighters on the front line. It wasthem who told us that their structures are top heavy and that they need change. We listened and areendeavouring to come up with a new structure that removes layers of bureaucracy and red tape,something that is in the Labor DNA. We want to re-empower our rural volunteers, who have an intimateknowledge of their own areas and are best placed to make quick decisions without having to go througha lengthy chain of command. The Rural Fire Service is an organisation—

Opposition members interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left! I warn members on my left to please cease your

interjections. I call the police minister. Mr DEMPSEY: The Rural Fire Service is an organisation of which every Queenslander should be

very proud. Besides the fearmongering we have seen from the opposition over the last few days and theopposition not providing all the facts to the media, we have said that the department—the QueenslandFire Service and, particularly, the Queensland Rural Fire Service—is not immune to redundancies. Wehave been up front and have highlighted those redundancies clearly. However, we have decided on apathway of waiting until after the end of the fire season in March. This will ensure that we have a modelin place to ensure the safety of all Queenslanders and that there is a way forward to empower localcommunities and local firefighters to get on with business. We want them out fighting fires andalleviating fears, not sitting behind desks in offices driving paperwork and bureaucracy—

Ms Palaszczuk interjected. Madam SPEAKER: I warn the member for South Brisbane under 253A. Members will cease their

interjections. I call the minister. Mr DEMPSEY:—that is indicative of the Labor opposition over the last 15 years that has spread

through all state government departments. We are getting on with the job of getting Queensland back ontrack.

(Time expired)

Rural Fire Service, JobsMr MULHERIN: My question is to the Minister for Police and Community Safety. Other than the

member for Gregory, what representation has the minister received from other LNP members regardingthis massive cut to the Rural Fire Service?

Mr Seeney interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Order! Deputy Premier! We will hear the minister speak without interjections. Mr DEMPSEY: I thank the member for the question. As stated in the previous answer, we are

consulting with all stakeholders in relation to a model that will not be put in place until after the fireseason, which is in March next year. We are being completely up front with Queenslanders. We arebeing completely up front with the Queensland Rural Fire Service. We have said that there will beredundancies within the Queensland Rural Fire Service. We have given the security of not doing itduring the current bushfire season to maintain the confidence, the skills and the equilibrium within theQueensland Rural Fire Service until the March deadline. Whilst that is occurring, we are consulting withthe main stakeholder, the Rural Fire Brigades Association of Queensland. Whilst that model is being putin place, we will continue to negotiate with all parties. Then that model will be brought out inconsultation.

Budget, Tourism IndustryMr HATHAWAY: My question without notice is to the Premier. Can the Premier outline his vision

for tourism in Queensland and how this week’s once-in-a-generation budget will help to return our stateto Australia’s No. 1 tourism destination?

Mr NEWMAN: I thank the honourable member for the question. I am delighted to outline how thisgovernment is working extremely hard. Minister Jann Stuckey is at the forefront of that effort to gettourism going again. For decades Queensland was the No. 1 tourism destination in Australia. But whathas happened after 20 years of Labor? The industry is faded and jaded and it needs a new lease of life.That is exactly what this minister and this government are doing with the industry. The industry has seenterrible approval processes, green tape, the industrial relations landscape stacked against them and acan’t-do government that just did not care about whether tourism lived or died, sadly.

We have a target: to double overnight visitor expenditure in Queensland to $30 billion by 2020.When we first said that, the industry was a bit sceptical. But we went up to Cairns a few months ago andstaged the first get-together of the industry and government in over 20 years—the hugely successful


DestinationQ conference. The industry has sprung to life. Since then we have got to work with ourAttracting Aviation Investment Fund—$8 million over four years to secure direct flights into Queensland,both international and domestic.

What have we been seeing? We are seeing good commentary from people in the industry. Theyknow that we are making it happen. The CEO of North Queensland Airports, Kevin Brown, said—You continue to deliver on your election promises. Your government’s support through the recent negotiations with China EasternAirlines is testament to this and is a very welcome and much needed boost for the local economy.

The CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland said—On behalf of our members and the 1,000-plus businesses they operate, along with the broader regional community, I pass on ourthanks and congratulations on the stunning result delivered through the government’s aviation scheme.

We have seen Scoot going into the Gold Coast in a deal worth $65 million to the local economy.We have seen Etihad Airways deciding to fly daily into Brisbane from Abu Dhabi, bringing an extra47,000 people to South-East Queensland every year. After a five-year absence, Qantas is returning itsdirect Sydney-Gold Coast flights—an extra 400,000 seats available each year. And recently we heardthe announcement from China Southern Airlines to have daily airline services between Guangzhou andBrisbane during the busy holiday season, and three of these flights will exit via Cairns.

Finally—members have heard this but I will say it for members opposite, because they do notlisten; they just squawk—there will be $20 million in extra funding. Opposition members were peddlingto the media that we were going to cut tourism funding, marketing this great state.

State FinancesMr DAVIES: My question is addressed to the Deputy Premier. Is the Deputy Premier aware of

any alternative plans to tackle the fiscal mess left to the Newman government by the former Laborgovernment?

Mr SEENEY: I thank the member for the question because it is a good question. It is a questionthat people across Queensland have been asking for some weeks and for which there is still no answer.There certainly was no answer in this parliament yesterday from the opposition. There was no answerfrom the opposition leader—none at all. There was no answer from any members of the oppositionabout their alternative. Quite clearly, they do not have an alternative.

It is increasingly clear that those opposite refused to even address the issue of developing analternative when they were in government. It is increasingly clear, from what the shadow Treasurermade public yesterday, that the former government was given exactly the same advice as we weregiven when we came to government, but they refused to take action. They refused to hear the advice.They had their hands over their ears, they covered their eyes and they would not recognise the realityand take any action.

Since coming to government we have taken action. We have understood the reality. We haveunderstood that the longer you leave the problem the bigger it gets, and we have taken some toughdecisions. We have taken some tough decisions on the expenses side of the budget, and we have triedto offset those by offering $800 million worth of redundancies. We have taken some hard decisions onthe revenue side of the budget, and we have tried to offset those by offering the mining industry 10years worth of security and direct access to a cabinet committee. On both sides of the budget equation,the opposition have offered nothing but criticism. They criticise those decisions on both sides of thebudget equation. They criticise our decision to control expenses. They criticise our decision to increaserevenues. It is a continuation of the approach they took in government, where they refused toacknowledge the problem. The opposition Treasury spokesman said, for example, in the CairnsWeekend Post—The truth is Queensland is in a strong position—the legacy of a Labor Government ...

Opposition members are still in denial. They still refuse to hear the message from the ratingsagencies, just as they refused to hear the message from their own Treasury officials when they were ingovernment. There is a string of quotes that bear this out. In the Queensland Times the oppositionTreasury spokesman said that ‘the state’s “debt crisis” is a myth invented by the LNP’. It is a realitycreated by the ALP. That is what the debt crisis is.

(Time expired)

Lotus Glen Correctional CentreMr PITT: My question is to the Minister for Police and Community Safety. Given the LNP’s ‘tough-

on-crime approach’—their own words—will the minister explain why the extra cells built at Lotus Glenprison as part of a $445 million redevelopment have been mothballed and are not being used to reducepressure on overcrowded watch-houses?


Mr DEMPSEY: I thank the member for the question. It really epitomises a shadow minister whodoes not support tougher sentences for people who assault police officers. The member does notunderstand the distances to Lotus Glen from a majority of police stations around Far North Queensland,whether they be in Cairns, Weipa or the outer areas. The resources it would take to move people fromwatch-houses all the way to Lotus Glen and back for court appearances, until they have actually gonethrough the judicial system, are incomprehensible. Those opposite do not understand the complexitiesof Queensland Corrective Services.

I have visited Lotus Glen. We have excellent managers in place. We have well-motivated staff.We have an extension that is well placed.

Mr Pitt interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Order! I warn the Manager of Opposition Business under standing order

253A. I call the minister. Mr DEMPSEY: I can reassure the Manager of Opposition Business that, after visiting Lotus Glen,

talking to the staff and speaking about these particular issues, including the redevelopment—I walkedaround the facility with members of the staff—I am quite satisfied that the arrangements currently inplace adequately meet the needs of Corrective Services at Lotus Glen. That will continue for a length oftime.

There are other contingencies. Even if there is an increase of up to 30 prisoners—if that happensto go through the judicial system in one day in the Cairns area—we are able to accommodate them, butwe will ensure that any of that new development coming online will be used in appropriate ways and willbe properly staffed and meets all safety requirements in relation to the safety, most importantly, of thesupervisors, the prisoners and the wider community.

Bligh Labor Government, RedundanciesMr BOOTHMAN: My question without notice is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer shed any

further light on the previous government’s secret plan to remove 41,753 public servants and—Mrs Miller interjected.Mr BOOTHMAN:—are there any hidden surprises that the public was not aware of?Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member, resume your seat. I now warn the member for Bundamba

under standing order 253A. I call the member for Albert and ask you to start the question again.Mr BOOTHMAN: Can the Treasurer shed any further light on the previous government’s secret

plan to remove 41,753 public servants and are there any hidden surprises that the public was not awareof?

Mr NICHOLLS: I thank the honourable member for his question. I am able to shed some furtherlight on the former government’s secret plan to remove up to 41,753 public servants from the PublicService payroll, as I revealed yesterday in this House. The previous government identified these 41,000people to have their positions removed from the Public Service in the document prepared by the PublicService Commission. But unlike this government, which has been upfront with the people ofQueensland and has identified the need for a fiscal repair task, the debt and deficit deniers on the otherside of the House were also the job-shedding deniers. They chose not to tell people about what theywere planning to do; they just chose to compile a secret hit list of people that they thought might go.What did they say about it yesterday? Were they denying that they had this plan? Far from it! Yesterdaythe shadow Treasurer said—These offers were made only to workers whose separation from the public sector would not impact on services.

So they admit they had a plan, and then they said—These would be made to public sector workers whose removal would not impact on services.

But in the fine print at the back of this document—and it is very fine print, I am the first to admit, andperhaps for a reason—it says—The total EOI pool includes approximately 13,800 front-line employees.

Government members interjected.Mr NICHOLLS: So they had 41,000 and the crosshairs were lining up—no-one knew about it—

and they said, ‘But wait a minute! We’re not going to preserve front-line services’—13,800 in the figures!I went a little further and I thought, ‘Mmm, I wonder if there’s anyone who might know even more aboutit—someone who’s still in the House perhaps?’ So I thought, ‘I’ll have a look a little more closely.’ Andwhat did I see? The Department of Transport and Main Roads! I wonder who was the minister in chargeof that one? Well, the total identified in the Department of Transport and Main Roads for offers forremoval was 7,586 from the current Leader of the Opposition. Then we had the member for Mackay,


one of the ministers responsible for DEEDI. How many do members think were going from DEEDI, thedepartment of agriculture that he ran so well? He thought, ‘I’m doing such a bad job I don’t needbureaucrats anymore.’ Three thousand staff gone! And the shadow Treasurer—

Madam SPEAKER: The member’s time has—Mr NICHOLLS:—in the department of communities—Madam SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.Mr NICHOLLS:—was another 1,200. Another 1,200 had to be cut!Madam SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.Mr NICHOLLS: Oh, blast!(Time expired)

Flying FoxesMr KNUTH: My question without notice is to the Minister for Environment. Minister, both the

Premier and the minister assured Queenslanders that the LNP government would put people beforebats—

Government members interjected.Mr KNUTH:—yet residents in Oleander Drive at Yungaburra—Madam SPEAKER: Order, members! I will ask the member for Dalrymple to start that question

again and there will be silence while he asks the question. I call the member for Dalrymple.Mr KNUTH: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Minister for Environment. Both

the Premier and the minister assured Queenslanders that the LNP government would put people beforebats, yet the residents of Oleander Drive at Yungaburra who have suffered from the stench, noise andlethal virus risks from a colony of flying foxes since 2006 have now received intimidating letters andvisits from the minister’s department, and I table residents’ letters and department letters threatening$100,000 fines—

Madam SPEAKER: Member, that is too long a preamble. Please ask your question.Mr KNUTH: I table residents’ letters and department letters threatening $100,000 fines or

imprisonment if the colony is disturbed. Will the minister work immediately with stakeholders to rid thecommunity of this scourge as promised?Tabled paper: Form letter, dated 7 September 2012, from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to residentsregarding the flying fox colony in Yungaburra [1068].Tabled paper: Letter, dated 12 September 2012, from Mr John Pollock to the Premier, Hon. Campbell Newman, regardingmitigation of problems from flying fox camps for communities [1069].

Honourable members interjected.Madam SPEAKER: Order, members on my right! I warn members on my right and I call the

Minister for Environment.Mr POWELL: What a surprise: yet another question from the north-west branch of the Labor

Party and yet another question from the member for Dalrymple regarding flying foxes. Clearly themember for Dalrymple has not heard the answers that I have provided over the six, seven, eight, nine or10 questions that he has directed to me. My department and I are working with local governments toaddress these issues. As I said to him the other day, he might need to take a leaf out of the book of hiscolleague sitting next to him—the member for Mount Isa. The member for Mount Isa is doing his job.Instead of creating fear, instead of creating hysteria, instead of trying to grab—

Mr Rickuss interjected.Mr POWELL: I take that interjection from the member for Lockyer. Instead of trying to grab a

front-page headline in his local newspapers, the member for Mount Isa is getting on with the job. Themember for Mount Isa is talking to his local council, because the member for Mount Isa knows that it islocal councils that need to apply to my department through a damage mitigation permit to achieve theoutcomes the member for Dalrymple is talking about. As I mentioned the other day, the member forMount Isa is obviously doing a stellar job, and I also acknowledge the work that the Minister for LocalGovernment is doing in terms of getting the message out to the mayors and to the councils around thestate that we are here to help local councils when it comes to flying foxes. I got a message from themayor of Mount Isa—a very good message, one that demonstrated that he was ready to sit down andwork with us. I replied, and I am happy to give the member for Dalrymple some of the detail in which Ireplied to the mayor of Mount Isa.

Mr Knuth: Then why are you threatening fines?




Mr POWELL: Does the member want to hear the answer or not? The member for Mount Isamight be able to assist his colleague, but obviously it is not working. As I said to the mayor—The legislation does allow for the activities Council is seeking but approval, under the current legislation, must be given in the formof a DMP.Having said that, the current legislation does allow Council and residents to take action to move flying-foxes from other areaswhich are not being used as a roost ...

It goes on to give details of that. It continues—While we can take a range of immediate actions I would also like to work with you and Mount Isa City Council ...

I went on to say that I have sent out my senior staff to Mount Isa to sit down with the council todevelop a plan to deliver for the people of Mount Isa. That is a proactive approach. That is a proactiveapproach, and the member for Dalrymple should take a leaf out of his colleague’s book and determinethat he wants to put the wellbeing of his constituents ahead of a front-page headline.

Bligh Labor Government, RedundanciesMr CHOAT: My question without notice is to the Minister for Health. I refer to Labor’s—until now—

secret plans to cut Queensland Health by 3,976 staff, and I ask the minister: does he know if unionswere consulted as part of Labor’s plans to make redundant thousands of staff? If so, does the ministerremember if there were any street protests?

Mr SPRINGBORG: I thank the honourable member for Ipswich West for his interest in this issue.Of course, yesterday, like other members of this parliament, he was surprised when it was revealed thatthe previous Labor government was planning to punt 3,976 Queensland Health employees. Indeed, Icannot remember one street protest from any members of the union movement in Queensland. Ofcourse, they are blood brothers, because most of them are full members of the Labor Party. So if we aretalking about a real conflict of interest, we have an absolute conflict of interest between the unionmovement and the Labor Party in Queensland.

Unfortunately, at the moment the union movement is interested in saving the Labor Party; it is notinterested in saving employees. That is why the union has been not very constructive in this process. Sowhether the unions were consulted, I do not really know. You would have to ask the unions and youwould have to ask the Labor Party. But certainly within the guidelines they are supposed to be.

Was this matter also taken to cabinet? What did the three members sitting opposite who werethen members of the cabinet have to say when this plan to punt 3,976 Queensland Health workers wasput forward—or, indeed the 40,000-odd public servants that the Treasurer mentioned? Did theyremonstrate? Did they cartwheel around the place? Did they raise concern? Probably not. Theyprobably sat there deaf and mute.

I think it is very important to understand that there is now a consensus, there is a recognition thatthere is a significant issue and something needs to be done about it. That is why the Labor Partyprepared such a list, when almost 4,000 Queensland Health employees were written to by the formergovernment and asked about leaving the department, including clinicians. They received this letter—noloving, no caring, no giving, no sharing, no ‘You are valued’, no ‘thank you for your contribution’. It justsaid, ‘Our records indicate you are surplus or unattached.’ That is what it said—no loving, no caring, nogiving and no sharing. But in among these people 70 clinicians left, including pharmacists, a principaladviser in forensics, a radiographer, a speech pathologist, a breast imaging radiographer, a clinicalnurse consultant and a manager of HIV-AIDS and sexual health. At a time when HIV-AIDS rates inQueensland had been doubling, the Labor Party decided to wind back the program. Also included was aprincipal adviser in communicable diseases, a social worker who was a director of Queensland HealthVictim Support Services, a chief nursing and midwifery officer, an assistant director of health—

(Time expired)

Emergency Management QueenslandMr BYRNE: My question to the Minister for Police and Community Safety. Will the minister

guarantee that his plans to reduce Emergency Management Queensland from seven divisions to threewill have no adverse impact on response times during disasters?

Mr DEMPSEY: I thank the member for the question. The simple answer is yes. But considering Ihave a few minutes left in which to answer, I would like to say, as has been previously mentioned, thatthe better streamlining of EMQ will involve amalgamating the seven regions into three, which will givemore local control over EMQ decision making. So it is less bureaucracy, less red tape, fewer peopledoing the administration and more people in contact with local communities out there helping andassisting during emergency situations.

This reform of EMQ is to ensure that EMQ continues to provide services in the key areas ofhelicopter services, disaster management and SES support. Although there has been a reduction, thecommunity will not notice a difference in service delivery. The three regions will be the northern region,

2054 Appropriation Bills; Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill 14 Sep 2012

the central-west region and the south-eastern region. Each region will be headed by a regional directorbased in Rockhampton, Cairns and Brisbane. One would think that the member for Rockhampton wouldbe happy about that.

The executive managers will have a new role in operational leadership. They will be out in thefield. This model, as I have said previously, will provide direction and support in the largest localgovernments in the regions. There will be 30 area managers who will provide a direct and local servicewithin those areas. The numbers of area directors located in Longreach, Mount Isa, Roma and Mackaywill increase from one to two people to provide a direct front-line service. The new model will ensure thatlocal governments will receive a more personalised level of service, which will be responsive to theindividual needs of each of those areas.

This model will also deliver a better level of service to the SES within those areas in relation totraining and education. So despite all the fear and anguish that the shadow minister has been spreadingthroughout Queensland, this government is making sure that we empower local communities.

Interruption.

SPEAKER’S STATEMENT

Fire DrillMadam SPEAKER: Members, the sitting is suspended until the ringing of the bells, when we will

resume with government business. I ask everyone to follow the direction of the attendants. Sitting suspended from 10.25 am to 10.42 am.

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILLAPPROPRIATION BILL

FISCAL REPAIR AMENDMENT BILLAppropriation Bills; Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill

Second Reading (Cognate Debate)Resumed from 13 September (see p. 2031), on motion of Mr Nicholls—

That the bills be now read a second time.

Hon. GW ELMES (Noosa—LNP) (Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander andMulticultural Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier) (10.42 am): I rise to support the AppropriationBill and to support the strong, decisive and correct action this government is taking to reverse years ofLabor budget mismanagement. Budgets are defining moments in the life of any government. They markthe determination of the government to look after the future prosperity of the state rather than doingwhat is easy today. This budget shows that this government has what it takes to do what is best forQueensland today and into the future. This budget meets the responsibility test of putting the state’sfuture ahead of short-term initiatives which appease particular interest groups but are not in the interestsof the general population. As the Treasurer said on Tuesday, this is the most important Queenslandbudget in a generation.

As the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs, I have embracedthe challenges of addressing the disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesin this state. My portfolio responsibilities are driven by improving outcomes for Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander Queenslanders. Employment, sustainable enterprise and land tenure reform to provideimproved options for homeownership are high on my list as a means for Indigenous people to achievebetter outcomes. The Newman government’s Indigenous agenda is focused on ensuring that stategovernment programs and fundings are directed towards improving the stability and sustainability ofIndigenous communities. Our focus is on overcoming disadvantage in Indigenous communities byproviding support and structures which promote better social and economic outcomes in areas likehealth, housing, education and employment. Indigenous Queenslanders and residents who haverecently made Australia their home can look forward to better targeted and more focused programsincluded as part of the first Newman government budget.

Necessary budget savings introduced as part of whole-of-government efforts to get the state’sfinances back on track will be offset by more efficient service delivery and not duplicating federalgovernment programs. Other savings to be made across the portfolio will be achieved through reducedpublication and management costs and reducing some funding for multicultural community supportgroups, advisory services and events. Departmental resources will be focused on working acrossgovernment agencies to deliver better coordinated policies, programs and services that meet the needs



14 Sep 2012 Appropriation Bills; Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2055

of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Queensland state budget includes funding tosupport the continued development and growth of strong multicultural communities across the statethrough funding initiatives that promote multiculturalism.

Next year will see the emergence of a new week-long multicultural celebration stretching thelength of the state. We are going to revamp the Queensland Multicultural Festival to expand it from aone-day Brisbane based event to a week-long program of branded events right across the state. We area truly multicultural state and we need to consider options to reflect and celebrate that across all of ourregions. I want to be sure that what we do is as relevant in Cairns as it is in Brisbane. There will be aBrisbane event and it will be a highlight rather than the totality of the Queensland Multicultural Festival.Other week-long celebrations will be targeted at the state’s Italian and Asian heritage.

The recently released 2011 census data confirmed the continuing growth of multiculturalism in thestate with more than one in five Queenslanders born overseas. We continue to support multiculturalgroups and communities through initiatives such as the Multicultural Queensland Partnerships Program,the Local Area Multicultural Partnerships Program and the Community Action for a Multicultural SocietyProgram. Funding is improved for the LAMP and CAMS programs to support the employment of localcoordinators. The Multicultural Queensland Partnerships Program provides funding for communityprojects or multicultural events in 2013. I was pleased to announce last Friday that grants for up to$10,000 are now available under the program for events in 2013. Funding for activities under thepartnerships program will be available under four categories: multicultural festivals, cultural heritageevents, strengthening capacity projects and week-long festivals. The grants are broader than in previousyears, providing the opportunity for individual communities to tailor celebrations and events which reflecttheir specific multicultural identity.

The budget for my department also includes funding for more than $9 million for initiatives onCape York. More than $4 million has been allocated to the extension of the Cape York Welfare Reformtrial, which is run in cooperation with the federal government and the Cape York Institute. The trial aimsto develop additional services for the four communities of Hope Vale, Aurukun, Coen and MossmanGorge. The continuation of the trial was welcomed by Noel Pearson who said he looked forward toworking with me and my department and the Queensland government to progress the reforms that areunderway in Cape York.

We will also be providing $400,000 in this budget to support the core operations of the Cape YorkInstitute for the work it does in developing Indigenous economic and social policy and supporting thedevelopment of current and future Cape York leaders. There is also $3.8 million to continue the CapeYork Tenure Resolution Program which seeks to return ownership of land on Cape York to localAboriginal people while protecting areas of high conservation value. The total budget allocation for thisproject in 2012-13 is $6.3 million, with an additional $2.5 million provided through the Department ofNational Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. There is also more than $1 million for capital works whichwill create jobs and provide healthy eating options for some of Queensland’s most remote Aboriginalcommunities. The funding will enable the completion of a new retail store on Saibai Island and therejuvenation of a shopping precinct at Hope Vale which will support small business and economicopportunities for the local area.

One of the best ways for people to improve their economic circumstances is to secure long-termmeaningful employment. That is why within my department I am pleased to have created an economicdevelopment agenda for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders through employment andbusiness opportunities in Queensland’s public, private and community sectors. It will be focused on howthe Queensland government can broker greater opportunities for Indigenous people to find work in theprivate sector. This is particularly relevant for industries like mining, which are often located adjacent toremote Indigenous communities where there are few other employment opportunities.

If there was some joy to be derived yesterday from travelling to Hope Vale to be a part ofMr Deeral’s funeral, it was to be in the community itself and see the new banana plantation that theyhave developed and the other areas that they are preparing for cultivation. What the Hope Valecommunity is doing to expand and create employment and an economic base for the community isincredible.

In conclusion, I make some observations about the benefit of the budget for my electorate ofNoosa. The budget was developed in difficult financial times, but still provides new initiatives for localcommunities that will particularly benefit schools and households in the Noosa electorate. This budgetwill generate local employment and reinvigorate the Noosa economy. In addition to the many state-wideinitiatives to cut the cost of living for families, Noosa residents will benefit from specific budget items,including $1 million for the construction of the four-kilometre David Low Highway cycle way, $75,000 tocomplete the Girraween Sports Complex at Noosa Heads, funding for the construction of a rockprotection wall and geotextile groynes to protect the Noosa Spit from further erosion as well asregeneration and stabilisation of the beach, and $97,000 for the fitout of the multipurpose centre at theCoolum State High School. The budget provides $31.7 million to begin construction of the SunshineCoast University Hospital, which is a demonstration of this government’s intention to give the SunshineCoast the infrastructure it needs.


I am particularly pleased to see the new schools maintenance program, which provides funding togovernment schools for minor projects and capital works. Seven schools within the Noosa electorate willeach qualify for up to $160,000 over two years. That is more than $1 million available for the Noosaeconomy, meaning employment for local tradespeople who will undertake the work. The grants also givepower back to each local school community to decide what each school needs. If we spread theapplication further, but it is still local, to take in the old Noosa shire area, there are 10 eligible schoolsthat will mean an additional $1.6 million flowing into the local community.

Hopefully, it will not be too much longer until I can again refer to the local government area inwhich I live as the ‘Noosa shire’. Recently I was particularly pleased to support the delivery of a petitionto the local government minister as the first step in a process to return a Noosa shire council entity to thepeople of the northern Sunshine Coast. The fact that more than 2,000 more signatures than requiredwere collected shows just how passionately the people of Noosa feel about their region and its right toexist as a separate council area. Noel Playford and his supporters have done a fantastic job in gatheringso many signatures in such a short period. As well as delivering, I think, close to 9,500 signatures inpostcard form to the local government minister, there was another box of postcards that were filled in bypeople who own properties in Noosa but do not live in Noosa, so they were not on the electoral roll andcould not be counted as part of the total. It was a very significant step.

This is a very significant part of the process to reverse the March 2007 travesty when the BeattieLabor government rushed through legislation that did away with the right of people in Noosa to decidewhether or not they wanted to be part of an amalgamated Sunshine Coast council. I can remembersitting on the other side of the House when that was debated. The Treasurer of the time, Andrew Fraser,sat over here. He pointed at me from across the floor and said, ‘You will never do it’. I say to the House,thank goodness for Saxon Rice because that particular ex-Treasurer has been designated to the historybooks, where he belongs. Over the past years I have spent a lot of time and effort fighting for Noosa’sresurrection and I will continue to do so until Labor’s heavy-handed obliteration of the Noosa shire isreversed. Whether or not we succeed is a little bit further down the track. The important thing is to get tothe vote so that Noosa people can make that decision.

However, today’s focus is on the state budget. This is a budget for the future, which setsQueensland’s finances on the way to recovery and breaks us free from the addiction to debt and deficit.This is a once-in-a-generation budget targeted at local communities to provide the right services to theright people. I commend the bills to the House.

Mr WATTS (Toowoomba North—LNP) (10.55 am): I rise to add to the debate on theAppropriation Bill 2012 and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2012. On 24 March, the Newmangovernment inherited an unsustainable financial position from the debt and deficit deniers, the fiscallyilliterate and incompetent Australian Labor Party. Socialism is all good fun whilst you are busy spendingother people’s money. Unfortunately for the children of Queensland, the former Queensland Laborgovernment borrowed against their future taxes. The time has come for Labor to apologise to thosepeople who have lost their jobs in the Public Service. Labor’s inability to balance the books ofQueensland and its addiction to debt and deficit have had a heavy cost on hardworking public servants.Until Queensland has its AAA credit rating back, Labor and its former members, including Kerry Shine,must take responsibility and apologise to hardworking public servants who have lost their jobs. If theywant us to take responsibility, it is pretty simple: write out a cheque for $65 billion, make it out to thefuture taxpayers of Queensland, we will cash it and then we can all move on.

Put simply, Labor was borrowing more and incurring an ever-increasing interest bill just to pay thewages because of its addiction to wasting Queensland taxpayers’ hard earned money. Members shouldmake no mistake: I know the pain a redundancy can cause. I was made redundant after 12 years ofloyal service to a not-for-profit organisation. A simple legislative change and there was my redundancy.It was a difficult and challenging time for my family. I worked hard to find a business opportunity andthen I worked hard to make that business opportunity successful, and it was. So I understand the painLabor’s incompetent management is causing the families of Public Service workers who findthemselves redundant through no fault of their own. They are angry and they have been duped by theunions into believing in the magic pudding economics of Labor and that it is not to blame. Labor is toblame. Its magic pudding economics simply does not add up. You cannot keep spendingindiscriminately.

This budget shows that the Newman government is ready to make the hard decisions and isready to work hard on behalf of the people of Queensland to fix Labor’s financial and bureaucratic mess.If Queensland is ever to see its AAA credit rating again, the time has surely come to get Queenslandback on track and in the black. So, cometh the hour, cometh the man. We are, indeed, fortunate to havethe member for Clayfield as our Treasurer and I congratulate the honourable Treasurer on his budget.This budget is the first LNP budget ever delivered in this place and the most important budget in ageneration. This is a truly historic occasion and I for one thank the Treasurer for it.

The government is committed to lowering the cost of living for Queenslanders while, at the sametime, investing in front-line services. We will continue to find new ways to deliver services in a moreeffective and efficient manner. This budget clearly outlines a program that will keep the cost of living




down, reinvest in our schools, deliver better health services, support people with a disability and it looksafter regional Queensland. The Newman government will lower the cost of living for Queenslandfamilies by freezing electricity tariff 11, freezing car rego fees, giving a stamp duty concession on thefamily home saving up to $7,000, boosting the patient travel subsidy and we are offering first homebuyers a $15,000 bonus if they build a new home.

This budget will grow the four-pillar economy, revitalise front-line services, and deliver betterplanning and infrastructure. The Treasurer has said that the 2012-13 state budget would encouragelong-term and economic growth across the four pillars of the economy and ensure the cost of livingremained low for Queensland families. I commend him for the work that he has done.

I have worked hard to make sure my electorate of Toowoomba North has received a good hearingwith the ministers. Although the electorate I represent could always receive more, given the fiscal repairtask in front of us I feel we have got our fair share. So I will talk about some of the areas in which wehave received funding. In disability services, my electorate has been given by this government fundingthat will support accommodation services, community access, community participation and respiteservices. Over $23 million is being invested in the electorate to provide those services. Overall, thestate’s contribution towards the specialist disability services budget has achieved a three per centgrowth to support and refocus effort on strengthening front-line disability services. This recordinvestment includes new funding to deliver on the government’s election commitments such as ParentConnect—an additional respite for young people aged 16 to 25 with a disability.

In the area of communities, we have $3.149 million for an upgrade of social and rental housingproperties across the Darling Downs. Home Assist Secure has been provided with $672,000 towardsfunding for Toowoomba Community Housing Services Inc. to help in practical ways with housing relateddifficulties experienced by elderly and disabled people who wish to remain in their own homes includingsubsidised assistance with minor home repairs and modifications and security.

Social housing will get a boost in Toowoomba North. $250,000 will be spent working with the StVincent de Paul Society of Queensland to complete the construction of four dwellings in HolbertonStreet; $165,000 to complete the construction of 10 dwellings in Jellicoe Street; $486,000 to commenceconstruction of two dwellings in Weetwood Street, Newtown to provide public rental housing for thespinal injuries program to allow clients to exit from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Spinal Injuries Unit.This is particularly close to my heart. As members may be aware, I suffered a serious spinal shock acouple of years ago and had to face for a brief moment how I would deal with the financial situation if Idid not recover. Having a facility like this will take a great burden off people at their moment of need,I am sure.

In health, the Health budget is the highest in Queensland’s history. $1.3 billion will be spent onconstruction to expand and redevelop hospitals across Queensland, $44 million for better access toemergency and specialist care and $14 million to assist elderly parent carers of disabled children.

In business, businesses in my area have been quite happy since the election. I have been talkingto small and medium business operators and they are starting to experience the benefit of ourincreasing the tax threshold from $1 million to eventually $1.6 million over six years. They areparticularly interested in the cutting of red tape and the repealing of the waste levy that has reduced theburden on their businesses.

Regional tourism will receive $3 million for regional events. I think that will be a great investmentin areas such as Toowoomba where we have a couple of big events that bring a lot of people in. I amalso pleased to see that money is being allocated for flood recovery in our electorate. As members maybe aware, Toowoomba and Toowoomba North were hit hard by the floods. $117 million is being spent inToowoomba on reconstruction and recovery works.

In education, Toowoomba North’s state school P&C organisations will be eligible for a grant of$160,000 to clear the backlog of maintenance. The fact that this money will be at their discretion meansthat local tradies and people in the construction industry will be able to tender for those jobs on acompetitive basis and we will be able to get much more bang for our buck in schools. I have 10 stateschools in my area so it will be a significant investment in Toowoomba North. There will be more fundingfor full-time teacher aides for prep classes.

The most exciting part for me is to see the first appropriation of money from the government todeliver on its promise to build a high school at Highfields. An initial amount of $440,000 will get thisproject underway and it confirms our commitment made during the election. It is a vital piece of missinginfrastructure that the families of Highfields have been crying out for, and under Labor it was promisedbut never delivered. Even at the eleventh hour before the last election Kerry Shine was out there saying,‘I’ll build the school,’ and yet their very own plan developed for infrastructure on the Darling Downs bythe Labor Party did not have any such project for 30 years. It was just an empty promise made in thelead-up to an election, not like ours. We made the promise, we have now delivered the funding, theschool will be built and it will open in 2015.


I welcome the announcement of nearly $60 million to upgrade the Warrego Highway betweenToowoomba and Dalby. The Warrego Highway is the main arterial connecting those on the DarlingDowns with my town of Toowoomba and it has obviously experienced unprecedented growth of regularusers as the resource industry has grown. I look forward to future budget allocations for this road as theQueensland government’s fiscal position improves.

There will be $5.2 million spent on redeveloping the Toowoomba zone substations to secure ourelectricity supply into the central CBD. There is also $1 million being invested in Toowoomba Northwhere the statutory regional planning process is getting under way. This process is incredibly importantas it will start to remove some of the tension between agriculture and the resource sector so that we caneffectively co-exist, particularly in the Darling Downs area.

In the sporting area, Toowoomba North has done very well. We have $352,000 to upgrade thehockey playing surfaces in Toowoomba, and I look forward to their annual dinner tonight. $99,000 isallocated to construct a multipurpose field and install lighting and irrigation and some storage at Kuhl’sRoad Recreation Reserve in Highfields—an area of my electorate that is growing very fast. $48,000 isallocated to erect a 15-metre skillion extension to the existing equestrian centre, making the facility afully enclosed pavilion. $83,000 is provided to construct changing rooms and amenities to support rugbyunion in Toowoomba. $44,000 is allocated to install competition-standard lights supporting the CroquetClub of Newtown. Toowoomba North has three croquet clubs and it now has an area that is lit. I turnedthose lights on some time ago and members were very pleased to be able to play at night and attract anew generation of players.

A sum of $56,000 to improve the health and wellbeing of Queensland Indigenous communitieswill be spent in Toowoomba North to increase participation in sport and recreation for IndigenousQueenslanders and to build and strengthen community capacity to plan and deliver sport and recreationopportunities to those communities. $331,000 is being spent to employ five local coordinators formultiple sports clubs so they can get their sports actively going in the Toowoomba Regional Councilarea.

Overall, we have heard a lot of doom and gloom from the unions and Labor about what ishappening as we go into this fiscal repair task. Queensland has found itself in a serious position. Thetime for cheap talk and marches is well and truly over. Those who shout and wave banners must knowin their heart of hearts that the debt and deficit train would one day run off the tracks if Labor were left atthe helm. Labor has no plan for the future. If they do, they can join me in Toowoomba. We will godoorknocking, and at every door we knock on we can ask how many people live there and ask them for$1,000 per head just to balance the books this year.

Mrs Scott: I was there last weekend and they all spoke out against the government. Mr WATTS: Excellent. Come doorknocking with me, Desley. Let’s ask them for $1,000 in tax—the

alternative opportunity for them. Either we cut our cloth accordingly or we tax the hardworking familiesand retired people of Toowoomba North $1,000 extra a year. I bet you did not tell them that your planwas to tax them an extra $1,000. Did you tell them?

Mrs Scott: There are other plans. Mr WATTS: Did you mention they would have to pay an extra $1,000 in tax? I do not think you

would have. If you would like to, take the opportunity to come back to Toowoomba and we willdoorknock on some doors.

Mrs Scott: I am going again in two weeks. Mr WATTS: I will give them my plan, which is to cut our cloth accordingly. You give them your

plan, which is to increase taxes and charges on them. Let’s see what they say. This budget is about apositive future for Queensland, a Queensland that my children will be proud to call home. This budgetshows that we are determined to deliver a more prosperous future for all the people of this great stateincluding the people of Toowoomba North, and I commend it to the House.

Mr HOLSWICH (Pine Rivers—LNP) (11.09 am): I rise to speak in support of the appropriationbills and wish to place on record my thanks to the Treasurer, Premier and ministers of the Newmangovernment for the hard work they have done over the past 5½ months that has enabled the Treasurerto bring down a sensible, financially responsible budget that not only starts to correct the financial messleft by the previous Labor government but also invests significantly in the future of Queensland. Thisbudget demonstrates that the Newman government is committed to building a strong four-pillareconomy. It demonstrates that we are committed to lowering the cost of living for Queensland families. Itdemonstrates that we are a government that is capable of delivering on our promises.

I acknowledge that this budget contains some tough measures. I acknowledge the pain that isbeing felt by those public servants who have lost their job and also the pain felt by their families. Iacknowledge that there are community groups in my electorate that have lost funding and are nowhaving to look at new ways to deliver their services to our community. It saddens me to see thesenegative impacts on people’s lives, but I have to say that ultimately it would sadden me even more if our




government just went forward continuing Labor’s business as usual model of spending more and more,whether you have the money or not, with scant consideration to the consequences of those decisions.We need to leave those days behind us.

It is critical for our state’s future that we see our AAA credit rating restored. What adisappointment it was to see yesterday that Queensland is again being downgraded from AA plus to AAas a consequence of Labor’s appalling financial legacy. And yet, flying in the face of this announcement,the member for Rockhampton got up in this House yesterday and had the audacity to claim that ourstate does not really have a financial problem. Has he not looked at the state’s finances? What part of‘unsustainable financial position’ does he not understand? What part of a credit rating downgrade doeshe not understand? Maybe the member for Rockhampton should have a read the statement Fitch madeyesterday when downgrading Queensland’s credit rating. It read—Positive rating action is unlikely in the near term given the weak fiscal balance and large debt position.

Yet the member for Rockhampton stood in this House yesterday and said there is no massive debt crisisin Queensland. So who are we to believe? Fitch went on—The state’s fiscal position and debt matrix have deteriorated over the last four years ...

And again the Fitch statement read—As a result of historically weak budget performance combined with large capital expenditures ..., QLD’s general government debthas more than doubled since FY09. Therefore, QLD’s debt matrix has weakened.

Which Queensland government was presiding over this deterioration? Labor. This happened onLabor’s watch. They can deny it all they want, but they were the ones kicking the football inside thehouse when they had been told not to. They smashed the family vase on the floor and now we have hadto get the broom out and clean up their mess.

It is this continual Labor denial of the position of our state’s finances that leads me to hope thatthe member for Rockhampton never gets his hands on the state’s coffers. I look forward to his nextspeech in this House when I am sure he will outline for us his proof that the world is flat and that Elvis isstill alive. But, by contrast, what did Fitch have to say about this Newman government budget? Fitchsaid—The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch’s expectations that QLD’s expenditure measures announced in its Budget 2012/13 will contributeto a restoration of the state’s fiscal position ... Fitch expects QLD to return to a positive operating balance in FY15.

It is critical for our state’s future that we turn the annual deficits that characterised the previousLabor government into surpluses. It is critical that we as the government provide a launching pad for ourstate’s economy to grow, and we cannot do that effectively if the fastest growing governmentexpenditure is interest on debt. The Newman government was elected with a clear plan to getQueensland back on track, and this budget is a strong step in that direction. This budget is a goodbudget for my electorate of Pine Rivers, and I would like to spend the rest of this speech outlining someof the benefits of this budget for Pine Rivers.

The Advancing our Schools Maintenance Fund will plug a yawning hole in the maintenancebudgets of Pine Rivers schools. I spoke to many of my local principals in the lead-up to this budgetabout what they were hoping for and every single one of them said that they needed more money formaintenance. Many schools for too long have not had sufficient maintenance money to fix anything butthe most urgent and dangerous maintenance issues. The $160,000 each school will receive to startaddressing their maintenance backlogs will make a significant difference to the learning environment forour students in Pine Rivers.

But to my mind, nearly as significant as the funds themselves, is the fact that each school willactually be empowered to make their own decisions about how that money will be spent and who will dothe work. Having worked closely with many of the P&Cs and principals in Pine Rivers, I know that eachof my local schools will ensure they get maximum value out of their $160,000. I am pleased to see thatour government is getting out of the way of schools, empowering them and trusting that they know whatis best for their own school.

It is also pleasing to see in the budget $533,000 for Bray Park State High School to go towardshousing the 65 year 7 students who will be starting high school as part of the year 7 high school trialnext year. Bray Park High is a fantastic school, and I am pleased to see this infrastructure spendingbeing delivered in this budget.

Disability services in my electorate have been given high priority in this budget and generallyunder the Newman government to date. This budget contains over $11 million of ongoing funding fordisability services. My electorate has also benefited from a previously announced $920,000commitment from our government to SCOPE to provide disability respite services to our community. Ialso look forward to the positive impact the elderly parent carers innovation trial will have in Pine Rivers.

Significant funds have also been allocated in this budget to roads and transport infrastructure inmy electorate. Work will finally be completed this financial year on the repairs to the flood damage onMount Mee Road at Ocean View and King Scrub. There is also an allocation of $7.3 million towards theconstruction of a third railway track between Lawnton and Petrie stations. Pine Rivers commuters are


well aware of the bottleneck between these two stations and the delays it causes to trains travellingbetween these stations. And, most importantly, when it comes to road infrastructure, this financial yearwill see the completion of the AJ Wyllie Bridge reconstruction on Gympie Road at Lawnton. The lack oftimely action of the previous government to repair the AJ Wyllie Bridge after the January 2011 floodsepitomised the neglect the previous Labor government showed towards the Pine Rivers community. Themember for Kallangur and I are proud to have been supporting our communities through the entirebridge rebuilding process and we look forward to seeing this bridge delivered in December this year.

Pine Rivers residents will also benefit greatly from the cost-of-living relief in this historic budget.The $80 water rebate, freezing car registrations, freezing the standard electricity tariff, halving theincreases to public transport fares and restoring the stamp duty exemption on family home purchaseswill all have a significant impact on the budgets of Pine Rivers residents. There are significant wins forPine Rivers businesses in this budget. The most significant of these is the delivery on our commitmentto reduce payroll tax for Queensland businesses. Many Pine Rivers businesses will benefit from thisyear’s increase in the payroll tax threshold from $1 million to $1.1 million. And there will be many morewho benefit as this threshold is increased by a further $100,000 every year for the following five years.Pine Rivers businesses have a lot to offer our state’s economy, and I look forward to continuing to workclosely with my local businesses and supporting them as they bring jobs to our region.

There are numerous other commitments in this budget that will benefit my electorate includingincreased police numbers, increased services for mothers and babies, and the revised first homeowners construction grant. There is also $368,000 in ongoing funding for Home Assist Secure andfunding for the renewal of local social housing. This is an important budget for Pine Rivers and this is animportant budget for Queensland. This budget is a turning point in this state’s history and signals thestart of a new era of financial responsibility and a renewed focus on front-line service delivery. I amproud to stand in this House as a member of the government delivering this budget. I commend thebudget and the appropriation bills to the House.

Mr GRIMWADE (Morayfield—LNP) (11.19 am): I rise to deliver my budget speech and outline tomy electorate some fantastic initiatives that will benefit the people of Morayfield. This state budget is themost important budget in a generation. It is a budget that will chart a positive course for our state’sfinances to deliver a path to prosperity, hope and aspiration for all Queenslanders.

On 24 March 2012, the Newman government was elected with a mandate to lower the cost ofliving for families, revitalise front-line services, pay down the out-of-control state debt and regain thestate’s AAA credit rating. Since then we have had months of unions squawking, months of unionscausing hysteria out in the electorate, months of unions causing hysteria amongst departments andpublic servants. We have seen the unions protesting outside, we have seen the unions on TV. I wonderthough whether the residents in my electorate understand that these union leaders are also the leadersof the Labor Party. The people who are organising these rallies are the same people who lead theAustralian Labor Party. These are the same people who organised the smear campaigns againstCampbell Newman and his family. If that had been highlighted throughout their protest, I wonder if thatwould have had a different effect on the way people perceive these unions.

These unions have been spreading fear campaigns through departments. I have had numerouspeople in the Public Service come to my office to express the fear that these union officials have beenspreading in relation to job cuts throughout the departments. It is interesting to note that this morningthis House was made aware of the fact that the Labor Party in this place had a secret plan to reduce andcut, to sack, 41,000 Public Service employees in Queensland.

Mrs Scott interjected. Mr GRIMWADE: I will take the interjection because the interjection was that I will get pulled up for

lying in the parliament, which is a word—A government member interjected.Mr GRIMWADE: It is the Labor way. I will repeat my statement again. What we have heard in this

place this morning is that Labor had a plan to reduce the Public Service by 41,000 people, and thisincluded 13,800 front-line employees. Annastacia Palaszczuk, who is the Leader of the Opposition inQueensland, was recently asked in a radio interview what her plans would be. She admitted recently inthis House that Queensland does have a debt crisis and she admitted that there is a severe problemwith the amount of debt and interest that this state is paying. When asked what the alternative planwould be to rectify the state’s finances, her answer was, ‘I don’t know. We don’t have a plan.’ She wasasked five times what Labor’s plan in this place would be, and every single time she said, ‘We don’thave a plan.’ Unfortunately, that is the case. Labor do not have a plan; they never had a plan. They arehappy to stand on the sidelines as we go about fiscal repair to get this state back on track and while wemake the tough discussions—without having a plan themselves.

I will go through and highlight some of the fear campaigns that this Labor Party has been running.I will note that with the Public Service it has been announced—and again we heard this in this place thismorning—that not one permanent employee will be sacked from the Public Service as a result of thisbudget process, contrary to what Labor and the unions have been saying on television. All affected




public servants are being offered very generous redundancy payments, and it is up to those publicservants whether they decide to take the redundancy package or be considered for redeployment inanother Public Service role. The decision to take a redundancy package is theirs; it is voluntarily theirdecision to go ahead. We have allocated $800 million for the purpose of undertaking this task to lookafter those people who have decided to take a voluntary redundancy under this budget.

After highlighting these things, there is no doubt that this Newman government inherited afinancial mess here in Queensland. The previous government was spending more than we earned andin effect we were borrowing money year in and year out to keep the lights on, put fuel in the police carsand pay our hard-working public servants.

After receiving the Commission of Audit report that highlighted the dire situation of the state’sfinances, we as a government had to make some tough decisions. We could either increase taxes onthe people of Queensland to the tune of $1,000 for every man, woman and child—meaning that a mumand dad with two kids would be paying $4,000 extra tax every year just so we could balance thebooks—or we could lower our expenses. We did not want to increase taxes, as the people of this statehad given us a mandate to lower the cost of living; not increase it. So, sadly, this Newman governmentwas forced to make the tough decision to lower expenditure and cut wasteful spending.

May I take some time to outline some fantastic initiatives and announcements in this year’sbudget that will benefit the people in my electorate. Health is a big issue in my electorate of Morayfield.I am absolutely delighted to see that this Newman government has actually handed down a budget with$11.8 billion of funding allocated towards health. This is a 7.4 per cent increase from the previous yearand is a record amount of funding allocated towards health and hospitals in Queensland.

Locally, the people in my electorate will benefit through the following funding: $8.5 million toexpand the Caboolture Hospital emergency department; $2.7 million for the Caboolture Hospitaleducation and skills centre that is being built; funding for five new overnight beds at the CabooltureHospital; additional funding for extra doctors and nurses to work on weekends to clear the backlog whenpeople need them the most; doubling of the subsidy for patients accessing the Patient Travel SubsidyScheme; funding to engage private hospitals to reduce long waiting lists for elective surgery; and newfunding to provide up to an additional 40,000 specialist outpatient appointments to enable better accessto specialist care, such as ENT specialists and surgical procedures. These announcements will go along way towards unblocking and reducing waiting times in our emergency departments and at theCaboolture Hospital.

When I go out in my community and speak to people, I find that the biggest issue for them overthe last few years has been the cost of living. I fought hard throughout my recent election campaign todeliver cost-of-living relief to local families. I welcome the news in this budget that we will be offeringone-off payments of $80 to help combat rising water bills. This budget delivers rebates of $80 perdomestic water connection to households. This announcement forms part of the overall cost-of-livingannouncements that we are delivering, including: freezing motor vehicle registrations on family vehicles;freezing electricity price increases through the freezing of tariff 11, saving an average household $120 ayear; and reinstating the principal place of residence concessional rate of stamp duty, saving up to$7,000 when buying a home. These cost-of-living announcements will be welcome news for the peoplein my electorate who will benefit greatly from not having bills piling up at home.

I attend every local school P&C meeting where I can. One of the greatest concerns raised inthese P&C meetings is the funding being provided to schools for maintenance—maintenance funding tofix things like paint flaking off walls, gutters falling down, uneven cement paths and gates that do notopen and close. Many principals have highlighted that some schools have as little as $10,000 of fundingfor their annual maintenance budget. To give you an idea of how much maintenance backlog schools inmy electorate have, I will give you some examples: Narangba Valley State School has on itsmaintenance register a backlog of $92,178; Narangba Valley State High School has a backlog of$401,217; Burpengary Meadows State School has a backlog of $133,460; and Morayfield State Schoolhas a backlog of $346,859. This budget will rectify this problem. This budget will deliver grants of up to$160,000 for every single state school P&C in my area to deal with the backlog of maintenance issuesand make our schools a safe place for our kids to learn. This is fantastic news for local schools and Iknow from discussions I have already had with P&C presidents and principals that this funding will bewell received.

My electorate has a large number of people who live with disabilities. This budget delivers on theneeds of these people. This year the Newman government will commit $959 million on disabilities. Thisis a record amount of funding in Queensland and in fact is around four times what the federalgovernment contributes here in Queensland.

I also welcome the funding in this budget for 20 e-tablet computers for the Caboolture SpecialSchool. The Caboolture Special School is the largest special school in Queensland. I have had thepleasure of visiting this school many times over the last few months and I understand that thesecomputers will be well received and well used. The Caboolture Special School will also be one of thestate schools that will be able to access the $160,000 through their school P&C for urgent maintenanceissues.


Locals in my electorate would well understand that Morayfield Road is currently being upgraded.I am pleased to announce that this year’s budget contains a further $31.6 million of funding to progressthis project to widen Morayfield Road from two lanes to four lanes from Gaffield Street to Gympie Creek.Public transport is another area that will benefit from this budget. Under this budget TransLink willreceive record funding—more funding than we have ever seen in Queensland. In fact, $1.6 billion will beallocated to TransLink in this budget.

I am pleased to announce that in this budget commuters will have relief from the huge fareincreases that would have occurred under the previous Labor government. This budget halves thepublic transport fare increases that were due to take place in 2013 and 2014 and also rewards regularpublic transport commuters with savings of up to $400 a year. This public transport fare relief iswelcomed by my electorate and addresses the many concerns raised with me about the affordability ofpublic transport as well as adding further cost-of-living relief for the mums and dads and people in myelectorate. This budget also includes $17.8 million to finish off the Narangba train station upgrade.

The Morayfield electorate is one of the fastest growing regions in Queensland. Local tradies haveindicated to me that the work in the construction field had dried up under the previous government. Oneof the Newman government’s four pillars to grow our economy and create jobs is in construction. That iswhy in this budget we have announced an increase to the first home owners grant. In this budget firsthome owners will be eligible for grants of up to $15,000 to purchase a newly constructed home. This isfantastic news for first home owners looking to enter the housing market locally. Not only will this fundingmake house affordability for first home buyers a reality, it will also stimulate our local economy as newhomes start to be constructed around the area. Lots of mums and dads as well as local tradies, such asplumbers, roofers, electricians, plasterers, brickies et cetera, will benefit from the activity being createdthrough this plan. These local tradies will also benefit from the minor works programs that P&Cs will betendering out with their $160,000 maintenance grants.

Finally I turn to the local grassroots sports clubs where many of the young kids in my area playsports on weekends. Those who know me will understand that I am a big advocate of kids playing sportand getting actively involved in our community. This budget provides funding to the Get in the Gameinitiative. This budget announcement is fantastic news. As a life member at a local junior sports club inmy electorate, I know that one of the struggles for the mums and dads has always been the cost ofregistering their kids in sports and having to buy things like shorts, shirts, footies and equipment. Thisbudget outlines a plan to offer one-off grants to eligible parents of $150 to help towards registering theirkids in a local sports club. This is fantastic news for parents who are doing it tough financially or whohave large families who want to participate in a sport.

Other budget funding for the electorate also includes $721,000 towards fields, lighting andirrigation for football in Narangba; $72,000 for the construction of player and official amenities to supportrugby league at Burpengary; and a $1 million commitment to employ local coordinators in the MoretonBay regional area to assist club volunteers under the Sport and Recreation Job Plan program. Whilstunderstanding that this Newman government has had to make some very tough decisions that arenecessary to get the state’s finances back under control, I am committed to fulfilling my electioncommitments of providing cost-of-living relief for local families and revitalising important front-lineservices. I say to the people of the Morayfield electorate that I look forward to continuing to representthem and fighting to ensure our region receives our fair share of funding towards services andinfrastructure as our region grows. I commend these bills to the House.

Mr DOWLING (Redlands—LNP) (11.33 am): Today I rise to speak in support of the Appropriation(Parliament) Bill 2012, the Appropriation Bill 2012 and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill cognatedebate. It is with a great deal of pride that I stand on this historic occasion of the delivery of the very firstLNP budget in this House or anywhere in the world. I begin by congratulating the Treasurer ondelivering his budget. It is a budget that is yet another step in getting Queensland back on track, back tothat sought after position of being the best state, the most successful state and the most productivestate in this country.

This budget is the most important in a generation. It sets out a blueprint for how we get past whatwe inherited—a state that was mired in debt, waste and red tape. In spite of all that we have inherited,our Treasurer, our Premier and the LNP team have delivered on election commitments and haveintroduced new initiatives. They have delivered on the election commitments to ease the cost-of-livingpressures through freezing electricity tariff 11, saving the average family $120 on electricity bills;freezing the family car registration; halving the planned public transport fare increases that thoseopposite were about to inflict on this state; and providing a rebate on domestic water connections of$80. All of this will benefit not only every Queenslander and Queensland family but certainly families inmy electorate of Redlands.

Even in these most difficult financial circumstances, the cabinet and the leadership team havedelivered on new and innovative programs that will benefit many in my electorate of Redlands. We haveincreased the payroll threshold, which is up from $1 million to $1.1 million. This will help business andreduce unemployment. The reduction of red tape will also help business.




We are supporting school chaplaincy with a further $1 million over four years. That is a mostsignificant program in these tough economic times to help the young people of our state. We areincreasing the first homeowners grant to $15,000. We are also reintroducing the stamp duty exemptionfor the family home for properties under $500,000. These are all very significant. When I look at myelectorate, I see that construction is a significant employer of my constituency. The last figure that I hadwas 17 per cent and I suspect that is accurate. For my electorate that means tradies working. It also hasthe knock-on effect for all of the other allied industries, such as retail and home services, which are allreliant upon the construction industry.

There is a further $20 million investment for inbound tourism. This is significant when onerepresents a community like Redlands, which includes in the broader region Stradbroke Island andplaces like Sirromet and where we have koalas, parklands, the foreshore, the bay islands and MoretonBay. These are all significant when one considers the $20 million in the budget to attract inboundtourism.

There is also funding for the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation trial. Again, that is a most significantarea of need. An amount of $15 million will be put towards this trial, which recognises the need to assistelderly parent carers of disabled children as they reach that point when they can no longer care for theirchildren.

Looking at the backlog—the history of misery that has been education in this state from amaintenance point of view—we will allow school P&Cs up to $160,000 to start to address thosemaintenance issues in and around the school. That will empower those P&Cs, those good men andwomen who only want to do good for their school community and for the students at that school. What asignificant step forward! Also there is funding for 150 teacher aide positions for the prep year. I have justnamed a few all new, all exciting innovations.

There is also funding for the Get in the Game initiative for young people through sport andinnovation.

Mr Gibson interjected. Mr DOWLING: I take the interjection from the member for Gympie. My community will benefit

from those initiatives that I have mentioned. However, at the same time it is with a heavy heart that Iconsider those who have lost their jobs or will lose their jobs. I hold those opposite responsible for thefalse hope that they provided. The only job that was on offer under Labor was a con job. It was a conjob. However, blame does not ease the pain or the uncertainty for those people. We have a plan for abetter Queensland. This is the most important budget in a generation and it takes courage to make thedecisions—the decisions that we have had to make under the leadership of our Premier, CampbellNewman, and our Treasurer, Tim Nicholls.

In commending the bills to the House, I say to my electorate and to Queensland: you do notblame the cleaner for the mess; you thank them for cleaning it up.

Mr TROUT (Barron River—LNP) (11.39 am): I rise to speak in support of this once-in-a-generation budget. The front page of the Cairns Post sported the headline ‘Tough love: budget hardshipreflects the high price of recovery’. The word ‘budget’ immediately and predictably elicits negativeconnotations, encouraging the same amount of enthusiasm as a wet weekend. Government producedbudgets are no exception, and none of us here expected that the announcement of this budget wouldhave our constituents lining the streets. However, this is the first budget that I can remember after whichwe woke up in the morning with no new taxes and no higher taxes. This is great news for all of the mumsand dads who are battling to pay their mortgages and meet their monthly expenses.

On the whole, in Barron River the budget was received well by the public, with zero calls to myelectorate office on this subject to date. That is a good sign emanating from an intelligent electorate withconstituents who think beyond the horizon and absorb the advice that there is little difference between ahousehold budget and the state government’s budget. You must balance the books and not spend morethan you make.

Budgets in any shape or form force their drivers to plan ahead and systematically anticipate thefuture. Planning allows us to recognise, address and pre-empt problems before they occur. Correctiveactions ensue—proactive rather than reactive government, no knee-jerk reactions and no nasty shocks.This government and the people of Queensland have had enough of nasty shocks, like the payrolldebacle or the water fiasco of the south-east corner.

The Newman government was placed in a position by the previous Labor government of breakingthe news of what would have been an almighty shock for the people of Queensland. Had Laborcontinued its joyful shopping spree for another term, the state would have sunk into a bottomless abyssfar beyond the loss of the AAA credit rating, far beyond any means of retrieval in our generation.

A budget is a truly powerful tool, and this is a powerful budget. Like any budget, the truth is that itis a money plan put in place to help us—the government and the people of our state—plan and achieveour goals together. In a family, everyone has to make sacrifices when the going gets tough. Dad givesup his subscription to Wheels magazine, mum colours her hair at home and the kids go to the movies




once a month. On a larger scale, if things get serious the family downsizes to a unit. The fundamentalpurpose of these cutbacks is to cut expenditure in order to manage known and unknown expenses.None of these sacrifices is popular, but it does not have to be forever. However, sometimes, once thedust settles, we realise that things we were spending money on were really things we could do wellwithout and in fact the money could have been more usefully spent elsewhere on things that reallymatter.

As a small business owner, I embrace the concept of the budget as an aid to spending money inareas that are more productive and reducing spending in less fruitful areas. That, of course, is justcommon sense. At the same time, it is difficult to give up anything. That is human nature. As a smallbusiness owner for more than 20 years, I have made some huge sacrifices to survive including taking noholidays and working seven days a week, month on end. I remain horror-struck at the extent to whichLabor ignored the private sector when we had record bankruptcies and the jobless rate was spirallingout of control. No-one stood up for the small businesses that form the backbone of this state.

This budget has proved that this government cares about the future of the state—not just pleasingthe people right here, right now but working for the people’s future. This is not the government’s budget;we as members of parliament gain nothing personally from handing down this budget except theknowledge that tough love is good love. This is a budget for all Queenslanders. This budget is designedto balance the books and see Queensland return to its position as the premier state of Australia.

I commend our Premier, whose experience as Lord Mayor of Brisbane saw him deliver seven outof seven balanced budgets—the sixth largest public sector budget in Australia. I commend theTreasurer and each of the ministers of our cabinet for bringing their amalgamated experience, expertiseand business acumen to the budget that reflects the individual management skills of each portfolio.

Of much significance to the Barron River electorate and Far North Queensland generally is theannouncement of an injection of $20 million into the Queensland tourism industry. Tourism is of coursethe mainstay of the Cairns and Far North economy. We look forward to receiving the lion’s share offunds in recognition of our rapidly developing markets. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude toour Premier, Campbell Newman; our Deputy Premier, Jeff Seeney; and our Minister for Tourism, JannStuckey, for recognising the value of the contribution of Cairns and the Far North to the tourism industryin Queensland.

We live in a beautiful, unique and still substantially unexploited tourism destination. There arehuge opportunities for growth. Something I fought very hard for was the upgrade of the Yorkeys Knobboat ramp. This is very important not only to the many boaties in the Barron River and Cairnselectorates but also to the tourism industry. Our cruising tourism industry, like aviation, is very importantand growing. Labor never looked after either industry to grow them. In fact, we have thousands ofpeople offloaded onto a fuel tender facility. It has been a disgrace—it is not good enough—and hasshort-changed a world-class destination.

Barron River electorate state schools have welcomed the budget news of $160,000 beingavailable to their parents and citizens organisations to address existing priority maintenance issues. OurP&C associations work tirelessly to raise funds for maintenance, with several such associations aroundmy electorate applying for grants under the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. Equally well received isthe news that these works can be carried out independently of QBuild, giving schools the freedom tochoose tradespeople from within the school community. This will have the ongoing positive effect ofproviding local employment and giving a much needed boost to local builders and trade services.

I commend the Newman government’s commitment to the three tiered crocodile managementplan, with $380,000 towards $1.5 million made available to improve crocodile management inQueensland. This is very welcome news for my electorate, where tourism and public safety are bothgreatly compromised by the ever-present danger posed by the rapidly growing saltwater crocodilepopulation.

The Newman government has shown a firm commitment to development of our key industry inthis region, in line with its commitment to decentralising government. The fact that we have enjoyed somany ministerial visits to our region by members of the cabinet, as well as recognition of the uniqueproblems faced by us due to the tyranny of distance, has not gone unnoticed by an electorate hungry forrecognition as an integral, valuable and growing region of this state.

In conclusion, I am proud to be part of this government. As a champion of small businesses Ihave strong appreciation of sound and responsible fiscal management. This government has thecombined experience and dedication to the people of Queensland that will turn this state around. Weare at the zenith of the graph and the red arrow is pointing downwards, away from that peak ofirresponsible expenditure. Labor leaders will wear paper bags over their heads for eternity over theQueensland Health payroll blunder—and that is just one example of waste too huge to comprehend.Waste is down, replaced by front-line service spending and high hopes for Queensland’s future, rescuedjust in the nick of time. I commend the bills to the House.


Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Watts): Order! I recognise students and teachers from BoondallState School who have joined us in the public gallery.

Mr MALONE (Mirani—LNP) (11.47 am): I cherish the opportunity to make a small contribution tothe cognate debate of the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill 2012, the Appropriation Bill 2012 and theFiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2012. It is with real pleasure that I take this opportunity to speak to thefirst LNP budget. It is the first time the LNP has brought down a budget in the Queensland parliament. Itis my strong view that, upon gaining government, we faced very difficult circumstances. We wereconstrained by the absolute mess left by the previous Labor government.

I will reinforce a couple of things that have happened in the past couple of days. Almost 4,000health workers have been sent letters asking for their resignations or offering VERs. It was well knownto the Labor government and to the unions that this would have to happen. Indeed, my understanding isthat the letters were sent out.

It is my recollection that the unions did not march in the streets or raise one issue with the Laborgovernment sacking almost 4,000 Health workers—some, as we have heard, from the front line—yetwhen our government wanted to shed 2,700 jobs, most of which were positions that were not actuallyfilled, suddenly there were marches in the streets and the unions were all over us like a rash. I go backto the situation with the Health payroll debacle when nurses and doctors right throughout theQueensland Health system were not being paid for months on end, and we heard not one beep from theunions representing those health professionals. That makes you wonder what is going on here. I alsoreflect on the fact that during my re-election campaign the CFMEU decidedly tried to win the seat ofMirani. I will not speculate on the amount of money that it spent trying to achieve that, but the reality isthat the CFMEU in its absolute hypocrisy donated $1.2 million to that radical left-wing organisationcalled GetUp to close down the coalmines in Queensland. What an absolute disgrace! What an absolutedisgrace to have good, hardworking miners contributing—almost forcefully—to the CFMEU to find outthat behind the scenes it was passing money across to that radical left-wing organisation trying to closedown the coalmines. It was just unbelievable! It is time we made these unions accountable to theirmembers. It was beyond a joke. The unions that marched out here with their members the other dayknew full well exactly what was going on. They were part of the Labor camp. It is in their DNA. I am justamazed that members of the unions are so gullible. But enough of that.

I turn now to the Bruce Highway, and I must commend the government for putting aside $1 billionto upgrade the Bruce Highway. In the last two days three people have been killed betweenRockhampton and Sarina. Yesterday one person was killed just north of where I live, and this morningagain two people were killed just north of Yaamba. Indeed, in August 15 people were killed on the BruceHighway. I will not blame the highway for all of those accidents. Obviously there are issues with peopletailgating, issues with speeding, issues with fatigue et cetera, but the reality is that if there were moreovertaking lanes and more divided highways I am sure there would be fewer accidents on the roads. Ofcourse, some of that funding will be going into Mr Byrne’s electorate of Rockhampton through theYeppen Crossing. Some work is being done there now, but there are big issues about getting a flood-free road through Rockhampton to ensure that when floods happen—and they happen fairly regularly—the highway is not blocked for weeks on end.

After spending quite some time in this parliament I reflect on the 2008 election when the weekafter the parliament resumed we suddenly found that, because the Greens had supported the LaborParty, the first bill that was forced through this parliament was the moratorium on regrowth. It was anabsolute kick in the guts for graziers and farmers trying to manage their land. Just recently I haveattended committee hearings throughout a fair part of Queensland and I reflect on the views of oneparticular person at those hearings—and others supported his view—that at last hopefully we haveended a reign of terror that has gripped rural Queensland in terms of the previous Labor governmentgoing back two decades. This particular person made a submission to the committee saying that as afreeholder he thought he owned the trees, the soil and the grass on his land. He found out that he didnot own the trees. Even though he bought the trees when he changed from a leaseholder to afreeholder, suddenly with a late-night sitting of parliament he did not own the trees and he could not dowhat he wanted with the trees even though he spent thousands of dollars buying the trees in thetransition.

Secondly, he thought that he could do what he wanted with the soil in terms of cropping et cetera.He had bureaucrats turn up and tell him that he only had certain areas of his farm that he could plough.He thought, ‘That’s it. I need to ring up and find out about the grass.’ He rang the department and said,‘I’ve got some beautiful buffel grass out here from boundary to boundary. Surely you can’t do anythingabout that.’ They said, ‘That’s the biggest pest in the world. We need you to exterminate all that.’ So asa freeholder he spent all of this money developing his land only to find that bureaucrats sitting in GeorgeStreet in their air-conditioned office could dictate what he could do with his land. I guess it is a weight offmany farmers and graziers throughout western Queensland and up and down the coast that at last theymay have a government that is attempting to understand—and I believe we are understanding—thepressures that those people have been under for so long.




There has been a kerfuffle about rural firefighters in the last few days. I have been involved withrural firefighting for a fairly considerable time, because I am a cane farmer. In the good old days youwent out with a knapsack or a wet bag and you burnt in the middle of the cane paddock and you wereable to control it. We did not need guys with braid on their shoulders or fancy hats to walk around andtell us what we could do.

Mr Hobbs: Just like Colonel Gaddafi.Mr MALONE: Yes, like Colonel Gaddafi. Now there are blokes driving around in four-wheel drives

with aerials and lights stuck all over them telling us when we should light up and when we should not.The message has come through loud and clear that it is about time we devolved rural firefighting downto the people who know what they are doing. There have been issues raised over the last few yearssuch as the absolute disgrace of the Berserker wilderness area fire which Mr Byrne would know well.The utter destruction of flora and fauna was unbelievable. There is only a certain amount of blame thatwe can pass on, but the reality is that locking up and not preburning is not good and that early burningthat happens naturally in the native state needs to be part and parcel of the way we manage land. It isabout time the bureaucrats got out of the road and allowed people who know what they are doing to dothe job, and it is the intention of the LNP to ensure that that happens.

Another issue that I am concerned about is the closure of the SES cadets. We understand thatthere have to be cuts made, but I always was and still am a very strong supporter of SES cadets. In myelectorate there are SES cadets in Mirani and Miriam Vale. They are looked after by a police officer inthat area. There is also a group in Mount Morgan. I know that we are facing some very difficult times andI understand that there is a cost to the SES cadets, but I will be working with the minister to see if we canput in place some alternatives so that those young people can participate in something similar that doesnot cost the department money. One of the issues is that many of those young people are not goingthrough to the permanent SES, but there has to be a realisation also that many of those kids go on touniversity or move out of the area, but hopefully they will come back to the SES at a future time. Iconclude with those few words—

Mr Stevens: Hear, hear!Mr MALONE: I know there is a steely look coming from the Manager of Government Business

that I should not partake of too much verbal diarrhoea, so with those few words I support the bills beforethe House.

Mr KRAUSE (Beaudesert—LNP) (11.58 am): This is the budget of a generation. The Treasurerhas said this. I agree. But it is also the budget for a generation, and that is my generation. It sets out aroad to set Queensland free from the debt addiction of the former government, and it is people of my ilkand my generation who have suffered the most from that debt addiction through ever-increasing costs ofliving such as water, power, rates, fuel and the list goes on.

In this budget the government has recognised, as Treasury did in its incoming government brief,that the fiscal position of Queensland is unsustainable and it must be remedied urgently in this term ofgovernment. I think it is worth recalling the following remarks of another Treasurer made some timeago—In periods of growth we must put away savings for the downturns. But far from saving, the previous Government kept ratchetingup our debts—spending money it didn’t have. Our predecessors had Australia on a path of deficit and debt to the next century. Make no mistake, this path would only make future choices harder, future possibilities bleaker and rob Australians of the futureopportunities they deserve. Our Government could not stand back and ignore the problem. Although we did not create it, we will take the responsibility to fix it.

Peter Costello’s words in the Commonwealth budget of 1996—a coalition budget handed downafter another 13 years of Labor government—apply equally to Queensland now as it did to Australiathen. Australia was left with a massive $10.3 billion budget black hole by Labor and history has repeateditself here in Queensland. We have been left with a budget black hole. We did not create it, but we will fixit.

Members of the opposition—both Labor and the ‘north-west branch of the Labor Party’, the Katterparty—claim that Peter Costello’s participation in the independent Commission of Audit makes it apolitical document set up to promote predetermined outcomes. That is absolute rubbish. If there is anyperson in the length and breadth of this nation who knows a thing or two about prudent fiscalmanagement it is Peter Costello. He delivered 12 coalition budgets

Mr Cripps: Doug McTaggart was on it.Mr KRAUSE: I will take that interjection. Doug McTaggart was on the Commission of Audit as

well. Peter Costello delivered 12 coalition budgets in the Howard government—12—and guess howmany of those budgets were surplus budgets? Eleven. Peter Costello delivered 11 surplus budgets anda decade of prosperity for Australia.

By contrast, after being left with a $20 billion surplus in 2007 by Howard and Costello, how manysurpluses has our esteemed Treasurer Swan from Queensland delivered? None. Labor just does notget it and it never will get it. It cannot manage government finances, because debt and deficit is in its




DNA. Yet the opposition members deny it. They are debt and deficit deniers because, as they see it, it issimply their job to spend, spend, spend and then tax, tax, tax the people of this state to pay for theirwaste.

While I am talking about the members of the Katter party—the member for Dalrymple and themember for Mount Isa—let me make this point: it is very easy to sit back and argue from the sidelines. Itis very easy to snipe from the sidelines that this program should not be cut or that project should goahead or that this, that or the other is right or wrong. Anybody can do that, but it is quite another thing towork as part of a team to obtain constructive outcomes for your electorate. That is what I am doing forthe Beaudesert electorate. That is what all members of the LNP team are doing for their electorates.The members of the Katter party representing regional Queensland are failing their communities byfocusing on scoring cheap political points at a time when they should be rolling up their sleeves andworking with the government in a constructive, mature fashion. But it seems to be beyond them.Yesterday in this place we had the member for Dalrymple taking up the cudgels against some parts ofthe budget, including the public sector changes. He claimed that these changes were made to pursue apolitical objective. I say to the member for Dalrymple that if he thinks that running a balanced budget,reducing the cost of living for all Queenslanders and bringing the Queensland economy back to an evenkeel free from $65 billion or more of debt around our neck and $500 million a year of interest, which hasto be paid for by all Queenslanders, is a political platform, then I put my hand up for it. The member forDalrymple and his fellow travellers show that they just do not get it. They must support higher taxes forall Queenslanders, like these Labor people over here.

Balancing the budget, getting our economy back on track and cutting the cost of living is whatdecent, hardworking people in small businesses and farms throughout the Beaudesert electorate knowin their bones to be the right thing to do. That is in their DNA. They know that tough decisions will bemade, but they expect us to make the right decisions. We are sorry that people have lost their jobs. Butlet there be no doubt that the fault for that lies at the feet of Labor, which allowed Queensland’s financesto deteriorate so much that these decisions have to be made.

I refer to the remarks of the credit rating agency Fitch concerning Queensland’s debt position overthe past three to four years, noting that general government debt doubled in three to four years. Thatformed part of its reasons for shifting Queensland’s credit rating. One would think that such commentsfrom the credit rating agency Fitch would make members of the opposition sit up and take notice. Onewould think that it would make them realise that their government had set Queensland on anunsustainable path and that they were out of control. One would think that they would recognise,belatedly, that urgent action is required to stop Queensland’s credit rating further deteriorating. If ourcredit rating is lowered, we pay more interest and if we pay more interest, there is less money to goaround for schools, teachers, doctors, police or public servants.

But that would be too much to expect from the debt and deficit deniers in the opposition. Theycling to the policies that have brought Queensland’s finances to its knees. What would they do to easethe cost of living? Nothing. They would continue to spend, tax and borrow. But Queensland cannotafford that. Queensland cannot afford interest expense to increase faster than health spending. Peoplein Beaudesert cannot afford more debt, more borrowing and more spending. After electricity price risesof 60 per cent over five years, massive increases in vehicle registration and other licence fees, watercosts, other costs and charges, Queenslanders have had enough. Their pockets are empty. Thecupboard is bare. Many families are living on the financial brink, yet members of the opposition stand upin this place and argue for policies that will continue to gouge people’s wallets, sending us further downthe tube. It is a disgrace and the people of the Beaudesert electorate know that it is a disgrace. This isthe budget that Queensland had to have.

I turn now to specific elements of the budget—a budget setting up Queensland for a brighterfuture. This budget lays the foundation of the government’s commitment to stabilising debt levels,returning the budget to surplus by 2014-15 and regaining the state’s AAA credit rating. The budget setsout a path for Queenslanders to save up to $500 million a year on interest and those funds can be betterused to deliver local services and infrastructure such as roads, hospital services and projects such asthe Beaudesert bypass in my electorate. This budget puts all Queenslanders first.

We are delivering up to $160,000 for local state school P&Cs to assist in fixing maintenancebacklogs. There are over 20 state schools in the Beaudesert electorate and I know that the P&Cassociations in my electorate will be lining up to obtain this funding to fix maintenance backlogs at theirschools. It is much appreciated that we are giving them the trust of the government to go out and fix theirown issues with local tradesmen and local service providers. We do not need to funnel money through abureaucracy into schools. We need to trust the school communities to do the best they can for their owncommunity.

The introduction of the $15,000 first home owner construction grant on new homes supportshousing construction and supports first home buyers. I know that builders in my electorate such asStroud Homes and the Beaudesert Roof and Truss company, Cec Miles in Boonah and otherconstruction companies will all appreciate this shot in the arm, as will first home buyers, who have beenstruggling to get into the market.


The budget puts in place savings of up to $120 on annual electricity bills by freezing tariff 11. Wehave also frozen the family car registration for 2.5 million family vehicles. We are providing an $80rebate on water bills and, overall, $11 million for land, weed and pest management, sustainableagriculture and water quality initiatives, supporting one of the pillars of our economy of agriculture. Thatis a very important industry in my electorate of Beaudesert. There is $4.8 million for research to developQueensland as a food bowl for Asia. As a leading exporter of pulses, that will be greatly appreciated inthe Fassifern Valley and the Lockyer Valley in the neighbouring electorate of Lockyer. We have greatpotential in those areas to grow those industries and those businesses to export to Asia. It is great tosee the government recognising that as a key pillar of our economy.

There is $44 million to provide better access to emergency and specialist health care. I know thatthrough the Metro South Hospital and Health Board and the West Moreton Hospital and Health Boardthere will be progress on the services offered in both Beaudesert and Boonah hospitals. There will be300 new police on the beat as part of our plan to deliver 1,100 new police. I know that the Minister forPolice has indicated that 100 of those new police have been designated for Logan. Jimboomba is a keyarea of the Logan Police District. I will be working hard with the Minister for Police and theCommissioner to get extra police for the growing area around Jimboomba, Flagstone and Greenbank.

We have delivered an increased Health budget, including $1.3 billion to construct, expand andredevelop hospitals and $28.9 million to put in place the Mums and Bubs health service with additionalaccess to home visits and community clinics during a baby’s first year of life. We are delivering full-timeteacher aides for an additional 150 prep classes. It has been made known to the Beaudesert StateSchool that they will benefit from that program and they are appreciative of the extra support. We arefunding $5.5 million in 2012-13 to support Get in the Game to get kids involved in sport and be active inthe community. Healthy lifestyles lead to better health outcomes down the track. There is additionalfunding to improve social housing services and $20 million to implement a tourism investment strategy.There are many good tourism operators in the Scenic Rim in my electorate of Beaudesert and I am surethat through local and regional tourism organisations that $20 million will benefit their businesses.

As part of the LNP government I have been working hard to deliver for the Beaudesert electorateto ensure it receives its fair share. The government has had to make some tough decisions, but I ampleased to see that it has been able to continue investment in the Beaudesert electorate. It is an areathat was neglected by the former government for many, many years. Local highlights for the electorateinclude a $1.837 million investment in the replacement of Tamborine Mountain’s auxiliary fire station;$2.155 million for the replacement of Spring Creek Bridge, Telemon Street, Beaudesert; and $105,000for the replacement of a lookout in Lamington National Park. Tourism is key, and replacing this sort ofinfrastructure is exactly what we need. There is $4.163 million for the improvement of the intersection ofBeaudesert-Beenleigh Road and Tamborine Mountain Road at Tamborine. It is an interestingintersection and I am glad to see that the investment has been made to improve safety in what is agrowing area. There are a lot of new developments around there. There are $4.5 million in grants fordisability services in Jimboomba and Beaudesert as part of the record $959 million investment inspecialist disability services by the Newman government. There is $1,000 for Beaudesert andJimboomba to assist with the purchase of AFL training and playing equipment. This again is aboutpromoting a healthy lifestyle through sport and recreation.

Initiatives to support the pillars of our economy of construction, agriculture and tourism in theelectorate are key features of the budget. As I have mentioned, the first home owner construction grantwill provide terrific assistance to first home buyers and tradies. All of the state schools in my electoratewill benefit from the funding of up to $160,000 to clear their maintenance backlog. I will continue workingto ensure that investment needed in the electorate is delivered in subsequent budgets, things like theBeaudesert bypass, the Boonah-Kooralbyn Road, additional upgrades to the Mount Lindesay Highwayand additional public transport infrastructure around Jimboomba and Beaudesert.

I reiterate that this is a once-in-a-generation budget. Our government was elected to getQueensland back on track and should we fail to do so, my generation—those in the earlier stages oftheir working lives right now—and our children will suffer the most. The government has to make sometough decisions in the short term to ensure a brighter and better future in the long term. I commend thebudget to the House.

Mr LATTER (Waterford—LNP) (12.13 pm): Today I rise in the House to speak in support of theAppropriation (Parliament) Bill 2012, the Appropriation Bill 2012 and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill2012. In the lead-up to the last state election Queensland was told that an LNP government wascommitted to lowering the cost of living and building a four-pillar economy. This budget delivers on thatcommitment. That this budget is the most important budget in a generation is no catchphrase. That thisbudget builds a brighter future for Queensland is no off-the-cuff remark. This budget gives a cleardirection towards prosperity by making the tough but necessary choices required for sound fiscalmanagement. The government is investing significantly in Queensland’s future by building our four-pillareconomy, by building agriculture, construction, the resources industry and, of course, tourism.

To highlight some of the investment that we are talking about in those four pillars I would point outthat in agriculture there is $11 million for land, weed and pest management, sustainable agriculture andwater quality initiatives; $4.8 million for research to develop Queensland as the food bowl of Asia; and




$4.6 million in additional funding for the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations to increase theproductivity of Queensland’s sugarcane industry. Being somebody who grew up in cane country downthere at Alberton, an industry that significantly contributed to the region of Beenleigh that falls withinWaterford, I am very pleased with that level of investment.

In construction there is $1 billion over 10 years to upgrade the Bruce Highway focusing onimproving safety and flood immunity; $278.8 million of Queensland, Australian and local governmentand external developer funding towards a $1.3 billion rapid transit light rail project from Southport toBroadbeach; increasing the first home owner grant on new homes from $7,000 to $15,000 supportinghousing construction; and no duty payable on a new home purchase. In the resources sector$495 million over four years will go to the Royalties for the Regions program to fund regional communityinfrastructure including: $285 million for the Roads to Resources Program; $85.5 million towards the RGTanner Coal Terminal upgrade; $39.6 million towards the Port of Townsville berth; and $2.5 million toestablish and operate the GasFields Commission to facilitate and monitor Queensland’s burgeoningLNG industry. In the tourism sector there will be $20.5 million to progress planning for the 2018Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast; $20 million to implement a tourism investment strategyfocusing on destination marketing and inward tourism attraction; and $8.3 million to fund the GreatBarrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s field management program.

These are, of course, the highlights of the budget. What is the importance to Waterford? Thatinvestment in our four-pillar economy is going to grow Queensland, it is going to grow this state, and thatwill benefit my electorate of Waterford and, indeed, the rest of the state. It pleases me that myconstituents, the residents of Waterford, will be able to benefit from the reduction in cost-of-livingmeasures committed to by this government under this budget. My residents can expect a freeze on carregistration fees on family vehicles. The government has reinstated the principal place of residenceconcessional rate for duty representing a saving of up to $7,175 when buying the family home and put afreeze on tariff 11, saving an average of $120 on the annual electricity bill. My residents can expect arebate of $80 per domestic water connection. These are just some of the cost-of-living measures thatmy residents can benefit from, but that is by no means the only benefit that Waterford can expect out ofthis budget.

I am very pleased to advise that this government remains committed to delivering on the long-awaited upgrades at the Logan Hospital. This government is taking very seriously the need to reformHealth. I commend the honourable Minister for Health, Mr Lawrence Springborg, for the work he isdoing in this area. In addition to the Advancing Our Schools Maintenance Fund, which I must sayrepresents a significant benefit to schools in the form of grant funding of up to $160,000 for every stateschool P&C to meet the appalling backlog of outstanding maintenance requirements, this governmentremains committed to funding the Child and Family Centre at Waterford West State School. This is aproject worth over $2 million and represents a significant investment by the government in the Waterfordcommunity. I am also well pleased to mention the excitement and pride that was expressed to me byWaterford State School in anticipation of their new multistorey accommodation block to meet thegrowing demands of that school. I thank the government and the honourable Minister for Education,Minister Langbroek, for remaining committed to delivering this much needed infrastructure forWaterford.

While schools in my region are seeing significant investment by this government, this budgetclearly demonstrates our commitment to community sport by funding through the capital grantsprograms projects such as the upgrade of netball courts at Hammel Park. That particular project is nearand dear to me, as many years ago my grandmother, my mother, my aunties and many other localswere involved in the creation of those netball courts and the netball foundation. Therefore, the courtsupgrade is really special for me and I thank the government for it. However, that is not all. The budgetprovides for the construction of a new amenities block at the Waterford Demons football club, thedevelopment of a grass field to support rugby league at Waterford West and grants for the procurementof football equipment at Beenleigh. I thank the honourable Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sportand Racing, Minister Dickson, for remaining committed to sport in Waterford.

This budget lays the foundations of the government’s commitment to stabilising debt levels,returning the budget to a fiscal surplus by 2014-15 and regaining the state’s AAA credit rating. As Imentioned previously, this budget delivers on the Newman government’s commitment to build a four-pillar economy and set Queensland firmly on the path to prosperity. I congratulate the Treasurer,Minister Nicholls, and I commend the bills to the House.

Miss BARTON (Broadwater—LNP) (12.21 pm): Today It gives me great pleasure to rise to speakon the appropriation bills. I start by thanking the Treasurer and the leadership team of this governmentbecause, as I think we all know, some really hard decisions had to be made and our leadership teamand our Treasurer have made them. Those decisions have been made to get Queensland back ontrack, so that we can build a four-pillar economy and we can take Queensland into the future. This is abudget that not only delivers for Queensland in 2012 but also delivers for Queensland into the future.Labor’s legacy was one of debt and deficit. In the very few speeches that I have heard from theopposition in reply to this budget, none of them have apologised for the $65 billion debt and none of




them have offered any alternatives to the people of Queensland. They continue to ignore their legacy ofdebt and deficit, they continue to ignore the problems and they continue to fail to offer solutions to thepeople of Queensland.

This budget will reduce the cost of living for all Queenslanders. It is a budget that invests inQueensland schools and it invests in our future: the children of the great state of Queensland. It willdeliver better health services for Queensland. However, this is not a budget that delivers solely for thepeople of Queensland. It is a budget that specifically delivers for the people of Broadwater. I amparticularly proud to be the member for Broadwater at a time when we have a government that islistening to their concerns and that is heeding their requests.

For years, the people of my community of Broadwater have been calling for money to see theBroadwater deepened and dredged. It is our government that is delivering. It is our government that hascommitted $3.5 million in this budget. It is our government that is implementing a Gold Coast waterwaysauthority to return autonomy to the people of the Gold Coast and return to them the control of theirwaterways, something that they rightly deserve and have been calling for for years.

This budget delivers $2.68 million to the Runaway Bay Sport and Leadership Excellence Centre. Ireferred to that centre in my maiden speech. It is a government owned centre, but it is run like anyprivate entity and it is self-sufficient. Because the centre is so fantastic and is a key element of mycommunity in Runway Bay, I am very proud that we are able to deliver $2.68 million to the centre torevitalise some of its facilities. The previous government had offered the centre $3 million. The formerPremier went down there and gave them a fake cheque for $3 million, but unsurprisingly that moneynever came through. I am very glad to be able to deliver for the people of my community in Runway Baywho use the Sport and Leadership Excellence Centre.

Many of my colleagues have spoken about how this budget delivers in the disability sector. Mycommunity is no different. My community will reap the rewards of a $5.5 million investment in the localdisability sector. This is a sign that our government is committed to investing in local communities,because ultimately local communities are what make this state great. I am so very proud to see a$5.5 million investment through disability grants for my community. The budget will provide not only a$5.5 million disability grant but also $54,000 in sport and recreation grants, so we might see a touchfootball coordinator come down to Broadwater.

This budget delivers for Broadwater and it delivers for the region. Finally we have a governmentthat realises that the Gold Coast is the sixth largest city in the country and we need to deliver services.That is why this government is delivering $278.8 million for the rapid transit project. The rapid transitproject is going to be great for the Gold Coast, but we need to make sure that we invest in it and weneed to make sure that it continues to prosper. The budget provides a $207.4 million boost for the GoldCoast University Hospital. That is an incredibly exciting project. It is fantastic to see that this governmentis investing more money in the hospital, which is a sign that the government is determined to invest inhealth services and make sure that Queenslanders have access to health services. The universityhospital will be able to do some fantastic things, and not only for the people of my community and theGold Coast. Some very exciting research work will be done in conjunction with the hospital and GriffithUniversity across the road. It is a very exciting time, not only for Griffith University but also for the peopleof the Gold Coast. I thank the government for its investment in the university hospital.

For years the people of the Gold Coast have been calling out for action on law and order. Theprevious Labor government ignored the Gold Coast and it ignored our calls for more law and orderaction on the Gold Coast. That is why the LNP government is actually responding to the calls of thepeople in our community. Over four years $18 million will be provided for the Queensland policehelicopter. Just the other day, I read that while the police helicopter was flying over a national park, itspotted someone walking around with an illegal firearm. They then discovered that that person had arange of other illegal weapons and some illegal drugs. The police helicopter has been a fantasticinvestment and over the past few months it has really delivered for the people of the Gold Coast. I amvery pleased to see that the government has committed to it a further $18 million over four years.

Mr Dempsey: Labor did nothing.Miss BARTON: Labor completely ignored it. I take the interjection from the minister. The budget

has not just delivered the police helicopter. We will also see a $1.1 million investment in a major andorganised crime squad on the Gold Coast, which will include an illegal firearms team. The people of theGold Coast were sick and tired of being ignored. They were sick and tired of their calls for more law andorder action on the Gold Coast being ignored. I am very thankful, not only to the Treasurer but also tothe Minister for Police and Community Safety, as we have a government that is prepared to listen to itspeople and its communities. I am sure that for the opposition that is a novel experience, but I am veryproud to be part of a government that is actually listening and delivering.

The Gold Coast will have the great pleasure of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Wehave an amazing opportunity to grow a fantastic legacy for our city. However, in order to do that we needto ensure that we have investment in the games. That is why I am very pleased to see a $20 millioninvestment in this budget for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. I thank the Minister for Tourism, Major


Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games for fighting to make sure that the Gold Coastgets the right investment, so that not only can we sell the city but also we can ensure we havesomething to hold on to afterwards and the Gold Coast can continue to grow. It is not just the GoldCoast that this budget serves. As I said, this is a budget not only for the Queensland of today but alsofor Queensland’s future.

Mr Choat interjected. Miss BARTON: I take the interjection from the member for Ipswich West. I am sure it does deliver

for the Ipswich region as well but, unsurprisingly, I am a little biased about the Gold Coast region. Mr Choat: Don’t forget Somerset. Miss BARTON: And the Somerset region. As I said, this is a budget that delivers for the people of

Queensland and for Queensland’s future. As I said earlier, the Queensland government is committed togrowing a four-pillar economy and a core tenant of that is the construction industry. That is why thisgovernment has committed to a $15,000 first home owner construction grant. This means that youngfamilies all across Queensland can buy a home off the plan or they can buy a block of land and build ahome and they can receive a $15,000 grant from the government for doing so.

I mentioned earlier that tourism is a key component of the four-pillar economy. That is why I amvery happy to see that we have an injection of $20 million for the tourism sector. This is not onlyimportant for Queensland—and I am sure the member for Whitsunday is also very happy to see aninjection for the tourism sector—but particularly for my home town of the Gold Coast. It is fantastic tosee that we are injecting money into this industry. Queensland used to be the go-to destination whenpeople wanted to go on holidays. Under the previous government there were no tourism initiatives orpolicies, and Queensland has come further and further down the list. It is high time that a governmenthas responded and given money to this sector. I am incredibly proud to be part of a government thatrealises how important tourism is to our economy. That is why we are giving the tourism sector a$20 million boost.

I said earlier that this government is committed to lowering the cost of living. We have seen afreeze on tariff 11 for electricity prices, we have seen a freeze on car registration fees and we have inthis budget an $80 rebate for residents of South-East Queensland on their water bill. There are manyfamilies in the Broadwater electorate who have been struggling with the cost-of-living impost of thefailed Labor government. I am pleased that I am a member of a government that is able to deliver cost-of-living pressure-easing measures for its community. That is why I am very happy to see this $80rebate.

It is not just families who are being supported in this budget. Schools are being supported. Wehave seen for far too long that schools have been ignored. That is why it is fantastic to see the$200 million Advancing Our Schools Maintenance Fund, where P&Cs of local state schools can seekgrants of up to $160,000 so they can finally deliver for their communities. It is not just the $160,000 grantitself that is great. What is fantastic is that this grant is returning autonomy to school communities. Wehave seen time and time again that school communities know what is best for them, and we have seentime and time again that the private sector can deliver things on time and much cheaper than QBuild. Ido apologise to the Minister for Housing and Public Works, but I am sure he appreciates that theopportunities we have to return autonomy to the local school communities and make sure that wedeliver value for money for these communities is a fantastic thing.

We have also delivered in the area of transport. The previous Labor government wanted toimpose very hefty fare increases on the local community. That is why I am very proud to be part of agovernment that has halved those hefty increases and why I am proud to be part of a government thatwill say to commuters, ‘If you travel nine times in a week and you use a go card, the rest of your trips arefree.’ Not only is this fantastic for regular commuters; I think it will be fantastic for the local tourismsector, because it means that people who live in Brisbane can go to the Gold Coast for the day. Theycan go to Harbour Town in my electorate and spend lots of money and stimulate the local economy, orthey can go to the Broadwater parklands in the member for Southport’s electorate or they could even goup to the Sunshine Coast or to the rail museum in Ipswich and we can see some boosts to local tourismindustries.

Martin Luther King Jnr said that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands inmoments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. I thinkwe can we can all say that this budget is not only a measure of the man who is Queensland’s Treasurer,the honourable member for Clayfield, but also a measure of this government that we are prepared totake tough decisions. We are prepared to say that we will make some unpopular decisions that mighthurt us because ultimately we have the best interests of Queensland at heart. I commend the Treasurerfor taking the tough decisions that he has had to make. I know that he does not like having to makesome of them. None of us do. But, ultimately, if we want to see Queensland grow and prosper, toughdecisions have to be made. It is not our fault. It is the fault of the failed former Labor government, whichleft us with a debt of $65 billion that would grow to $100 billion if drastic action were not taken. We were


left with a legacy of debt and deficit. It is up to the LNP government—it is up to Campbell Newman andhis team—to lead Queensland into the future, to lead Queensland to a better future and to getQueensland back on track. I commend the bills to the House.

Mr COSTIGAN (Whitsunday—LNP) (12.35 pm): I rise in the House in support of theAppropriation (Parliament) Bill 2012, Appropriation Bill 2012 and Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2012. Iwould like to begin by saying that this groundbreaking 2012-13 state budget is a win-win for regionalcommunities—communities such as the Mackay-Whitsunday region that I represent; communities thatwere forgotten by successive Labor administrations underlined by the fact that the socialists now havejust two North Queensland based MPs today.

Before I go any further, to all those hardworking public servants who have lost their jobs as part ofthis vital process to get Queensland back on track, I am sorry. I genuinely feel for those people andthose who will be out of a job, but the fact remains that this state could not go on with the sheer size ofthe Public Service we had given the $65 billion debt this government inherited when it came to office.

Mr Deputy Speaker, if you love regional Queensland like I do—and I have no doubt you would beof a similar view, and you are not alone—perhaps the greatest statistic to come out of this budget is thefact that 75 per cent of capital expenditure will be directed to communities outside Brisbane. Suffice tosay my part of the north, home to the biggest regional economy of the north, gets our slice of the pie.From a very parochial point of view, I am pleased to see in the critical area of health $84.7 million gotowards the $408.3 million redevelopment of the Mackay Base Hospital—a redevelopment thathappened thanks to the sale of the Mackay airport by the former Labor government. I am also delightedto see $1.5 million to enhance mental health services in the Mackay-Whitsunday region. Mental healthis a subject that no-one seemed to speak about years ago, but clearly those days have changed. Thisgovernment has drawn a line in the sand on this important area of public policy, and I commend theMinister for Health.

The doubling of the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme is a wonderful new initiative. Even in thecontribution to the debate by ‘Turncoat Toot’, the member for Dalrymple, he thought it was a good idea.I personally know of many people in my electorate who have been battling for years and years drivingup the Bruce Highway—or the battered and bruised highway as I sometimes call it—to regional citieslike Mackay and Townsville for specialist treatment. Well, they are getting extra help now from this LNPgovernment.

In education, Mackay and the Whitsundays have done well in this budget. My electorate is gettingthe only new state high school in Queensland next year outside of the south-east corner, some wouldsay largely thanks to the pressure we put on the former member for Whitsunday, a schoolteacher in aprevious life, who said right here in the parliament that this school would open its doors by 2003.

Mr Ruthenberg: Time stood still. Mr COSTIGAN: I take the interjection from the member for Kallangur. For the people of the

northern beaches, it was like waiting for an iceberg to turn up in Eimeo Creek. Labor is like the NewSouth Wales State of Origin team: they talk a good game but they do not play one. I certainly hope theCowboys do tonight.

For the record, $34.5 million from this budget will go towards the completion of the MackayNorthern Beaches State High School in the city’s premier growth corridor, home to some terrific peoplein suburbs such as Shoal Point, Bucasia, Eimeo, Rural View and Blacks Beach. On that note, Icongratulate Sian Burrows on her appointment as foundation principal and look forward to joiningMs Burrows on site in the coming months as we see this new school come to life.

The northernmost high school in my electorate is also in the money—$1.5 million to completeelectrical upgrades and replace air conditioners at Proserpine State High School. We should not forgetfunding that has also been allocated for teacher aide work at two wonderful country schools in myelectorate, Calen District State College and Bloomsbury State School. And, speaking of governmentschools in my electorate, from Glenella in the south to Hayman Island in the north, they are all eligiblefor grants of up to $160,000 to help address a backlog of maintenance issues—a tremendous newinitiative on the part of the Newman LNP government that will come as music to the ears of the variousP&Cs.

In terms of law and order, I am pleased to advise the House that since the election on 24 Marchwe have already seen eight new police officers put on the beat across our region, specifically thoseofficers assigned to the Mackay station on the south side of the river, the Northern Beaches station onthe north side of the river and also Cannonvale in the Whitsundays. This 2012-13 budget commits$34.7 million in funding for 300 extra police officers on the front line across Queensland. It goes withoutsaying that I will be fighting for my fair share for Mackay and the Whitsundays.

I am also delighted to see in the 2012-13 budget $833,000 in funding towards a new police boatfor the Mackay-Whitsunday waters, from Percy Isles in the south to Cape Upstart in the north, a stretchof coastline that includes the biggest offshore population along our east coast, spread across theWhitsunday islands, plus the coal ports of Hay Point, Abbot Point, the sugar and grain port of Mackay—a great exporter of course of sugar and grain—the port of Bowen and tourist ports like Shute Harbour.




Remember how Labor ripped away—and I am sure the Minister for Local Government’s ears willprick right on cue here—those subsidies for local government in relation to water and sewerage? Weare helping our councils. We are empowering them and this government is coughing up. In the case ofthe Whitsunday Regional Council, we are giving them $14 million for upgrades to sewerage treatmentplants at Cannonvale and Proserpine, plus $5.4 million for upgrades to water treatment plants atProserpine and Bowen.

This budget will also help the environment—something that is very important, needless to say,given the electorate that I represent. The natural resources management body, Reef Catchments, willreceive $900,000 to help deliver strong environmental outcomes for Mackay and the Whitsundays. Forthose unaware, as I said a moment ago, the Mackay-Whitsunday region is the biggest regionaleconomy of the north, and to help grow that economy even more—which in the eyes of many of myconstituents helps keep the lights on here in Brisbane—the Newman LNP government has put$11.9 million towards planning for additional coal export terminals, due for completion midway through2013.

In tourism, the lifeblood of the Whitsundays, we have something now to smile about—and notbefore time—with the doubling of funding for our regional tourism organisations. To quantify that,funding is increasing from $3.1 million to $7 million. RTOs will keep their existing funding levels but theywill now have the capacity to seek additional funding—a share of $3.9 million for localised initiatives todraw more visitors to their respective areas, including the Whitsundays, therefore growing our tourismindustry and providing more jobs for local people.

It is good news for RTOs like Tourism Whitsundays and is in stark contrast to what happenedunder Labor when my predecessor presided over a disaster in tourism as the then minister for tourism.That is right; she had stewardship of this industry, an industry that is part of our four-pillar approach toget the Queensland economy back on track. Let us not forget her Labor comrade the former localmayor. He even cut funding to Tourism Whitsundays. We have $20 million extra for tourism marketingacross the state. I believe there will be a renaissance of this industry and that includes my belovedWhitsundays.

We have also unveiled $50 million over four years for the Marine Infrastructure Fund and, giventhe appalling standard of boat launching facilities in the Whitsundays, particularly in light of boatregistration numbers in our region of Mackay and the Whitsundays, I will be backing any localsubmission to address this—in particular, a much improved local launch facility at VMR Cannonvale.

To our sugar industry—

Mr Cripps: Hear, hear!

Mr COSTIGAN: I take the interjection from the member for Hinchinbrook, the honourableminister. Hasn’t it been a great mainstay of the Queensland economy for so long? It is one ofQueensland’s best known industries and of course has underpinned the economy of the Mackay-Whitsunday region since the early days of European settlement way back in the 1860s. In this budgetwe want to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We have to invest locally to ensure that our industry iscompetitive in the global marketplace. That is why we have committed $4.6 million for sugar researchand development and extension services to increase the productivity of Queensland’s $1.2 billion sugarindustry. This investment in sugar industry research and development is part of our commitment to growa four-pillar economy and double agricultural food production by 2040. This commitment will supportcritical research and development in the industry by providing much needed money to the BSES andeventually to Sugar Research Australia, the new body the sugar industry has recently votedoverwhelmingly to become the principal provider of research and development to the sugar industry.

The Mackay-Whitsunday region benefits in many other ways from this groundbreaking andhistoric budget. Other highlights include: $8.8 million for the Burdekin to Moranbah pipeline duplicationproject, a vital project of significance in our hinterland; $5.7 million to reinforce electricity supply toJubilee Pocket and Riordanvale in the Whitsundays; $4 million towards the upgrade of the main street ofAirlie Beach, a project that I believe will pave the way for an economic revival in this iconic tourism town;$1.9 million for Mackay’s Pioneer water supply; $3.8 million for the Mackay North State High School,many of whose students reside in my electorate of Whitsunday; $1.1 million for the Whitsundays’regional cyclone shelter at Proserpine State School; $24.1 million for the Mackay campus of CQInstitute of TAFE to develop a major trade and technical skills centre, a wonderful initiative that willassist in addressing our region’s skills shortage; $10.2 million to continue the development of the masterplan for the port of Hay Point and an environmental activity statement.

The two local governments that fall within my electorate—the Mackay Regional Council and theWhitsunday Regional Council—stand to benefit from the Newman LNP government’s Royalties for theRegions program. I remind honourable members and the people of Whitsunday and those areas thatrely on the resources industries that that is worth $495 million over four years.


For the Bruce Highway, the lifeblood of so many Queensland communities, linking more than adozen cities up and down the coast, including my home town of Mackay, there is $1 billion on the tableover the next decade, subject to a cost-sharing arrangement with the government. And, on that note, Icall on Labor MPs such as the federal member for Capricornia to lift their game, to put some pressureon the likes of the federal Treasurer to provide some funding for our bruised and battered Bruce.

I am delighted to see this Newman LNP government allocating funding for 16 new overtakinglanes between Sarina and Bowen, a distance of about 230 kilometres. I remind members that right now,thanks to the neglect by the former Labor government, we do not have a single northbound overtakinglane between Mount Ossa and the Burdekin, a distance of about 250 kilometres. The Premier has beenwith me in my own car and has seen some of this highway before he became Premier. Put simply, weare moving to fix that.

Of course this budget is more than just line items for communities around Queensland; it is aboutsorting out our state’s finances to get our AAA credit rating back and a $652 million fiscal surplus in2014-15. I am confident the Treasurer has us on the way.

Interest is the biggest expense incurred by this government. However, by attacking the fiscalrepair work with courage, we will be saving taxpayers $1.3 billion in interest payments over the forwardestimates. That $1.3 billion could pay, if you like, for a dual carriageway on the Bruce all the way fromSarina to the Abbot Point turn-off north of Bowen. As I said a moment ago, there is not one singlenorthbound overtaking lane between Mount Ossa and the Burdekin.

This budget provides rock-solid cost-of-living assistance—freezing car rego in our first term inoffice, freezing tariff 11 power prices for 12 months and the reintroduction of the principal place ofresidence stamp duty concession. That move will save Queenslanders more than $7,000, and let me tellyou that in an expensive property market like Mackay every dollar counts. I particularly welcome the$15,000 first home owner construction grant. It is perfect for young families starting out and perfect fortradies in communities like Airlie Beach who head up and down the Bruce Highway every day to make aquid, especially to places like Mackay and even further afield to the Bowen Basin. Thanks to thisinitiative, we can hope that localised work for them will be just around the corner.

In building a four-pillar economy based on agriculture, construction, resources and tourism, thisgovernment is delivering on its election commitments and, critically, without any new taxes onQueensland families. This is the most important budget in a generation—let there be no doubt. Indecades to come, people will look back on this 2012-13 budget and say, ‘Thank goodness the LNPcame to power to save Queensland from going down the tube.’ I commend the bills to the House.

Ms MILLARD (Sandgate—LNP) (12.51 pm): I rise to contribute to the debate on the twoappropriation bills for 2012. Firstly, I commend the Treasurer, Tim Nicholls, on the delivery of his firstbudget for Queensland. I also acknowledge the Premier, the ministers and those who have workedtirelessly for many months with the aim of making this budget as successful and as painless aspossible—not an easy task when you have only been left with ‘wreck and ruin’ to work with. Though thisbudget is like trying to build life from the ashes, it will free Queensland from the chains of growing levelsof debt, which is the legacy of over a decade of Labor’s financial mismanagement. This budget not onlyfulfils election promises made by the LNP Newman government but in many cases it extends upon themand it also removes waste and entrenched inefficiencies. Debt expectations have been lowered from apeak of over $86 billion to $81.7 billion in 2014-15, and an operating surplus has been forecast for 2013-14. This budget is about reform and about the affordability of being a Queenslander.

I appreciate that as members of parliament representing our areas we always want the best andwe always want the most, but due to the financial mess we inherited we knew this dream was going tobe far from reality. However, due to the fiscal responsibility of this government and this budget, we havestill kept the state rolling. Instead of wasting money on an ever-increasing interest bill, we will have moremoney to spend on delivering the services Queensland needs, like schools, roads, hospitals, health anddisability services, police, teachers, nurses and other infrastructure now and in the years to come.

I am sure there will be people who will scoff at this budget and only look for the negatives. Wehave already seen the opposition do this in the last few days. Interestingly though, they were not able toprovide any viable suggestions or an alternative plan, but that must simply be because they do not haveone and never did. I know there are many beneficial outcomes that I believe this budget will achieve.Yes, some things have been cut or tweaked, but other incentives have been added too and some newinitiatives have been put forward.

On 24 March this year, Queenslanders voted for change and they voted loud and clear, and weare delivering on this change through this first LNP Newman government budget. So without furtherdelay I will discuss a number of key outcomes that I believe will be meaningful for the Sandgateelectorate and for all Queenslanders.

This budget delivers the Newman government’s core election pledge—to lower the cost of livingfor Queenslanders. I am referring to the promises to freeze car registration, freeze tariff 11 to achieve anaverage $120 saving on electricity bills for households, reinstate the stamp duty concession to save




over $7,000 when buying a family home, provide free public transport travel on the TransLink networkafter the ninth journey in a week and halve the public transport fare increases for 2013 and 2014. I alsowelcome the one-off water rebate of $80 for households and the $15,000 first home owner constructiongrant which will not only boost the construction sector but ensure that the next generation are not lockedout of the housing market due to affordability issues. These measures will provide cost relief and easepressures for individuals and households that have been footing the bill for the economicmismanagement of the previous government.

This budget strengthens essential infrastructure so that we can manage our growing urbanpopulations by building a stronger and safer network. The Sandgate electorate welcomes importantinitiatives in this area, such as the commitment of $124 million for the Telegraph Road rail overpass andnearby rail overpass at Geebung as a 50 per cent contribution to the Brisbane City Council and stategovernment joint venture. Thousands of people in my electorate travel over these dangerous crossingsevery day, often with waiting times of around 20 minutes in peak hour, and that is just at Telegraph Roadalone. I am impressed with the speed at which this government has committed to this long lobbied forproject, while Labor spent a decade passing the buck to council.

Commuters from and to the Sandgate electorate will benefit from a further $70 million in upgradesto the Gateway Motorway. This will provide improvements for infrastructure, replace or install hardware,widen lanes in some sections and, most importantly, reduce bottlenecks and deliver time and safetyoutcomes for travellers.

This budget prioritises much needed spending in the high-demand area of disability services. It isnot only the amount of money that is important, but it is also important to note how these funds canchange a person’s or a family’s life, as I have seen a number of times in my short time in office. TheSandgate electorate will receive a significant $13.8 million share of disability funding. This will go a longway towards improving services for children and the aged and for the estimated five per cent of our adultpopulation—or one in 20 adults—who are on a disability pension. This will be spent on services likeaccommodation support, community access to services and improved respite care arrangements, toname a few.

I also note that the $15 million Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Trial will provide a range of optionsfor elderly parent carers of people with a disability in finding transitional care. Funding for a program likethis is long overdue and I am so pleased that we have been able to deliver this trial. We need to ensurethe elderly parent carers in our communities do not suffer any additional trauma in carrying out carerduties for the children they love, and I am a very big supporter of this innovative trial.

I do realise, however, that many with disabilities live in their own homes, along with the 25 percent in our electorate who are on aged pensions, and these people need a different kind of support. Forthis reason, I am extremely pleased to acknowledge the $250,000 being given to the Sandgateelectorate for the Home Assist Secure program to subsidise and in some cases provide homemaintenance and modifications and home security for eligible recipients.

This budget takes a strategic approach to the important areas of health and education, directinglimited resources to the front lines where they are most needed and not simply throwing dollars atinstitutions hoping to fix or bandaid the problem. This state’s experience with the Health payroll debacleshows us only too well that if you misdirect spending you may as well have burnt the money. The Healthbudget announced this week is the highest in Queensland’s history with growth of 7.3 per cent—whichis approximately an additional $800 million—boosting the total spend to $11.86 billion.

There will be $1.3 billion alone spent to construct, expand and redevelop hospitals across thestate. I particularly welcome the $44 million commitment to improving access to emergency andspecialist health care, including up to 40,000 additional outpatient appointments and new funding thatwill increase staff on weekends at the many health facilities that tend to the needs of those who live inmy electorate and beyond. I believe that the concept of reducing long waiting lists for elective surgery bypartnering with private providers is innovative; it is a concept that has been lacking in past budgetsdelivered by our predecessors. I also note that we will see the rolling out of the Mums and Bubsmaternal and child health service election commitment to improve access to post-birth services for newmothers. I applaud this government for getting Queensland’s health policy settings back on track.

This budget also seeks to bring education in Queensland up to the standards we should expect ina developed nation. Over $1.8 million will be spent on a new capital works project at Bracken RidgeTAFE, which is the largest vocational education facility in the Sandgate electorate. There will be$200 million over two years—up to $160,000 per school—put towards the Advancing Our SchoolsMaintenance Fund so that state schools and their P&Cs can work together to reduce the backlog ofmaintenance needed throughout their schools. This has already been a very welcome initiative in myelectorate where a number of schools have buildings and infrastructure that are in desperate need ofrepair due to years of neglect from the previous government. I note that non-state schools andindependent public schools will also benefit from this budget with over $100 million going towardsinfrastructure, planning and transition support under the Building Queensland Schools of the Future andthe Queensland schools plan initiatives.

2076 Body Corporate and Community Mgt and Other Leg. A’ment Bill 14 Sep 2012

There will be $53 million over four years to see additional teacher aides placed in 150 prepclasses per year, and schools with special education programs are set to benefit from the provision of e-tablets. There will be $1 million spent on improving school access to chaplaincy services, demonstratingthat education is a holistic and not just academic concept, and $6.5 million a year will be spent onimproved literacy and numeracy programs. It is time for Queensland to get ahead of the pack indelivering education outcomes for all students, all families and all schools, and this is a great start in thatdirection. This budget maintains a commitment to sports and community health objectives. Withapproximately 30 sporting groups in my electorate, I welcome the extra money.

Sitting suspended from 1.01 pm to 2.30 pm.Debate, on motion of Mr Stevens, adjourned.

BODY CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL

Body Corporate and Community Mgt and Other Leg. A’ment Bill

IntroductionHon. JP BLEIJIE (Kawana—LNP) (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice) (2.30 pm): I

present a bill for an act to amend the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, theQueensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Regulation 2009 and the Queensland Civil andAdministrative Tribunal Rules 2009 for particular purposes. I table the bill and the explanatory notes. Inominate the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee to consider the bill. Tabled paper: Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 [1070].Tabled paper: Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012, explanatory notes[1071].

Today, I introduce the Body Corporate and Community Management and Other LegislationAmendment Bill 2012. The bill amends the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 todo three things. First, it removes the requirement for bodies corporate to change their contributionschedule lot entitlements back to the original setting prior to any, and all, adjustment orders of a court,tribunal or specialist adjudicator following receipt of a motion from a single lot owner proposing thechange. It also provides a process enabling any changes to lot entitlements made under thisrequirement to be reversed. Secondly, it removes unnecessary disclosure requirements imposed onsellers of lots in community titles schemes. Thirdly, it provides jurisdictional clarity and consistency fordisputes about contribution schedule lot entitlement adjustments.

In 2011 the former Labor government passed amendments to the Body Corporate andCommunity Management Act that effectively gave the right of one lot owner to move a motion at a bodycorporate meeting, effectively overturning any adjustment order. This motion is moved and is passedupon the moving of the motion. Not a single vote is taken. Despite the matter previously going throughan independent tribunal, it is automatically overturned upon the moving of that motion. Theseamendments were a complete denial of natural justice and abhorrent in the extreme.

When a body corporate scheme is established, lot entitlements are set by the developer.Previously, if lot owners were of the view that the lot entitlements should be adjusted, they were able toapply for an adjustment order to have the lot entitlements adjusted accordingly. The 2011 amendmentsdid more than introduce a new contribution schedule lot entitlements system, which is the mechanismemployed in community titles schemes to apportion most shared costs associated with the operationand maintenance of a scheme. It turned the system on its head. It allowed a single lot owner aggrievedby an order of a court, tribunal or specialist adjudicator for the adjustment of the scheme’s contributionschedule lot entitlements to overturn that order simply via a motion to the body corporate or itscommittee. It further required the body corporate to lodge a new community management statementreflecting the pre-adjustment order contribution schedule lot entitlements for that scheme.

As contribution schedule lot entitlements determine the proportion a unit owner contributestowards shared body corporate expenses, any adjustment inevitably results in some ownerscontributing more, and others contributing less, to the body corporate expenses. While annual bodycorporate fees for many unit owners can be less than $500 a quarter, some are in the thousands ofdollars and a few are in the tens of thousands of dollars. The quantum of annual body corporate feescan also have a marked effect on the capital value of any given unit. So, the stakes are high, particularlyfor those on low and fixed incomes.

In discussing body corporate fees, it should also be appreciated that community titles schemescan be an excellent lifestyle and investment option with entry costs significantly less than comparableprice points for detached housing. So it is important, too, not to overstate the issue of body corporatefees. Community titles schemes often allow young Queenslanders to enter the housing market. For





14 Sep 2012 Body Corporate and Community Mgt and Other Leg. A’ment Bill 2077

many, it is a preferred long-term lifestyle choice. They also provide a great ‘downsizing’ option forretirees and other empty-nesters. However, there must be a workable and fair system for managingshared costs including the maintenance of common property, and that system also needs stability.

It is a matter of the public record that the 2011 amendments introduced by the former Laborgovernment infringed fundamental legislative principles in a range of respects and, I refer members tothe Scrutiny of Legislation Committee Legislation Alert No. 1 of 2011 should they wish to see what thecommittee and others said about the 2011 amendments. Although the then opposition appreciated theconsequences of an adverse adjustment order on lot owners, it opposed the 2011 legislation for goodreasons, and members may care to revisit the contribution to the debate in the parliament of themember for Currumbin on 5 April 2011. It was a cogent and comprehensive discussion with respect tothose issues. In fact, most stakeholders opposed the legislation, including the Queensland Law Society,the Unit Owners Association of Queensland as well as many individual lot owners.

As members will appreciate, the 2011 amendments have not passed unnoticed. Since theelection in March this year, I have received 110 letters from lot owners with many quoting the memberfor Currumbin’s then extensive critique of the 2010 bill, particularly her observation that the bill wasabominable, although, of course, the 2011 amendments also had its supporters. On 3 April this year, thefallout from those amendments featured as a front-page story in the Courier-Mail and again as the leadarticle in the Qweekend magazine of 4 and 5 August. Of course, the Gold Coast Bulletin has run anumber of stories, which reflects the penetration of community titles schemes in that particular market.People who are well informed about these matters were universally complimentary of the journalistTrent Dalton. It was excellent research and better writing. The story nicely captured the issues and thechallenges associated with unscrambling the egg. I particularly commend Mr Dalton’s article tohonourable members who may wish to contribute when this bill is debated. As he alludes, there are noeasy answers.

The 2011 legislation effectively threw out the system of lot entitlements in place since 1997 andreintroduced many of the abuses of the past. The government has since given deep and seriousconsideration to repealing each and every provision in the bill that was introduced in 2010. Regrettably,that would add unfairness to unfairness and complexity to complexity. As a first immediate step, themost odious provision in the 2011 amendments must be stopped. I mean of course the ability of a singlelot owner to compel a body corporate to effectively revert orders for the adjustment of contributionschedule lot entitlements obtained from a specialist adjudicator, court or tribunal prior to April 2011. Thebill will ensure that provision no longer applies so that no more reversions can be undertaken.Reversions that are currently taking place will be stopped.

The bill will also provide a process to enable reversions of contribution schedule lot entitlementswhich have taken place since the April 2011 amendments to be ‘undone’. That is, a lot owner can submita request to ‘undo’ the reversion and the body corporate or committee for the body corporate mustundertake a process to ‘undo’ the reversion, subject to considerations around boundary changes,subdivision of lots, amalgamations of lots or material changes which may have relevance in the periodsince the adjustment order was handed down. In introducing the bill, I want to make particular emphasisthat the provisions stopping the reversion process will take effect from today. If the administrative andlegal steps associated with a reversion have not been completed before today, no further action will beable to be taken to give the reversion effect. Regrettably, that does introduce a degree of retrospectivitybut, again, the public interest is best served by certainty from today.

As members know, this is a government that is committed to reducing the regulatory burden onbusiness. While perhaps well intentioned, the 2011 amendments also introduced additional disclosurerequirements by requiring the seller of an existing lot to provide an explanation in the disclosurestatement about the extent to which the annual body corporate fees are based on the lot entitlements.Feedback from the sector suggests that this requirement is proving to be problematic because sellersare rarely in a position to provide the additional information due to the varying standards and practicesadopted by bodies corporate and body corporate managers in relation to the way in which they calculatebody corporate fees.

The 2011 amendments also required sellers of lots to provide a copy of the scheme’s communitymanagement statement with the disclosure statement. Many community management statements mightbe only six to eight pages long, but for large and progressively developed schemes the communitymanagement statements can be up to 100 pages or even longer. While they are important documents,they are also technical documents, and the government is not convinced that requiring them to beattached to the contracts of sale necessarily serves the interests of the buyer and clearly does add tothe complexity and cost of the process. They are as likely to confuse as to clarify in a sales environment.In any case, any prospective buyer can obtain a copy of the community management statement fromthe Registrar of Titles at any time in their normal due diligence processes. Therefore, the bill removesthese unnecessary disclosure requirements. To ensure certainty of contracts, this will take effect at adate to be set by proclamation after the enactment of this bill.

2078 Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 14 Sep 2012

The bill also addresses a technical issue around the jurisdiction for complex disputes. It gives theQueensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal or a specialist adjudicator jurisdiction for disputes aboutadjustments of contribution schedule lot entitlements sought by unanimous agreement of all lot owners.This amendment, which will take effect upon enactment of the bill, is being made to address a currentinconsistency in the jurisdiction for disputes about contribution schedule lot entitlement adjustmentsunder the act.

Finally, I would like to announce that the government will now look at the broader issues aroundcontribution schedule lot entitlements. We will look to the future. This bill does not deal with thatmatter—it relates to the immediate problem that we have been left by the former Labor government todeal with—but the government is only too conscious that there are many schemes out there withmanifestly unequal lot entitlements. We need a mechanism to provide for adjustments into the future forthose schemes with unfairly set contribution schedule lot entitlements. We will now work to look atoptions with a view to reintroducing an appropriate mechanism for adjustments, but there is somecomplexity around this issue. Therefore, it is important to take our time to ensure that, whatevermechanism is provided, it attempts to get the balance right and is fair to lot owners.

Body corporate legislation has long been used as a political football, particularly by the AustralianLabor Party, but we will not be a government that does that. We want to be a government that gets thebalance right and fixes this mess once and for all. I commend the bill to the House.

First ReadingHon. JP BLEIJIE (Kawana—LNP) (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice) (2.42 pm): I

move—That the bill be now read a first time.

Question put—That the bill be now read a first time.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.

Referral to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety CommitteeMadam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Miss Barton): Order! In accordance with standing order 131, the bill

is now referred to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee.

MOTION

Portfolio Committee, Reporting DateHon. JP BLEIJIE (Kawana—LNP) (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice) (2.42 pm), by

leave, without notice: I move—That under the provisions of standing order 136 the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee report to the House on theBody Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill by 22 November 2012.


SURAT BASIN RAIL (INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT) BILL

IntroductionHon. JW SEENEY (Callide—LNP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development,

Infrastructure and Planning) (2.43 pm): I present a bill for an act to provide for the development andmanagement of a railway within the Surat Basin rail corridor land in a safe, effective and efficient wayand for related purposes. I table the bill and the explanatory notes. I nominate the State Development,Infrastructure and Industry Committee to consider the bill. Tabled paper: Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012 [1072].Tabled paper: Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012, explanatory notes [1073].

Today I present a bill for an act to progress the Surat Basin Rail project. This bill ensuresappropriate regulatory arrangements apply to the railway and seeks to protect the state’s interests underthe concession agreements which will govern its construction and long-term operation.







14 Sep 2012 Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2079

The Surat Basin Rail project proposes to construct the 214-kilometre southern missing link linebetween the towns of Wandoan and Banana. Development of the $1 billion-plus railway will open up theestimated four billion tonnes of coal reserves in the Surat Basin for large scale open-cut mining and forsubsequent export through the port of Gladstone. This rail project is the first of its kind in Queenslandand will set the scene for future private rail developments.

In 2006 an exclusive mandate was granted for the Surat Basin Rail project to a private consortiumknown as the Surat Basin Rail Joint Venture. Under the terms of the exclusive mandate, the railwaymust be an open-access multifreight rail system developed at no cost to the state and no risk to thestate. The exclusive mandate also obliges the state to acquire the rail corridor at the joint venture’s cost.After the project achieves financial close, the state will provide the joint venture with a licence forconstruction, followed by a lease for the long-term operation of the railway.

The state and the joint venture are currently negotiating a range of concession agreements for theproject including a development agreement, an operating agreement and a lease. These agreementswill clearly establish the rights and obligations of each party during the construction period and the long-term operation of the railway.

The pace of development for the Surat Basin Rail and related mine and infrastructure projects inthe Surat region will ultimately be determined by private investment decisions. The Newmangovernment is, however, committed to facilitating this development and has undertaken to progress theSurat Basin Rail project in our six-month action plan. To this end, I am pleased to introduce the newSurat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012.

As the proponent is an investor rather than a railway manager, the Surat Basin Rail project doesnot fit easily within the existing legislative and regulatory frameworks. The creation of special legislationwill enable the state to develop a customised legislative environment for the Surat Basin Rail project thatwill appropriately protect the interests of landholders and address a range of other issues that come withprivate investment in a railway corridor. The intent of the bill is to enact special legislation for the SuratBasin Rail project which will complement existing statutory arrangements for rail infrastructure andprovide protections for the state’s interests and for the interests of local governments and, mostimportantly, affected landholders during the construction and long-term operation of the Surat Basinrailway.

The bill takes relevant provisions from the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 and, with someamendments to take account of the private investment model, applies them to the Surat Basin Rail andits corridor. This will ensure that Surat Basin Rail, while being privately owned, is regulated in a mannerconsistent with other statutory arrangements for rail infrastructure in Queensland.

The bill also makes necessary provisions for the Coordinator-General to secure the corridor andprovide appropriate tenure to the joint venture, particularly in relation to the management of the railway’sintersection with roads and watercourses, while providing increased protections for local governmentsand affected landholders who may own roads that must cross the railway corridor.

The bill provides the capacity for the future Surat Basin Rail lease to be exempt from section 121and part 8, division 3 of the Property Law Act 1974 which prescribe general conditions of assignment,default and termination for all leases in Queensland. The exemption will allow the state to effectivelymanage these conditions under the concession agreements, which will be agreed with the joint ventureto codify the rights of each party.

It is intended that by enacting the bill the government will do its part to enable the Surat Basin Railproject to move as soon as possible to secure finance and deliver the railway in coordination with otherinfrastructure projects in the Surat Basin coal supply chain. I commend the bill to the House.

First Reading

Hon. JW SEENEY (Callide—LNP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development,Infrastructure and Planning) (2.48 pm): I move—That the bill be now read a first time.

Question put—That the bill be now read a first time.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.

Referral to the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Miss Barton): Order! In accordance with standing order 131, the billis now referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee.


COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Portfolio Committees, Reporting DatesMr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (2.48 pm), by leave,

without notice: I advise the House that the Committee of the Legislative Assembly has, in accordancewith standing order 136(2), agreed that: committee reports in respect of the Transport Operations(Passenger Transport) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 and the Water Legislation (DamSafety and Water Supply Enhancement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill are to be tabled by thecommittees considering those bills by 22 October 2012; the Multicultural Recognition Bill 2012 is to betabled by the committee considering that bill by 23 October 2012; the Disability Services (Your Life YourChoice) Amendment Bill 2012 and the Family Responsibilities Commission Amendment Bill 2012 are tobe tabled by the committees considering those bills by 25 October 2012; the Surat Basin Rail(Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill 2012 is to be tabled by the committee consideringthat bill by 29 October 2012; and the Sustainable Planning and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012,the Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 and the Guardianship andAdministration and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 are to be tabled by the committeesconsidering those bills by 6 November 2012.

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILLAPPROPRIATION BILL

FISCAL REPAIR AMENDMENT BILLAppropriation Bills; Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill

Second Reading (Cognate Debate)Resumed from p. 2076, on motion of Mr Nicholls—

That the bills be now read a second time.

Ms MILLARD (Sandgate—LNP) (2.50 pm), continuing: This budget maintains a commitment tosports and community health objectives. With approximately 30 sporting groups in my electorate, Iwelcome the extra $146,000 for upgrade finalisations to lighting and facilities for two sports clubs atTaigum and Brighton, both of which are frequented by a large number of families from my area andbeyond. With so many sporting groups in my electorate I look forward to the Get in the Game funding toincrease participation in sport and recreation for children, and I will continue to campaign the minister formuch needed club infrastructure that will hopefully be budgeted for next time. Some $5 million over twoyears will be used to rejuvenate the thoroughbred horseracing industry in Queensland. This industryfeatures prominently in my electorate, with the Deagon thoroughbred training track being theheadquarters for Racing Queensland Ltd. The facilities at Deagon have fallen well into disrepair throughlack of resources and neglect, and I am very pleased to confirm that this facility is already on its way tobeing repaired.

This budget reflects the stark reality that without our sense of security and safety or when ourmost basic needs such as housing are not met other tangible benefits can be undermined. This budgettackles some of these issues, and I want to commend a few of the initiatives being taken. I amimpressed with a commitment of $456.5 million in capital works for social housing, especially at a timewhen there is increasing community demand for social housing within an environment of rising costs.Fortunately, my electorate will participate in the $12.4 million commitment to upgrade social housing inthe local area, which will include upgrades for disability modifications for tenants with special needs. Thepeople of Queensland can look forward to seeing many more uniformed officers on our streets as theNewman government delivers upon its election commitment to create safer communities, as$146 million over four years will be spent on an additional 1,100 police officers in Queensland. Some$4 million will be spent over four years on front-line crime intervention programs such as NeighbourhoodWatch which will help reinvigorate this important community based crime prevention tool in myelectorate and more widely. The Newman government will also increase funding for organisations whichsupport victims of crime and the Women’s Legal Service will also receive additional funds.

The 50-plus community groups in my electorate that work hard to ease the burdens of the mostvulnerable are not forgotten. I welcome the $4 million additional funding initiative to help volunteer andcommunity groups pay for essential equipment. I know their work never ends and I am a strongadvocate that government needs to provide a supportive framework for these important communitychampions.

It is terrific and vital to know that the business sector has not been left out of this budget. Withmany infrastructure projects around the state and other projects like the school maintenance program,we are hoping to strengthen the business sector, especially in the areas of construction and






manufacturing, by providing programs that can stimulate local economies. Other initiatives includeincreasing the payroll tax threshold from $1 million to $1.1 million, with further increases of $100,000each year until it reaches $1.6 million in 2017, and scrapping the sustainability declarations and otherunnecessary red tape.

Projects such as the $18.4 million for new and replacement ambulances are not only anadvantage for the emergency services sector and those who need them but also an advantage for themanufacturing sector, as there are many companies in Queensland that are set up to do this style ofwork and others that can benefit from this work. To support this extra business in the coming years, thisgovernment will provide up to $96 million over four years to support 10,000 additional apprentices and500 university scholarships specifically for women wanting to enter male dominated industries.

In conclusion, I realise that Queensland has been forced into tough times, requiring toughdecisions in finding the balance between how to save and where to spend. In responding to this budget,however, I must say that I am encouraged by the dexterity with which the government has been able tofind savings, limit the grief of job losses and present a strategic budget with a focus on growing a strongfour-pillar economy. Queensland’s economic strength and prosperity will be built on the decisions wemake now and in the next few years and I know that this is a government that can ‘turn this big shiparound’ so that we can all face a future together that is filled with certainty and promise. As the memberfor Sandgate, one of my pledges was to get Queensland back on track, and that is why I will support thisbudget, as I believe that it is heading in the right direction to do just that.

Mrs CUNNINGHAM (Gladstone—Ind) (2.55 pm): I rise to speak to this budget and to put on therecord my appreciation for those funding matters that have been covered by the budget and also toraise issues of concern in areas that were not covered. At the outset I thank the Treasurer for hisassistance in better understanding the budget breakdown, and I appreciate that greatly. I will start withsome general matters. One of the biggest encouragements to people in my electorate would be thechange to the PTSS. For many years we have spoken to health ministers in this place about the needfor practical assistance in terms of the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme. We were rightly reminded thatthis is not compensation for the full cost of seeking medical help; it is just an assistance. But it got to astage where the assistance was almost meaningless, where 15c a kilometre and $30 a night hardlytouched the surface of the actual cost of accessing health services. Doubling that to 30c a kilometre and$60 a night—whilst it will still be an assistance; it will not cover all of the costs—shows the government’sintention to understand that travelling for medical services takes a financial toll on families.

I also welcome the investment in agricultural and horticultural research. Queensland used to beknown for its great researchers. The CSIRO still has that position, but over the years facilities,particularly agricultural facilities and research stations, have been closed and we have lost thatexpertise. I congratulate the minister for reintroducing that investment, not only in the present butparticularly into the future.

There were some comments made throughout the week in relation to maintenance funding of ourschools in that there was reference to a union person who said that the funds should not go to P&Csbecause they would not be accountable. My experience—and I am sure the experience of everymember in this chamber—is that the P&C committees turn over every dollar about five times. They getwhat leverage they can off it. They get value for money wherever they can. I congratulate the ministerfor removing the mandated requirement for QBuild to do the work. That does not mean that QBuild willnot do the work, but it will mean that it will have to be competitive. In this chamber we have heard it saidmany times that businesses should not be concerned about having to be competitive; they just need toget their maths and their balances right. So where QBuild can be a competitive tenderer, it will still beavailable to those places in western Queensland where competition is non-existent because of thecommercial environment. I have full faith in the P&Cs to be able to properly prioritise that funding and toget the very best that they can out of the money that is provided to them.

I also commend the minister on the $15 million investment in the trial to assist elderly parentcarers of disabled children. That has been a matter of concern for decades, and there have beensmaller pilot programs to address the concerns that elderly parents have. It must be a soul-destroyingconcern, particularly with highly disabled and highly dependent older children, for those parents as theyage to know who will take care of their children in their absence.

There is a desperate need in my electorate for disability accommodation. That is where adultdisabled people—men and women—can live separate from their parents, have adequate cover in termsof care, but have some independence in their lifestyle and life choices that is commensurate with theirabilities. I certainly will continue to advocate for that. That care does not just address the elderly parentcarer situation—it is broader than that; nonetheless it is very necessary.

New police officers in this state are critical. We need to do more than recruit to keep abreast ofthe numbers of police officers who are retiring or who are leaving the workforce. We need to recruitabove and beyond those replacement numbers. I certainly hope that the 1,100 new police officers whoare proposed will keep abreast of demand. It will not be enough, but it will be a start. I also look forwardto a number of those police officers coming into the Gladstone electorate.




The 150 full-time teacher aides will be so welcome. Again, I commend the government for that.When prep was first introduced, the most repeated concern was that there were insufficient numbers ofteachers and teacher aides for the little preppies. When they came into school they needed company togo to the toilet facilities et cetera. Many of the classes had one teacher—that was it—and it wasinsufficient not only for the teaching of those prep classes but also for the safety and confidence of theprep kids. I certainly commend the minister for that allocation.

My own electorate has a number of needs. Over the term of this government and the terms ofprevious governments I have endeavoured to raise those needs with the government, some of whichhave been addressed in this budget and some of which have not. On the positives, I commend theMinister for Police and Community Safety for the funding to replace the Calliope Ambulance Station.That station has been a residence/station for decades. It was adequate, but now with the growth inCalliope, which has been exponential—we had six subdivisions at one time happeningsimultaneously—that station certainly needs to be upgraded. With the additional traffic on the Dawsonand Bruce highways, ambulances are often asked to respond to highway accidents. So an increasedfacility, including the ability to have more officers stationed there, will be welcome. The refurbishment ofthe Gladstone Ambulance Station had started under the previous government. I welcome the $300,000to continue that planned capital works.

In the area of affordable housing, the people in my electorate have suffered with families, whohave added to the fabric of the community for decades, having to leave because they just could notafford to remain. There was insufficient—and ‘insufficient’ is probably the kindest way of putting it—investment in affordable housing for the Gladstone region. The construction of the six dwellings atMalpas Street at Boyne Island, which had commenced, ceased when the developer was removed fromthe contract. The completion of those six dwellings will be welcome, because Boyne Tannum is not onlya popular place to live but also a busy place to live. The 20 additional dwellings in Kent Street in WestGladstone will be welcome. There has been a significant investment of coal seam gas money into anorganisation that is working in partnership with the Gladstone Regional Council and RoseberryCommunity Services called Gladstone Affordable Housing. That organisation is an offshoot of theBrisbane Housing Company. I look forward to them providing accommodation units in the hundreds—some for sale, some for rent and some for a subsidised rent—because that need will not diminish astime goes on. With many of the workers going over to the islands with CSG and with other projectscoming on line, that will also place a stress on affordable housing in the electorate.

I commend the Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing for funding—some of itcould be regarded as minor funding; nonetheless it will be greatly appreciated by the rugby union andfootball clubs in Gladstone with the installation of lights that allow for night games. In our climate, thesummer gets very hot and it would be great for shiftworkers to be able to use those facilities both duringthe day and at night. There are a number of other opportunities for coordination positions that havebeen funded. Again, I thank the minister for that.

One of the proposals by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service was the provision of toiletand picnic facilities at Kroombit Tops picnic area. We hear only about the port, the harbour, thewaterfront and the industries in Gladstone, but Gladstone has a hinterland that is equally beautiful. Partof that hinterland is the beauty that can be viewed from and at Kroombit Tops. Providing these facilitieswill allow more people to go to Kroombit Tops. People with young families need to go to places wherethere are at least some facilities for their families to take advantage of. I know that that funding will bewelcomed by bushwalking groups, families and tourists alike.

There is funding in the budget for the Port Access Road to the Gladstone port. That has beenyear-on-year expected funding and it has been provided in this budget. The growth at the Gladstoneport is beyond understanding in some ways. What is proposed with WICET, the coal seam gas, the steelproposals that are around and other proposals means that that port will continue to develop andinvestment is necessary so that we are ready to meet that challenge.

Roads infrastructure is also critically important for the electorate. I note that the Australiangovernment has put in funding for the Bruce Highway—Benaraby to Rockhampton—and the DawsonHighway interchange. That crossroads/interchange will be incredibly important. I go through there atleast twice a day and, although the safety at that point has deteriorated over the past 12 to 18 months, ithad started to be recognised as a pressure point probably a decade ago. Construction work has started.There will be a requirement for the community there to be patient. There will be a great temptation, Ithink, for motorists to make silly decisions during that construction period. I hope all motorists using thatintersection, both domestic users and for trucking, will remember that it is a work in progress, that thereare restricted speed limits and that there will be some frustrations. The end result will be an interchangethat will be safer and more efficient and it will be worth the small amount of pain in the short term. Theupgrading of the highway between Benaraby and Rockhampton is essential but, again, that is beingfunded by the Australian government.

I note that there is funding for a plan for the region. I look forward to working with the DeputyPremier on that. Our first meeting was very productive. I would also like to commend the minister for theHealthy Harbour Partnership. Again, the first meeting was productive and I commend the minister for


being prepared to take one step back. There was some disquiet with some of the industries in relation tofunding. Rather than push that through and perhaps get those companies in a position of uncertainty, atthe last meeting the minister did a very wise thing and took a step back and allowed more forcooperation and consideration to be had to ensure that the way forward not only is effective in terms ofwhat he wants to achieve and what I think will be achieved but also takes the companies with him andwith the rest of the partnership to ensure that the result will be worth the effort and the financial cost.

The take-up in the Clinton Industrial Estate has been significant. That subdivision was done sometime ago and it laid relatively dormant for some time. Certainly, that has ceased now. Each time youdrive down into Bensted Road you see a significant increase in the number of industries that haveestablished workshops or head offices in that industrial estate. It is in an appropriate position, it is welldeveloped and I appreciate that further almost $3 million investment in that Clinton Industrial Estate.

There is some funding proposed for the state development area. There is a huge corridor of landthere—almost 30,000 hectares of land contained in the state development area. There might be only asmall amount allocated for this area in this budget, but the recognition in this budget of the extensivearea of the state development area to me reinforces the need to be able to give the residents of MountLarcom some peace of mind in relation to the ability of their area to grow into the future.

As I said in this place at the last sitting, the 7,000 hectares that was the state development areawas supposed to hold all of the impacts of industry within its development footprint. It is now 30,000hectares—over quadrupled in size—and I cannot see any justification to restrain the growth in MountLarkham which is in a prime position to support industry in the northern part of the electorate. They havebeen constrained after objections by the GEIDB which has now been dismantled and I look forward tothem receiving more positive support from this government.

This budget has had very positive responses in relation to education funding. In my electorate theToolooa State High School has received funding to implement a pilot program for year 7. Toolooa, likeGladstone State High School, is a very innovative high school and I am sure that they will do well as apilot school. The multipurpose hall refurbishment for Gladstone State High School is welcome. Both ofthose high schools face significant growth as the industry continues. Not all of the people who come andwork in the industry bring their families, but a large majority do and schools like the state highs, CalliopeState School and other state schools, as well as our private schools, have faced significant increases inpopulation.

The final matter that I wish to raise is not in the budget and I find this a matter of greatdisappointment: there was no capital funding for Gladstone Hospital at all. I believe that the discussionsthat I have had with the Minister for Health have been genuine and I believe his responses have beengenuine, but it is a matter of great disappointment in my community, and it has already been brought tomy attention through the community, that in this budget there was no specific funding for the GladstoneHospital in terms of major funding injections. I would not in any way want to diminish the importance ofthe $800 million increase in Health funding across the state. I spoke with the minister’s office in relationto specifics for the Gladstone electorate for the Health budget. The information that I was given wasabout funding for the positions of director of medical services and the full-time paediatrician to be refilledand that is essential. They were needed before the budget. We desperately need an injection of capitalfunding for the emergency department, an improvement not only in its facility but also in its staffingnumbers, and the ability for a broader range of medical presentations to be treated at the GladstoneHospital and not transported.

I acknowledge the PTSS has been improved and improved significantly, but I do believe that thecommunity’s focus is on increasing the potential breadth of services available out of the GladstoneHospital. They see it as necessary for a growing community. They see it as necessary for a communitywith a significant risk profile. I see it as essential because the people who work there now work tirelesslywithin a very constrained budget and under very tight staffing arrangements to provide as good aservice as they can. I think funding that hospital will not only improve the services, but also send a clearmessage to those doctors, nurses and other staff who work so generously that they are valued andappreciated and their services are needed. Before this sitting the Minister for Health opened up thebreast screening clinic that is now a stable clinic at the hospital. He articulated those views to the staffwho were there; that morale is low and work does need to be done to improve morale and the best thatcould be done would be an increased workforce, authority given to the staff who work there and the staffunderstanding and acknowledging that they are valued, appreciated and that the service will grow in theGladstone area for Gladstone residents. I thank the Premier and the Treasurer for the budget and thoseministers who have contributed positively to my electorate. I look forward to working with the Minister forHealth and others to see these other areas addressed.

Mr STEWART (Sunnybank—LNP) (3.14 pm): I rise today to contribute to the Appropriation Bill2012. I look around the chamber today and I see many members who are connected with their localcommunities and many members over the past few days have taken the opportunity to discuss thisbudget with their local schools and members of our communities. I see members who ran for parliamentnot because they have never had a real job, but because they wanted change. They wanted their




community to have a clear vision, a plan for the future, not a carrot on a string and not a pot of gold atthe bottom of the rainbow—a clear vision, a plan for Queensland’s future. I also look around thechamber today and see many members who did not decide to run for government for an easy job. I seemembers who want to work hard. I see members who want Queensland to shine. I see members whowant a future for their community and a future for the children of Queensland.

This budget steers Queensland away from the spiralling debt that if left unattended would reach$100 billion. This budget provides a future for Queensland, a future for our children and will not onlygrow Queensland’s economy but will get Queensland back on track. Unfortunately, I also see a fewmembers who fail to see the debt, destruction and deception that was left by the Bligh, Lucas andFraser Labor government. That terrible government is one of the reasons that I decided to stand for thegreater community of Sunnybank: to provide leadership and a plan for our future. To the members whochoose to oppose the government on this bill I simply ask: what is your plan for Queensland’s future? Ihave listened to the Leader of the Opposition and I have failed to hear any suggestion of a responsibleresponse to the debt, destruction and deception left by the failed Labor government. All I have heard onthis debate—come to think of it, all I have heard on a lot of debates—was denial: denial that they hadplans to reduce the Public Service by 41,000 employees that we heard earlier today—that is a whopping26,000 positions that our ministers were able to save—denial that the economic management of thepast had anything to do with the downgrading of the Queensland credit rating from AAA to AA plus;denial by putting their head in the sand and wanting to offset Queensland’s debt with thesuperannuation of the hardworking public servants; denial that the hard work completed by the ministersin reviewing staffing levels in all departments had anything to do with the previous Labor governmentand the state they left our economy in.

I acknowledge that this has been a difficult and challenging time for many people and familiesthroughout Queensland. However, it has been of utmost importance that these strategies areimplemented and that they are implemented before it is too late. I have heard that apparently we thinkthat all debt is bad. I want to dispel that now and agree that not all debt is bad provided it is managedand manageable. This is the view that I believe is shared by many and I am sure that it is shared byFitch. In fact, I am sure they would have taken this into account when they further downgraded our creditrating from AA plus to AA yesterday. This downgrading is another example of Labor’s denial and theappalling financial legacy that continues to haunt Queenslanders. Shame, Labor, shame.

Fitch clearly points to the previous weak budget performance, large capital expenditure and debtdoubling over the last three years as a reason for the downgrade. Hopefully from this there will no longerbe claims from unions and Labor that there is not a debt problem and we can get on with gettingQueensland back on track. This budget has many great benefits. For the people of Sunnybank andQueensland this budget will lower the cost of living, it will revitalise front-line services, grow a four-pillareconomy and help regain the state’s AAA credit rating. I feel proud to be able to deliver significantprograms to all householders in the electorate by delivering an $80 rebate for each domestic waterconnection, the freezing of tariff 11, which may save families on average $120 on their annual electricitybill, and the freezing of family car registration fees.

State schools will be made safer and local school communities will get more power to decide howto fix urgent maintenance issues through our new $200 million commitment. $160,000 will be availablefor each public school to fix existing priority maintenance issues. This means that finally the AcaciaRidge State School will be able to have the trees—yes, the growing trees—removed from its gutters andthe McGregor State School will be able to reinstall the gutters after they had rusted away because ofinsufficient funding for maintenance. The Cooper Plains State School, Runcorn State High School andother schools in the Sunnybank area will get assistance with maintenance projects, such as replacingthe damaged shade sails that protect our children. Work on the McGregor State School’s science blockwill continue and assistance will be given to the McGregor State School with planning for futureaccommodation requirements.

We will continue to provide an additional $60 million towards the upgrade of the Mains Road andKessels Road intersection and, finally—I repeat, finally—$2.6 million will be spent on the Logan Roadand Miles Platting Road intersection. In addition, 1,100 new police officers will be added to the currentpolice numbers and the police of Sunnybank will be able to walk the streets. I know the community willlive in a much safer environment. We will continue to deliver the refurbishment of the QEII Hospital withthe addition of eight new overnight beds, plus 11 new emergency treatments bays. We will continue todeliver additional social housing with the completion of several new dwellings within the electorate. Wewill support the multicultural community in providing funding for multicultural events. I look forward toworking with the minister and assistant minister to deliver for the community in Sunnybank.

On a state level, this budget will stabilise debt, it will reduce wasted money by reducing interestpayments, promote economic growth and deliver for Queensland. Maybe the Treasurer could enlightenus on how much we will be paying in additional interest repayments as a result of the downgrade of theposition of the state. I have discussed the benefits of this budget to the people, but I have failed tomention how the budget will help grow our economy. $20 million will be spent on an investment strategy


focusing on key emerging markets to help boost tourism. $4.8 million will be spent on research todevelop Queensland’s agriculture. The construction centre will be revitalised through a $15,000 firsthome owners grant and stability will be given to the mining sector.

There are many other benefits for Queenslanders in this budget and many members havepreviously discussed how it will support families and grow our economy. I congratulate the Treasurer onhis first of many budgets. It is one that will encourage growth in Queensland and not growth in debt. It isclear that he and the cabinet have listened to the people of Queensland and I know that value for moneyand efficiencies in all areas of government are what the people want. I value the people of Sunnybank, Ivalue the Public Service, I value Queenslanders and, most importantly, I value the future forQueensland. That is why I commend the bills to the House.

Mr BENNETT (Burnett—LNP) (3.22 pm): This is my first budget, I am happy that it is a strongbudget and I am proud to add to the budget debate. Over the past 15 years, as a concernedQueenslander I have sat through many budget days delivered by the previous ALP governments. I keptsaying to myself, ‘If the ALP government had plenty of time to address all of the challenges facing thestate and had set us up for the future as we were being told, and if the Labor government had itspriorities right over a such a long period, why do we still have a health crisis? Why do we have a lack ofaffordable water security in our great state? Why do we still have traffic problems on my electorate’sroads?’ These were the questions we were asking when we witnessed the amounts of money beingspent and wasted by the now failed ALP government. The question uppermost in the minds of thepeople of my electorate is: where did all the money go? Queensland’s financial situation has been adisaster since 2007-08. Labor went on a spending spree, rather than showing any discipline. In early2000, Queensland’s borrowings were low. Since then, borrowings tripled from $18 million in 2005-06 to$53 billion in 2010-11. It is no wonder that the ratings agencies became concerned and the interestrates on Queenslanders’ taxes increased.

Our first step was to get public expenditure under control. Since 2000, Public Service employeeexpenses have grown by an average of 8.7 per cent per year. The effect was a massive expansion inthe size of the Queensland public sector from fewer than 150,000 employees to more than 200,000 andan unsustainable increased wages bill. We all know that, in terms of revenue and expenditure, this is astrong budget and once again ours is going to be a financially strong state. Generation after generationhas seen conservative governments having to solve the financial disasters left by Labor governments,both federally and at a state level. That is something that the more mature members of my communityhave seen many times. Each time, there is a little more frustration felt at the wasteful and recklessspending entrenched in the Labor Party.

Following the great trend of conservative party Treasurers, this Treasurer has struck a goodbalance between the desperate economic needs of the state and the people and the social needs of allQueenslanders. That is the difference between the LNP and the Labor Party. Not only will the LNPbalance the books but it will also promote economic growth. The LNP is in touch with the community, weknow what people experience day in, day out and we have delivered. I welcome the comment this weekfrom ACOSS President Karyn Walsh, who stated—There are some positives from the budget in social housing and easing of cost of living pressures.

It is encouraging to read the positive response from the Local Government Association, statingthat the budget confirms allocations of $495 million over four years for the Royalties for the Regionsprogram, which will help councils in the north of my electorate that are eligible for the funding to invest inimprovements to roads and community infrastructure. Again I mention to the House the desperate needto flood-proof the roads in my electorate, especially the Fingerboard Road and the Essenden Bridge.

Certainly I have some great news to promote in my electorate. One of the initiatives that I am verypleased with is the grant of $15,000 for first home buyers to buy a newly built home or off the plan. Thatinitiative will boost construction in my electorate. The Advancing Our Schools Maintenance Fund willallow state school P&Cs to apply for up to $160,000 to fix existing priority maintenance issues atschools. It will be great for education outcomes by providing appropriate learning environments for ourstudents. I remind the House that the government service delivery can be conducted by QBuild,especially when there is a need to manage risk. I welcome the contestability improvements with theDepartment of Public Works for this organisation.

This budget will address one major issue for patients in my electorate having to travel to accessmedical services, with a doubling of the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme. My community safety will bebetter served with a priority $1 million allocated to revitalise Neighbourhood Watch and CrimeStoppers and additional police officers. I welcome the announcement of the $3.5 billion investment incapital infrastructure so energy and water can continue to be provided in a safe and reliable way.Affordable power and water is vital to the sustainability of my electorate. Many families will be delightedwith the release of the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Trial, Parent Connect and additional respite foryoung people with a disability aged 16 to 25. Those are really exciting and welcome innovations.

This budget delivers for the future in three very significant ways. The first is the sound investmentin Queensland through a focus on productivity, particularly through the generators of investment andemployment, that is, business. The budget does this by ensuring that our businesses are motivated to




invest in our state through actions such as tax cuts, which are outlined in the budget. In fact, I ampleased that many Queensland businesses will no longer pay payroll tax. For an electorate such asBurnett, where there are over 3,000 small businesses—the powerhouses of employment in this state—this means financial and red tape relief, but most of all it means jobs, although not at the expense ofworkers’ wages. The budget provides real opportunities for employers to grow their businesses throughtax relief and provide employment through that growth.

Secondly, the budget delivers through building front-line services in critical areas, for example, arecord $11.862 billion for health initiatives, more staff on weekends, reduced waiting lists by partneringwith private providers, targeting funding to get my constituents off Labor’s waiting list for the waiting lists,emergency repairs to rural and remote hospitals, and enhanced maternal and child health services toprovide additional access to home visits and community clinics in the first year following the birth of achild. There are strong investments in the Education budget and record spending in Transport and MainRoads, Police, Emergency Services, Communities and Disability Services, just to name a few. There isextra funding to support victims of crime organisations, which will provide much needed recovery andsupport. I am supportive of the investment in the agricultural sector, especially the funding for sugarcaneindustry research, development and extension. Peak horticultural organisation, Growcom, has said thatthe state budget has included a number of positives for agriculture reflecting the LNP’s pre-electioncommitment to the industry as one of the four pillars of our economy. Queensland is the powerhouse ofthis nation and it is responsible to ensure that we protect our assets by ensuring we are providing for ourincreasing population during the continued time of growth.

Thirdly, two aspects of the budget that give me the greatest sense of pride in our government arethe record investment in Health and our schools. The record Health budget delivers for the people ofBurnett. This is an excellent budget for Queensland and also the Treasurer’s first budget. I congratulatehim, his ministerial staff and his departmental staff on what has been a well-delivered and receivedbudget. It gives me great pleasure to commend the bills to the House.

Mr SHORTEN (Algester—LNP) (3.30 pm): I wish to make my contribution to the Appropriation Bill2012. Queenslanders voted overwhelmingly for change on 24 March 2012. After years of Laborgovernment, Queenslanders saw the need for change—a need for a new vision. The Newmangovernment came to office with a swag full of fully costed policies and, more importantly, with a vision toget Queensland back on track. Like a used car, you never know what you have got until you get it out ofthe yard. What did we find left by the former Labor government? $62 billion in debt! The cupboard wasbare and Old Mother Hubbard nowhere to be found. I can only imagine the feeling around the cabinetmeeting at the first meeting when the terrible financial position of the state was outlined to cabinet. Isuspect it would have been very similar to those kitchen table discussions families like mine had to havewhen cost of living was spiralling out of control. Do we pay the electricity bill or put food on the table?You cannot live on debt. I know firsthand that at some point it has to be paid back. But the Labor Partystill will not admit it was at fault for the financially perilous state we inherited. It does not even have thecommon courtesy to say sorry to Queenslanders.

This is a once-in-a-generation budget—a budget to put the ship of state back on a course toprosperity. Hard decisions have had to be made—decisions that the former government had nostomach to make. At this point I put on record my thanks to those members of the Public Service whoare in the process of transitioning out of the Public Service. I empathise with them. I know firsthand whatit is like to be made redundant. I know the emotions that are being felt right now. You question yourself.Was it something I did or I did not do? I can tell them that the decisions that have had to be made are noreflection on them as an individual or on the work ethic they brought to the job.

As an example, I would like to talk about my experience of being made redundant in November2008. My wife was still at uni and our daughter was just under three years old so members canunderstand the concerns I had in supporting my family, but I got a payout equal to my time of service. Iwas given assistance and access to organisations to update my resume and interview skills. My bankcame to the party and put my mortgage repayments on hold for six months and that assisted greatly, sothere are avenues of support for people going through this transition.

I would like to turn to my wonderful electorate of Algester and the great funding measures thathave been committed to in this budget. A whopping $4.7 million for disability services has beencommitted to my electorate. This is a great investment for Algester. Along with the Elderly Parent CarerInnovation Trial, which is a $15 million trial to assist elderly parent carers of disabled children intomaking arrangements for their children’s future care, this government recognises its commitment to thedisability sector.

One of the first things I did after my election was to visit each of the state schools in my electorate.Can I say I was shocked by the amount of basic maintenance which had not been funded by theprevious government? The Labor Party crow about its commitment to education, but when the rivers ofgold were flowing into the state what did it do? Did it maintain and upgrade schools? No, it went and builta rock egg in the middle of a national park. It spent $3 million on propagating wollemi pines, which in theend was a failure.




The Newman government understands the importance of education, and part of an attractiveeducational environment is a well-maintained learning environment. That is why we have committed tofunding up to $160,000 per state school for the backlog of school maintenance. Unlike federal Laborand the QTU, we trust local P&Cs, which is why we are going to give them the money because we knowthat they will get value for money for their schools.

The Algester electorate will benefit from the introduction of the $15,000 grant for first homebuyers purchasing a new house or off-the-plan dwelling together with no duty on new home purchasesunder $500,000. I would also like to take this opportunity to speak about a subject which is close to myheart which I have spoken about in this House before—public housing. Everyone in the House hasheard my story and knows that I grew up in public housing. I still have family in public housing, and I ama great advocate for public housing. I would like to put on record again my thanks for the great work thatMinister Flegg is doing in the space of public housing considering that the former government left uswith not one new dollar appropriated for public housing in the forward estimates. This disgrace has beenremedied in this first LNP budget with the new expenditure identified in the budget papers. That newexpenditure is $456.5 million in capital works.

The Newman government has significantly invested in the future of Queensland’s social housing.This government has been implementing reforms to social housing including addressingunderoccupancy, introducing fixed term leases and building partnerships with the community housingorganisations to make inroads into the 30,000-odd families on the waiting list. Partnerships withcommunity housing providers are essential for filling the gap in public housing supply, and this canalready be seen in parts of my electorate in Logan where the government is seeking an appropriatesized area of land to allow for the construction of up to 200 one- and two-bedroom units.

The Newman government, of which I am very proud to be a member, has had to make some harddecisions, but I believe that Queenslanders will see the long-term success that has now been locked inunder this hard but fair budget delivered by the very able Treasurer, the Hon. Tim Nicholls. I pay tributeto him and to the whole government for their efforts in shaping this first of many budgets. I believe thisbudget will put Queensland on the path to even greater success which all Queenslanders will be a partof and will reap the rewards of the hard decisions which had to be made. I commend the bills to theHouse.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Miss Barton): Order! Before I call the next speaker, I remind allmembers that the person who is on their feet gets the call and any suggestion otherwise is a reflectionon the chair and will not be tolerated.

Ms TRAD (South Brisbane—ALP) (3.37 pm): I am pleased to make a contribution on theappropriation bills before the House, but that is not because I think these bills in the budget represent abudgetary approach to build a prosperous future for all Queenslanders. We know that budgets are aboutvalues and philosophy, and we in the Labor Party know that budgets are about priorities but, most of all,budgets are about people. Labor stands up for people and their rights. That is why I am pleased to standin this chamber and talk about the budget from a Labor values perspective. But first let’s debunk someof the myths we have heard in this chamber so far.

What does it mean to spin? Let us have a look at the Oxford Dictionary definitions. There aremany definitions of the word ‘spin’. No. 1 is a rapid turning or a whirling motion as in, ‘He concluded thedance with a double spin,’ and I could not help being reminded of the Attorney-General with thatdefinition. Or an uncontrolled fast revolving descent of an aircraft resulting from a stall as in, ‘He tried tostop the plane from going into a spin,’ and that pretty much describes the Premier’s description of theQueensland fiscal situation, and no wonder we got a downgrade yesterday.

Government members interjected.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member deserves the right to be heard. The member for

South Brisbane has the call. Ms TRAD: Or the one that is more appropriate in this context is the presentation of information in

a particular way, a slant, especially a favourable one as in, ‘He tried to put a positive spin on thePremier’s leadership.’ Or as a mass noun, ‘All Queenslanders are sick and tired of the government’scontrol-freakery and spin,’ and obviously that is a reference to the Queensland Treasurer.

The Premier and the Treasurer have said that this budget—the first conservative budget in 15years, the inaugural LNP state budget—is the most important budget in a generation. Let’s test thatassertion against the actual evidence, shall we? Is it important because it will deliver an improvement inQueensland’s credit rating? Well, two days after the budget is delivered, Queensland gets a downgradefrom Fitch Ratings agency from AA plus to AA. So against that measure, no.

Is it important because it builds a better state for working Queenslanders where their skills andlabour are respected, where their rights at work are fair and where their employment security—whetherby agreement or whether by economic confidence—is solid? Well, no, because the day after the budgetwas delivered we saw tens of thousands of Queenslanders across the state marching in the streetsregistering their anger and disgust at this government’s approach to sacking workers, starving families,stripping rights and powering down our economy.




Is it because this budget—the most important budget in a generation, as they have said—hasimbued the confidence of the resource sector, our largest sector, so that important projects like theOlympic Dam expansion in South Australia are not replicated here? Well, let’s go to the words ofMichael Roche, the Director of the Queensland Resources Council. He said that this budget is ‘worsethan we ever feared. It will mean job losses. It risks further mine closures’.

So obviously it is not the most important budget in a generation. That is just spin. So what is it?Well, John Quiggin, Federation Fellow in Economics and Political Science at the University ofQueensland, described this budget as a ‘startling exercise in self-contradiction’ and said, ‘It looks likethe typical budget of a government that doesn’t have too many ideas, but pays a lot of attention to focusgroups and industry lobbies’. And this may well be the case for legitimate reasons, and I would like togive the Treasurer the benefit of the doubt.

As we know from his recent trip abroad, when the Treasurer is away the wheels tend to come offthe George Street cart. After all, it is hard to focus on your job when you have to put in so many hourstraining the learner Premier. It is hard to focus on the budget when you have to keep telling the Premierthat using terms like ‘pooper scooper’ when referring to sacking thousands of Queenslanders is notreally congruent to his commitment to governing with humility, dignity and grace. Someone has to tellhim he is wrong. And it is hard to apply intellectual muscle when you are so fixated on outmanoeuvringthe health minister, who seems to be managing the media very well can I acknowledge.

Fundamentally, this budget is a con and it is predicated on a political stunt, and that is whatQueenslanders are saying to me—they feel conned by ‘Can-do’. Queenslanders outside the House aresaying it in the streets. Queenslanders on the blogosphere are saying it loud and clear. Backbenchersinside this House are saying it. I know it. Clive knows it. Even the member for Dalrymple knows it.

Mr WATTS: Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise to a point of order. It is misleading the House, unlessyou can refer to which backbencher.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Miss Barton): Order! Member for Toowoomba North, I could nothear your point of order. What is your point of order?

Mr WATTS: She made a reference to the backbench. I would like to know which one. Ms TRAD: That is not a point of order.Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order, and I will not need to take

directions from the member for South Brisbane.Ms TRAD: I was not directing you; I was simply stating it. Mr Nicholls: How long have you been here? You know it all now, do you?Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The House will come to order. The member for South

Brisbane has the call.Ms TRAD: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. So what is the political stunt that is the

foundation of the con? It is obviously the Costello Commission of Audit. The only people who think thatthere is any validity or veracity in the Costello Commission of Audit are those opposite who sit onministerial leather. They have to believe it because their job depends on it. It is a highly discrediteddocument that does not convince any Queenslander. It is ripped straight out of the tory playbook. Youcan change the name, you can change the figures, you can change the dates, but the story is alwaysthe same.

The insulting thing about this is that those opposite in the LNP think Queenslanders are mugs.The LNP think Queenslanders are stupid. They think that they can sell them promises in an election andthen find a magical abyss in which to throw these promises down. Like other Australians across thenation, Queenslanders know that commissions of audit are on page 1 of the tory playbook. Let’s look atits inglorious history.

Nick Greiner used it in New South Wales in 1988. John Howard and Peter Costello used it in1996. Ted Baillieu used it in 2010. Barry O’Farrell used it in 2011. And, now, 24 years after the first torycommission of audit, the pathetic self-spawning document has made its way to Queensland in what is itsweakest iteration yet. Newman and Nicholls in 2012 are the proud recipients of the CostelloCommission of Audit. The tory playbook has a new front cover but the document still tells them what todo and how to do it.

One would think that after coveting government for so long, and after sitting on the oppositionbenches for six years, the Treasurer might have an original game plan or that the Treasurer may haveput in a bit of his own intellectual muscle to set up the first conservative government in Queenslandsince 1998. But no—no wonder he was part of an opposition that earned the dubious reputation of beingthe laziest opposition in Australia. His colleagues knew he was lazy. That is why they would not trustanyone in their party room, let alone him, to be the Leader of the Opposition. They had to outsource thejob to a private contractor. It is no wonder the Treasurer thinks that public servants are expendablebecause, as someone who is paid from the public purse, he does very little, he contributes very little andhe thinks very little.


Let’s look at the value of these audits. Nick Greiner said it best when speaking at the launch of abook about the history of coalition governments in New South Wales. He described the CurranCommission of Audit as a ‘political stunt’—an exercise undertaken to create an environment in whichthe community would accept change. So what these audits do is diagnose absolute financial disaster—or, as the Premier likes to pantomime, a state on a power dive into the abyss of disaster, an economy onpar with the collapsing economies of Europe.

But what we do know from history and from analysis of the Costello Commission of Audit is that itis an internally conflicted piece of work that oscillates between disassociation and idealisation—muchlike this government. In the audit they disassociate from the previous projections on the basis that theyare too optimistic. But in the budget they have idealised these optimistic figures for their own purposes.

But Costello would take a pessimistic view, wouldn’t he? He is a mopey and thoroughlydepressing individual, stuck in the perpetual sulk. That is if you believe his old friend Michael Kroger. Letus look at what he had to say recently about the author of the Queensland Commission of Audit. Hesaid—Why do I not talk to Peter much these days? Because, as all his ex-friends know, lunch with Peter is an agony. It’s a nightmare.Peter’s got to stop criticising Tony Abbott. He is not an economic illiterate. He’s a Rhodes scholar ... He’s got to stop criticising Alan Stockdale and Malcolm Turnbull and Robert Doyle and Michael Ronaldson and John Hewson andAndrew Peacock—

Mr HART: Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise to a point of order. This discussion is about theappropriation bills. This has nothing to do with what she is talking about.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The member for South Brisbanehas the call.

Ms TRAD: I will conclude Mr Kroger’s remarks—Peter has to move on. He’s got to move on and stop bagging everyone, including me. Peter doesn’t seek to help Tony Abbott at all. He didn’t seek to help Malcolm Turnbull at all.

But he does seek to help somebody—although, mind you, it is on a fee-for-servicearrangement—and that is Treasurer Tim, lazy Tim, the good old boy from Trinity Grammar School inKew. So when did Kroger say these things about Costello? It was only in May this year when Costellowas in the final throes of finalising the interim Commission of Audit. No wonder Costello’s modellingfactors in a never-ending GFC. No wonder Costello has predicated the budgetary position on morestate-wide flooding and significant cyclonic events. No wonder Costello overlooked net debt or net worthto focus on the bigger, more pessimistic figure of gross debt including all government businessenterprise debt.

Mr Costello is clearly a morose and sulky individual. If he is that bored, he should find anotherVictorian seat and have another federal tilt, but for God’s sake leave Queensland alone. The Victorianswill never let up, will they? First, they want to steal our State of Origin and now they want tocatastrophise Queensland, and all of the LNP frontbench are in on that.

A government member: Now to the budget.Ms TRAD: Actually, talking about the budget, before I leave the issue of political stunts, let us talk

about this political stunt. Let us talk about the 41,000 voluntary redundancies. Let us talk about the factthat the Treasurer marched into this House yesterday with a little political stunt about how Labor wantedto sack 41,000 public servants. What is the truth? The truth is that Labor wanted to rationalise somepublic servants’ positions and that number, yes—

Government members interjected. Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member has the right to be heard. The House is

descending into farce.Mrs Frecklington interjected.Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Nanango is warned. It is not funny. The member

for South Brisbane has the call. Ms TRAD: Those opposite know full well that 5,000 was the figure, even though 41,000 people

were communicated with. They were advised of a program the government was undertaking and theyvoluntarily responded. This government, on the other hand, are sacking 60 per cent of the cleaners thatservice this House. That is a disgrace. We all well know what the LNP think of cleaners, and that is whythey are sacking 60 per cent of the cleaners who service this building. That is just an outrage.

Ms MILLARD: Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I take offence at the member forSouth Brisbane making comment that she knows how we feel about cleaners.

Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.Mrs Miller interjected.


Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Bundamba, you have already been warned earliertoday. I would tread very carefully, if I were you.

Ms TRAD: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for your protection. Let us talk about job cuts andparticularly in transport—after all, thousands and thousands of jobs are going in Transport and MainRoads. The most disgraceful and cruel prank I have seen to date was the announcement in a DorothyDixer from the member for Yeerongpilly that 2,000 jobs were going in Transport and Main Roads.People have given service to this state in the reconstruction and the rebuild of Queensland after theworst natural disasters in our recorded history, yet the reward they got from this government was tohave their job cuts announced via a Dorothy Dixer in their parliament. That is the most disgraceful,cowardly act imaginable.

The true impact of these job cuts will begin to show in the coming months, but decisions to cutfunding to worthy programs and projects will have more immediate impacts. Worthwhile programs thatpunch well above their level of funding have been cut, and vulnerable people who rely on transportservices will suffer most. We will see $40 million cut from the School Transport Assistance Scheme overthe next four years through a process of ‘bus route optimisation’—which is code for bus route cuts. It willbe harder for kids living in rural and remote areas to get to school. The cost of using TravelTrain forpensioners is going to increase from $12.50 to $25. Talk about an improvement to the cost of living forpensioners! That is fantastic! We know exactly what this government thinks about taxi subsidies forpeople with a disability: ‘Let us cut that program as well.’ The reality is that this mean and tricky budgetcuts to the heart of the bush and goes right after vulnerable people who rely on transport services. TheLNP has betrayed the people who put their trust in this government.

We have already seen some pretty dodgy figures about the Department of Transport and MainRoads reported in the Courier-Mail. I want to bring to the attention of the House another example of thelazy accounting used in this budget by the lazy Treasurer. I am referring to the policy of free travel on theTransLink network after nine trips in a Monday-Sunday week. The LNP projected in Budget Paper No. 4that this policy will cost $8.4 million this financial year, $9.6 million next financial year and approximately$10 million in the two years after that. When I saw the figures, I thought they looked remarkably familiar;in fact, they were copied and pasted exactly from the LNP’s pre-election policy.

I note that, when the LNP made this election policy, Labor’s policy of free travel after 10 journeyswas already in place and was costing taxpayers $6.7 million a year. In the ultimate exercise in lazypolicy making, the LNP just shifted the goalposts and proposed free travel after nine trips in a week.They told us all that it would only cost an additional $9 million a year on top of the current $6.7 million,but the figures so far just do not stack up. Between when the policy was introduced in June and August,the policy had already cost $3 million—that is, $428,000 a week. It does not add up.

What can I say about Environment? There are 732 fewer FTEs. All the performance targets havebeen lowered to the lowest possible denominator. The Environment budget is not a budget for theenvironment; it is a budget for business. It is a budget for corporations, not for conservation. It is adisgrace and everybody knows that.

What is really interesting about the environment is climate change. Given that this is the firstbudget since the abolition of the Office of Climate Change and its programs, it is very interesting that theDepartment of Environment and Heritage Protection lists ‘a changing and more variable climate’ as oneof the four key external challenges to the agency delivering its service. Why would the Minister forEnvironment and Heritage Protection, who is yet to be convinced by the science of climate change, useclimate change as an excuse for his department’s performance against low targets? I will leave thatquestion with members.

What can we say about the arts? Governments promulgate values and this government hasannounced loudly and clearly that it values Big Brother over books. Budgets are about priorities, and thebudget states clearly that the arts are not a priority for this government. This is further underscored bythe fact that the Premier has given the member for Mudgeeraba portfolio responsibility for the arts; hehas proven this beyond doubt. She is the worst ministerial performer to date, and the whole LNPbackbench knows it. Millions have been cut from arts grants, like the art+place grant program. There area whole range of cuts and low performance targets in the reporting statement for the arts.

Before I turn to South Brisbane, can I just mention the disgraceful, unedifying contribution fromthe member for Lockyer last night. He said—It is actually the first appropriation bill in the nine years that I have been a member of the parliament that I have had someconfidence in.

So he had no confidence in last year’s budget, which delivered almost $40 million to hiselectorate after the worst flooding ever? What a disgrace. What a joke.

South Brisbane has been hit particularly hard by this budget and this government. We have publicservants out of work. We have small business—

Government members interjected.Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! There are too many interjections across the chamber and

I am struggling to hear the member.


Ms TRAD: South Brisbane has been hit particularly hard. We have a disproportionately highnumber of public servants in South Brisbane, as does the electorate of Brisbane Central. There is now asignificant number of unemployed public servants who are highly skilled. Small business has taken adownturn in their takings and that is well established. NGOs have had their funding cut, and schoolprograms have been cut.

Let me end on the Premier’s Literary Awards. It is interesting to see what Frank Moorhouse, thewinner of the fiction category of the inaugural 2012 Queensland Literary Awards said—The refusal to fund the arts not only disappoints Queensland and impoverishes the quality of their lives and their children’s lives,but, sadly, it shames the state in which they live. It is always interesting to realise that people in power sometimes fear the arts—and perhaps they should—afterall, it is by thewriters of books that they will ultimately be remembered by history, the readers and writers have the last say on political careersand reputations.

So what will the writers say about this budget? What will they say about this Treasurer? What willthey say about the inaugural LNP state budget and the first conservative budget in 15 years? They willsay that it was a complete and utter flop. It is a huge backward step and it is an absolute can-do con.

(Time expired) Mr GRANT (Springwood—LNP) (3.59 pm): While today I would like to speak predominantly

about our budget focus, I simply cannot proceed without first reminding the House of the poisonedchalice that Labor forced upon the people of our state after having filled it for many years with ever-deepening deficits and denial that debt had become a dead weight on families’ backs. Many aresuffering acutely now because Labor got it so wrong.

I was particularly incensed by the words dished out in an opposition speech in reply to the budgetyesterday when the Leader of the Opposition had the gall to stand here and say, ‘Labor stands forfairness,’ and that they would immediately reinstate employment security, yet we know that behind thescenes before the election Labor were looking at significant numbers of retrenchments from the PublicService. Our Treasurer revealed yesterday that, in reality, Labor were handing out redundancies lastyear, telling staff that they were surplus to their needs. Labor MPs knew that they had employed toomany staff. I understand that the scale of Labor’s operations in this matter saw them communicatingwith in excess of 41,000 staff regarding termination of employment. Shame on those Labor MPs whoincreased the size of the bureaucracy by approximately 81,000 since 2005, just to backflip and look to41,000 of them to accept redundancy in 2011. How cruel! Shame on those MPs who participated in that.When the Leader of the Opposition says that Labor would reinstate employment security, I ask: whywould anyone believe her? Certainly no-one in this government would.

The cost of living is the No. 1 pressure on many families in Queensland at present and there isone reason for this. The one reason is Labor. Labor spent $9,000 million recklessly on waterinfrastructure, much of which has not materialised. I say wastefully and recklessly because they left thespending to the last minute and paid a very high price to have work completed in a rush. Now we arepaying it back. If only they had spent this money 10 years ago on a dam but, no, their vision was to takewater reticulation businesses from councils only to backflip and let them be returned to councils, againat great expense. Why do I speak so passionately? Because I was in local government when Labor took$1.3 billion worth of infrastructure off us. They took our staff and we just had to pay to bring it all backagain. What a waste of state taxpayers’ funds. They are the people I had to care for and did care forduring my term in local government. Let me ask this question of Labor: where was your compassion forthe people about whom you boast so much while you were doing all this? It has resulted in the grief thatthey are suffering now. Where was that compassion? It just did not exist. Labor just kept on spending—spending money they did not have employing people they could not pay. It created false security andnow hopes are dashed.

The residents in my electorate of Springwood have been letting me know what has been causingthem concern. Now I want to relate what the LNP has decided by applying the state budget to meet theneeds of residents. Let us consider the cost-of-living concerns. Many LNP cost-saving measures arealready in effect and well known, so I will not go over these again. However, additional funding of$92 million has been provided in 2012-13 to deliver rebates of up to $80 per domestic water connectionin South-East Queensland to reduce the burden on residents. The LNP is also giving councils that arenot yet fluoridating their town water the option to not fluoridate their drinking water. An amount of$14 million is expected to be saved from this action.

Significant funds have been allocated to assist children who cannot afford the cost of joiningsports clubs. I encourage the sporting clubs in the Springwood electorate to apply for these funds. Let usconsider young mothers with babies. The LNP government will provide $28.9 million over four yearsand, thereby, enhance maternal and child health services to provide additional access to home visitsand community clinics in the first 12 months following birth.

What of the challenge that young people face today in escaping the rent trap? By revisiting thefirst home owners grant, the government is targeting eligibility for that grant to those buying or building anew home to support a more supply based response to the issue of home affordability. To support




housing construction, a $15,000 first home owners grant will be provided. On the subject of housingmore broadly, the Minister for Housing and Public Works, the Hon. Dr Bruce Flegg, has found seedfunding for the development and renewal of both public and affordable housing. We care. We want tomeet the needs of families on the waiting list and help young people purchase their first home. We wantto make sure that there are more public homes built by the end of this year—unlike Labor, who wereselling homes just to pay for the maintenance of the ones that they owned prior to that time.

I turn now to the subject of looking after families and caring for those with disabilities. This hasbeen the single biggest issue brought to my attention by families visiting me since the election. Theywould come to my office with their child in the wheelchair and demonstrate how tough life is. I am verypleased to be able to say that in this budget the Hon. Tim Nicholls has put aside an extra $26 millionover four years to provide extra respite for people with high-needs disabilities aged between 16 and 25and their carers, and to establish Parent Connect to provide assistance to parents of newborns with adisability.

I now would like to talk about the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Trial. We care so we haveallocated $15 million to assist elderly parent carers of offspring with disabilities to have certainty andsecurity about who will care for their adult children with a disability after they no longer can. The trial willinvest in or contribute to projects that provide new community living spaces, mixed disabilities and aged-care developments, home modifications and grants to elderly carers to assist in the transition to newcare arrangements. The Springwood electorate will benefit from grants totalling $4.057 million providedfor disability services.

Now let us consider our youth in early schooling. Some $10.9 million over four years has beenallocated to provide 30 speech-language pathologists in state schools to assist students facing learningchallenges.

On the subject of law and order, additional funding of $146.9 million over four years is provided tothe Police Service, $4 million over four years for the Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppersprograms, and $2 million over two years to deliver a boot camp program to young people at high risk ofreoffending. The program will include physical activity, intervention measures and family support. Also,$8 million over four years has been allocated to assist local governments with graffiti removal.

I move on to education. The government will provide $31.3 million from 2012-13 to 2014-15 and$22.3 million ongoing from 2015-16 to roll out the equivalent of full-time teacher aides to an additional150 prep classes each year in areas of greatest need. From 2013 this funding will support an additional2,341 teacher aide hours a week, and by 2015-16 it will support an extra 9,000 teacher aide hours perweek.

Up to $160,000 will be available for each state school in the electorate of Springwood formaintenance purposes where required. I can tell members that it is widely required in Springwood. I wasamazed to walk through Springwood State High School and see downpipes completely rusted apart,glass windows cracked and just glued up and a dire need for painting and tidying up. It was appalling tosee the state of those buildings—certainly not compliant with building regulations. The government willalso provide additional funding of $1 million over four years to support schools with access to chaplaincyservices. I am grateful for this support for our young people.

I turn my mind to the environment and heritage protection, specifically koala protection. Thegovernment is providing increased funding of $4 million over four years with a focus on habitatconnectivity for koala preservation and a further $17.1 million over three years towards the acquisition ofkoala habitat. I have already been active in attempting to see some of these funds used in myelectorate.

I am very happy to announce some details with regard to road safety expenditure in myelectorate. Approximately $400,000 has been allocated for upgrades at particular intersections inSpringwood. The intersection of Sports Drive and Springwood Road, which has been a terriblydangerous intersection for many years, will receive a traffic lights upgrade; the intersection of BelboraRoad and Bryants Road will receive a traffic lights upgrade; and there will be an upgrade at theintersection of Cinderella Drive and Fitzgerald Avenue.

We have a program of providing flashing lights in school zones. Deaths and injuries haveoccurred in school zones in or near my electorate. We have allocated $7.5 million over four years toprovide flashing-lights speed-limit signs in priority school zones. My constituents, sadly, have to bepatient because assessments have identified dangerous locations more deserving of our attention thisyear than Springwood Road State School. However, I will continue to pursue lights for this school asvehicles often speed through this zone.

Now I turn my mind to the M1, a major part of my electorate. Virtually everyone in the Springwoodelectorate experiences delays on the congested motorway. I am pleased to emphasise that$12.8 million has been allocated for the upgrading of the M1, with an additional lane between FitzgeraldAvenue and the Aranda Street precinct. Springwood residents will also benefit from $10 millionbudgeted in this financial year for asphalt overlays in the area on the M1 motorway.


I sincerely thank the Treasurer and Minister for Trade, the Hon. Tim Nicholls, all cabinet ministersand the Premier for the budget that has been prepared. Many have received much needed support.While others have to persevere until we can get them the help they need, we have made the unpopulardecisions so that we can deliver the greater good to the greatest number in a sustainable manner. Icommend the bills to the House.

Mr HATHAWAY (Townsville—LNP) (4.14 pm): I rise to speak in strong support of our Treasurer’sbudget for 2012-13, the first for the LNP and the first for a conservative government in Queensland for15 years. I commend the Treasurer for his efforts and indeed the leadership team and ministers for theirskill in crafting a responsible, once-in-a-generation budget that will reset the course of this state. I alsoacknowledge their fortitude in having to make the many tough decisions necessary to get the state backon track and back in the black. These are decisions that have not been taken lightly—decisions that,regrettably, do cause some pain. However, this is more a case of bitter medicine—necessarymedicine—to cure the malignancy of Labor’s addiction to debt and deficit.

For the record, I take issue with the Leader of the Opposition, herself a minister of the previousgovernment that presided over this infection. I take issue with her reply and response, accusing thisgovernment of not caring about the people behind the numbers. In fact, three cabinet ministers of theformer government sit amongst those opposite. Where is their acceptance of responsibility? Wherewere their voices when Bligh and Fraser kept peddling their addictive wares? I can inform the currentLeader of the Opposition that it is because we care about these people—yes, it is because we careabout all Queenslanders—that this budget is doing what it must to get the state back on track and backin the black.

Unfortunately, the malignancy that we inherited is not isolated in its presentation. Australianpolitical history is replete with examples, and the symptoms are all the same. Case history 1: Kennettfollowing Cain-Kirner. He was left with a $2.2 billion budget deficit, a net public sector debt of about$33 billion and a budget sector debt of $16 billion. Does this sound familiar? He was forced to reducethe Public Service by over 50,000. He had 100,000 people protesting outside his office at parliament,and he recollects—Although there were 100,000 outside my office at parliament that day, there were 4.5 million who stayed at home or at work.

While reviewing the protest by about 3,000 people this week in front of this place, I know thatthere are people hurting and I know that the government is making these tough decisions for the good ofall 4½ million Queenslanders.

We have also heard today in this House secret plans of the former government to target up to41,000 public servants. Their hypocrisy is breathtaking. The difference is, however, that our governmenthas made those decisions with far less impact on Queenslanders. They have done this by carefullyworking on both sides of the balance sheet and without any increases in taxes to Queensland families.

Case history 2: Howard following Keating. I note the member for Rockhampton’s recollection ofhis career demise some years ago through the Defence Efficiency Review defence reform agenda andhis laying the blame solely on the then new Howard government. He conveniently left out the reason thedefence reform was required. I will give members the reason. In fact, I can give them about 96 billionreasons. Did the sky fall in on the honourable member’s head? Was he left destitute? Did he partake ofthe generous redundancy provisions offered by Defence? If my memory serves me, those provisionswere similar to the provisions of the Queensland government in the one-off $800 million redundancyprogram as outlined by our Premier this morning.

Case history 3: O’Farrell following Keneally out of Rees and out of Iemma. There is no changehere, folks! The symptoms and the prognosis are the same. Regrettably for all Australians, I fear that thesymptoms are clearly evident that the malignancy has gone feral at the federal level. I ask: what is thecommon causal factor here? It must be genetic, and its DNA code is A-L-P. Fortunately there is a cure,and it is this medicine that we take this week. The cure for these three case studies to which I referredhas not changed over the last 20 years. You simply need to live within your means. Mums and dadsacross our state have known it for eons. You simply do not start whacking everyday household livingexpenses on the tick. It is not rocket science. The good people of Townsville can understand it. Whycan’t those opposite understand it? Speaking of those opposite, let us now review the efforts of one oftheir former luminaries. I refer to the previous Treasurer, who in his 2011 budget speech heralds—This State Budget puts us right back where we belong—out in front.

By whose measure, Mr Fraser? Was it Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, Fitch? He continues—... as we rocket back to our rightful place out in front of the rest of the nation.

Why do Tasmania and South Australia enjoy better borrowing conditions than us? According toMr Fraser, it was a budget defined by optimism and opportunity. I guess you have to be optimistic tokeep putting everything on the tick. Well, Mr Fraser, Ms Bligh and those opposite, 4½ millionQueenslanders did not share your optimism nor see any opportunity. In fact, they saw their opportunityon 24 March.




Our budget this week does provide optimism and opportunity for North Queenslanders. Thepeople of Townsville will welcome many of the commitments that the Newman government has made tothem, not the least of which was our commitment to reduce the cost of living. Already NorthQueenslanders are enjoying the benefits of a frozen tariff 11 for domestic electricity that will save themon average $120 per year. People from Townsville are already benefiting from the freeze on carregistration fees for the term of this government. New neighbours in my suburb of Hermit Park arealready benefiting from a savings in stamp duties of up to $7,175 when purchasing their principal placeof residence. Townsville first home buyers of newly constructed or off-the-plan homes in my city willbenefit through the creation of the first home owner construction grant of $15,000. It will also provide avery necessary boost to our construction sector—one of our economic pillars—energising activityamongst the Townsville tradies and constructors.

Likewise, tradies and residents of Palm Island will benefit from the ongoing and joint commitmentof about $30 million for housing on Palm. Honourable members will recall that when I was speaking onthe health and hospitals network bill I indicated that the Townsville hospital and health service district isthe largest regional district in Queensland. Many of these patients come from isolated rural and remotecommunities and they will benefit from the Newman government’s commitment to inject over $97 millionacross the forward estimates and double the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme, increasing for the firsttime since 1987 the accommodation component from $30 to $60 per night and doubling the per-kilometre rate from 15c to 30c.

Pensioners, seniors and those with a disability in Townsville will benefit from the almost halfa million dollars for the ongoing funding provided to the Townsville City Council for the Townsville HomeAssist Secure service. Staff, students and parents of prep students from Currajong State Schoolwelcome the long-awaited funding for the relocation of their prep facilities. Members of P&Cs fromacross Townsville state schools will welcome the opportunity to catch up on their sadly neglectedmaintenance through the $200 million Advancing Our Schools Maintenance Fund. Many of the schoolsin my electorate are quite old and have been neglected by Labor. In fact, tomorrow I am attending the125th foundation anniversary of the Belgian Gardens State School. The parents, the school leadershipteam and the staff who make up these P&Cs, many of whom I have met, are honest, hardworking andcommitted individuals. They will ensure that they can get best effect of the up to $160,000 available tothem. I completely reject the accusations levelled at them by the president of the QTU and was furthergobsmacked at his inferences simply for political grandstanding, particularly when many of the memberson these P&Cs are parent teachers and members of his union.

Catholic and independent schools of Townsville have not been forgotten, and they will be able toavail themselves of up to $86 million of the $115 million Building Our Future Schools Fund over the nextfour years. But it is not just about the bricks and mortar; it is also about the people of our schools. Onlylast week the Minister for Education was in Townsville awarding certificates to the nine invaluableteacher aides of Central State School. What welcome news in this budget for teacher aides with ourcommitment of over $53 million across the forward estimates for teacher aides.

Both my colleagues from Mundingburra and Thuringowa have spoken on our commitment to thepaediatric intensive care service and the ongoing commitment to the Townsville Hospital redevelopmentand oncology centre. Likewise, all of the five LNP members across the greater city of Townsville havefought hard for the upgrades to key road infrastructure not only on the Bruce Highway to the south andnorth of the city but also on the provisioning of an additional $100 million a year over the next 10 years.The residents of Mount Louisa will welcome the realignment and upgrade of Banfield Drive, as will thebusinesses at the Bohle for the fixing of Blakeys Crossing.

I welcome the continued support for the redevelopment of Townsville port Berth 10. This is a keyenabler for Defence, local industry and the tourism sector of Townsville. People of Townsville will benefitfrom our government’s commitment to law and order—over the next four years 1,100 new police and$100,000 for remote CCTVs to Townsville City Council. This will assist with their ability to detect,respond and act. This government is serious about resourcing law and order, and this will tie in nicelywith the Townsville Crime Action Plan launched jointly with my colleague Sam Cox.

In closing I once again congratulate the Treasurer on his first and a once-in-a-generation LNPbudget. Quite clearly he has established the blueprint for fiscal repair and set the conditions for a futurefor Townsville and North Queensland that will in short order remove Labor’s addiction to debt and deficit.By living within our means this budget will shape our economy, energise our four pillars and positionQueensland to get back on track and back in the black. It is for the people of Townsville that I endorsethis budget.

Mr KEMPTON (Cook—LNP) (4.26 pm): I offer my response to the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill2012, the Appropriation Bill 2012 and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2012. Can we for a momentconsider the title of the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill? The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines ‘fiscal’ tomean government finances. ‘Repair’, on the other hand, is defined as ‘to fix or mend a thing sufferingfrom damage’. So this bill is to fix or mend government finances suffering from damage. That wouldhave to be the biggest understatement in the history of this parliament! I am not suggesting the Househas been misled. However, Queensland was completely misled by Labor for over a decade with grossmismanagement and incompetence. On the subject of understatement, when we took power we knew




the state was in bad shape, but every biscuit tin we opened was empty. All we found was a big, fat ratand no money. In the case of the health department, the rat had a distinct Tahitian appearance. What anabsolute disgrace! Members of this House in their reply speeches have run out of adjectives to describethe contempt and condemnation we have for the former government and its policies.

I have two daughters. They are both hardworking, self-reliant, honest and valuable members ofour community. Labor has left a legacy of social uncertainty and economic instability for my children andthe next generation across Queensland, and I find that abhorrent. So good on the Treasurer, TimNicholls; good on the Premier, Campbell Newman, and the leadership team; good on this government,of which I am proud to be a part, for not squibbing it on the hard decisions. Hard decisions are nevereasy, nor are they taken lightly, and there is always a societal downside. Nobody likes workforcereductions. Good on this government for not laying down to the banshee unions, for not doing dirtydeals with the Greens, for not caving in to big business and miners. Most of all, good on this governmentfor putting its people before its political future. This is a concept completely foreign to those opposite. Iwonder if those opposite might at some juncture pause to reflect upon what they have done toQueensland and replace their strategy of trying to bore us into submission with inane interjections andunintelligible debate with a genuine effort to join in and support us on our journey to bring about the mostsignificant social and economic reform in the history of our state. Mr Deputy Speaker, I apologise. Iseem to have lapsed into fantasy land for a moment!

In my maiden speech I claimed to have the best electorate in Queensland. If the recent number ofvisits by ministers, members and committees is any measure, I am maintaining the lead with ease.However, unfortunately, the electorate of Cook poses a huge challenge in terms of budgetary constraintand economic reform. Labor has systematically destroyed opportunity for economic growth in myelectorate, directly in relation to Indigenous communities and, by implication, the rest of the region. Overthe past 20 years Labor has made an entire peoples welfare dependent—I suggest quite deliberately.Labor turned an entire region into a playground for a bunch of idealistic Greens to impose a plethora offailed environmental management schemes and follies just to shore up a few seats in the south-east.

As a government we must as a matter of priority and great urgency right these wrongs. Thisenormous task may take years to correct and it is a bittersweet pill to swallow that we have to continueto pour resources into the Cook electorate for the time being to support and correct Labor’s mistakes ofthe past. I acknowledge that we must continue to support some of these extravagant and doubtfulprocesses whilst we allow all communities, towns and the residents of the electorate of Cook to have afar greater say in their future. This situation posed a particular challenge to the Treasurer and his team,which he managed to balance in very difficult circumstances.

I have provided details of the budget to all the newspaper and media outlets in my electorate. Asthere are over 170 items of expenditure, I will not deal with the specifics here today, except to say thatthe $15,000 to new home buyers, the freezing of car registration, the grants to the P&Cs for backloggedmaintenance and the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme are all examples of the positive steps taken by thisgovernment.

My electorate has received a significant proportion of the budget allocation, which is gratefullyacknowledged in these difficult times. In fact, over 70 per cent of the available funds have been appliedoutside of Brisbane. My constituents recognise the enormous task we face in restoring our AAA creditrating and getting this great state back on track. They understand that, although not all electoralpromises could be delivered in the first six months of our term, these promises remain a priority and I willwork hard to ensure that they are given consideration as the state’s finances improve. I can assure myconstituents that I have not dropped the ball and that I will continue to work hard to revitalise the FarNorth.

This is a strong, responsible budget that not only aligns to our electoral promises but also ensuresall that can be done is being done to secure our future as the greatest state in Australia. I commend thebills to the House.

Mr KATTER (Mount Isa—KAP) (4.32 pm): I rise in this House to speak to the Appropriation Bill2012. I will start by congratulating the Premier on what is, to paraphrase Sir Humphrey Appleby, a verycourageous budget. The Newman government is brave enough to bet Queensland’s economicprosperity all in the name of a fiscal balance in 2015. This is an enormous punt and one that, if badlyplaced, will inflict historic pain on Queenslanders. Not since Otto Neimeyer decided to constrainAustralia’s fiscal position in the face of a contracting private sector during the Great Depression have weseen a manoeuvre like this. We are confronting a critical time in the state’s history of development andthe way that we capture any advantage from existing industry opportunities will define our growth wellbeyond our lifetimes. The state has been delivered a heavy and spiralling debt and it is important thatthis be acknowledged in the House. However, it should not be the sole focus of our fiscal policy.

I represent an area of Queensland that has the potential to greatly enhance the wealth of ourstate. However, investment from the government is required to ignite this growth. Such investments ininfrastructure are likely not just to provide jobs and stimulus in the short term; in time they will pay forthemselves many times over and provide a platform for future development well into the future. This isas it has been shown in the past with regard to the coal and tourism industries, which made Queenslandthe pride of Australia.




The answers lie not just in addressing the debt and deficit but, more importantly, with developingnew industry and reinvigorating existing industry in a way that prioritises prosperity for the people ofQueensland. This budget addresses debt and deficit issues, but I fear too much to the detriment of smallbusiness and industry. I once had it described to me by a lecturer that the economy is like a freight linerat sea that, once gently steered in the wrong direction for too long, will topple over with any severechange in course. I believe that this budget delivers too violent a change in course. Everyone in thisHouse must acknowledge that currently our economy is in a very precarious position. Any hit to oureconomy now has the potential to force lethal blows to business activity and confidence at a critical timewhen they are needed. I can hear the echoes now of, ‘What are your answers to address our fiscalsituation?’ I am happy to address those shortly.

Let me address those positive budget items or government policies that benefit either the MountIsa electorate or the state of Queensland, for which I am grateful. Firstly, the Patient Travel SubsidyScheme acknowledges the tireless and lengthy fight of those living in regions who are forced to relyheavily on hospital services that are located on the coast. Secondly, 75 per cent of the capital works is tobe spent on works outside of Brisbane, which reflects a positive attitude to the fact that the majority ofindustry opportunities exist in the regions that will, in turn, deliver wealth back to the city. Thirdly, theadditional $20 million for the tourism industry capitalises on one of our great strengths in Queensland.This industry was built by the government some 30 to 40 years ago, but it now wanes under the weightof a high Australia dollar and perhaps neglect from the government. Fourthly, the Royalties for theRegion program remains just a program and is not a firm commitment until it is legislated and thequantum of the allocation is adequate. The commentary that the allocation to this program is all that thegovernment can afford is spurious, and I do not say that lightly. We are heavily reliant on mining industryroyalties in this state. Given the lack of investment over 20 years, pardon my scepticism when agovernment says that it is not much but will increase over time. With a limited number of votes in theregions, it is hard to see this allocation changing without a change in political will. Specific legislationthat puts royalties directly back into the areas from which they are derived is the only way an adequatelevel of infrastructure is going to be delivered to allow regional Queensland to grow, or at least topreserve industry that is in the region. Regional Queensland provides the torque for the economy and,therefore, at the very least deserves the opportunity to preserve the status quo.

For alternative solutions, the state of Queensland was built from the government leading industry,creating opportunities for businesses that drove immense wealth and employment opportunities. Wehad a government that built rail lines and power stations to kick off the coalmining industry and dams tobuild irrigation areas and towns. That occurred rather than the government sitting on its handsindefinitely waiting for private industry to perform this role. The government has a strong role to play inleading growth in industry in this state and not just by attacking the heavy shroud of red tape that in thepast has been placed over anything resembling industry in Queensland. Economic growth has to beachieved using government capital that will generate returns well beyond the investment and chart thepath back to prosperity.

There are myriad opportunities that exist in Queensland that offer a solution to paying down ourdebt by increasing industry. Let me start first with ethanol. This is one of the unique opportunitieswhereby our agricultural industry can expand without the need for simply selling off to foreign interests.This industry has the potential to create 20,000 jobs in Queensland in the fullness of time whilst at thesame time reducing emissions and providing security for the sugar industry, which is still the state’slargest employer, and restoring viability to the grains and cattle industry. Contrary to the uninformedview that ethanol will increase the prices of feed grain, all that is needed is a mandated blend, which iscommon in many other developed countries in the world. This is not an expenditure for the governmentand will not increase the price of fuel; it simply requires a legislative change. I might add that this issuehas been looked at favourably by Liberal governments at both the federal and state level in Australia.

The people of this House are well aware that the time is nigh for a debate on uranium. To denythis industry, which has been given the green light across most of the other states of Australia that haveuranium deposits, does not make sense. At a time when the state is on its knees and crying out fordevelopment of new industries, a resource with approximately $20 billion of in-ground value cannot beignored. The third largest uranium deposit in Australia—or the 12th largest in the world—exists not faroff the bitumen approximately 35 kilometres north of Mount Isa. This mine was ready to commence withthe turn of a sod until the change to a Labor government in 1998. This industry can deliver up to$2 billion in royalty revenue and an estimated 2,600 jobs. Again, the development of this industryrequires no cost to the taxpayers, just legislative change.

The mid-west plains of North-West Queensland have enormous potential for providing moreindustry and jobs for Queensland and have the capacity to turn the towns of Hughenden, Richmond,Julia Creek and Georgetown into towns of the likes of Emerald or St George. In the case of the FlindersRiver, there is a report that suggests a release of 300,000 megalitres of water to potential farmers.However, only a paltry 80,000 megalitres is available, providing a barrier to the surfeit of interestedparties to this size allocation.


This is being mindful that in any one day of the wet season the average flow past the town ofRichmond is 220,000 megalitres. No-one is asking for any money here. All that is being asked is to letthe cattle producers of this area have a crack at farming without reasons why they should not be allowedto pursue this activity. I have the radical view that if some of the landowners who live along this river takea miniscule proportion of the annual river flow and develop farming activity at their own expense then weshould be trying to convince them to undertake this endeavour not create reasons why we should denythem that opportunity. This case needs revisiting. Under the existing high Australian dollar theseactivities are not highly profitable. However, they can be more viable once above a critical mass. Thatmeans enticing more people into that activity. More importantly, they represent opportunities for industry,employment and revenue growth for the government—I repeat again—at no cost to the taxpayer. Iacknowledge the government’s interest and work thus far in that area.

In relation to connecting the North West Mineral Province to the national electricity grid, despitehaving a mine with the unusual longevity of almost 90 years, the north-west still relies on a local under-strength power supply. Energy costs can typically reflect around 20 per cent of the operating costs of amining operation. Unfortunately this means that in remote areas stand-alone plants can prohibitdevelopment of mines in many cases. The federal government has contributed $335 million towards the$1 billion to $1.5 billion cost of construction of a transmission line—or a clean energy corridor, if youlike—to connect the region with the national electricity grid. This proposal delivers opportunities forrenewable energy that stand to cost the state dearly in the future when in 2020 we expect thatQueensland will be importing over $300 million of renewable energy certificates. Basically this meansthat we will be importing $300 million of something that we should be producing in Queensland basedon capital investment in Queensland with Queensland labour. We can completely eliminate theimportation of renewable energy certificates into Queensland, which is the funding of capital expenditurein other states, by developing our renewable energy resources in North Queensland. The previousgovernment bailed out on this nation-building project, as has this government. Now there are proposalsfor abattoirs, potential for cotton gins and some 21 mine leases that could become viable withdevelopment of this infrastructure.

The cynics will say that the cost of providing energy via this line is currently uneconomical.However, this does not account for the substantial number of potential users on the line if the projectprogresses. This is a clear demonstration of a project that will provide a healthy return on its investment,but requires a government brave enough to take a punt on industry development. I believe the$550 million being spent on the new parliamentary precinct in Brisbane would be better directed to thisproject that will deliver jobs and state revenue in perpetuity not just over the life of the constructionperiod. This proposal does require a government investment, but will return in spades by feeding thegoose that lays the golden egg.

A very concerning aspect of this budget is the introduction of the increase in coal mining royalties.I am not averse to making industry contribute their fair share just so long as this includes an adequateportion remaining in the region in which they reside and not used to build more pleasure domes inBrisbane. Nor am I averse to taking from the federal coffers for this money. The paltry four to five percent of royalties currently committed to revitalising crumbling infrastructure in the regions will not deliverthe type of development required to facilitate more or even maintain existing levels of miningdevelopment. I do find it hypocritical to have listened to the vehement criticism of the federalgovernment in 2010 and then have the same applied in our own state. I believe it is a risky proposition totarget one of the only industries that is taking the state forward and further entice them to investoverseas, being mindful of the ALP’s industry killing carbon tax, which, incidentally, is similar to theemissions trading scheme championed by the Liberal Party.

I am not averse to the mining industry paying its fair share, but this should only be done if thegovernment is using those taxes to provide infrastructure that stimulates this mining activity. I do notthink the likes of BHP or Xstrata would be complaining too much about royalty increases if they had acommitment from this government to increasing rail capacity or developing our energy or road networks.This type of royalty increase is acceptable if adequate funds are returned back to the region, but$495 million over four years falls hopelessly below this mark and barely warrants recognition untilincreased. I will offer that at least it is a step in the right direction.

Much has been said in this house of the cuts to the public service and it is worthy of muchdiscussion. I acknowledge there is a long-term objective of fiscal tightening, but back to the analogy ofthe ship at sea, this correction is too much too soon and threatens the stability of the vessel. As we areall acutely aware, the confidence and spending activity of the unemployed is greatly diminished underthis environment and many small businesses around Queensland will feel the pinch as well. Theseadjustments had to occur through natural attrition or non-replacement and should have been based onproductivity targets rather than overall cost. These cuts are too dramatic in the context of the currenteconomic activity, with retail sales having slumped an annual average of 3.4 per cent in Queenslandsince 2009. The ship may become too unsteady and this is not a good outcome for the government.


The other point on the public service cuts is that if these are made on the basis of cost then theregions will always be the big losers. Services will always cost more in the bush but remove them andyou will only increase the ongoing exodus towards the metropolitan areas on the east. The final point Iwish to make on the public service in relation to the budget is the privatisation of services. I consider thisa very serious issue that again substitutes short-term budget balance objectives for long-term socialimperatives. If this trend is allowed to gather momentum, which in the subtext of this budget is certainlybeing advocated, we face the prospect of having emergency calls taken in downtown Bombay andaccounting for our services transferred to low-cost wage places like Manila. A profit based entity willnever have the same focus on service delivery as properly managed government services. They will betrying to replicate the same service at a much lower cost after taking their own profit margin andtherefore will be seeking to cut corners wherever possible. If you think this is a good outcome forQueenslanders then go ahead and support privatising our services.

I have gone to a lot of trouble here to demonstrate some strong, real and what I believe aretangible opportunities for the government to rechart our path to one of growth rather than one of fiscalcontraction. Queenslanders unequivocally registered their dissatisfaction with the economic direction ofthe ALP and gave this government a large mandate to chart a positive path towards growth. Thisgovernment has shown that its answer is fiscal tightening and debt reduction which appears a tidy and,I will acknowledge, challenging solution. Unfortunately, it is a narrow view that fails to acknowledge themore pressing challenge, which is to stimulate industry and employment growth. Debt and deficit shouldbe addressed, but not in a way that denies industry development, employment opportunities or activity.The fiscal tightening targeted in this budget is too severe and will be to the detriment of other criticalareas of the economy. This government must rethink its attitude towards some of the industry buildinginitiatives as a start to charting the path towards prosperity.

This budget should be focused on good outcomes for Queensland over the long term. Thismeans prioritising jobs and industry growth over fiscal balance. Growth in industry and employment willeventually arrive at the same outcome, as has been demonstrated successfully under similar programsemployed by governments around the world over the last century.

Mr GULLEY (Murrumba—LNP) (4.47 pm): Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf ofMurrumba for the 2012-13 state budget. From my professional experience I believe that this budget isfor Murrumba families, for Murrumba employers and Murrumba employees. Murrumba is a good place.Murrumba will flourish again under the financial leadership of the Treasurer and Minister for Trade, TimNicholls. Queensland and Murrumba will now flourish under the leadership of the Premier and all of theministers and return Queensland to its rightful place in the sun. I am very pleased that the budget hasdelivered cost-of-living savings for Murrumba households. The new budget initiative of the one-off $80water bill rebate, the previously announced initiatives like freezing electricity tariff 11, freezing car regocosts and free public transport after nine trips all show that the LNP government is committed toreducing the cost of living.

The Moreton Bay Rail Link remains firmly on track for 2016 with this year’s announcement of$66 million for the planning of this very exciting transport infrastructure. In this difficult budget year I wishto thank the Treasurer and the Minister for Transport for working with all three local members on thisproject. Further on the Moreton Bay Rail Link, can I tell the House how satisfying it is for not only myselfbut the constituents to see the preliminary roadworks being done on the road over rail link bridge atKinsellas Road. Other funding announcements for Murrumba include $5.2 million for the construction ofthe North Lakes bus station which fills one of the missing links in the community services in our district;$5.1 million for disability services being spent for people within the electorate I serve; $1.87 million forroad traffic noise treatments along the Bruce Highway. I share that with Kallangur.

A figure of $1.25 million will be provided for the completion of the North Lakes ambulance station,which will see the completion of another missing link in infrastructure in my electorate. $1.65 million willbe provided for the new Anzac Avenue cycleway, which I believe will become a great recreationalfeature within Murrumba. $323,000 will be provided for remediation and monitoring of lands at theNarangba industrial estate impacted by the binary chemical fire of 2005. I am very excited to hear thatup to $160,000 will be available to state schools to resolve the backlog in maintenance projects.Certainly, at all of the state schools that I have visited, that was one of the first things mentioned. InMurrumba, the $15,000 first home owners construction grant will be of great value. Along withneighbouring electorates, Murrumba is one of the fastest growing residential areas in Queensland. Thiswill be a welcome opportunity, not only to stimulate the building industry but also to create more housesfor the good people, so more good people can join the good place that is Murrumba.

I am an accountant by trade, which has its joys. When an accountant looks at a budget, one of thefirst things he or she turns to is the debt-to-interest ratio. As dry as that might sound, it is very tellingabout the sustainability of an organisation. To borrow a concept from a late afternoon games show—andit is late afternoon—if I had looked at this for the first time I would be thinking, ‘Boing, boing!’ Certainly, itis worrying when you see service organisations with debts that are higher than their annual turnover. Inthis case, something was terribly wrong.




What does debt mean? Debt means you have to pay for it in interest bills. What is our annualinterest bill for Queensland next year?

Mrs Menkens interjected. Mr GULLEY: It will be $1.96 billion. I can tell the member for Burdekin that those are just

numbers. What is Murrumba’s share of that interest bill? Murrumba has been lumbered with $22 millionof that bill. What could $22 million give us? What could we have done with $22 million? As a formerteacher, the member for Burdekin will be interested to know that we could have built a school. That ishow much it cost to build the Mango Hill State School. That is how much we are squandering every year.$22 million could have built four ambulance stations. It could have fixed permanently the Rothwellroundabout. We could have employed 250 senior teachers, nurses or policeman, or we could havequadrupled the disability funding in my electorate. Maybe Murrumba missed out on a mixture of all of theabove.

Returning to the qualified accountant comment that I made earlier, I note that if I was given thechoice between reading a good book or a good annual report, sadly, I would choose the good annualreport any day. The Treasurer and Minister for Trade, Tim Nicholls, has crafted a great document. It is agreat plan to reduce the cost of living by cutting waste. It is a plan to revitalise front-line services, to buildinfrastructure, to build local economies, to provide a strong employment base and to restoreaccountability to government. On behalf of Murrumba, I commend the 2013 budget appropriation bills tothe House.

Mr PUCCI (Logan—LNP) (4.53 pm): Today It gives me great pleasure to speak in support of ourgovernment’s first budget. I congratulate the Treasurer, the honourable Tim Nicholls, and hisdepartment for their efforts in the arduous task of putting together one of the toughest budgets inQueensland’s history. This government was not elected to make easy decisions. Queenslanders havehad enough of a government that at turn took the easy option. We were elected to make the toughdecisions, to make the hard choices, to get the job done. That is what the budget achieves.

This budget forms the backbone of our government’s campaign promise to establish a four-pillareconomic recovery plan. At the crux of this budget is the need for the state to get our AAA credit ratingback, a rating lost by the severely negligent management of the economy by the inept former Laborgovernment. That negligence has since been paid for by families throughout Queensland. This budgetsets out to help Queenslanders in the best way possible, by reducing the costs of living. Queenslandersare hurting. They hurt every time they have to dip their hands into their own pockets in order to pay theirever-rising bills. The inept legacy of the former Labor government requires action to turn our economyaround and regain the economic stability that has been robbed by the now opposition. In the words of aformer US president, the late Ronald Reagan—Governments don’t reduce deficits by raising taxes on the people; governments reduce deficits by controlling spending andstimulating new wealth.

One of the key elements to our election campaign was to establish a four-pillar economy. This budgetlays the foundation for that work to be done. This budget is the cornerstone, placed and waiting to berefined and built upon in the coming years. Through this work our state will get back on track.

Like others from across the state, the people of Logan have faced tough times that were createdby poor decisions and poor management in the bad old days of the Labor government. This budgetpaves a way for those times to come to an end. With a strict fiscal plan and a mature sensible approach,our mission to return Queensland’s AAA credit rating will be a success. The measures to achieve thatsuccess are tough ones. They were not made lightly, but nonetheless they had to be made. It is nothinglike Labor’s plan. As we have heard over the past two days, if elected Labor was going to sack 41,000Public Service workers. It is important to note that although tough decisions were made in the budget,not one permanent employee has been sacked from the Public Service as a result of the budgetprocess. All affected public servants are being offered very generous redundancy payments. It is up tothem to decide if they wish to take the redundancy package or be considered for redeployment withinthe Public Service. The decision to take a redundancy package is theirs and theirs alone. It is voluntary.

As a result of this budget, the cost of living will begin to reduce as much needed attention to onceneglected services within our communities will finally be addressed. Australia is an active country, asport-loving country and none more so amongst our broader national community than Queensland. Iwelcome upgrades to support local touch football fields in Heritage Park and the construction of flexi-pave tennis courts in Logan Village. Those projects will bolster the active community engagement withinLogan. Being active and having access to such recreational outlets stimulates not only physical healthbut also the community. As a result of this budget, the recreational element in our community willcontinue to grow. Sporting associations within my electorate are also eligible for grants that support thepurchase of equipment and contribute to training. Further grants will be made available for resourceswithin the scope of the Get in the Game policy.

The area of sporting development helps a community grow. For many, structured sportingprograms are products of the local schools. All state schools in Logan will see better support for auxiliaryservices as a result of this budget. Each school can claim up to $160,000 for P&Cs to fix existing




maintenance flaws that have gone by the wayside due to the poor attention paid to our schools by theformer government. Under the program, P&Cs will not be required to use QBuild to perform the works.They will be able to call for quotes and give the jobs to local tradies. Whether it is broken glass, peelingpaint, crumbling footpaths or other various shortcomings afflicting our schools, the neglect by the formergovernment can only be described as disgraceful. This government will put a halt to the disregard thatwas common practice by our predecessors. Our students—your children, my children—deserve to go toschools where the conditions are reflective of the standards our nation holds high. Our students deservethe best school facilities available. No longer will they be neglected and no longer will they be left out inthe cold, as they have been for the past 20 years.

In addition to attending to the much needed repairs within our schools, the budget has set out toallocate $4.9 million to support 150 full-time teacher aides per year for prep classes. This budget has anunderlying theme: a theme of a brighter future for the next generation of Queenslanders. Personally, Ibelieve education is an important aspect to that bright future. As a member of the Returned andServices League and a veteran of an allied nation’s armed forces, I am honoured at this government’scommitment to preserving the legacy of the Australian servicemen with the budget committing to$1 million for scholarships allowing high school students the chance to attend Anzac Day ceremonies onthe hallowed shores of Gallipoli. As the honourable Treasurer and so many others in this House havestated, this is a once-in-a-generation budget that not only restores our finances to proper order but alsoinvests in the future of our state.

As our state continues to grow, Queensland’s future will be reliant on a strong infrastructurenetwork. A vital link in my electorate of Logan is the Mount Lindesay Highway. This highway, whichserves as a critical arterial for commuters, such as those driving to and from schools, has beenneglected by the former government. In the past 20 years, this arterial has only ever been recognised bythe government of the day for political capital. Our government has recognised this failing by itspredecessor and provides over $25 million to upgrade various locations along a six-kilometre stretchthat services residents in and around the Logan electorate.

As mentioned before, our government is committed to a four-pillar economic plan. We are also asstrongly committed to revitalising services to our community. One of those is providing care and supportservices to people with disabilities. People of Logan will see a record $4.35 million of available grants forcarers of Queenslanders with a disability. Grants will be made available for community disabilityservices to assist in accommodation services, community access, community participation and respiteservices. Our government is committed to support respite services for our young adults aged between16 to 25 years. It is in supporting these front-line services that Queenslanders will receive the muchneeded attention they sorely deserve.

With education, sport, infrastructure and disability support services set to benefit Logan residentsas a result of our budget, there are still more critical elements which the people of Logan will benefitfrom. The first is an area that is a burning issue within the community of Logan—community safety. Thisbudget, in line with our election promises, has paved the way for the allocation of up to 100 policeofficers to be assigned within the Gold Coast and Logan regions. As a government, we take communitysafety for the citizens of our fair state seriously. With an overall objective of an additional 1,100 policeofficers state-wide and the redeployment of 200 police officers to front-line roles, steps are being takento create a safer future for all Queenslanders.

Logan is an electorate that is interlocked with so many diverse communities that rely on keyservices across the region—none more so than the Logan Hospital that is a vital community asset whichso many in my electorate are reliant upon. This budget sets out to support the Logan Hospital byinvesting $6.7 million in 16 new beds for the community mental care unit. These initiatives are essentialin providing the right care that Queenslanders deserve. It is a credit to this government that thisapproach to mental health services is one that is not taken lightly.

We also see the roll-out of the Mums and Bubs policy, providing help to mothers in the veryimportant first year of their baby’s life. I welcome this investment in the Logan region. With the mess thatthe health system was left in by those opposite, like the $1.25 billion Health payroll system debacle, it ismeasures like this commitment that assures Queenslanders that this government will not abandonthem. This government will not leave a mess for the next poor bloke to fix up. This government willprovide better support to those in need.

This budget is not only about growth but also about fiscal responsibility. I commend this budget onits allocation of individual grants for up to $15,000 in the reshaped first home owner construction grantsfor people who are buying off the plan and building new homes. This grant is in addition to the $7,000savings that we provided for families when buying their homes. This initiative will encourage the growthof our community. With residential growth, the possibilities for Logan are limitless. I know tradies in theLogan area welcome this news. This grant will encourage people to build a home, to start a life and tolive the Queensland dream in Logan. As our community develops, the industry that is the lifeblood ofsuch expansion will dramatically benefit. With a stimulated localised economy, our state will be well onits way to regain its financial stability.


As I mentioned before, and echoed by my parliamentary colleagues, this budget was a tough onebut one that is essential for our state to rebuild itself and essential if we hope to regain our AAA creditrating. This budget is as much about today as it is about tomorrow. If the bad old days of the Bligh andBeattie Labor governments continued, Queensland’s tomorrow would have been ever so bleak. Labor’sreckless approach to state spending has been brought to a halt. Tomorrow now has economicpossibilities for all Queenslanders. Queensland now has the chance to compose itself and work towardsa healthier economy. With a firm budget and a lower cost of living, our state—our government and ourpeople—can look forward to programs that will once again have Queensland as the leading state in ourgreat nation.

Again, I congratulate the honourable Treasurer, the honourable Premier and the honourablemembers of this LNP cabinet on delivering this once-in-a-generation budget to get our state back ontrack. I commend the bills to the House.

Mr PITT (Mulgrave—ALP) (5.04 pm): The budget handed down this week is the meanest andtrickiest I have ever seen. It is a budget with a record operating deficit this financial year for Queenslandas the LNP proceeds making cuts to try to pay for their unfunded election promises. And it is a budget,despite all the rhetoric from this Premier and Treasurer, that fails to deliver one cent towards debtreduction.

The heartless, reckless and cruel cuts by this government are all about funding the LNP’s electioncommitments and have nothing to do with paying down debt. In fact, this government is increasing debtby more than $20 billion, just as was projected to occur by Treasury for the previous government.

In a letter to the North West Star on 27 August, the Treasurer told us that he was not selling theretained stake of QR National. He made sure that he hid it in the budget papers. Surprise, surprise—it isthere in the numbers at page 144 of Budget Paper No. 2. This is just like his broken promise on sellinggovernment office buildings where the Treasurer provided an explicit promise to the Australian FinancialReview in February that he would not sell them. And it is just further proof that the LNP’s cuts are allabout paying for unfunded election promises.

Last night we saw the Treasurer release an extraordinary statement trying to blame Labor for hiscredit rating downgrade. This is despite Fitch in March clearly stating that this budget was the LNPgovernment’s responsibility—and highlighting the steps Labor had made to restore the budget position.It was also a massive self-contradiction from this Treasurer who told 7.30 QLD that he agreed thisbudget was a line in the sand and was his ‘full responsibility’. I need to further outline here today whythese savage and ill-considered cuts are unnecessary—and to do this I will set out very clearly how thePremier and Treasurer have attempted to execute a ruthless political strategy—a political strategy that,as set out in the budget papers, is already permanently damaging Queensland’s economy.

The Premier since being elected has been working hard, not as a leader of Queensland but ratherat talking down our economy and our fiscal position. The first part of this political strategy has been torecruit a political mate Peter Costello to make up a debt figure. Already five members of this parliamenthave had to apologise for using this fictional debt figure of $100 billion. And now it has been revealedthat the gross debt figure in the midyear review under Labor was correct at $62 billion, not $65 billion asmade out by the Treasurer.

Mr STEVENS: The Manager of Opposition Business has just misled the House. He said fivemembers of this House have had to apologise. That is not correct.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Order! It is overruled. Continue on.

Mr PITT: The simple fact is that, despite hiring Peter Costello, this government has been unableto find a black hole. And you need not take my word on this. At least three professors have completelydiscredited the Costello audit, this budget and the LNP’s political strategy. Only on Wednesday night onLateline a Professor Clive F Palmer launched an attack on the budget and the Premier. And todayProfessor Palmer said that the Treasurer’s budget was ‘worse than Labor could manage in 10 years’. Ihave already heard the Treasurer ridicule and berate Professor Bob Walker, but he is ominously quietabout one other.

Just like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there is one name the Treasurer won’t darespeak—the Treasurer’s own Lord Voldemort Professor John Quiggin. He does not want to drawattention to the analysis by the Federation Fellow, because it is a truly independent analysis—one whichputs a sword to the Costello audit. The Quiggin analysis largely supports what the opposition has beensaying for some time. I will quote from it directly—The Commission has not discovered any ‘black holes’ or substantial mis-statements in the budget estimates of the outgoing Laborgovernment.

As I have set out previously, the Costello audit spends most of its time attacking theindependence of Treasury’s figures provided to the LNP government. You will not read in the Costelloaudit that Labor left Queensland with a net debt projected in the midyear review of $24.92 billion, lower




than New South Wales, $40.27 billion, and Victoria, $25.6 billion. To consider the debt position withoutfactoring in the investments and assets we hold is a distortion—and the Treasurer knows this. As theTreasurer’s own Lord Voldemort has said—In reality, the state’s overall balance sheet, summed up by public sector net worth remains strong, and has improved over the lastdecade.

In the Treasurer’s investor blue book he highlights our state’s ratio of financial assets to totalliabilities—to show overseas investors that Queensland has ‘financial strength compared with otherAustralian states’. Nowhere in the blue book will you find mention of a ‘debt crisis’ or a ‘power dive intothe abyss’. Instead you will find reference to the commentary of ratings agencies that Queensland underthe last government had ‘excellent financial management on very positive liquidity’.

There simply is no ‘debt crisis’ in Queensland. This has all been a political fabrication and theTreasurer’s comments at home must be of great confusion to investors who are looking at record lowbond yields for Queensland. Any economist would understand that bond yields go up when you are in adebt crisis. The Treasurer knows this but he is being mean and tricky.

The second key component of the LNP’s political strategy has been to make up that thegovernment is borrowing to pay 20,000 workers. The Premier went around the state repeating this adnauseam. The first cracks in the Premier’s statements appeared when Dr Doug McTaggart told theQueensland Industrial Relations Commission under oath that this simply was not true. The following daythe Premier rushed out a letter from Dr McTaggart saying the budget was in deficit but the letter did notdispute his testimony.

It is worth noting here that the findings of the Costello audit on the growth of the Public Servicerelative to population are no revelation. They are all set out in a report by the Public ServiceCommission available online since June 2011 entitled Characteristics of the Queensland Public Serviceworkforce. Nor did this analysis consider, for example, the size of the Public Service relative to thebroader economy. If you look at the ratio of government workers to the broader workforce, it hasdropped from 12 per cent in the year 2000 to 8.85 per cent last year. We later heard from the Treasurerthat the Costello audit randomly picked out the year 2000 as that of the ‘right sized’ Public Service.

Then the third strike came to the Premier’s 20,000 jobs myth—the budget papers. Budget PaperNo. 2 states at page 85—Given that employee expenses (including superannuation expenses) comprise marginally less than 50% of total expenses, theGovernment considered that achieving fiscal repair may have required a reduction of up to 20,000 FTEs in the public service.

This does not say that Treasury provided this advice; it says that the government considered itmight need to sack 20,000 people. This is important—not the Treasury but this LNP government. Youwill not find anywhere in the budget papers proof that the government was borrowing to pay 20,000government workers. That is because it just ain’t so.

On the government’s own numbers, they have known since 11 July this year that they would notneed to sack 20,000 people even to fund their own promises. On this date, the Treasurer said that hewould need $4 billion in savings over three years to reach the same level of debt as Labor after ‘policydecisions’ were implemented—which was code for his unfunded election promises.

In his answer to question on notice No. 368, the Treasurer outlined that he would save $100,000from each government worker sacked. On these figures, the Premier would not need to sack anywherenear 20,000 government workers to fund the LNP’s promises—and not even 14,000 people. ThePremier has known this since July but he has not told Queenslanders. This has caused permanentdamage across Queensland’s economy—not just to the lives of government workers. The Premier’sactions have caused a crash in confidence in Queensland. Recent polling by Galaxy has shown that49 per cent of Queenslanders in small to medium sized business are concerned about their job over thenext 12 months. These are the people at the corner shop, at our coffee shops, at our restaurants and inour retail stores. We have seen the queue of unemployed in Queensland as measured by the ABS toAugust increase by 7,340. That is 7,340 more Queenslanders looking for work, and that is before thisweek’s savage and cruel job cuts.

Queensland’s unemployment rate is now hovering at 0.1 per cent below levels recorded in theglobal financial crisis. In terms of timing, many sacked government workers will experienceunemployment in time for Christmas. They will not only need to compete with each other foremployment but, with years of experience to offer, they may make it harder for school leavers andgraduates trying to enter the workforce.

The budget papers predict unemployment to average GFC levels this financial year. TheTreasurer’s own budget papers outline that his reckless job cuts are contributing to this rise inunemployment. The budget papers also reveal that economic growth next financial year will fall, withthis government’s job and service cuts a contributing factor.

In response to accusations by the health minister, let me make it clear that Labor’s plan formanaging the Public Service was sustainable, measured and voluntary. The number the health ministerrefers to is the number of non-front-line people who were asked if they would like to be considered for a


redundancy. The key words here are ‘asked’ and ‘considered’. This pool involved no forcedredundancies and the net was cast wide so that the overall target of VSPs could be achieved. This wasbecause not everyone who was offered a redundancy took a redundancy. If someone did not take upthe offer of a VSP, they were left alone—unlike this government which is sacking people.

We had a measured plan to return to surplus in 2014-15. Labor left unemployment at 5.5 per cent.Since this time under the LNP, unemployment has increased to 5.8 per cent and is projected to averagesix per cent in the budget papers this financial year. The contrast between us and the LNP is clear.Labor in government oversaw the biggest fall in unemployment in the nation, from 9.8 per cent when theLNP were last in government down to 5.5 per cent. Under this LNP government, we will have GFClevels of unemployment despite Labor having left our economy growing the second fastest in the nationbehind Western Australia.

We left taxation per person $440 below the national average. This budget has introduced a raft ofnew taxes that will increase the tax per person by $76 on what it was under Labor. Under the LNP in thisbudget, tax as a percentage of the economy has increased from 3.68 per cent under Labor to 3.74 percent under the LNP. You can take the Premier’s claims about being low taxing with a grain of salt.

The Treasurer issued a release yesterday saying that we should have prepared a completealternative budget. Never when in opposition did the now Treasurer outline in a budget reply what hethought the fiscal surplus should be, nor the debt level—nor did he identify capital measures specificallyto pay down debt. Rather, this budget copies capital measures from the last budget update under Labor.We know that the Treasurer certainly did not tell us about what he thought the ‘right sized’ PublicService should be. This budget has shown that the LNP broke many of their promises and quite simplygot their numbers wrong.

Over just the three years of the LNP’s costings, their car rego commitment has blown out by$8 million. Their payroll tax commitment has blown out by at least $80 million and, if implemented to theletter of the LNP election commitment, the blow-out may run into the billions of dollars. Their policy tofreeze tariff 11 is underfunded and will not meet the true cost of the policy. Costed at only $63 million in2012-13, the true cost has already been revealed to be $220 million. Put plainly, there was no fundingprovided in the LNP’s costings for their electricity and water promises—none. We were told they wouldbe funded through the mythical removal of ‘mismanagement’, but it turns out that this ‘mismanagement’was not there.

Not revealed before the election are the measures to cut the first home owners grant, delivering$290 million, and the transfer duty hike for properties over $1 million, providing $361 million to fund theirprincipal place of residence abolition. If you include the LNP’s undercooking of environmental initiativesavings by $228.8 million—and unfunded redundancy program of $800 million—the costings blow-out ismore than $1.9 billion.

Over the next three years, this budget includes $3.5 billion in expenditure cuts, including thesacking of 14,000 government workers, and an overall $624 million increase in revenue to fund theLNP’s $4 billion in promised election savings. We have said it for some time and now it is there in blackand white for all to see. The Treasurer continues to deceive the House when he talks about Labor’selection costings being only one or two pages. For his benefit, I table Labor’s 32-page costingsdocument which made in total $1.792 billion in promises with $745 million of these funded from existingallocations and savings.Tabled paper: ALP Costings: 2012 State Election [1074].

None of the LNP’s funding sources for their promises were made apparent to Queenslandersbefore the election. This is just another deception of the meanest and trickiest Treasurer in Australia’shistory. He simply did not tell us before the election about his plan to sack 14,000 government workers.

Since this government came to power, reckless decisions have been made that will have a deepimpact on people’s lives. I am a positive person by nature and I have been looking for good news storieswherever I can because there has been a lot of news that has not exactly been uplifting. But good newsfor Far North Queensland in this budget is hard to find, unless you look at all the initiatives that werefunded by Labor and are now being marketed as LNP projects—projects like the Whiterock residentialfacility in my electorate of Mulgrave; the $446.3 million Cairns Base Hospital redevelopment; the$23.3 million foreshore development at the Port of Cairns; and the $3.3 million fire and rescue station atMareeba. But, in listing those projects, this is a budget that rips away money for the regions and FarNorth Queensland. Far North Queensland certainly is a big loser in this budget. The budget sacks thestaff who support our emergency services workers in regional Queensland and strips away 316positions from Community Safety.

I have also been made aware of cuts to TAFE services in Far North Queensland from 26 down to15. There has also been talk of possible cuts to staffing at Innisfail State College, and who knows howmany health jobs will go from the Far North. It directly and clearly rips out $57.3 million for the CairnsEntertainment Precinct.



People will notice that when it comes to the airport upgrade Mareeba misses out. For all theclaims by the member for Cairns of so-called ‘phantom money’ in the last budget under Labor, there isno funding identified for the upgrading of the Cairns CBD in these budget papers. For his benefit, I tablepage 111 from Budget Paper No. 2 for 2011-12 that clearly shows the funding allocated by Labor.

Tabled paper: Extract from Capital Statement 2011-12, page 111, Transport and Main Roads budget [1075].

This budget prepared by a South-East Queensland centric LNP government includes aninfrastructure program that reduces funding for regional Queensland compared with last year’s budgetunder Labor. Seventy per cent of capital funding will be spent within a four-hour drive of Brisbane,leaving the Far North out of the equation.

Because this budget really contains very little by way of new projects and funding, it means that ittakes even longer to talk about what is not in it. I will discuss what this budget has meant for some of myareas of portfolio responsibility, but I will need to speak in greater detail about others at a future time.When it comes to Main Roads, the LNP might talk big but they do not deliver. The centrepiece of theLNP’s election policy for roads was their plan to spend an additional $1 billion to fix the Bruce Highwayover 10 years. But their promise comes with a big asterisk—‘subject to the Commonwealth governmentmatching their funding’. In this year’s budget as a result, they have budgeted only $10 million for thispolicy. Next year it does not get any better with a paltry $10 million allocated to fix the Bruce Highway.Note the Treasurer did not tell us that his first budget would deliver more funding this financial year forthe electorate of Ashgrove than in additional funding for the Bruce Highway. Thank goodness Laborfunded the $150 million Cairns Bruce Highway upgrade and it was already locked and loaded, becausemotorists south of Cairns just would not stand for this kind of political game playing on our nationalhighway.

This budget includes the delivery of the $12 million provided by the federal government for themuch needed Wrights Creek Bridge upgrade. I mention this because the LNP, and in particular thefederal member for Leichhardt, continue to make out he is still ‘strongly lobbying’ for the upgrade of thisbridge. The funding for the Wrights Creek Bridge has been allocated, pre-construction work hascommenced and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. I table a copy of my recentmedia release on this. Once and for all, for those in the LNP who may be a little slow, in the case ofWrights Creek, a bridge is being built. Now get over it!

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Entsch Bruce Highway brochure nothing more than “junk mail”’ [1076].

The Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme assisting local governments with roadprojects has seen its funding dramatically cut. Last year $56 million was allocated to TIDS. This yearonly $31 million will be spent. We knew coming into the budget that RoadTek jobs would be on thechopping block. Those fears have been confirmed, with more than 550 RoadTek jobs cut across thestate. This represents a reduction in the workforce of almost one-third and will severely impact roadmaintenance, construction and RoadTek’s disaster response capabilities. The cuts in RoadTek come ontop of the already deep job cuts in DTMR totalling 1,300 full-time employees. The government has alsoannounced that it will be holding a RoadTek fire sale. Equipment that it no longer needs because it hasslashed the workforce will be sold off to bring in an estimated $98 million.

Despite the minister’s boasting about the size of the department’s capital budget earlier in theweek, $1.6 billion has been wiped from the four-year Queensland Transport and Roads InvestmentProgram, or QTRIP, by the LNP. In my own region of Far North Queensland, dozens of projects havefallen off the LNP government’s radar. We already know that the member for Cairns has lost more than$90 million for the people of Cairns by losing out on projects like the CBD upgrade and entertainmentprecinct. The latest QTRIP confirms that roads and transport infrastructure in the region is going tosuffer even more. It would take too long to list all of the projects that were slated to receive fundingunder the Labor government that have now been dropped from the LNP’s QTRIP. I take this opportunityto table the Far North Queensland section of QTRIP from the 2011-12 to 2014-15 report, which wasproduced by the Labor government, as well as the latest version produced by the LNP for the years2012-13 to 2015-16.

Tabled paper: Extract from Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2012-13 to 2015-16—Far North Region [1077].

It does make for shocking reading. I will mention only a few projects such as the widening andsealing of Henderson Drive between Kalbo Road and the Palmerston Highway; upgrades to Flying FishPoint Road, Barron Gorge Road, Lockhart River access road and Northern Peninsula Road; planningfor the Jardine River bridge crossing; and work on Yarrabah access road. There are only two projectslisted in this year’s local road network section. Last year there were almost 90. Roads and transportinfrastructure is the lifeblood of regional Queensland. Without a high-quality road network, the Far Northwould grind to a halt and small remote communities would be cut off from major centres. This roadsbudget is a failure for the people of regional Queensland, the much hyped promise of extra funds to fixthe Bruce Highway was a fizzer and much needed local projects have been cut.





This is a mean and tricky budget accompanied by a political strategy that has destroyed lives andpermanently damaged our economy. Before the election, the Premier said to government workers, ‘Donot be afraid of me.’ Those people who were told they had nothing to fear have every right to feelbetrayed, to feel like they have been conned by the LNP. I will conclude with a quote from ProfessorJohn Quiggin. He states—Apart from the mass sackings, the budget barely addressed any of the state’s problems and showed little in the way of fiscaldiscipline.

This budget will be remembered as one of the most ill-considered and cruel in our state’s history.Whilst Labor does not oppose every element of these bills, they are built on the broken careers of14,000 government workers and the broken promises of the Newman LNP government. The oppositionwill be opposing these bills.

Mr DRISCOLL (Redcliffe—LNP) (5.22 pm): I rise to welcome the positive 2012-13 budgetoutcomes for the people of the Redcliffe electorate. I am very proud of the outcomes for the people ofRedcliffe, and I would like to run through those for the benefit of the House. On behalf of the people ofRedcliffe I would also like to record our gratitude for these great wins in this 2012-13 budget.

We have secured the funding for one of Queensland’s biggest transport infrastructure projects,the Redcliffe rail extension. There is over $66 million in this year’s state budget alone going towardswhat will be a massive $1.12 billion rail project that will be completed over the next couple of years. Assomeone who was born and bred in Redcliffe, I know how important this piece of infrastructure is to notonly our residents but also our tourism industry, local businesses and the overall local Redcliffeeconomy. Labor could not deliver it; we are delivering it.

Other deserving winners in Redcliffe who will see benefits from the 2012-13 state budget arethose with disabilities, with $10.6 million going towards disability services. Redcliffe state school P&Csare now able to apply for up to $160,000 per school in grants to spend directly on our local schools. Thisweek, through my office, I have already been in touch with every state primary school, high school andspecial school across the Redcliffe electorate, and I am very pleased to report that this initiative is onethat has been extremely well received.

Over $500,000 will also be spent in this budget on children’s health services in our RedcliffeHospital. An amount of $409,000 will be allocated for Home Assist Secure in Redcliffe while $341,000will be allocated to complete 15 public rental housing dwellings in Redcliffe and $100,000 for thecompletion of 24 community managed, state owned houses in Redcliffe. The budget contains anamount of $225,000 in capital grants for sport, recreation and infrastructure programs to support hockeyin Redcliffe.

An amount of $214,000 in capital works for public moorings near Moreton Island in my electoratewill also be invested for the future of our great aquatic playground known as Moreton Bay. An amount of$281,000 in capital works for refurbishment of Comboyuro Point on Moreton Island National Park will bespent and $64,000 to design and install an interactive display at Cape Moreton Information Centre onMoreton Island will also be allocated and expended. An amount of $105,000 to undertake transportproject planning to improve traffic signals on Redcliffe roads will also be invested in the Redcliffeelectorate by our government, while $56,000 in grants for rugby league and netball clubs will also beenjoyed by those organisations in Redcliffe. There is also $5,000 in grants to support baseball clubs inthe Redcliffe suburb of Kippa-Ring.

The 2012-13 LNP government’s budget is a great budget for the electorate of Redcliffe. I considerthe electorate of Redcliffe to be one of the big winners in this budget. I certainly commend this budget tothe House.

Mr MULHERIN (Mackay—ALP) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (5.26 pm): The 2012 statebudget will go down in Queensland history as the meanest and trickiest in a generation. RegionalQueensland will remember the first LNP state budget as one which ripped jobs and services out of theregion. The state budget has proved that the Newman government’s scrapping of 14,000 jobs andsavage cuts to front-line services is not paying down debt but is helping to pay for the unfunded LNPelection promises.

This is the trickiest state budget in a generation delivered by the meanest government in ageneration. It is based entirely on the now widely discredited made-to-measure projections of theentirely politicised Costello Commission of Audit. The budget was so poorly received that two days afterthe Treasurer delivered it, rating agency Fitch downgraded Queensland’s credit rating from AA plus toAA. As Fitch Ratings noted in its last regular assessment in March, the latest rating downgrade is all theLNP’s work. Fitch Ratings’ last regular assessment of the state, issued on 26 March this year, stated—‘Queensland’s new government has pledged to address the challenges of budgetary recovery and debt growth. Its ability to do thissuccessfully will be an important component of our assessment of the state’s rating,’ Fitch Ratings says. In other words, Fitch warned that any of its rating issues after March would be the responsibility of theLNP government. Fitch outlined in March that the previous government had taken steps to rectify ourfinancial situation following the global financial crisis and natural disasters. It stated—The outgoing [Labor] administration has taken initial steps to rectify the situation, reviewing the capital [expenditure] programmeand using asset sale proceeds to cut borrowing. The most recent budget aims to lower debt despite recent natural disasters,including severe flooding and cyclones, and sluggish economic growth.






So, as a final insult to the Treasurer’s disastrous first budget week, the Queensland economy isdowngraded on his watch.

The Treasurer will also go down in history as the Treasurer who delivered the largest deficit inQueensland’s history. This is just one way in which the budget papers reveal the mean and tricky natureof the Treasurer and the LNP government. Instead of using comparative data provided by theindependent Queensland Treasury, the Treasurer has relied on the flawed made-to-measure projectionsof Peter Costello to again mislead Queenslanders. Over the last couple of days since the Treasurerhanded down the budget we have also seen a number of holes appear in their figures. In the budgetpapers numbers appear in error, figures cannot be justified and ministers have been forced to backdown on budget announcements. I do not think the Treasurer would be too happy with how his firstbudget has gone down with stakeholders, the media or the people of Queensland.

Basically, the LNP government have had the budget week from hell. Regional Queensland hasbeen abandoned by the LNP in their first budget, receiving only cuts to jobs and front-line services. Toadd insult to injury, the Treasurer has shown his mean and tricky nature by misleading the people ofregional Queensland about how much infrastructure investment they will be receiving. The Treasurerboasted that 75 per cent of infrastructure investment will be spent outside Brisbane; however, 70 percent of the funding will be spent within a four-hour drive of Brisbane. The truth is: 70 per cent of theLNP’s infrastructure funding will be spent in South-East Queensland, from Bundaberg to Toowoombaand south of the border. This means that Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, MountIsa, Barcaldine and Charleville will receive only 30 per cent of the infrastructure funding this yearbetween them.

The Treasurer said that the LNP would not be a government of spin. He has failed the first spintest with this budget. The infrastructure funding breakdown proves once again that the LNP governmentis only governing for the south-east corner. The only new major infrastructure project announced by theLNP government is the new executive building in Brisbane’s CBD. The Premier’s only infrastructureproject is a monument to himself and his ministers which will be known as ‘Newman’s Tower of Babel’.The Premier and this LNP continue to prove that they only care about the south-east corner.

As a further slap in the face for regional Queensland, all it received in the state budget was axedgovernment workers and cuts to front-line services. We know that the regions have already been hithard by job cuts in Health, Transport, Public Works and Main Roads. We have seen nearly 130 healthjobs being axed at Townsville. Eight hundred jobs are going on the Darling Downs, 300 are going fromCairns, at least 30 are going from the Fraser Coast and eight are going from Emerald.

The Minister for Police and Community Safety announced that more than half the rural firies werebeing axed—that is, 45 of the 79 uniformed positions and 56 of the 117 support staff. He was promptlyforced to back down on his decision because the member for Gregory, who has plenty of spine, objectedto these harsh cutbacks. The LNP backbenchers are so disgruntled with the Premier’s and theTreasurer’s budget approach that they are threatening mutiny and forcing the minister to back down. Itlooks as if the tail is wagging the dog with this LNP government.

We have also seen massive cuts to departments with large regional staff, including 413 fromNatural Resources and Mines and 130 from National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. There arealso discrepancies in the budget papers about how many jobs are being slashed from the agriculturedepartment: Budget Paper No. 2 says 450, but the Agriculture SDS says 653. It is nearly impossible tofind exactly how many jobs are going in each regional centre.

Now that they have handed down the budget, the LNP need to finally be honest with the people ofregional Queensland and outline how many of the 14,000 government jobs will go from each region. OnWednesday we saw a massive day of action protesting against these job cuts not just in Brisbane butalso across Queensland, with large crowds turning out in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton,Gladstone and Toowoomba. This was the largest day of action in Queensland since the Howardgovernment’s Work Choices. That shows the level of discontent these job cuts have spurred acrossQueensland. I think regional LNP backbenchers should be worried about their future as, having been inpower for less than six months, the Newman government is on the nose in regional Queensland.

The state budget also exposed the mean and tricky nature of the LNP government through itsrecycling of Labor government infrastructure initiatives. All of the regional infrastructure fundingannounced as LNP projects in this budget were started and initially funded in last year’s budget orprevious budgets by the previous Labor government. Some of the allocations for regional projects in lastyear’s Labor budget were: $58.1 million allocated to the Townsville Hospital expansion; $1.25 million forthe SES headquarters in Cairns; $408 million for the Mackay Base Hospital redevelopment; $4 millionfor a replacement fire station and $3 million for a new ambulance station for Emerald; $62.6 million forthe Mount Isa health campus redevelopment; and $156 million for the Rockhampton Base Hospitalexpansion. This names just a few Labor infrastructure projects which the LNP are now attempting totake credit for. This is not a new ploy for the LNP, though.

We have seen this government celebrate a number of massive capital works projects delivered byLabor through our budget strategy that the LNP have spent six months attacking. The LNP government


have repeatedly used the audit by their political mate Peter Costello to attack the previous government’sstrategy of continuing to build vital infrastructure whilst saving and creating jobs. We all know that thePremier likes to spell ‘hypocrisy’, but the Premier and his LNP government cannot have it both ways.They cannot attack Labor’s strategy for months and then turn around on budget day and celebrate itsresults. His hypocrisy knows no bounds. The truth is: none of these regional infrastructure projectswould ever have been built under an LNP government.

This budget not only attempts to take credit for infrastructure projects initiated by Labor; it alsoscraps a number of vital infrastructure projects in regional Queensland. Cairns was wiped off the map inthe state budget with the scrapping of major infrastructure projects and critical underfunding of others.The people of Townsville must also be disappointed by the LNP’s first budget. The day before thebudget the member for Mundingburra and local government minister stated in the Townsville Bulletinthat the promised funding for the Blakeys Crossing and Woolcock Street upgrades would be in thebudget. The LNP made an election commitment of $24 million to flood-proof the notorious stretch of theBruce Highway called Blakeys Crossing, and a further $10 million was committed to an upgrade of theWoolcock and Mathers streets intersection to ease congestion. Now all three LNP MPs in Townsvillehave something to explain. Nowhere in the budget papers are these projects mentioned. The threeTownsville LNP MPs need to explain why they are breaking a crucial election commitment to the peopleof North Queensland and where this promised funding is coming from.

My electorate of Mackay also missed out on vital road project funding. The Brisbane-centric LNPgovernment do not understand how important road upgrades are to the people of regional Queensland.This Premier would not know what it is like to drive these roads. After all, he did think Bowen was northof Cairns. The budget has shown that the Mackay area LNP members for Mirani and Whitsundaycannot stand up for the people of the Mackay-Isaac region. There was no new funding for importantroad projects such as the Walkerston bypass and the Fursden Creek bridge. It is time for the memberfor Whitsunday to explain whether the Fursden Creek upgrade is being scrapped. The previous Laborgovernment committed $40 million over four years in last year’s budget to complete the project, andnow it looks like the project will be mothballed.

With $368 million being ripped out of the Community Services budget, organisations such as theGeorge Street Neighbourhood Centre in Mackay will find it increasingly difficult to retain staff andprovide the vital services which support vulnerable families in our local communities. The people of theMackay region will be very disappointed by the lack of representation in the LNP government by theirlocal LNP members for Mirani and Whitsunday.

Regional Queensland has further been hit by massive cuts to the Department of Agriculture,Fisheries and Forestry. I have already outlined the 450 or 653 jobs being axed in the agriculturedepartment—a fact the minister blatantly denied when I first raised concerns about these job cuts inJuly. The LNP government made a lot of noise before the election about making agriculture one of thefour pillows—sorry, pillars—of the economy, but all they have done is white-ant the agriculturedepartment, and this will destroy the sector. One of the LNP’s election commitments was to create astand-alone department with an emphasis on improving agricultural career prospects, yet all they havedone is slash more than 23 per cent of the jobs in the agriculture department.

The truth is: the LNP commitment to agriculture was never ambitious. They pledged to doubleagricultural production by 2040, when Labor was on track to more than triple the value of agriculturalproduction by 2020—20 years ahead of the LNP’s lazy schedule. We already knew that the governmentwere cutting the new Townsville biosecurity laboratory at James Cook University while also closing theexisting lab at Oonoonba. This is confirmed in the budget. The move to scrap both of these biosecuritylabs is in contravention of advice from the director-general, Mr Jack Noye, when he briefed MinisterMcVeigh twice advising against the move, which will cost $10 million and result in 16 job losses.Alarmingly, the minister is acting in isolation, ignoring the advice from his own hand-picked director-general and industry stakeholders.

The move also puts regional Queensland at serious risk of disease outbreaks. Without thescientific expertise and facilities in North Queensland, it will be increasingly difficult to respond quickly oreffectively to outbreaks of viruses such as Hendra in regional areas. While North Queensland horseowners wait days for Hendra virus results, they could potentially be exposing their families, neighboursand other animals to this deadly virus. With this move the agriculture minister has put NorthQueenslanders at risk and significantly reduced their biosecurity capability. It has also been revealedthat the agriculture department’s farm financial counsellors have been cut from 13 locations throughoutQueensland. After the floods and cyclones, farm financial counsellors provided much needed financialcounselling for primary producers and small business operators whose farms and businesses wereaffected by the summer of natural disasters. Farm financial counsellors were an essential part of ourflood recovery program in regional areas and the cutting of this service is another indication that thisLNP government completely disregards regional and rural Queensland. The LNP government cannottalk about growing the agricultural sector if it will not provide the support needed for farmers to get theirbusinesses back operating after natural disasters. The slashing of this service is a disgrace.


I am also shocked that $2.4 million has been cut from the 2020 Beef research projects. Theformer government had budgeted $5.4 million beyond the 2011-12 financial year, and this has beenslashed to just $3 million. All the government has done is shift money internally within the departmentfrom these types of projects to other areas such as horticulture and sugar. I am sure that those sectorsdo not support robbing Peter to pay Paul. The beef industry is an incredibly important industry toQueensland. It is the third largest export earner for this state, contributing around $4.45 billion at thefarm gate per year to the state’s economy. Slashing investment in beef research is a false economy bythis LNP government. Queensland is overwhelmingly a food exporter. As such, there are significantopportunities which the government should be tapping into with the increasing global demand for food.

In addition to meeting demand for global food security, there is a global economic shift towardsthe tropical economy, estimated to be worth $40 trillion by 2025. With 50 per cent of the globalpopulation living in the tropical world, Queensland has a distinct advantage as one of the few developednations with a strong research and development base in innovative tropical science. To meet theseopportunities, productivity must increase, and fundamental to productivity growth is research,development and extension taken up at the business level in the form of innovation. Whilst ingovernment we focused on developing R&D through paddock-to-plate programs which used a valuechain-supply chain approach through policies such as the bio based industrial products which will createthe new industries in regional areas, and of course we are the first jurisdiction in Australia to have acomprehensive paddock-to-plate food policy. Instead of innovation, we see the slashing of investment inR&D by this short-sighted LNP government. Growcom has also highlighted its concerns that the state-of-the-art Redlands Research Station will be closed. Redlands Research Station has been a leader intropical horticulture. The closure and inevitable asset sale of this research station is another short-sighted blow to the state’s agriculture industry.

The Minister for Local Government needs to outline why local governments will suffer from arange of cuts to grant programs across a number of portfolios. Local government needs the financialsupport of the state and federal governments in order to deliver local projects that would ordinarily beoutside the scope of their limited budgets. The government is cutting $59.6 million over four years fromlocal government grants and subsidy programs. Far from supporting local governments, the LNPgovernment is leaving them to fund important projects themselves. In many cases this will mean thatimportant local infrastructure is not maintained or built. In the Department of Science, InformationTechnology, Innovation and the Arts the LNP government has also cut $20.7 million from the SmartState and Proof of Concept and Commercialisation Champions grant programs over four years. Thesegrants help turn local research and innovation into commercially viable projects. Unfortunately, the LNPhas decided that driving new and exciting innovations in Queensland is not a priority.

The facts are, removing the costs of this government’s redundancy program, this budget providesfor growth in employee expenses of 3.75 per cent per year over the next three years. This is less thanthe economic forecasts in this budget for inflation over this period plus population growth of at least4.5 per cent. The budget papers predict inflation to be 2.75 per cent over the next three years, withpopulation growth projected to be over 1.75 per cent over this year and next year, rising to two per centin three years. This means that this budget is factoring in future job cuts to government workers inaddition to the more than 14,000 sacked this week. It means we are yet to discover what the LNP’s ideaof the right sized Public Service is. Basically, this sneaky approach has hidden the fact that the LNP hasbudgeted for even more job cuts, so the public sector pain does not stop here. In wrapping up, let mereiterate that the first LNP state budget has done nothing but slash and burn vital front-line services,infrastructure and jobs across Queensland. It is a short-sighted budget which will end up costingQueenslanders in the long term. No wonder thousands of angry people across Queensland werechanting this week, ‘We’ll be sacking Campbell Newman in three years!’

Mrs MENKENS (Burdekin—LNP) (5.45 pm): In total contrast to the previous speaker, I welcomethe first LNP Campbell Newman state budget, with the electorate of Burdekin receiving an allocation ofjust under $185 million in capital funding, programs and grants. I congratulate the Treasurer for hisexcellent presentation and particularly the Premier and the ministers for the hard work that they havedone during these past five months. This budget has clearly outlined a program for families, forQueensland businesses and for regional Queensland. It has required tough decisions, and all of us asQueenslanders will need to tighten our belts. This budget delivers a $6.4 billion commitment to betterinfrastructure and planning. As part of the $17.8 billion, the northern region will receive $749.7 million.Some 75 per cent of the budget’s capital spending is outside of Brisbane and in regional areas.

Regaining Queensland’s AAA credit rating is crucial to the state’s recovery process. This was notan easy budget, but the Treasurer has forecast that Queensland will have a surplus of $652 million in2014-15. Queensland Health is seeing an additional $800 million to lower waiting lists and provide moreweekend staff, and I welcome news that the Burdekin now has a formidable representative in formermayor Lyn McLaughlin on the Townsville Hospital board. Ayr Hospital has an allocation for emergencyrepairs and there is a $23 million allocation for replacement of the Collinsville 132 kV substation. The oldCollinsville Hospital building will receive refurbishment worth $0.228 million. A Fisheries officer will belocated in Ayr, part of the commitment from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry tobiosecurity, with $6 million allocated over four years to employ an additional 15 biosecurity officers.




Some $1 billion has been allocated over 10 years to upgrade the Bruce Highway, subject to acost-sharing agreement with the Australian government, if it will come to the party. Some $25 million hasbeen allocated to the Bruce Highway from Ayr to Townsville for the new alignment of Sandy Corner toCollinsons Lagoon. Some $17.5 million has been allocated for the Flinders Highway from Townsville toCharters Towers and the Townsville Port Access Road upgrade and preliminary planning on a totalproject cost estimate of $11.1 million has been set aside for the Abbot Point State Development Area.Across Queensland we will see a freeze on car registrations and on the standard electricity tariff.Homebuyers will see the reinstatement of the residence concessional rate of duty and an increase in thefirst home owner grant on new homes from $7,000 to $15,000. This initiative is designed to entice morepeople into the property market and make home ownership the most affordable in the nation.

I welcome the announcement that Queensland public school communities will get more power todecide how to fix urgent maintenance issues, with a $200 million commitment. This is aboutempowering local school communities and reflects our belief that a government bureaucracy, no matterhow well intentioned, does not always know best. The restructure of the Rural Fire Service will remove alayer of management between head office and the volunteer firefighters on the ground, along with redtape. The people who know rural firefighting best are those volunteers who live in their communities,because they have been running their local brigades for decades. The restructure will remove a layer ofbureaucracy and management, enabling local volunteer firefighters to again have more control of theirservice’s everyday operations and future. Overall, this budget has delivered on the LNP government’spromise to Queenslanders—promise to cut the waste and rein in the debt—while delivering essentialservices and once again building our economy through the four pillars of agriculture, construction,tourism, and mining and resources.

This budget is all about restoring confidence and strengthening Queensland’s economy. AsTreasurer Tim Nicholls said, it is all about getting Queensland back on track and back in the black. Icommend the budget to the House.

Mr DAVIES (Capalaba—LNP) (5.49 pm): I rise to speak to the Appropriation Bill 2012—thebudget. Firstly, I would like to start by commending the Treasurer, the Premier and the governmentministers for their effort and courage in putting together such a fantastic document. It is hard work. Iknow: I have done budgets many a time for a small not-for-profit organisation and they caused red eyesand heartache. But putting together a budget for a billion dollar organisation such as the governmentmust be an epic task.

As has been said many times, this is a once-in-a-generation budget. I would say that it is not onlya budget for this generation but also a budget for the next generation. This budget sets the tone formany years to come. I do not think that it is just our children but our children’s children who willpotentially benefit from the work that has been done on this budget to set a good foundation.

Mr Costigan: It will leave a legacy.Mr DAVIES: It will leave a legacy. That is fantastic. Yesterday, I had the privilege to spend a little

bit of time with my aunt. I thank the member for Gregory for giving me a couple of hours off. My auntyturned up from Melbourne. We are going to a wedding tomorrow. Aunty Helena is my favourite aunty.About a year ago—

A government member interjected.Mr DAVIES: She gives me plenty of Christmas presents. A year ago Aunty Helena was

diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukaemia. Her treatment was quite terrible. She had to havestem cells removed. She underwent very aggressive chemotherapy treatment and radiation therapy.That basically destroyed her immune system. They had to put her in a little bubble and for nearly eightmonths she was in a terrible state. But over the past two or three months she has gone into remission.Yesterday, she was talking to me about the cancer treatment. She said that her treatment was worsethan the disease. She went through some really tough times.

When my aunt was talking to me yesterday about her treatment I was reminded of the Treasurercoming to my electorate before the election and holding a forum on the parlous financial state thatQueensland was in. The Treasurer drew the analogy of a sick patient—that, under Labor, Queenslandwas like a very sick patient and that, like a doctor would, we needed to treat the patient. Under Labor,Queensland was a very sick patient. Under Labor, Queensland was haemorrhaging from debt andwaste. Under Labor, Queensland was bandaged and restricted by red tape and incompetence. In fact,the specialist prognosis by many people was that Queensland was going to get sicker and sicker.Agencies such as Moody’s and Fitch were all talking about the potential for Queensland to lose its AAplus credit rating, thus costing us far more in interest every day.

Labor was entrusted with the care of this patient. What was Labor’s response to the parlous stateof the Queensland economy? Basically, it was to let it die or, worse, poison it more.

Mr Pucci: Let it suffer.




Mr DAVIES: Let it suffer. When we think about the relationship between a patient and a doctor,we often think about good doctors. We have the Victor Changs of this world—great doctors who helppeople. There are members of this House who are doctors. There are doctors who make a difference topeople’s lives. But there was also another doctor who was quite famous and he was calledDr Kevorkian—or ‘Dr Death’. I would equate the Labor Party in Queensland more with doctors like‘Dr Death’ than a healing doctor.

Mr Hart interjected.Mr DAVIES: No, it is exactly the same. Labor was not a healing doctor. It did not help the patient.

In fact, it supplied and administered the poison that infected the patient.Mr Hart: What was the poison? Was that debt? Mr DAVIES: Debt, incompetence and waste. It just goes on and on. What did the patient ask for

on 24 March? What did they cry out for from their sickbed? I would say that they cried out for a secondopinion. They cried out for better treatment and they got that with the LNP government. We have beenentrusted by the people of Queensland to give a second opinion and to provide better treatment—notjust to let the patient suffer on their sickbed but to provide an answer. Sometimes the cure for a sicknessmight seem worse than the actual sickness itself—as was the case with my aunt—but it is vital. MyAunty Helena recounted that to me today. She is so happy to be around. She was enjoying her timehere but, during her treatment, it was a very difficult time for her.

We have had to give strong medicine. Like many others here, I regret having to do the things thatwe have had to do with the Public Service. But it has been necessary and it is strong medicine. Like thedoctors who treated my aunty, we take no pleasure in doing this. I cannot see any doctor giving myaunty the treatment that she received rejoicing in the fact that that chemotherapy was making her sick,rejoicing in the fact that the radiation therapy made her lose her hair. The doctors were not rejoicing inthat. Those on the other side feign indignation at the treatment that we have had to offer. But we havehad to do it because of the poison that the former Labor government inflicted on the people ofQueensland.

This budget lays the foundation and gets Queensland back on track. My electorate is alreadyseeing the benefits. My electorate is seeing more funding for disabilities. In fact, it has received$12.66 million as part of the $959 million in record funding for disability services in Queensland. TheCapalaba electorate is receiving $12.66 million in grants. We have seen the launch of the Elderly ParentCarer Innovation Trial, with funding of $15 million. This is an absolute cracker of a program. One lady inmy electorate is 65 years old. She is very frail herself and she has a 28-year-old son. One of her biggestworries is that, when she happens to pass on, her son would not be looked after. For this lady, thisfunding will give her just wonderful peace of mind.

Not only that, there is the $15,000 first home owners construction grant. This is just a fantasticboost for the people of Capalaba—for not only those young families who need to buy their first home butalso for tradies. Capalaba is tradies city. If you stand on a corner on a Monday morning in Capalaba, youwould see hundreds and thousands of utes going in and out of Capalaba.

Mr Symes interjected. Mr DAVIES: The same as occurs at Wynnum. They are all over the place—A government member: It’s God’s own country. Mr DAVIES: It is God’s own country. This $15,000 grant is an absolute godsend. I commend the

government for this initiative. The final initiative that I think is just wonderful is the school maintenance program of $200 million,

with $160,000 per school. There are eight schools in the Capalaba electorate. During the electioncampaign Channel 9 did an expose of one of the schools in my electorate. It was an absolute shame.They showed pictures of that school with gutters falling down, trip hazards, paint peeling off the wallsand cracked, smashed windows.

Mr Costigan: Labor’s legacy.Mr DAVIES: Labor’s legacy. This program is going to be just an absolute, amazing blessing for

the people of Capalaba. One of the first things I did was send out a press release to the P&Cs of theschools in my electorate. The response has just been overwhelming. They are totally looking forward toreceiving this funding. The members of these P&Cs are the most self-sacrificing people I have had theopportunity to meet. I have gone to many P&C meetings. Every Monday or Tuesday night in myelectorate the P&C committees get together. People give up their time to go to these meetings straightafter work. Mums, dads and teachers get along to these P&C meetings and plan the barbecue atBunnings, the school disco and the trivia night to help fund the school excursion or to fund a playgroundfor the new prep school.

These guys are self-sacrificing. They go out there and they do this. It was a vile comment byKevin Bates of the Queensland Teachers Union that somehow by giving $160,000 to a P&C they will gooff and squander it. They already have budgets of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They have checksand balances. I think it is a disgrace. I think it would be better if the QTU looked in its own backyard. It


should have a look at the HSU or maybe the AWU with a lazy $100,000 here or $200,000 there gettingslipped into their mates’ pockets; or maybe look at the standover bullyboy tactics of the CFMEU andwhat it is doing at the moment. I can imagine the Queensland Teachers Union wanting to call a royalcommission because one of these P&C parents is down at the Bunnings barbecue and might bepocketing an extra few dollars. It is just a disgrace.

This is a once-in-a-generation budget; a budget for this generation and a budget for the nextgeneration. It is a foundational budget and it is a vital budget. I began by commending the Treasurer,Premier and ministers for their effort and courage. The great president of the US, JFK, once said, ‘Effortand courage are not enough without purpose and direction.’ This budget is a courageous budget, it is abudget that has taken great effort, but it is a budget that gives the Queensland people purpose anddirection. It gives the people of Queensland a road map for the future, a way forward and a sense ofhope and dignity. I commend this budget to the House.

Mrs SMITH (Mount Ommaney—LNP) (6.01 pm): On Tuesday this week the clouds that hadhovered over this great state for a dozen years or more parted and a ray of sunshine broke through. Aclear direction was outlined in the first Newman government budget. Practical common sense,determination and unwavering dedication to turn Queensland around was delivered by the Treasurerand this government. That little ray of sunshine will continue to grow under this budget and, with ourcarefully mapped out fiscal strategy, the Sunshine State can and will be that again.

Tough decisions were needed and the Premier and Treasurer did not baulk from thisresponsibility. This government has an obligation on behalf of all Queenslanders to correct the wrongsperpetrated by the former government that drove up the cost of living, increased the burden forbusinesses and neglected this state. This budget sets Queensland on the path to redemption from theindiscretions and the incompetent management of our former Labor government. We will set in motionthe recovery of our financial mess that will in turn lead to the better delivery of service and infrastructurewithin our state.

While this budget has made some tough calls, there are also many highlights of delivery toeveryday Queenslanders. This budget delivered more than just the long-term viability of Queensland.What this budget has actually done is deliver real, current time services and funding that will beaccessible, real tangible benefits to carers, to education, to schools, to health, to front-line services, tobusinesses and to mum and dads.

So, what does the budget mean to the people of Mount Ommaney? Cost of living was the No. 1issue raised with me by my constituents and a few examples of where this government has deliveredinclude: freezing car regos; freezing the electricity tariff 11, which will save on average $120 a year;reinstating the principal place of residence tax concession; and the water rebate of $80. For businessesone of the most important things has been the removal of the waste tax levy. I give credit to the Ministerfor Environment for that. Also, we have had the increase of the payroll tax threshold from $1 million to$1.1 million in this next financial year. Again that is a real incentive for small businesses. In relation tomy electorate in the area of disability services, this budget has delivered $16.7 million of funding. Myelectorate is home to many disability support organisations that strive day-to-day to make people’s livesbetter. This funding will help them improve their already enviable reputations. It will also help those in myelectorate who need the vital services that these organisations provide.

The electorate of Mount Ommaney depends on public transport. This budget provides fareincreases that have been halved for South-East Queensland for the years 2013 and 2014. Also, wehave that fantastic initiative that we have introduced where a person can take 10 or more trips and onlypay for nine. That is pretty good value. Someone who lives in Oxley can save up to $220 a year. Againthis is real savings; money in the back pocket of the people of Mount Ommaney.

In the area of policing, this budget delivers $146.9 million over the next four years to ensure thatwe can deliver an extra 1,100 police officers. The electorate of Mount Ommaney is home to eightoutstanding state primary schools. The service delivered to our students is first rate, even though ourteachers and auxiliary staff battle with buildings in need of repair, broken toilet blocks and structuraldamage to facilities like swimming pools and wall foundations. The $200 million funding program forstate schools announced in the budget will repair these. They will fix the leaking roofs; they will unblockthe blocked toilets. It will allow the P&Cs to determine the nature and extent of this expenditure. Onbudget night I received a text from one of the P&C presidents that simply said, ‘Pretty happy with thebudget.’ It will also allow the P&Cs to source the best available pricing and products. I can see wherethat is going to go; it will put money back into cash-strapped local businesses. This part of the budgethas the potential to deliver to my electorate $1.28 million.

Whilst I am on schooling, this budget has delivered to Queenslanders $53.6 million over fouryears to roll out the equivalent of a full-time teacher aide to an additional 150 prep classes each year inthe areas of greatest need. The Minister for Education should be proud of that. In addition, the MountOmmaney Special School, which I talked about the other night in my adjournment speech, will receive20 e-tablets to support their learning needs. In relation to sport and recreation, $250,000 will bedistributed to local sporting groups and clubs.




Turning now to road infrastructure, I clearly remember on 16 June 2011—just a little over a yearago—the former member for Mount Ommaney speaking in this very House on budget night extolling thevirtues of a delivery by the Bligh Labor government for that electorate. She said—... our government still listens to my specific needs for the people in the Mount Ommaney electorate. I am happy to announce thecommitment to fund the $57 million interchange upgrade and the duplication of the bridge at Sumners Road over the CentenaryHighway at Jamboree Heights.

When we achieved government, lo and behold, there was no commitment and no money. Thiswas pure fantasy. Because there was no funding they could not deliver. They can talk it up, but theycannot deliver.

I will continue to fight for this vital piece of infrastructure, which is paramount to our transportcorridors in Mount Ommaney. I will continue to have discussions with the Minister for Main Roads andthe Treasurer. They know how important it is. I can tell the House what I will not do. I will not be like theprevious member and her Labor government and make commitments that I know are not going to behonoured.

In Health, this budget has delivered $1.3 billion for the construction and redevelopment ofhospitals in the south-east corner. The regional hospital boards will make decisions in a way that bestbenefits them and, in doing so, that best benefits the patients. I admire the fortitude of the Minister forHealth in that regard. I could go on and on about all the positive initiatives that this government has in itsfirst budget as my colleagues have, but time does not permit me to do so.

Therefore, in summing-up, the Treasurer calls this the most important budget in a generation. Isay that this budget is the start of a program that will allow not only this generation but futuregenerations to enjoy the life that this great state affords. With this budget, the Premier, the Treasurerand the cabinet are at the helm. The remnants of the previous government’s troubled waters will benavigated with caution, responsibility and secure leadership. Belief in stability, security, confidence andcertainty in government will become a part of everyday life in Queensland for this generation and thenext generation. I am proud that in due time I will be able to say to those generations that I was part of ateam that helped deliver the great state of Queensland back to Queenslanders. I commend the bills tothe House.

Mr WOODFORTH (Nudgee—LNP) (6.11 pm): Today it gives me great pleasure to rise to reply tothis once-in-a-generation budget: the Appropriation Bill, the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill and theFiscal Repair Amendment Bill 2012. I would like to talk about what this budget means to my electorate ofNudgee. Overall, the electorate of Nudgee has been delivered a great outcome from the budget. Firstly,however, I do acknowledge that some tough measures have had to be implemented to the budget andsome of those tough measures affect parts of my electorate. I do sincerely feel for those areas and thepeople that have been affected.

The budget provides relief for families via the $80 water rebate for all households, freezing thestandard electricity tariff, freezing car registrations for three years and also taking away the $7,000stamp duty to the family home. Then there is the new first home owners grant. We have also deliveredfor the many businesses in my electorate with the lifting of the payroll threshold. There is a great win forall of my state schools. Each state school is able to put in requests for up to $160,000 to help clear thebacklog of maintenance. That is up to $160,000 for Earnshaw College; Wavell State High School; andBoondall, Northgate, Virginia, Zillmere, Wavell Heights and Geebung primary schools. After attendingmany P&C meetings over the past few months, I know this money will be a welcome relief to all. I alsoapplaud the decision that the P&Cs are the ones that will determine where the funds are spent. They willbe able to use local businesses from in and around the electorate, which will mean that not only doesthe school benefit from receiving this grant but also many small business owners will benefit.

I am also pleased to announce that Nudgee has received $399,000 for the District Home AssistProgram. Home Assist Secure aims to help people over the age of 60 with practical housing relateddifficulties. From the calls I have received at my office, I know the people of Nudgee will be very happyabout this. I am also excited to see that this budget will invest $959 million in specialist disabilityservices. I am happy to say that Nudgee will be receiving over $6.9 million to help those most in need.

As many members know, health and fitness is a big part of my life, so I think that it is great to seewe have committed money to upgrade facilities at O’Callaghan Park, Zillmere; to install lighting tosupport rugby league at Albert Bishop Park, Nundah; and for the continuation of an IndigenousCommunity Sport and Recreation Officer program. This means that officer Piet Kailola will be able tocontinue his great work keeping kids healthy and active. As for the environment, we have looked afterthat too in the budget, because this government cares about the environment. We are delivering$1.4 million for the Nudgee Beach Environmental Education Centre, to upgrade its facilities.

When it comes to roads, Nudgee has received much needed money. This budget has committedfunding of over $71 million towards the upgrade of the Gateway Motorway from Nudgee to Deagon. Iknow that commuters travelling during peak times should benefit greatly from this investment. Oncecompleted, that will also ease the congestion on Sandgate Road.




And now for the big one—the one they said we couldn’t deliver, the one they said would never bedelivered. Well, here it is! It gives me great pleasure to say that this budget has committed the promiseddollars to deliver the Geebung rail overpass. That is truly a win, not only for the residents of Geebungbut also for the residents of numerous surrounding suburbs within the electorate such as WavellHeights, Chermside, Zillmere, Virginia and Boondall, and let us not forget the numerous suburbs outsidethe electorate that will be affected. That road is the corridor that links western suburbs such as Aspleyand Albany Creek to the industrial areas such as Geebung, Virginia, Northgate and Banyo. That vitalpiece of infrastructure will take pressure off other overloaded streets and roads such as Ellison Roadand Zillmere Road. Thanks to the partnership with the Brisbane City Council in delivering this vital pieceof infrastructure, work has already begun.

This budget is a great budget for the people of Nudgee and for the people Queensland. Icongratulate the Treasurer on a budget to get this state back on track. With that, I commend these billsto the House.

Mr SYMES (Lytton—LNP) (6.15 pm): Today I rise to support the Newman government’s firstbudget and to commend our excellent Treasurer on providing a responsible budget that will help plan abetter Queensland for generations to come. I must add that only a Churchie old boy can repair themismanagement of the previous Labor government.

A government member: What a crawler! Mr SYMES: I take that interjection. Mr Nicholls: Lytton is looking good for next year. Mr SYMES: I thank the Treasurer. On this side of the House, we know the worth of a dollar and

the importance of providing more services whilst paying down the debt inherited from the Blighgovernment. I am proud to be part of the Newman government as it provides the platform that I and therest of my colleagues took to the 2012 state election—that is, to build a four-pillar economy to makeQueensland the boom state again.

The budget gives us a lot to be excited about in all aspects of the Queensland economy. Onemuch welcomed initiative is the school maintenance fund, which will empower local P&Cs, principalsand the wider school community to get on with the job of restoring, repairing and performingmaintenance works at our local schools. Yesterday I spoke to nearly every state school principal in theLytton electorate. The principals and their P&C presidents are excited. For example, the Lota StateSchool is currently waiting to finish a brand new fence to keep the children safe. Under thisannouncement, the school community can fulfil its vision for the children.

Seniors welcome our quest to lower the cost of living for them and for Queensland families bydoubling the patient travel subsidy. The $80 water rebate will help Lytton residents save on their yearlywater bills. Increased funding for disability services includes $3.49 million for the Lytton electorate. I lookforward to being a guest speaker at the next meeting of the National Seniors Association, Wynnumbranch, and that of the Wynnum-Manly Committee on the Ageing. I will tell the audiences how thisgovernment will take the tough decisions, but will also give some welcome relief to Queensland families.

At the 2012 state election, when doorknocking and holding mobile offices, I pledged to residentsall over the electorate that I will fight for our fare share of funding. Today, I can announce that I havedelivered on this pledge. In my first five months as the member for Lytton, my constituency can be proudthat they have been represented in parliament, as I am giving the bayside back its voice and theNewman government will work with me to build a better Lytton.

Today for the Lytton electorate I can announce a $104.3 million upgrade to Port Connect, whichwill duplicate the existing two-lane motorway and construct a three-kilometre extension from theGateway Motorway to Pritchard Street, Wynnum North. This is a big tick on my pledge to improve roadinfrastructure in Lytton. The budget will provide $53,000 to employ a local coordinator for multi sport, tosupport five sporting clubs in the district. A $2,000 grant will help fund a participation program for kids tosupport rugby union in Wynnum. Tomorrow, I look forward to attending the presentation day of themighty Wynnum Bugs Rugby Union Club, where I will tell the mums and dads that the Newmangovernment is committed to getting kids into the game.

I am also excited about announcing a $120,000 upgrade to the Fort Lytton jetty to open access tothe port once again to tour operators and ferry services from the Brisbane River—another big tick to mypledge to improving marine infrastructure in Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River. The Moreton BayEnvironmental Education Centre will be replacing their existing boat, with a $500,000 grant. Also, in thearea of housing there will be additional funds of $40,000 to complete 14 dwellings at Ropley Road,Wynnum West. I will also be fighting for our fair share of the $12.4 million in social housing upgrades—another big tick to my pledge for housing reform.

The Lytton electorate will be excited as well, especially people with disabilities, because we haveannounced $3.49 million in disability grants. Lytton will also receive its fair share of the $62.1 million tocontinue the implementation of introducing year 7 as the first year of secondary school, as well as our




fair share of the $46.5 million emergency department upgrade at the Redland Hospital, which servicesmy constituency. I will also fight for the Wynnum Hospital’s share of the $25.549 million in minor capitalprojects and equipment. Sporting clubs in Lytton can apply for their fair share of the $4 million under theGet in the Game program, which will increase participation in sport and recreation throughout theelectorate.

The opposition sits in this House attacking the Premier and the Treasurer on making 14,000public servants redundant. I am sorry for their grief—as a government we are sorry—but I thank eachand every one of the hardworking public servants. I know their grief because my mother was a publicservant for nearly 35 years in both conservative and Labor governments in the Department of Transportand Main Roads. She was actually a union steward for the QPSU, which today is the Together Union.When she stood up for her workmates under the Beattie government, what did Alex Scott and the uniondo to stand with their members? Absolutely nothing. Alex Scott and his union officials laid down for theirLabor mates—stuff the workers! Luckily my mother took a redundancy package rather than be sackedby the Labor government. Not all unions, I must say, believe in Labor’s shallow words. Thus during thecampaign I had the AWU campaigning for me, and they still support me and this government throughdecision-making programs.

In summary, the Newman government is committed to getting the debt paid off whilst providingservices and infrastructure projects not only in the Lytton electorate but throughout Queensland. Yes, itis true that we have had to make some very tough decisions, but we were not voted in to be populist butto get Queensland back on track. I look forward to working with the cabinet and the local community inthe electorate of Lytton to build a better Lytton. This budget will no doubt help in building the foundationto make Queensland the best place to live. This budget provides the Brisbane bayside with betterinfrastructure, better disability services and more assistance to the over 65-year-olds. It empowerscommunities and local schools, as well as reduces the cost of living for all Queenslanders. I commendthe Treasurer on this bill and I commend the bills to the House.

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (6.23 pm): Turning around the Queensland economy is without doubta momentous task, a task which the debt addicted Labor Party could simply not bring themselves to do.Instead, it took vision, determination and resolve to undertake the responsible task of fiscal repair and tobring the Queensland economy back from the brink—a brink that without corrective action of theCampbell Newman government would have seen gross debt skyrocket to $92 billion in 2015-16 andeven further still to $100 billion by 2018-19. Quite frankly, Queenslanders and the good people ofBurleigh do not need or deserve that burden.

This really is the most important budget in a generation of Queenslanders. Even though theprevious Labor government was well renowned for its creativity when it came to managing the financesof this state, in the end there was simply no magic trick or magic pudding that could fix the mess itcreated. We as a new government have been forced to make the tough decision and we will not shrinkfrom that responsibility.

The responsible fiscal repair of the Queensland economy and the turnaround from deficit tosurplus by the Newman government is just like that popular hair product—it won’t happen overnight butit will happen. When the fiscal repair begins, Queenslanders and the residents I represent in Burleighcan again look to a promising and economically sustainable future, a future that delivers on thepromises of an LNP government—LNP promises which Queenslanders overwhelmingly voted for andendorsed on 24 March this year. They are the same LNP promises that will grow a strong four-pillareconomy and deliver economic stability that this state has not seen in recent times—a future which willsee the Newman government deliver a projected fiscal surplus of $652 million by 2014-15. For thebenefit of those opposite who do not understand basic business principles, that is when your income ismore than your expenses and you end up with money in your pocket at the end of the year. It is a futurewhere local Burleigh businesses will have the confidence to invest, where first home buyers areencouraged to buy a home, where the construction industry is welcomed, where schoolchildren haveaccess to emerging technologies, where people have confidence in the health system, and it will be aplace where we can feel safe again.

As we know, this will be the first time in nine years that the state will have a genuine budgetsurplus—a budget surplus that will allow the state of Queensland to again live within its means and plota course to regaining a AAA rating. That rating is not just a bunch of meaningless letters on a piece ofpaper as the Labor Party would have us believe but rather a AAA rating will significantly reduce the costof interest repayments this state has to make into the future. Regaining a AAA rating would save thisstate billions of dollars in unproductive interest.

The cost of having to pay high interest equates to a massive opportunity cost and an opportunitylost forever. Because of Labor’s addiction to debt and paying interest instead of investing in projects thatdeliver better community outcomes, it means that Queenslanders and the people of Burleigh have gonewithout. In contrast, the Newman government will save $1.3 billion in interest payments over the forwardestimates. That means more money to reinvest in Queensland and more investment in Burleigh. With




continued savings like this, it means that the LNP government can start to bring forward critical projectsin future budgets—projects that will deliver high productivity and deliver better economic, social andenvironmental outcomes for the community.

The LNP government has a plan for Queensland where Labor just had their fingers crossed, theireyes shut and their heads in the sand. They were hoping for the best with no real plan. The 2012-13Newman budget will get Queensland back on track and we will deliver significant benefits for theBurleigh community. These benefits include providing better tourism opportunities; $48,000 for capitalworks that will set the direction for the development and management of the David Fleay Wildlife Parkand provide an agreed plan for staged development and effective infrastructure management over afive- to 10-year time frame; $56,000 in funding for the construction of a forest aviary for display ofeastern bristle birds—

Mr Bennett interjected.Mr HART: Do you know what they are?Mr Bennett: No.Mr HART: As well as developing, producing and installing eight interpretive animal signs and two

interpretive habitat signs. I look forward to finding out exactly what an eastern bristle bird is when thataviary is built. There will also be $20,000 for upgrades to the mangrove boardwalk along TallebudgeraCreek, including improvements to boundary fencing and formalising access points. At present theboundary is largely unmarked. However, it is identified in some areas by ageing concrete and timberbollards, the majority of which were installed in the 1980s. The upgrade also includes improving theexisting visitor access path and boardwalk from the Loman Lane car park to the entrance of theconservation park in the intertidal zone within the mangroves.

The principals and P&C presidents of the state schools in my electorate cannot get the smiles offtheir faces after the announcement by the honourable Minister for Education, Training and Employmentof the $200 million Advancing Our Schools Maintenance Fund, which will allow all schools in myelectorate to apply for up to $160,000 each to tackle those maintenance issues that were long ignoredby the previous failed Labor government. I say well done to the honourable member for SurfersParadise.

The LNP government is also committed to the success of the Commonwealth Games in 2018 andthe economic and cultural opportunities the games will bring to the Gold Coast. The LNP governmenthas approved the allocation of $20.953 million in funding to support the 2018 Gold CoastCommonwealth Games approved by the former government. This round of funding further supportsplanning towards the staging of the games.

The Newman government is also dedicated to providing better access to disability services andpolicing in Burleigh. That is why Burleigh will receive $10.431 million for the provision of disabilityservices for residents in need from Palm Beach Avenue in the south to Oceanic Drive in the north of myelectorate.

Burleigh will also be a major beneficiary of the Gold Coast police helicopter, with the Newmangovernment allocating $18 million over the next four years. With an eye in the sky, policing with take ona third dimension on the Gold Coast, enabling police to track and apprehend more offenders and insome cases deter offences from occurring in the first place. This extra police helicopter funding works intandem with the $1.1 million to establish the Major and Organised Crime Squad on the Gold Coast,which will also incorporate the Illegal Firearms Squad. These policing initiatives—along with $4 millionadditional funding for Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers, $100,000 to strengthen the SchoolBased Policing and Adopt a School program and $146.9 million over four years for 1,100 new policeofficers—will help answer the calls of Burleigh residents who want to feel safe in their community onceagain.

The Newman government is also moving to lower the cost of living. The government is deliveringon this promise by providing the Gold Coast with a one-off rebate of up to $80 per domestic waterconnection. This rebate will help Gold Coasters balance their budgets as the LNP governmentcontinues the task of untangling the Labor failure that is the state water grid. Do not even get me startedon the failure that is the Tugun desal plant.

Mr Nicholls: Tell us about the Tugun desal plant.Mr HART: I said, ‘Don’t get me started.’ Finally, Burleigh will receive $69,000 to provide significant

social and recreational outcomes for the Burleigh area, including: providing crisis, transitional and long-term affordable accommodation to meet local needs in partnership with non-profit communityorganisations; employing a local coordinator to support seven surf sports clubs on the Gold Coast;purchasing training and playing equipment for rugby league; and conducting level 1 coachingaccreditation to support future growth and coaching sessions and club activities to support kayaking andcanoeing at Miami.


We have heard from the Treasurer and the Premier this week that Queensland now has a firmplan in place to go forward and that the future is starting to look far brighter. In contrast the Leader of theOpposition, when pushed on local media this week, had no alternative plan. Even when she was askedfive times, her reply indicated a constant and consistent, ‘No plan.’ The Leader of the Opposition had anopportunity yesterday in her budget reply speech to outline the alternative government’s plan. Shesaid—Labor always stands for fairness. That will remain our guiding light as we develop the policies we will take to the next election.

They have no plan. The Leader of the Opposition went on to say—That is why we would invest in a trial site in this state for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS is one of the biggestsocial reforms that we will ever see in our lifetime. Labor would commit the $26 million for a trial site in our state ...

In the scheme of the state budget as a whole, $26 million is not that much for such an importantprogram. But the problem is that, regardless of the end cost of a proposed NDIS, those opposite wouldgo on and commit this state to an ongoing cost that could be billions and billions of dollars. How exactlywould they suggest we pay for that? Do the seven dwarfs over there get in there Tarago, nip down to thenearest Bank of China and stick the credit card in the ATM? I do not think so.

Let me just deal with that overabused credit card for a minute. The Leader of the Opposition saidin her speech—and we have just heard ‘Snow White’ over there, the member for South Brisbane, andthe shadow Treasurer parrot the same line—that ‘Labor left net debt, factoring in investments andmoney in the bank, of $24.92 billion.’ Those economic illiterates opposite seem to think that thisindicator—and that is exactly what it is: an indicator—is a real level of debt and that they can talk aboutit to make themselves look good.

But let us have a look at this budget book. We can see in there on page 145 that there is$24.389 billion, and what the opposition have done is they have offset the investment that is there forthe state’s public servants’ superannuation. If you do something like that, you really need to take intoaccount the liability that might be there as well. What are the figures that are involved here? We have a$34.502 billion investment, but on the other side of the page we have liabilities—a $25.364 billionsuperannuation liability and $5.602 billion of other employee entitlements. When you add those twothings together, you get about $30 billion so this $24 billion net debt position that they keep talking aboutis a load of rubbish. It is an indicator. Do not be fooled by that. If the opposition had a look in this book,they would find a lot of great information for them.

Actual borrowings are $62.672 billion this year, and the Labor spending program that was lockedin before the election will see borrowing blow out by $10 billion in the next 12 months. As members cansee, those opposite just do not get it. They just do not understand basic economics. They cannot betrusted with the state’s credit card and the voters on 24 March knew exactly what they were doing whenthey tossed them out.

All in all, I would like to congratulate the honourable the Treasurer, the honourable the Premierand the LNP cabinet for delivering a budget the people of Queensland demanded on 24 March this year.This LNP budget draws a line in the sand and ends Labor’s insatiable appetite for debt. For the first timein a long time, this state has a plan—a plan to build a strong four-pillar economy—and this budget is alandmark step in taking the state from debt to surplus and bringing back confidence to invest inQueensland. We will look back in years to come and see that this was the point in time when adetermined Newman government put Queensland back on track. I commend the honourable theTreasurer for his diligence in presenting these bills to the House. I have much pleasure in supporting thebills.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Ruthenberg): Order! Before I call the next speaker, I inform theHouse that there will be no dinner break this evening. We are going straight through.

Mr CRANDON (Coomera—LNP) (6.39 pm): I rise to contribute to the cognate debate on theAppropriation Bill 2012, the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill 2012 and the Fiscal Repair AmendmentBill—very solemn words. That is what this budget is all about. In preparing for tonight’s contribution, Itook the time to look at last year’s budget debate in Hansard and, in particular, my comments in thatdebate on Friday, 17 June 2011. It was quite an exceptional speech. It was almost like I was foretellingthe future and foretelling this budget. At that time I was critical of the abolition of the principal place ofresidence concession that cost homebuyers up to $7,000. I also said that I was concerned about theimpact of the hike in stamp duty on people buying property. We have reinstated that entitlement. Backon 17 June 2011 when the previous Labor government was scrambling to try to save something—and,to be honest, I do not know what they were trying to save—we were committed to turning things aroundfor Queensland in 2012. We have reinstated that entitlement.

I went on to say that electricity prices would continue to increase under the Labor government aswould car registration. Once again, we have turned that around by freezing tariff 11. If I had the timetonight I would enjoy giving honourable members an update about the Energex-Origin issue. I would liketo say that Origin has been out to conduct an audit on my property as promised. I point out that promisewas made not because I am an MP but because that is part of the service. When I called them to




arrange that audit I was told that the person who was meant to do it was on holidays. Lo and behold,they said she would be in touch with me when she returned. That was about three weeks ago and I havenot heard back from them. I have not had my audit yet.

Mr Crisafulli: Getting back to the budget—Mr CRANDON: Getting back to the budget, honourable members should remember that in 2012-

13 we are freezing tariff 11. In so doing, we got into a bit of a bunfight with Origin over what it thought itwas going to do. We won the day for the people of Queensland and the people of South-EastQueensland in particular. We are also freezing car registration for family cars for the next three years.So we have removed those cost-of-living pressures that affect Queenslanders each and every day.

In relation to health, I also said that I constantly receive complaints from constituents sufferingsevere pain whilst they are stuck on waiting lists. That is one of the tragedies of a waiting list for awaiting list—the waiting list that you are not even allowed to be added to. It is not just about having anoperation; it is not just about having some really serious, important medical procedure; it is about thepain that people suffer while they are waiting. I speak about hip replacements which I know aboutbecause my wife has had one. I know the pain that she went through before and after the surgery.

Mr Berry interjected. Mr CRANDON: I take the interjection. I do not know about prostate pain, but I am sure it is

painful. The people on these lists write to me and to my colleagues every day talking about the problemthey have in just getting on a list. This government is turning that around. We are fixing that byimplementing strategies to reduce waiting lists.

During that speech last year I said that a major issue was the ramping of ambulances that occursat hospitals. How many times have we seen the photographs of ramped ambulances in the paper? Iknow a few ambos. One in particular keeps in touch through another friend. He often sends me a texttelling me how long he has been sitting ramped outside a hospital, whether it be a hospital in Brisbane,Logan City or wherever. I have to tell honourable members that it is usually hours and hours. We allknow that there is a cost associated with that. Part of the cost is those people having to wait inambulances in order to receive medical attention at our hospitals, which is concerning.

The other cost is in the fact that those ambulance officers cannot just up and leave their patient;they cannot go along and find a wheelchair for them or some sort of gurney, put them on it and say,‘Righto, mate, see you later,’ and take off. They have to stay with the patient. There is a cost associatedwith that because those ambos are then not out on the road doing their job. Instead, they are outside thehospital or inside the emergency area trying to keep the patient happy whilst they are waiting for hospitalstaff to take over. Once again, we are fixing that. Come 2013, we will be implementing strategies toensure that the ramping issue will disappear or be drastically reduced, and we will continue to work onthat. I know that the Minister for Health is determined to resolve that particular problem.

I said also in that budget reply speech in 2011 that public transport fares increased 20 per cent inthe previous year and they were going to increase 15 per cent in each of the following years until 2014-15. They were going up by 15 per cent each year. The good news for the people of South-EastQueensland is that we fixed that by reducing the increase to 7½ per cent this coming year. We havealso reduced that ridiculous policy of providing free trips only after 10 trips that the previous governmentput in place. Now commuters will get free trips after a logical nine trips. That means that genuine regularcommuters can enjoy a 10 per cent cut. They might hop on at Coomera Railway Station and travel intothe city. With a bit of luck, they might even have a seat to sit on. Once they have done that nine timesthey will find that their next trip will be free. They can also then travel for free on the weekend as well. Itmakes sense. It gives a direct 10 per cent discount to those regular commuters who travel twice a day,five days a week—in and out, in and out—

Mrs Frecklington interjected. Mr CRANDON: I do not take that interjection! The net result is a 10 per cent discount. Do honourable members remember the $10,000 Building Boost grant for new homes? During my

speech last year I made the point that it was likely to provide a short-term boost to the housing andconstruction industry. I also said—I worry that it is just not enough, certainly in terms of the length of time it is being made available, to make any lasting difference.

If members remember, the length of time that it was to be available was something like sixmonths. It was expected that so many people would take advantage of this $10,000 grant that we weregoing to spend $140 million in a six-month period. It was all rush, rush, rush and it was thought thateverybody would be trying to get a hold of this $10,000. It was helter-skelter and it drove people crazy.At the end of the day, it was a failure. I know it was a failure because I was on the committee thatexamined that bill before it was rushed through the parliament. Hello! Bills were rushed through just likewe are having to do currently. Being a new government, we have to get some bills through theparliament quickly. That bill was rushed through the committee system and I was a member of the


committee that considered it. When that program failed, we then had to rush through an amendment toextend the length of time for which that boost was available. It is not very nice, but I think 1 April—AprilFools’ Day—was the last day. I am not sure; I might be wrong. The point is that everybody was in a rush.

I have not checked the figures lately, but I do know that there was a take-up rate of something like35 per cent after nine months because people just could not, straight out of the blocks, get themselvessorted out in order to take advantage of the $10,000 grant. It was too rushed for people to raise depositsand so on. You have to say that that measure was a failure.

This government is fixing that problem. We are implementing a $15,000 ongoing boost for firsthome buyers who want to build their own house. There is no time limit on it. It is not in place untilChristmas or 1 April next year; it is an ongoing promise so that people can properly plan, start saving fortheir future and then take advantage of that $15,000 grant.

In my speech on the budget last year I said that cost-of-living increases were crippling those whocould least afford it. We are listening to Queenslanders. We are providing a one-off $80 water rebate toresidents of South-East Queensland, in addition to the measures I mentioned earlier—that is, thefreezing of car registration and electricity tariff 11.

I go back to the $15,000 first home owner construction grant. The electorate of Coomera has ahigh proportion of people in the trades. I see them driving up the highway to work—on the other side ofBrisbane, in Ipswich and other places. If you go to the M1 at quarter past five in the morning, all you seeare utes, vans and trucks. Tradespeople are having to travel miles to find work. A lot of thosetradespeople are young people trying to get on their feet and are potential first home buyers. So therewill be a double benefit from this grant: tradespeople will be earning a good income from beingemployed again, instead of underemployed or unemployed, and they may be eligible to receive the$15,000 boost to their deposit, if you like, on a new home.

I refer to police resources. In my speech on the budget in 2011 I said that there is no time for ourpolice to be proactive. I was making the point that they are flat out. I said that they were not even gettingthrough all the calls they were receiving. I said that something like a third of calls were not evenserviced, that police could not even get to the people who were ringing them for help. That is how busythey were. In 2011 I said that we needed more blue shirts and more cars on the road to catch up with thecall-outs. We have listened. We all know—I will say it again because it is important for my constituents toknow—that we have listened.

Some 1,100 new police officers will be provided over the next four years. In the first 12 months,100 of those new officers are committed to areas that are of concern to me—that is, Logan City andEagleby. The Logan Police District goes down to the Pimpama River, which takes in a big lump of thenorthern Gold Coast, and then there is the Coomera Police District. Although I do not have any of theGold Coast Police District in the Coomera electorate, some of my constituents work in that area.Knowing that 100 extra police will commence in the first 12 months is great. I have lost my place.

Mr Dillaway: Finish it up, then. Mr CRANDON: No, I have five minutes. By the way, we are pulling 200 police from desk jobs out

onto the front line. So there will be a total of 1,300 additional police out in the community. In my speech on the budget in 2011 I expressed concern for small businesses in the Coomera

electorate which were hurting. I said—... small business, the backbone of our economy, is suffering.

Once again, we have listened. Earlier I mentioned the $15,000 first home owner constructiongrant, which will kick-start the building industry. I also mentioned that many of the people working in theindustry would also be buyers of new homes. In 2011 I said—... this budget is an embarrassment for the Treasurer and the government. It is a budget that has delivered little joy to the peopleof the Coomera electorate.

I am pleased that today I can thank the Treasurer and the government for delivering a budget thatwill help the people of Coomera by stimulating the broader Queensland economy and by giving jobs tothose people in my electorate who are suffering.

I can outline a number of direct benefits to the people of Coomera from this budget. Some ofthese measures impact on the wider Gold Coast; some of them also benefit people in the electorates ofAlbert, Waterford and Springwood. The first is the M1 upgrade and the work on the M1 that continues tobe committed to. Just the other day a few of us were talking about how any improvements will make adifference to all of the people who use the M1, not just the people in the local area.

Another measure of benefit is the long-awaited $2.16 million for the Coomera Ambulance Station,construction of which came to a screeching halt because somebody employed somebody who wentbroke. There were too many situations like that during the time of the previous government. I do notthink they did due diligence. The Coomera Ambulance Station will be up and running in no time at all.


I refer to the upgrade of social rental housing properties. One of the inquiries I receive the most isfrom people in my electorate needing social housing. They are in dire straits: they are homeless or theyare about to be kicked out of a house because they have not been able to afford the rent. I see themember for Woodridge listening intently. I know that she, too, has had contact with people in similarlydire circumstances. Millions of dollars will be invested in Albert, Beaudesert, Broadwater, Coomera,Gaven, Logan, Mudgeeraba and Waterford to try and improve the situation faced by people needingsocial housing.

There will be some recurrent grant funds coming to Coomera. There will also be funding of$570,000 to improve the intersection of Stapylton Jacobs Well Road and Quinns Hill Road. This is reallya dangerous intersection, and I know that local people will be pleased to see some improvements.

There will be $1.3 million for planning work related to the Foxwell Road interchange. I havealready spoken about the $10 million that will benefit all of the people who use the M1 as well as theconstituents of Albert, Gaven, Springwood, Coomera and Waterford.

Importantly, about $37 million will be going into three schools in my electorate. Some $30 millionwill go to the new Pimpama State Secondary College, $8 million will go towards upgrades at OrmeauWoods State High School and almost $3 million will go towards upgrades at Coomera Rivers StateSchool. Finally, about $4 million will go to disability services in the Coomera and Logan areas.

This budget process has not been without some tough decision making. Regrettably, there issome pain, but what would people have us do? We have to get Queensland back on track and back inthe black. I congratulate the Premier and the Treasurer and I commend the bills to the House.

Mrs SCOTT (Woodridge—ALP) (6.59 pm): I have a vision burned into my psyche: thousands ofangry, hurt, bewildered and furious public servants raging against this mean, uncaring government. Yes,they came in their thousands, and all across the state Queenslanders who had served their state—served our people—with loyalty and honesty brought their anger to display their total disgust in thisgovernment. I witnessed some in tears and saw a wall of placards and personal signs all directedtowards this Premier and his tricky and mean Treasurer. His budget is without soul, without compassionand without heart and is now wrecking countless lives—families whose breadwinner may not findanother position for some time, mortgage stress, bills mounting, maybe a breakdown of relationshipsand, as one of my services is dreading, possible suicides. The loss of employment can createdepression, a loss of identity and many other negative emotions, particularly for a person who maynever have been unemployed in their entire life.

This government came to power with a strong mandate, and I accept that. We on this side havenot buried our heads in the sand. However, we recall that during the election campaign there wereassurances from our Premier that the government would revitalise front-line services and that publicservants had nothing to fear. This week we have seen from the Health budget documents andsubsequent commentary by the minister and Premier that they indeed do not know what the extent ofjob losses will be and I am sure under this government many of those public servants have everything tofear, for there will be more job losses.

This morning I attended the QCOSS breakfast—now termed the ‘QCROSS’ breakfast. The roomwas filled with representatives of our NGOs. Their faces were grim and vacant. The governmentdecided that neither the Treasurer nor the Minister for Community Services would attend and sentAssistant Minister Deb Frecklington, who I believe did the best she could under the circumstances.However, once her prepared speech was done and questions came, she could never be expected to beacross issues of funding cuts to such services as Skilling Queenslanders for Work or community centreslosing funding for specialised services. As I left the centre this morning, one of the attendeescommented, ‘This has been a waste of our time.’ None of those attendees knows the extent of the cuts,and all that is clear is that our community support groups will be decimated. This uncertainty and rippingapart of the fabric of our communities will be repeated right across the state.

This week we have seen the Premier and his Treasurer displaying absolute delight and pattingthemselves on the back with great satisfaction for the budget they have brought down. Then yesterdaywe learned that our state’s finances have been downgraded from AA plus to AA by Fitch Ratingsagency. Ask businesses in the CBD what the mood has been with thousands of public servants beingsacked. Since this government has gained power, families have been afraid to spend, businesses haveclosed down and the economy has slowed.

A section in the budget papers titled ‘Grants funding efficiencies’ speaks of ceasing or reducingfunding for ‘lower priority projects’ and will save the government $368 million. It will come as no surpriseto members that these funds strike at the very heart of communities where people may not have had agreat start in life—electorates like my own in Woodridge, a great community of salt-of-the-earth peoplebut some with complex needs who require services to assist them. This may affect youth programs,emergency relief, social inclusion and many support programs. How does this demonstrate thegovernment’s statement that ‘the LNP is committed to supporting these groups as we care for allQueenslanders’? Ripping $368 million out of our communities shows cold callousness. Members of theLNP keep beating their collective chests about their priorities to build stronger families and protect and




support vulnerable children. They are fine words, but now we see the Commission for Children andYoung People and Child Guardian having $9.6 million stripped away over a four-year period. We are ledto believe that child abuse and neglect are increasing, and here we are decreasing the ability of thisimportant partner in supporting front-line Child Safety staff and protecting our children and youngpeople.

One of the greatest impacts in cuts to funding and services in the Logan area is the loss of theSkilling Queenslanders for Work, Get Set for Work, Participate in Prosperity and like programs—alldesigned to give people the skills to enter the paid workforce and thus gain economic independence.One of our largest services, Career Keys, has been gutted. Home grown out of the work experienceprogram at Marsden High, it deals with hundreds of people from school students, young people whohave for whatever reason not completed their schooling and people wishing to change their career pathto mums wishing to return to employment after several years absence. Career Keys has establishedremarkable programs and infrastructure. It now will see its hairdressing salon, its cafe, its computer labsand its catering kitchen all sitting idle—unused and empty. It has lost $1.25 million in funding and willhave lost 10 positions by December. The staff are very disconsolate, there may be more redundanciesand it has frozen wages and slashed expenses. Sick rates have increased, staff are unmotivated andother jobs seem hard to find. Its Inala service has two out of its three shopfronts empty and people areconstantly calling to see when its next programs will commence. Some future programs are now indoubt, and it is feared that more cutbacks will cause the organisation to fold altogether.

BoysTown is similarly in mourning. With plans to assist 475 young people across South-EastQueensland through Skilling Queenslanders for Work, Get Set for Work, job preparation, EnterpriseLearning projects and industry focused training interventions, its funding will cease at the end of thecalendar year. ADRA manager and staff are similarly upset and will lose four trainers, two administrationstaff, one staff member from IT and four to five volunteers. It is total carnage! The huge need in many ofthese programs is for literacy and numeracy skills, and all of these organisations and many others arevery skilled in remedial programs which not only improve a person’s ability to move into the workforcebut also improve their whole quality of life, possibly allowing them for the first time to read to theirchildren. Funding cuts are now starting to flood into my office. For example, out of 79 QueenslandTransport staff, only 17 remain. It may take several weeks or even months for the full extent of thismadness to be revealed, but there is one thing we can say—that is, this is the most savage, totallyunnecessary disruption to services, jobs, income and training and it will continue to reverberatethroughout our state for a long time to come. Yes, many people learn their fate by way of media releaseor email—no farewells, no ‘thank you for your service’; just ‘don’t come back’.

It amazes me that the LNP has total amnesia when it comes to the history of work over the last100 years in Australia. Virtually all of our gains in work conditions, health and safety requirements,wages and so much more have been won through the efforts of our unions. When a worker is injured orwe suffer huge issues such as tragic asbestos related illnesses, it is the union representatives who keepthe pressure on to ensure proper responsibility and remedial action is taken. The losses we now see injobs and services can be firmly directed back to the LNP’s need to fund its election promises, and I sayshame, shame, shame.

Although I have spoken previously in this House about the demise of the Tenancy Advice andAdvocacy Service, I simply must say once again that this loss to our communities all across the state isleaving many vulnerable people in rental accommodation in a situation where they may feel intimidatedand be living in unsafe and substandard accommodation or in conflict with the landlord or owner and notknowing where to seek help.

Yes, my office gives great practical assistance to many constituents, but we may now experienceutter inundation. Similarly, the axing of QBuild and Project Services may see less responsiveness andfewer apprentices being trained. My office has received good advice and service and we thank QBuildfor its courteous attention to issues that I have had, both in our office and with constituents.

I live my life in a positive zone. So opposition has possibly not come easily. However, the fight inthe dog—or would it be more conducive for me to say ‘in the cat’—depends on the threat at hand. So ithas been that, owing to the threat to so much of what has been developed to assist and lift up mycommunity—and indeed our whole state—is now being trashed, I have taken on the mantle of opposingwhat I see is so ruthless and completely unnecessary. Woodridge is a ‘United Nations’, with manyformer refugees, our more recent arrivals. Migrants and people who arrived in the 1950s, 1960s and1970s to live in public housing and who brought up their families—good wholesome people—are thebackbone of my community. As services grew, many people came to access those services, which maymean those with disabilities, mental health issues, domestic violence issues and so on. Our workers—be they teachers, nurses or in any one of dozens of organisations—possess a certain trait of characterthat loves to see people assisted to a better place. I refer to us as an ICU: we repair people and makethem whole again.


In our schools, we refer to the distance travelled. Woodridge is a place that draws you in.Woodridge has been selected for public housing renewal and I am pleased with that. But I have satthrough so much commentary on public housing that is just so inaccurate that I need to set the recordstraight.

Mr Crandon interjected. Mrs SCOTT: I am going to give the member a history lesson, so he should listen. I started work

for the member for Woodridge in 1984. Back then, an applicant for public housing was given two orthree sets of keys, usually six weeks after their application was received, and they chose whicheverhome they would prefer. The Bjelke-Petersen government purchased vast tracts of land in what wasAlbert shire and built row upon row of public housing with toilets down the back, a strip of bitumen downthe road and no services, except a railway station that linked residents to Beenleigh. Gradually,services—

Mr Crandon interjected. Mrs SCOTT: This was the Joh era. Gradually, services arrived and the town grew. More and more

homes were built. The federal-state housing agreement gave a revenue stream to the states to buildpublic housing—and I think it was around $360 million—until Prime Minister John Howard changed theagreement and moved to a rental subsidy. This greatly reduced finances, resulting in fewer housesbeing built. Of course, landlords put up their rents so that rental subsidy basically went into the pocketsof landlords.

In the late 1990s and for two terms—maybe more—of our Labor government many millions ofdollars were available to areas such as Woodridge, Inala, Deception Bay, Townsville and other placesfor community renewal and urban renewal, which was acknowledged as the greatest program that notonly built infrastructure, programs and community capacity but also upgraded hundreds, perhapsthousands, of units of public housing stock. I thank our previous minister Robert Schwarten for hisstewardship over those years. He really cared about people and he still does. His next project was tosteer into existence the most successful Brisbane Housing Co., which has now built in excess of 1,000units of housing. I was on that steering committee and it was an exciting time, with now fantastic results.As I recall, our government placed $43 million into that project, along with the Brisbane City Council andother partners, including some churches.

The next milestone in housing has been the vast building program as a result of the economicdownturn and the partnership with the federal government. How often did we hear the mantra ofprevious minister Karen Struthers of over 4,000 homes and units having been built with federalgovernment money—over 4,000—

Mr Crandon: Where does the money come from, Desley? Mrs SCOTT: It does not matter where the money comes from; they were built. Government members interjected. Mrs SCOTT: It came from our federal Labor government. So do not ever tell me that our Labor

government built nothing by way of housing to care for those in need in our state. However, I recall manyopposition members at that time being NIMBYs—‘Sure, we support public housing but, please, not inmy electorate.’ There were many of them. I have witnessed it all.

As I search through the budget papers for good news—and, yes, there is some—I keep comingacross programs that have been either discontinued or are losing part of their funding and I keep saying,‘Oh, no, not the KITE program with its Yonder Project, which has meant so much to the schools in myelectorate.’ Funding is also cut to the Pyjama Foundation and its reading to foster kids program. Thepeople involved are volunteers. There are also funding cuts to Musica Viva, the Science EducationStrategy, the Spiritus Homework Club, the PPP parenting program, the travelling show school, theReady Readers Books for Bubs Program, the Education Minister’s Arts Award, the Brisbane WritersFestival and so it goes on. In total, 43 groups have lost $4 million in funding. I contrast that with the$3.5 million for forward planning for a new executive building.

I have spoken about the huge disappointment throughout our communities of the failure of thisgovernment to commit to the National Disability Insurance Scheme by its actions of putting up what is arelatively small amount of $26 million for a trial site. We are speaking about families with babies andyoung children with disabilities, young people who want to optimise their opportunities in life, olderpeople and some who are parents of middle-age people with disabilities, who need certainty thatfunding will be there to care for their loved one when they are no longer here or have the ability to carryout their caring role owing to their frailty. These people and families need the certainty of an NDIS. Thisis the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of this generation, not the government’s budget. Many throughoutthis state in our disability and aged and infirm sector will be distressed to learn that an annual cap of$400 has been placed on their taxi vouchers. I am totally astonished by that. Surely, mobility is soimportant. Then the government has refused to give a small increase to taxidrivers for the extra time thatis required to transport someone with their wheelchair.


I love living and working in Logan. The people are a special breed, especially some of ourinteresting characters. Logan has been well served by Labor’s previous terms in government. Iunderstand, with budgetary restraints, that there would not be massive handouts. Unfortunately, thisbudget will be remembered for all the wrong reasons—for the thousands of people and families who willfeel the chill of unemployment, for the vulnerable right through to the ordinary families who access ourservices and the tireless, dedicated workers who are holding on and stretching themselves even furtherto make a difference for others.

(Time expired) Mr JOHNSON (Gregory—LNP) (7.19 pm): The great American industrialist Harvey Firestone

said that when there is a problem in business, you do not fix it by throwing money at it; you have tothrow brains at it first. That is precisely what the Newman LNP government in Queensland is doing. Thehard decisions have to be made upfront. Those hard decisions have been made. My electorate coversabout 25 per cent of the land mass of this state. I also traverse a fair few other areas of the state. Peopleeverywhere say that we have to make the hard decisions. The Queensland rebuilding program can onlybe successful if we have a defined non-obstructionist government policy that will not stifle big or smallbusiness in the pursuit of growth and profitability.

It will be the private sector, with the support of government, that tears down the barriers that arebound in red and green tape, that will again rejuvenate and revitalise the great economy of this greatstate and get people back to work. That is precisely what has to be done. There is so much talk aboutthe mining sector. The mining sector is an integral part of the economy of this state and this nation. TheNewman LNP government came to power on the back of a four-pillar policy. We sold that policy to theelectorate and on 24 March the electorate embraced that policy. We saw the resounding results whenthe Labor government were thrown from power because of their wild spending sprees, their inability tomanage the economy of the state and their inability to progress the needs of the state. We were given amandate to reverse the tide of the down-the-sink attitude that the Labor government had embarked on.

A couple of days ago in this House the Leader of the Opposition said that it does not sound like abasket case to her. I do not know where she has been hiding for the last three or four years when wesee debt of $65 billion. All the critics on the Labor side say there is no debt of $65 billion. We would havebeen irresponsible had we not acted on the findings of the Commission of Audit conducted by thosethree sound people. Our four-pillar policy will qualify that Commission of Audit because we willundertake that rebuilding program.

Agriculture was one of the most overlooked parts of the economy of this state by the former Laboradministration. That great American president, the late Abraham Lincoln, said that when the grassgrows in the streets of the city, it will be removed only when we have a successful agricultural industry. Itwill be the men and women who work the rural areas who will rebuild the economy. That is exactly whatwill happen here in Queensland.

Since the Newman government has been in power, with the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon.John McVeigh, in that portfolio area, we have seen some resounding results already in relation to thepolicy on the 25 extra biosecurity officers, wild dog control officers and other officers that will fit othersituations. Another part of our strategy is to provide back-up front-line services to an already gutteddepartment of primary industries right across the length and breadth of this state. In relation tobiosecurity, if we had had stock inspectors in place where they should have been we would not have thespread of the tick line now. The ticks are costing the cattle industry in this state $30 million a year. Whatcould the pastoral industry do with $30 million? I ask Joe Ludwig what he did for the pastoral industry inFar North Queensland when they pulled the plug on live cattle exports to Indonesia.

Mr McVeigh interjected.Mr JOHNSON: Absolutely. I take the interjection from the Minister for Agriculture. What people do

not realise is that it was those northern pastoralists who found and pursued that market in South-EastAsia. This government is about getting rid of the red tape and letting private enterprise again pursuethose markets so that we can rebuild the economy of this state through agriculture, mining, constructionand tourism.

There has been much hype about what happened to the agricultural colleges. We know whathappened. They were run down by a lamebrained policy thought through by former minister Tom Bartonwhen he wanted to integrate and meld those colleges into the TAFE system. There was never a policythat was going to take them forward. They did not have the long-term curriculum. They had nothinggoing for them. Now we have a situation where that trend has been reversed thanks to CampbellNewman and his cabinet. They are putting the training back into those agricultural colleges, saving thetwo we have left and training young men and women in the field of agriculture. Every year at graduationthe Longreach College and the Emerald College, which are both situated in my electorate, place 88 to90 per cent of those young men and women in the agriculture industry in Queensland or the NorthernTerritory. A lot of them come from interstate. That is a real plus to the economy of our state and therebuilding program for our agriculture industry because we are keeping those young players in the




industry in Queensland. We will have a system where the local boards are able to manage thosecolleges in conjunction with the LNP Newman government’s policy. There is only one way from here andthat is up.

The other thing I want to touch on quickly is the area of construction. For too long we have seenthe area of construction run down by a long line of Labor governments that have had no comprehensionor understanding at all about where the wealth is generated in this state. It is generated right across thestate, from the south-east corner to the far north to the far west. Infrastructure should be built and itshould be protected for the future ongoing viability of industry and business as they go about providingfor the needs of the state.

At the moment the focus in this state is on the non-productive sector. It is on where the dollars arespent. We have heard about the economy, about the expenditure at 10 per cent and the income atsix per cent. You cannot run a business like that because you will go out the back door very, very soon.That is the problem with many people today. The old bankcard mentality is driving people into ruinationbecause they have no idea how to manage their own local economies. For too long we have had theLabor Party mentality of borrowing and spending. Yesterday in the House the Treasurer spoke about theselling off of Queensland Rail. They mortgaged and borrowed against it and went and spent that. Godhelp me. What is it all about? It is about responsible management. I do not think those opposite haveany idea of fiscal policy. We are a government that is fair dinkum about managing the affairs of the stateand realistic about promoting private enterprise through big and small business. The member forCoomera made mention of small business. Small business is the lifeblood and the sustainable life ofemployment in this state. They are the people who employ our sons and daughters out of the goodnessof their hearts because they want to give them a job and give them a start.

It will be up to this government. We will reinforce with small business that we will protect theirrights, we will tear down red tape and green tape, and we will let them operate in a environment wherethey can be successful and profitable. I know a lady in Emerald who owns a small cafe. She is payingyoung kids probably about 700 or 800 notes a week. For some of those kids, rent is about $600 a week.We have a two-speed economy: the mining sector and the rest. That is what has happened and thisgovernment has recognised it. All the money has been ripped out of the mining sector and we will keepskimming the cream off the top, but we are forgetting about the real people, that is, small businessowners. We want young people to have families and to be creative and productive in their lives. We willnot achieve that while this huge debt hangs over their lives, tearing down every opportunity they have.

Tonight I thank the Deputy Premier for having the vision, the guts and the drive to stand up towhat is going on in places such as Blackwater and Moranbah. Around those towns we see miningcommunities where the wealth is being generated, but they are virtually poverty camps. Towns are notbuilt on camps; they are built on communities and communities are made up of families.

Mr Costigan: They are not what they used to be. Mr JOHNSON: I take the interjection from the member for Whitsunday. He is exactly right that

they are nothing like they used to be. I will give the House the mail on something: they are going to belike they once were, because we are going to rebuild them. This afternoon, the Deputy Premier told methat some of the land lots in Blackwater will be available soon. That is a good news story. Under theformer regime, we would have been waiting for hell to freeze over before anything happened in thatregard. It is because of the vision, the drive and the determination of this government that we will seesomething happen.

Again I will touch on productivity. We talk about road infrastructure and we talk about a lot of otherthings. I thank the government for its vision in relation to building some serious infrastructure. TheRoyalties for the Regions program will be a very valuable tool in rebuilding some of the inland regionswhere our roads and rail infrastructure, and even some of our communities, have been left to deteriorateunder the former regime.

I turn to Queensland Rail and the cattle-train concept. A lot of people do not understand theimportance of the Queensland Rail cattle-train concept to the economy of this state. Members shouldbear in mind that some two-thirds of Queensland’s cattle are processed in the south-east corner. Whenabattoirs such as JBS Swift at Dinmore, Teys Brothers at Beenleigh and other companies—

Mr Rickuss: Grantham. Mr JOHNSON: I take the interjection from the member for Lockyer. In his electorate, Grantham is

another wonderful little abattoir and there is Beef City up on the downs. For every beast that isprocessed through those plants in a day, three jobs are created. Each beast creates three jobs. Whenyou multiply that out by 6,000 or 7,000, probably about 21,000 or 22,000 jobs are created. Do membersknow what has happened? Because the former Labor government did not have the vision and theunderstanding of the Queensland Rail cattle train, it let that operation run down. Because we could notget the cattle into the abattoirs, companies such as JBS and Teys Brothers could not work their fullchains. What does it mean if they cannot work their full chain? It means there is an impost and an


impediment on productivity, affecting not only the pastoral industry. It also affects the profitability of thebusiness industry of this state. The LNP government will reverse that. We will make absolutely certainthat we put back that infrastructure and get business working once more.

In the few moments I have left to me, I pay tribute to the government for the wonderful $15,000first home owners grant. That is a wonderful concept. We are taking away the old $7,000 grant andreplacing it with the $15,000 grant. Many young people buying a new house with a value up to $500,000will take advantage of that initiative. That is the sort of vision that the Labor Party never had. It meansthat right across the state we are going to see people building new houses. That is what it is all about. Itis about having a vision. It is about having a plan and a program to rejuvenate and rebuild the state, sothat we can get productivity going again.

I also applaud the Minister for Education’s program that will provide $160,000 to state schoolsunder a $200 million program for school maintenance. Again, that will make a lot of people happy in a lotof country towns right across Queensland. In my electorate there are 60-odd schools, so a lot of P&Csare going to be very happy. Bugger the union movement! Let the P&Cs, in conjunction with theirprincipals and the good people of their towns, decide how they take those projects forward. This is goingto be advantageous to small communities in Queensland. A few years ago in Ilfracombe, the localschool had a broken door. They got a quote from the local builder to fix it. It was about $250. They got aquote from QBuild. Do members know what it was? $1,800! Imagine the dollars that small schools willbe savings, because they will be able to do a lot of the little jobs themselves.

The patient transfer system is a magnificent policy. It will provide $30 to $60 for overnightaccommodation and 15c to 30c for petrol. I salute the Treasurer and the health minister for making thathappen. Certainly, it will advantage a lot of people in rural and regional Queensland who are subjectedto huge imposts and huge costs because they have to travel to receive specialist treatment, whether itbe for heart complaints, cancer or whatever. This will be a real help to such people and it is longoverdue.

I thank the government for the provision of $51 million for the rural hospitals program. $8 millionwill go to the Emerald Hospital and $7 million will go to the Longreach Hospital. The minister found thatsuch funding was long overdue, because the former administration completely overlooked themaintenance programs at those hospitals. That is another $51 million that had to be found, but themoney has been found. This is about making absolutely certain that we get our priorities right, in theright places. In my electorate of Gregory, there are only two hospitals where mothers can give birth totheir infants. One is in Longreach and the other one is in Emerald. That is an absolutely disgracefulsituation. We have to rebuild the maternity services in some of the more remote towns such as Blackalland Winton, which is in the Mount Isa electorate. This is about putting the social fabric back into some ofthose communities. By building that social infrastructure, we can encourage people to move from thecity to the towns. The jobs are there. With social infrastructure such as good hospitals, high schools,recreational facilities and good towns to live in, we will ease the burden in the south-east corner and getdecentralisation working.

Recently at a forum in Brisbane, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Glenn Stevens, said that theonly way we can get this country moving is through productivity. We will only get productivity going if wehave a government that will work with private enterprise, big business and small business to take theimpediments out of our lifestyle and out of our business ventures and let them progress. The old adageis that one man’s success is another man’s gain. If a person makes an extra million, he will spend itsomewhere or employ somebody else. This government is about making certain that we look after themost important natural resource we have in the state, which is our families and our kids, by giving ourkids a good education, a good health system and the opportunity to have a job. On 24 March 2012, theNewman government set the foundation to take this great state forward once again. We have well andtruly set the benchmark to move the state into the 21st century. I say to everybody in this House tonight,please support the budget—please support it. Queensland is alive, Queensland is back in business andjust see if we are not.

Mr WELLINGTON (Nicklin—Ind) (7.39 pm): I rise to participate in the debate on the appropriationand related bills and in doing so respond to the Treasurer’s budget. I note that the government’sexplanation for postponing the bringing down of the budget from June to September was so that thenew government had proper time to prepare its budget and understand the possible ramifications of thebudget decisions on our community. I acknowledge the difficult challenges the Treasurer has had tograpple with in balancing expectations after such a landslide win at the recent election against pre-election commitments and the level of the state debt left by the previous government.

I note the different opinions that have been aired during this debate about whether the newgovernment took over a state debt of $65 billion or $62 billion, or however many billion dollars it was. Tome there is no doubt that the Newman government took over a state debt of over $60 billion. But I do notagree with the government’s claim that, if it did not make the drastic cuts to existing services inQueensland and reduce the Queensland Public Service numbers significantly, Queensland was headed




for a state debt of $100 billion by 2018-19. To me that claim in Peter Costello’s report, which has beenthe foundation on which this budget has been based, has been discredited. I realise other membersmay disagree, but this is my view.

The other claim the Premier has made is that, unless his government made the tough decisionscontained in this budget, Queensland was headed to become like Spain in Europe. Quite frankly, thisclaim has been rebuffed by all reputable political commentators. I do not know what planet the Premierwas on when he made this ridiculous statement. It certainly does not send a clear message of astatesman-like Premier, leading from the top and knowing where he is going.

I note that a number of members have spoken about the merits of the government’s new miningtax, claiming that the government is going to make sure that the mining companies that operate inQueensland pay more royalties to assist in reducing Queensland’s debt. The Deputy Premier has statedthat the new royalties schedule will apply and be locked in for the next 10 years. To me this claim by theNewman government that they are increasing Queensland’s revenue by establishing a new miningroyalty schedule is another stunt. I understand that the existing federal-state agreement sets out that, ifa state government increases a state mining tax above a predetermined level, that amount of increasedtax will be deducted by the federal government from the GST the state will receive from theCommonwealth. I refer members to the Mineral Resource Rent Tax Heads of Agreement, the Australiangovernment Commonwealth Grants Commission Report on GST revenue sharing relativities: 2012update, the Parliament of Australia Senate select committee report, the Commonwealth GrantsCommission GST distribution model and also the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal FinancialRelations.

In other words, the new mining tax the Premier has created is, in my view, revenue neutral toQueensland finances. I see it as simply another politically opportunistic trick by the Premier to come upwith a distraction from what is really happening in Queensland and to pick a fight with the federalgovernment—more spin and no substance. Who wants to be a hero and go off to the High Court andfight another battle? We have heard from the Attorney-General. He is heading off to the High Court tofight a battle. To go to the High Court costs significant dollars, and I believe it is a cost that this stateshould not have to bear.

I also believe that the Premier’s continual referral to Peter Costello’s claim about Queensland’slevel of debt and the need for significant Public Service sackings and defunding of many communityservices has been instrumental in destroying confidence in Queensland. This government can certainlyblame the previous government for many things, but I believe our Premier must take full responsibilityfor destroying confidence in Queensland. Without confidence in our community, people will not spend,people will not invest, the flow of money in our state slows down and everyone is affected one way oranother.

Many members have commented on how this budget has delivered on the government’s pre-election commitments. Yes, we certainly have seen the Treasurer honouring many of the government’spre-election commitments, which I will touch on later. But one of the most important commitments thatthe Treasurer has not been able to honour—and that is because it has been outside of his control—is acommitment from our Premier when he himself said he would lead with dignity and humility. This pledgecosts nothing but is important in building confidence and trust between our government and everyonethroughout Queensland.

In the lead-up to the last election and before the election was held, Mr Newman, the then LiberalNational Party leader, stated very clearly that under his leadership there would be no forcedredundancies in the Public Service. This was a core election commitment. It was a deliberate,considered statement made to influence voters’ intentions in the lead-up to the election. The Premierknows exactly what he said. He is not a fool. Recently I saw on YouTube the following clip—and I askmembers to listen and I ask: who said this? It goes like this—This election is about a clear choice: Labor’s 20-year broken record or the LNP with the strong and united team to get Queenslandback on track. All hardworking public servants in Queensland should look forward to a bright and rewarding future with the LNP, because theLNP has made clear commitments to work with Queensland’s hardworking and dedicated public servants. Particularly we promiseno forced redundancies and we will not continue Labor’s unfair and arbitrary 2.5 per cent wages cap. Our state needs change ... To get Queensland back on track we will work closely with Together Union members and all publicservants. We know that working very closely with a highly skilled and highly motivated Public Service is the key to making thingshappen. We’re totally committed to ensuring you have the support needed to get your job done. We’re also committed to workingconstructively with the Together Union, and I am committed to enterprise bargaining in good faith. Experience as the Lord Mayor of Brisbane taught me the importance of working closely with public servants and their unions, andmy record with the lowest levels of industrial disputation in many decades speak for themselves. I’ve seen firsthand what can be achieved when the knowledge, skills and expertise of staff are valued and rewarded. That’s whyI’m committed to ensuring Queensland’s public servants are well paid and confident about job security.

And it goes on. I wonder who made those statements?


This budget shows which election commitments the Premier and his leadership team wanted tokeep and which ones they wanted to break. We also see how the Premier and his leadership teamcommenced a strategy to justify why the core election commitments involving the Queensland PublicService were broken while others were honoured. Now we have the absurd claim by the Premier that ‘itis simply not true that his government has sacked 14,000 public servants’, with the Premier claiming theQueensland government workers who were affected were not sacked but chose to take voluntaryredundancy packages. Quite frankly, I think the Premier is learning some of the worst tricks from ourformer Premier.

Rob from Wynnum wants me to respond to the Premier’s claim. He says—For God’s sake Campbell, could you please stop—

I will not use the word he used—I was involved in deciding who stayed and who left and I can tell you that many of those who were tapped on the shoulder brokedown and cried when told the news. This is hardly the response of someone who wanted to go. The fiscal situation is not flash—we all acknowledge that and a seasoned leader would be able to sell the message without needing to lie (eg, we’ll end up likeSpain, the debt is $100 Billion and no-one has been sacked) ...

And it ends—Have the courage to tell the truth.

Mr NICHOLLS: I rise to a point of order. I believe there was an unparliamentary word there. Mr WELLINGTON: I withdraw. I believe this budget clearly reflects on the credibility of our

Premier and I have no doubt that members will continue to put their own interpretations on the budgetaccording to their respective positions, just as I am tonight.

Before preparing my response to this budget I reflected on previous speeches I have made in thisparliament. The record shows that I have both congratulated ministers and criticised ministers when Ihave considered it appropriate, and on this occasion I will not be intimidated by any Liberal NationalParty stooge to not say what I feel needs to be said.

Health has always been an issue that is dear to my heart. I note that in the budget the Treasurerand the government has committed significant dollars to start the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.That is appreciated and we all look forward to the day that that hospital will open to serve not justSunshine Coast residents but people from afar who will travel to receive attention at the hospital.

I also note that recently previous governments have spent significant dollars on upgrading theNambour Hospital. Recently $11.6 million was spent on new cardiac and vascular surgical proceduresuites, dedicated endoscopy units and new outpatient neurology services. What I am trying to say is thatthere have been real dollars spent in the past by previous governments on upgrading the NambourHospital but, unless you have appropriate car parking, people cannot get to the jolly hospital, visitorscannot visit the patients in the hospital and staff have real challenges in trying to work at the hospital.

The government says that it has no money, but can I say to the government that there are a lot ofresources in this state that it has access to and that it can sell tomorrow. One issue I have raised in thepast is land which is owned by the state government in Nambour and in our towns throughout this statethat could be sold tomorrow for residential development or commercial development.

In relation to my claim for building a high-rise car park at Nambour, I again put this on the recordto the Treasurer: sell the land in Glenbrook Drive, Nambour, where the government was going to buildthe park-and-ride service and put that money towards building a high-rise car park at the hospital. Thegovernment says it has no money, but here I am giving the government real suggestions on how it cangenerate income. It can sell some land that is surplus to its needs, put the money into the Treasurycoffers and use it to build infrastructure.

I recently reflected on a report that was tabled earlier this year by the Parliamentary Crime andMisconduct Committee. There were 38 recommendations contained in that report and, when I wasreading through the budget papers, I was curious to see whether the Attorney-General had respondedto any of those recommendations in the report. I note the Attorney-General has responded to his petproject, the boot camp for juvenile people.

I want to take members to some of the recommendations which I think are significant and worthyof consideration. Recommendation 5 of the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee states—The Committee recommends that the government consider the allocation of additional resources to the CMC’s forensic computingunit in order to better support investigations of paedophilia and child exploitation material.

Recommendation 7 states—The Committee recommends that as a priority the Government allocate greater resources to the Crime and MisconductCommission’s proceeds of crime function in order to assist the CMC in retaining existing staff and attracting new staff while alsomeeting the demand for new civil confiscation actions.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission brings significant dollars into the state governmentrevenue through the confiscation of proceeds of crime. We need to make sure that the Crime andMisconduct Commission is properly resourced, so I ask the Treasurer again to please respond to these


important recommendations. There is no sense, in my mind, spending all of our resources on a bootcamp for young people if we do not make sure proper funding is allocated to our peak crime fighting unit,the Crime and Misconduct Commission, which is tasked with responding to the big end of towncriminals. Recommendation 22 states—The Committee recommends the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice as responsible minister ensures the CMC hasadequate resources to operate effectively under the new Police Complaints, Discipline and Misconduct System, as envisaged bythe Independent Panel’s report.

I may be wrong, but I have seen nothing tabled in this parliament by the Attorney-General eitherin his response to this budget or in ministerial statements responding to any of these significantrecommendations made by this parliamentary committee. We have seen rallies of public servantsoutside our parliament where there were thousands of people. I sincerely hope we do not see areduction in staff at our Crime and Misconduct Commission. Our Crime and Misconduct Commissionofficers are specialist officers. We cannot simply advertise and say that 10 will apply and we will fill avacancy tomorrow. These are specialist officers who have specialist duties. I put on the record mysupport of that unit. I urge the government to make sure we never see the day where staff of our Crimeand Misconduct Commission are retrenched because of some Treasury decision that there is notenough money available.

I also put on the record my support for the government’s proposal to cut red tape. I have spokenabout this many times in this chamber and it is good to see that at long last our government is starting tomove on cutting red tape. I see that the Deputy Premier is here. On this issue, can I say that we have acontentious issue on the Sunshine Coast—the Caloundra South development—where the previousgovernment approved it and took it out of council’s hands. The current government and the DeputyPremier are familiar with this case. It has been finetuned and certified and now it is all systems go. Butwe have to make sure that the current residents of the Sunshine Coast are not left with meeting the costof the infrastructure funding of this new city. This new city was going to cater for up to 50,000 people.We have a rush to cut red tape and streamline development, but we have to make sure that, when thegovernment makes it easier for the development, the developers pay their fair contribution. A concern Ihave and that many on the Sunshine Coast have is that, in the rush to approve this Stocklanddevelopment for Caloundra South, we have been left with a requirement for the residents of theSunshine Coast to pick up the tab and meet an infrastructure cost of up to $500 million. If that is thecase, that is a disgrace.

Other members have spoken about the great decision the Treasurer has made to make specificmoney available to our state public schools to assist in the maintenance of the buildings. Treasurer, Ithank you and I support you 120 per cent on that. For years, I have been trying to get former educationministers to fund this instead of having the P&Cs go out there and do the fundraising. There is no doubtthat every school in Queensland—and I know every state school in my electorate—will be overjoyedwhen they apply to access some of these funds.

On the issue of roads, yes, there is funding allocated for the Maleny-Kenilworth Road, thePalmwoods-Montville Road and the Nambour Connection Road. The Minister for Transport hasrecognised that there will be a fixed speed camera at the intersection with Blackall Street at Woombye.

On the issue of the Palmwoods-Montville Road, can I just say that the whole reason thegovernment has had to spend over $11.9 million is that it was affected in the recent disaster when half ofQueensland was affected. I suppose that is why I think the Peter Costello report is discredited—therewas no real recognition of the significant things that happened in Queensland during the lastgovernment and prior to that. We had the global financial crisis and we had massive flooding anddestruction throughout the length and breadth of our state. This road in my patch—the Palmwoods-Montville Road—was significantly damaged and this government has had to commit over $11.9 millionto start to repair it, and it has been out of action for years.

I also congratulate the minister and the government on their initiative to try to put a spark into thebuilding industry with the first home owner construction grant. That certainly is good news. I expectgovernments in the future will continue down this road to try to provide incentives to first home buyers—whether it is a $15,000 grant or whatever it might be. This is a good news story.

Time is running out. Recently, I had the opportunity of having a university student work in myoffice as an intern, Michelle Withers. She came just after the Premier and Treasurer started to announcetheir budget intentions and she asked, ‘What can I do?’ I said, ‘Michelle, can you speak with some ofthese community groups and put together a quick report on the impacts of the budget on thesecommunity groups?’ I was originally going to table this report but there are people’s names mentionedso I will not do that. It is a 20-page document and I propose to briefly refer to it and I will forward it to theTreasurer. If anyone else is interested, they are welcome to get a copy.

Michelle Withers quickly put together this impact analysis of the budget on a number oforganisations. Those organisations were: EPIC, which is Get Set for Work programs and SkillingQueenslanders for Work; the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service; the Woombye Gardens CaravanPark; the Coast2Bay service; Solutions4Learning; Getting Work Ready programs; the communityliteracy program; EMERGE, which runs out of the Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre; and some others.


This report shows how the government’s decisions to cut funding from these important servicesare affecting the most vulnerable in our community. I realise that dollars are tight and they have to bespread around. This report that Michelle has prepared shows me that there was no real analysis or costbenefit analysis done on the effects of cutting the funding to these programs. This is a report preparedby a university student in a couple of weeks and it is very informative reading. It talks about the effects ofpulling the funding from these important programs—not just the effects on the people who areimmediately affected but the effects on their families and our communities. We have heard so much talkabout the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service being a waste of time, but I just cannot condone thosecomments when I read these reports and listen to people. I know how effective it has been. It providessuch an important service in our community. I will forward this document to the minister. I urge membersand the minister to read some of these reports. I realise the budget is going to go through and it will allbe ratified shortly, but where is the next stage? The next stage is that we have a midterm budget review.

Hon. TJ NICHOLLS (Clayfield—LNP) (Treasurer and Minister for Trade) (7.59 pm), in reply: I,firstly, thank all members for their contributions to the debate. I obviously welcome the support providedto the budget papers in the appropriation bills and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill by members of theLNP government. I welcome their support for what is the most important budget in a generation—abudget that sets the great state of Queensland back towards a secure and prosperous future and re-establishes our sound financial footings. I also thank those opposite for their contribution because ithighlights, again, how sadly uninformed and out of touch the opposition is with the reality that we faceevery day. So the more that they talk—

An honourable member interjected. Mr NICHOLLS: Do not worry; I am coming to the member for Mackay. The more they talk, the

more they put on display for the people of Queensland their abject ignorance of the reality that is thefinances of the state of Queensland. The more they talk, the more that people will understand that theycould not be trusted with the state’s finances. The more they talk, the more they highlight the fact thatthey are debt and deficit deniers. So I do welcome their debate. I thank the member for Nicklin for hiscontribution, and I will address a few remarks to some of the things that he said. The member forGladstone made some good comments and it was a pleasure to help her. It is difficult to say much aboutthe contribution of the member for Dalrymple, but he did make one, as did the member for Mount Isa.

While I am the person who delivered this budget, it would not have been possible without the hardwork and contribution of my ministerial colleagues and all members of the government who werecommitted to and had the fortitude to remain with us on the task of fiscal repair. It has been by no meansan easy journey. That is what is at the heart of this budget, and that is restoring Queensland’s financesto a sustainable level. When we assumed office this year the debt was heading towards $65 billion.Those were not our figures; those were the figures that had been provided by the former government inits midyear forecast. I have heard some complaints and I have heard some commentary—I heard it fromthe member for Nicklin and I have heard it from those opposite—that the numbers in the independentCommission of Audit were in some way not accurate or did not accurately reflect the true state of affairs.Members opposite attended a briefing this morning by the commissioners and they were informed thatthe numbers came from their own midyear economic forecast. The $85 billion and the $92 billion were intheir own forecast. Then the prediction for 2018-19, for the following three years, was for a total$8 billion a year when the history of the former government was to increase it at more than $10 billion ayear. So the $92 billion figure was their own number. Fortunately, under this government, that numberwill now no longer be reached. The number will stop short of $92 billion—and well short of it. In fact, by2014-15, it will stop $6.6 billion short of it, saving $1.3 billion a year. The more they talk, the more theirignorance is on display.

Members have heard me mention a number of times the Queensland Treasury incominggovernment brief. This is something that those opposite are unable to refute because it was preparednot by me, not by them, but by the independent officers of Treasury during the caretaker period as anincoming government brief to tell a new government what was occurring. I will repeat it for the benefit ofthe members opposite in the hope that its poignancy might somehow sink in, although I suspect it willnot.

Ms Trad interjected. Mr NICHOLLS: I suspect the member for South Brisbane would rather be drinking champagne in

the front seat of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Awards than actually doing the hard yards that arenecessary in order to understand the finances of Queensland. You cannot just waltz in here, sprout afew figures, make a few wild allegations and claims and say, ‘This is truth.’ That is not the reality. Here itis—Queensland’s fiscal position is unsustainable and restoration must be an urgent priority for this term of government—

That is not the next term of government, not the term after that and not some fallacious future based onspurious future figures; it has to be for this term of government. That is this three years. By undertakingthe measures outlined on Tuesday, this government faces up to that fiscal repair task instead of ignoringit, like the previous Labor government which relied on overly optimistic forecasts of future growth. It




relied on figures such as the 14 per cent year-on-year income growth from transfer duty from theproperty market when there was no sign under that government that there was any hope of thosefigures coming through. They used such optimistic assumptions such as they would be able to controltheir wages outcome to 2.5 per cent despite never having achieved it in their entire history, despitewages growing at 8.5 per cent year on year—year in, year out. They set themselves a 2.5 per centwages growth task and they never, ever achieved it.

The need to fix the state’s finances is a widely recognised view and it is not just the government’sview; it is the view of the independent Commission of Audit; it is the view of Queensland Treasury; it isthe view of the Queensland Treasury Corporation; it is the view of ratings agencies; and it is the view ofthe markets that lend money to the state of Queensland. There is no doubt that Labor’s debt-ridden pastcontinues to haunt this state. Only yesterday Fitch downgraded the state’s credit rating on the back ofour poor historical performance. Let me deal with a number of things that have been raised by theshadow Treasurer in relation to that downgrade. It is important and instructive that people understandwhat it said and do not take it from the very limited, and I think somewhat shabby, report in the Courier-Mail that failed to put it into full context. It states—The downgrade reflects Fitch’s view that Queensland’s overall credit profile is no longer consistent with a AA plus rating. Thestate’s fiscal position and debt matrix have deteriorated over the last four years and Fitch does not expect a recovery for at leasttwo more years.

That is what we are doing: recovery. It goes on—But it deteriorated over the last four years.

Who was in power over the last four years? The ALP, the wreckers and vandals of the Queenslandgovernment’s finances. It goes on to say—The newly elected state government has announced strong measures in its budget 2012-13 to restore Queensland’s financialposition, in particular, by achieving an operating surplus by the financial year ending 30 June 2014 mainly through significant costreductions and, to a lesser extent, through revenues measures.

It goes on further down in the document to state—As a result of historically weak budget performance—

and that is not the performance of this government; it is the performance of the government of which thethree people sitting on the front bench opposite were part for all of those years. It goes on to say—The stable outlook reflects Fitch’s expectation that Queensland’s expenditure measures announced in its budget will contribute toa restoration of the state’s fiscal position. Fitch Ratings agency report released yesterday condemns the Labor past andcelebrates the LNP future.

We need look no further for the reality of the debt and deficit that the shadow Treasurer and themember for South Brisbane continue to deny than the previous Moody’s Investors Service report dated14 August 2012 headed ‘Sector outlook for Australian states and territories remains negative’. Moody’s,not the independent Commission of Audit, says—As a result, state deficits have widened steadily since 2008/09, averaging 7.1% of revenues ... But the profiles for individual statesvary with the largest deficits over this period generated by Queensland, averaging a high 14.9% ... and the smallest by WesternAustralia, averaging 3.7%.

And in terms of the deficit gap it states—Again, in 2011/12 Queensland is expected to post the highest gap at 16.4% of revenues ...

and debt as a percentage of revenue continues to be the highest. That is the outcome of the years of debt and deficit of Labor. Having lost the AAA credit rating in

2009, before the storms and cyclones, having charted a path to increased debt before the GFC even hitand having wasted the boom years by not saving when they should have in the boom mark I, they hadno financial capacity when the world turned against us. That is the heritage of the Labor Party and itsfiscal management.

I have listened to the members opposite over the course of the past two days and they have donetheir best to defend the indefensible. In fact, that is all they have been able to do. They have tried toblame Labor’s poor financial record on things like the GFC and Queensland’s natural disasters, but theyhave neglected the fact that Labor embarked on its spending spree well before those disasters tookplace. I have pointed that out to them.

During the last election campaign they continued down that same path. I have here a mediarelease titled ‘Labor releases fully funded plan for Qld’s future’. It states—Mr Fraser said Labor had committed to $1.04643 billion in new spending initiatives, to be funded from the additional GSTallocation flowing to the state announced by the Commonwealth Grants Commission.

A sum of $492 million was announced during the election campaign. They did not have it beforethe announcement. Fortunately, it came along. What did Labor do? They spent money they did not haveon promises they were not going to keep. What did the LNP do? We took the advice of Treasury.Treasury advised us to let it flow through to the bottom line and pay off debt, so we did not spend thatmoney. We took the advice of Treasury and we said, ‘If we are fortunate enough to get it then we will putit through to the bottom line and use it to pay off debt.’ What did Labor do? They proposed to spend it—


spent it before they had earned it and before they knew what they were really going to do with it. Theytried to back it up with their failed Mines to Minds policy. I felt like going to Treasury and saying, ‘Tell uswhat costings you did on that one, fellas.’ All the royalties had already been spent. They had no moneywhatsoever for Mines to Minds, their billion dollar education program, but they spent it. If Queenslandhad had the misfortune to have another Labor government, we would already be half a billion dollarsfurther in debt because they failed to find the funds. They spent money they did not have before theyeven knew they had it.

On the issue of costings—I know that it has been raised by the shadow Treasurer as well—theshadow Treasurer made claims about costings. Yesterday I pointed out to the shadow Treasurer that allof the costings for our election promises are contained on page 17 of the budget papers. If he wantsfurther detail he can go to page 51 of the revenue papers. Those are the papers that are prepared by theindependent Treasury officials. They are the ones who say, ‘These are the costings.’ This is how itworks. I do not sit there with a calculator and put the budget papers together. That is what theindependent officers of Treasury do. They cost it. What did they say—and what have we been upfrontwith the people of Queensland in saying? They said, ‘Out of $2.7 billion worth of promises, gee whiz,you are out by $63 million over three years.’

What did those opposite do the last time they made election promises they could not keep whenthey found out they were short of dough? They sold assets to fund their election commitments. Whatelse did they do? Who remembers the fuel subsidy? Who remembers the former Treasurer standing upthree weeks before the election before last and saying to the people of Queensland, ‘Make no mistakeabout it. We’ll be delivering a fuel subsidy scheme’? The guilty party. We have funded our promises andwe have told people how we are funding them. We have not dodged around it in the service deliverystatements or hidden it away in Budget Paper No. 2 where people cannot find it in the UniformPresentation Framework. We actually brought it forward and said, ‘Here it is. Check it out and tick it off.’If the member for Nicklin has any questions about it, he can find the answers on pages 51 and 17 intotal.

We have also heard some claims from those opposite referencing Professor Quiggin, and I knowthat they they are just busting to say ‘and the Walkers from Sydney’. They would love to do it, becausetheir mates in the union movement have gone down to their tame honorary professor from New SouthWales—

Dr Flegg: They wasted their money on that one. Mr NICHOLLS: If I was a union member I would be asking for my money back! They have said

that we cannot rely on the Commission of Audit report because it does not take into account gross debt.Honorary professor Walker and his wife—collecting a nice earn out of the union movement—say thatgross debt is not a measure you should use, that you should use net debt. They say that you should beable to offset the assets you hold to pay your employees’ superannuation and long service leaveentitlements against the government sector debt. This is effectively saying that we should be able to raidsuperannuation savings to pay down the debt that Labor incurred to support the budget. TheQueensland Council of Unions have a tame someone—Walker and Walker—who says, ‘Hang on asecond. Let us look at the $26 billion you are holding and we will use that if we need to pay down debt.’

Mr Bleijie: What did Andrew Fraser say about the Walkers? Mr NICHOLLS: I have some recollection that even Andrew Fraser said that the Walkers were low

rent, provided low-rent advice and had no economic credibility. I enjoyed it. ‘Low rent’ was one of theformer Treasurer’s favourite terms. Let us look at some of the Walkers’ claims. The Walkers have madea number of spurious claims. Actually, let us not bore ourselves with that.

Let us look at what Standard & Poor’s says, because we are arguing about whether we should belooking at gross debt or net debt. Standard & Poor’s RatingsDirect, the people who said that our budgetwas pretty reasonable, said—These actions are expected to result in a lower debt burden from fiscal 2015 with non-financial public sector the focus of ouranalysis. Gross debt, forecast by the government to stand at about 140 per cent of revenues compared to a 147 per cent in the2012 budget ...

What is the measure that Standard & Poor’s uses? Gross debt. What is the measure that theindependent Commission of Audit uses? Gross debt. What is the number that Queensland owes? Grossdebt. That is the measure. The Walkers do not believe Standard & Poor’s, Queensland TreasuryCorporation, Queensland Treasury or Moody’s. The whole world is wrong, but the Walkers have got itright! Who is believing them? Who just shook his head? The shadow Treasurer—an adherent. ‘Walker,Walker and Curtis’ it will be before too much longer, writing reports for the Queensland Council ofUnions. The fallacy of the Walkers’ report is there for all to see. People would not pay to get the timefrom the Walkers because they probably could not tell it.

The government is determined to end Labor’s debt legacy. As a result of the measures we havetaken in the budget, Queensland will reach a fiscal surplus of $652 million in 2014-15—the first truesurplus in Queensland in almost a decade. We will reduce the debt legacy left to Queenslanders by


$4.6 billion and we will be once again paying our way—and we will save $1.3 billion in interest paymentsover the forward estimates. By handling the state’s finances responsibly we can act in a way thatbenefits all Queenslanders. In that way, this budget delivers a brighter future for Queensland. And wehave been able to do so while addressing things like the $300 million maintenance backlog in schoolsthat many members have spoken of by providing $200 million over two years as part of the AdvancingOur Schools Maintenance Fund.

The member for Condamine—a former P&C president at Cooranga North; one of thosevolunteers who knows exactly what our school communities need—spoke of the difficulties under theprior government trying to get a covered walkway built. This program delivers for P&Cs. It leverages offthe strength of our local communities. It says to the people of Queensland, ‘We the government trustyou to know what you need to do and to do the right thing.’ It takes away that cold, dead hand ofsocialism that says, ‘The only people who know what’s best are the people who inhabit the smoky backroom of Trades Hall over at Peel Street rather than the people of Queensland who actually have todeliver the service.’

I also listened as the member for Bulimba spoke about the need for flexible and self-directeddisability services in his electorate. Indeed, it was one of the common concerns raised with him byconstituents. This budget delivers on that with the Elderly Parent Carer Innovation Trial—a $15 millionprogram that gives parent carers more security and certainty about who will care for their adult disabledchild when they are no longer able to and increases the funding to the highest level ever inQueensland’s history for specialist disability services at almost $960 million.

This budget also delivers for the construction industry, as members have pointed out, providing$15,000 targeted to people who are buying a new or off-the-plan first home. I listened with interest to thecontribution of the member for Kawana—Her Majesty’s Attorney-General for the state of Queensland—who spoke of thousands of Sunshine Coast residents leaving the region due to a lack of work in thatvital construction sector.

Mrs Miller interjected.Mr NICHOLLS: I hear the member for Bundamba—the old red socialist over there. Yeah, get

stuck into the Queen! You don’t like her. No chance of that and all those sorts of things!Mr Newman: Swore an oath; didn’t mean it.Mr NICHOLLS: That is exactly right. The Newman government has made construction one of its

four economic pillars, and we will deliver it in this budget. This is the most important budget in ageneration. It does put us back on the path to fiscal reform. It puts us back on track and back in theblack. It meets the needs. It accounts for the election commitments that we have made and the electionpromises.

I want to touch on a couple of issues for the member for Nicklin, who asked about tax revenues.The member for Nicklin asked about the increase in royalties. Well, member, they worked when theprevious government put them up. They will work when we put them up. If you want to understand whatthe government’s position is on HFE—horizontal fiscal equalisation—I actually submitted a submissionfrom the Queensland government to the Australian government’s HFE panel made up of formerpremiers Brumby and Greiner and South Australian businessman Bruce Carter. It is on its website. It isdated August 2012. Quite clearly they state that HFE should not be used as a policy lever to penalisestates that choose to raise their own revenue. So, member for Nicklin, the Queensland government—the LNP government—is determined to act in the best interests of Queenslanders, not like the formerLabor government in kowtowing to its mates in Canberra to get an outcome. I recommend that report toyou because that, member for Nicklin, is how we go about protecting the income that Queenslandersdeserve to receive, not the income that Canberra wants to redistribute off us and hand out to otherstates in order to buy themselves an election win. Member for Nicklin, we have received no money fromthe—

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Treasurer, please address your comments through the chair.Mr NICHOLLS: Sorry. Through you, Mr Deputy Speaker, the member for Nicklin should be aware

that in the recent federal budget announced in May this year no new funds were delivered toQueensland from the mineral resources rent tax allocation—not one cent. So if Queensland and theQueensland government determines that our interests are best served by us raising our revenue andspending it in the way that the duly elected government of Queensland thinks it should be spent, wemake no apologies for that. We will go out and fight for Queensland every day of the week.

The member for Nicklin mentioned some money for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. I dowant to place on record the strong campaign of LNP members over a long period of time, includingagain the Attorney-General, who led many street marches, because he is well known for that, to supportthe Sunshine Coast University Hospital and to make sure it happened. The member for Caloundra, themember for Noosa, Madam Speaker as well as the member for Glass House were also involved. That isnow being delivered and, member for Nicklin, being delivered more cheaply than the former Laborgovernment provided for and being delivered in partnership with the private sector—showing how we


can get more value for our money by engaging with the private sector, that having government do it allthe time is not necessarily the best way; in fact saving almost 20 per cent on the cost of delivery of thathospital and delivering it sooner. So that is occurring there.

I did listen to some of the comments made by those opposite in relation to programs and funding,and there is no doubt that this budget has had to make some hard and, in some cases, unpleasantdecisions. No-one should be in any way ashamed of having to do that. Certainly I am not and certainly Iknow this government is not because we have had to make those tough decisions in order to restore thestate’s fiscal fortunes so that we can have that bright and prosperous future. As we have had to do that,it is correct that we have had to get the Public Service to a right size and that has involved 14,000people leaving the Public Service, and that is 10,600 people who will be receiving a redundancy. Forthose who are leaving the Public Service, I want to make sure that we say thank you for your service—thank you for your service—and we are sorry that it has come to this. But the reality is that, had we nottaken the steps to remedy the failures of the previous government’s lax policies, the crunch when itcame would have been that much harder. It would have either been higher taxes or more job losses.

Mr Cox: Labor would’ve done both!Mr NICHOLLS: Exactly. I take the interjection from the member for Thuringowa: Labor would

have done both—more job losses and more taxes. I heard a litany of comments about programs thathad not been funded, programs that had changed and jobs that are being lost. I listened with interest for55 minutes to the Leader of the Opposition, because I thought that because she has only been out ofgovernment for a short period of time she will have some idea—

Mr Newman: Some insight!Mr NICHOLLS: And some insight. She had sat around the cabinet table. I thought she might say,

‘Well, Treasurer, have you considered looking here for some extra money? Have you considered this asa revenue source?’ Not a thing. Not a thing! Members of the Labor Party on that side of the House allwant to get to heaven, but none of them wants to die to get there! That is the story of the Labor Party—55 minutes! The shadow Treasurer spoke for 15 minutes this afternoon and not one new idea. I heardthe member for South Brisbane screeching away, as usual, but not one new idea—not one new idea.When it comes to delivering, it is the Newman government that is delivering a brighter and prosperousfuture.

There are a number of people I want to thank in the last couple of minutes as we deliver the mostimportant budget in a generation. Firstly, I thank the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Attorney-General, my colleagues on the CBRC for the opportunity to work with them and to enjoy the creativetension that is the CBRC. I also thank my assistant minister, the member for Nanango.

Opposition members interjected.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Order! Members on my left, there are three people on 253As.

Any further interjections and they will be asked to leave.Mr NICHOLLS: I thank my assistant minister, who supported me so ably on the Treasurer’s

subcommittee tasked to review all of the departments. I thank my ministerial colleagues and their staff,particularly their staff who have worked tirelessly in recent months to help to contribute to Queensland’sfiscal repair task, and in fact all members of the LNP who supported us through the tough times in thisplace. I want to thank the professional people who provided support—the hardworking Treasury officers:my Under Treasurer Helen Gluer; Assistant Under Treasurer Alex Beavers; the fiscal and taxation policyunit led by Dennis Molloy and Leigh Pickering; the strategy team led by Glenn Miller and Bridget Smith;the Tridata team—the people who have to make all the numbers add up—led by Dora Chung; the fiscalreporting team led by David Newby; the Treasury analysts in the business branches and OGOC; JimmyLouca in Macroeconomics and the intergovernmental relations team; David Smith and his team at theOSR, the Office of State Revenue; and all the very many others across the departments in CabinetServices and the budget coordinator and the people who helped us put all of the budget papers andbooks together. I also want to thank my own staff: my Chief of Staff Gerard Benedet, who has pulled it alltogether and worked with everyone across the crew; the media team consisting of Rachael Power,Loreen Statham and Tim Brabham, Matt Jeffries, Fiona Simmons, Kirk Stubbs, Robbie Whelan,Stephanie Fairly, Jasmine Smits, Alison Mew and Melissa Caves; and my long-suffering EA, theinfamous Kim McInnes.

I also thank my driver, Randall, who has had to take me home very late at night on a number ofoccasions. This is the most important budget in a generation. It puts us on the path to fiscal reform. Itshows growth of four per cent. It keeps the cost of living down. It provides $15,000 for first homeowners, $200 million for fixing our schools and $15 million for elderly carers. It starts a $1.3 Healthcapital works program. Seventy-five per cent of the budget is spent outside of Brisbane. It does notmatter what the member for Mackay says, I think the people in Rockhampton, the people in Bundaberg,the people in Toowoomba and the people on the Sunshine Coast would be pretty happy to know thatthat money is being spent in their regions. The member for Mackay would like it all spent on hiselectorate, but he does not tell us where he is going to get the money from.

14 Sep 2012 Adjournment 2133

This budget implements our election promises and commitments in full. This budget underpinsthe power of Queensland’s economy. This budget is about a better Queensland. This budget is the bestbudget in a generation.

Question put—That the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill and the Appropriation Bill be now read asecond time.

Motion agreed to.Bills read a second time.

Referral to the Committee of the Legislative Assembly and Portfolio CommitteesMr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Order! In accordance with standing 177(2) the bills stand

referred to the Committee of the Legislative Assembly and the portfolio committees.

Second ReadingDivision: Question put—That the Fiscal Repair Amendment Bill be now read a second time.

AYES, 57—Barton, Bennett, Bleijie, Boothman, Costigan, Cox, Crandon, Cripps, Crisafulli, Davies, C Davis, T Davis, Dempsey,Dillaway, Douglas, Driscoll, Emerson, Flegg, France, Frecklington, Grant, Grimwade, Gulley, Hart, Hathaway, Hobbs, Holswich,Johnson, Kaye, Krause, Latter, Maddern, Mander, McArdle, McVeigh, Millard, Minnikin, Molhoek, Newman, Nicholls, Powell,Pucci, Rickuss, Ruthenberg, Seeney, Shorten, Shuttleworth, Stevens, Stewart, Stuckey, Symes, Walker, Wellington, Woodforth,Young. Tellers: Menkens, SmithNOES, 7—Byrne, Mulherin, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Trad. Tellers: Miller, Scott

Resolved in the affirmative.Bill read a second time.

Consideration in Detail

Fiscal Repair Amendment BillClauses 1 to 195, as read, agreed to.Schedule, as read, agreed to.

Third ReadingHon. TJ NICHOLLS (Clayfield—LNP) (Treasurer and Minister for Trade) (8.40 pm): I move—

That the bill be now read a third time.

Question put—That the bill be now read a third time.Motion agreed to.Bill read a third time.

Long TitleHon. TJ NICHOLLS (Clayfield—LNP) (Treasurer and Minister for Trade) (8.41 pm): I move—

That the long title of the bill be agreed to.

Question put—That the long title of the bill be agreed to.Motion agreed to.

SPECIAL ADJOURNMENTMr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (8.41 pm): I move—

That the House, at its rising, do adjourn until 9.30 am on Tuesday, 30 October 2012.


ADJOURNMENTMr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (8.42 pm): I move—

That the House do now adjourn.







2134 Adjournment 14 Sep 2012

Davis, Dr RJMr PITT (Mulgrave—ALP) (8.42 pm): I wish to place on the record a short tribute to Dr Raymond

J Davis, who passed away on 27 August 2012. One of three children, Ray was born in Alexandria,Egypt, in 1926 to William and Germaine and grew up with his older sisters, Grace and Joan, in theUnited Kingdom. He excelled at school, winning an open scholarship to study medicine at King’sCollege, London, one of 10 scholarships awarded annually in a county with a population about the sameas that of Queensland. It was there he met nursing sister Mary ‘Gill’ Chaldecott in 1947. The gunmedical student and the best casualty sister in London were married in 1949.

Madam SPEAKER: Order! Please suspend the clock. I am sorry, Manager of OppositionBusiness, but there is too much noise. Members, please cease your conversations in here and leave thechamber quietly. Show respect to the person who has the call.

Mr PITT: Their union lasted 59 years and produced five children: Jonathan, Yvonne, Harry, Pauland Tina. The mid-fifties was a difficult time for Doc. He contracted tuberculosis and required extensivesurgery and rehabilitation. The warmer climate of Australia beckoned and Doc and Gill decided tomigrate to Australia in 1957. He flew ahead while Gill and the children came out by boat on theAustralian government 10-pound scheme. The six-week voyage was particularly memorable as thethree children contracted measles.

From Sydney, the family drove to Gordonvale in an old Austin van, Doc having accepted theposition of Medical Superintendent at the Gordonvale Hospital. Later that year, Doc Davis opened aprivate practice from the front of the house in Templeton Street, with Gill as resident nurse, receptionistand chief organiser. Doc was an old-fashioned doctor who operated an old-school practice, being on call24/7, rarely taking holidays and making frequent house calls. He never forgot his upbringing wheremoney was scarce and frequently waived fees and provided medicine when patients could not afford topay.

Doc was heavily involved in matters in Gordonvale. Education was a particular passion. Hesponsored many students and was proud to have been involved in lobbying for Gordonvale State HighSchool, which was established in 1965. Indigenous health was very dear to his heart and Doc took onthe additional responsibilities of Commonwealth Medical Officer at Yarrabah from 1973 to 1991. Henever missed an opportunity to lobby for improved medical services for the Yarrabah township.

In 1974 Doc and Gill moved house and surgery to 74 Norman Street and it was there that heoperated his practice and worked until he retired. Doc followed his children’s careers with fascination.Advice was always thoughtfully and regularly provided, whether to his sons in business or his daughtersin dealing with the education system. As his children married and had children, Doc’s focus changedagain, of course.

Doc and Gill were inseparable and totally devoted to each other. As Gill’s health tragicallydeteriorated, Doc stepped up to care for her and treasured the support he received that enabled Gill tostay at home rather than be hospitalised until her passing in 2008. Life was further complicated by Doc’scar accident in 2007, which resulted in him losing the use of his legs and spending extended periods oftime in Cairns and Townsville hospitals.

When I was growing up a couple of doors down from Doc Davis’s surgery, my parents started asporting goods store and I would spend most days after school working there. My main interactions withDoc were through tennis, where I saw firsthand his unique style. He was my doctor, too, and it wasalways a comfort to know he was only a stone’s throw away if you needed him. He was an independentthinker, a good family man and a man of respect. His legacy is the many people he helped. He will besorely missed. Doc Davis was an iconic Gordonvale figure and stories about him will continue to be toldfor many years to come.

Carey, Mr H; De Bono, Mr GHon. AP CRIPPS (Hinchinbrook—LNP) (Minister for Natural Resources and Mines) (8.45 pm):

This evening I rise to offer my sympathies to and express my real concerns for the people of thetownship of Ingham and the Herbert River district in my electorate of Hinchinbrook. I do so because2012 has, unfortunately, been a year of tragedy for the people of Ingham and the Herbert River district.We have lost two young men to tragic incidents this year.

On 8 April this year, we lost Hayden Carey to a tragic boating accident near Taylors Beach.Hayden was from a well-known family in the Herbert River district, the Carey family. He was enjoying abright future as an apprentice with Ergon Energy. I knew Hayden Carey to a degree as he was courtingthe daughter of a friend of mine who, like me, is a member of the Herbert River Rotary Club. Haydenwas a delightful man, a young man with a lot of promise and someone who was well known and loved inthe Herbert River district. Hayden was laid to rest at St Patrick’s Catholic Church on 13 April this year.There was a wonderful roll-up from the local community to pay tribute to him and his life.






On 1 September this year, only a couple of days ago, Gabriel De Bono, 20 years old, passedaway after a shocking hit-and-run incident on Abbott Street, Townsville. Gabriel was a very talentedmedical student, studying at James Cook University, Townsville, to become a doctor. I knew Gabriel wellas he participated in my Rotary Club’s student exchange program. I know his family. His parents,Francis and Barbara, are well known to the members of our Rotary Club as strong supporters of thatprogram. Gabriel was laid to rest after a funeral service at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ingham, on 11September.

Both of those young men, Hayden and Gabriel, attended Gilroy Santa Maria College in Ingham.As well as to the people of the Herbert River district, I extend my sympathies to and concern for thecommunity at Gilroy Santa Maria College. I cannot tell you how the tragic loss of two young men thisyear has affected the people of the Herbert River district in my electorate of Hinchinbrook. At the end ofa very difficult week for many, I express my sympathy to and my concern for the people of my electoratewho have suffered the tragic and unnecessary loss of two very bright young men.

Ginger IndustryMr BENNETT (Burnett—LNP) (8.49 pm): I rise to share with the house the plight of and seek

support for the Australian ginger farming families in my area, who need a secure and viable future. Ihave spoken before about Biosecurity Australia and its report, which has been poorly drafted usingloose science and lack of references. The problem we have is that the report clearly undervalues manyof the insect pests and diseases that could be contained in imported soils. Many of the pests anddiseases present in Fiji are of concern to the Australian environment and the ginger industry, and alsopose a serious risk to other Queensland crops, such as bananas, citrus, sweet potatoes, pineapples andnursery plants which could be infected.

The ginger industry is disappointed with the outcomes presented from the final provisional importrisk assessment for fresh ginger from Fiji. It is the opinion of industry and our team of highly qualifiedscientists that information provided to DAFF Biosecurity has not been sufficiently addressed in the riskmitigation outcomes. Not only have these fallen well short of the science provided for their assessment,there are questions about the process undertaken by the department and the way the final provisionshave been produced.

With these issues and concerns confronting the Australian ginger industry, I support the industry’scall that there be a federal Senate inquiry undertaken to investigate the final provisions IRA and theprocess by which DAFF Biosecurity has reached this outcome. The inquiry should look closely atBiosecurity Australia’s provisional final import risk analysis report for fresh ginger from Fiji and giveginger growers the opportunity to provide evidence on the public record.

My motivation is to maintain security for our growers. Our ginger is a world-class product that ismarketed globally and our processing partners need security. The fresh ginger market is quality assuredand has always been available for year-round supply. The industry employs over 2,000 people with anet worth in excess of $100 million. Ginger is the latest agricultural crop to be threatened by theintroduction of species and diseases from overseas imports.

On 13 August the provisional final import risk analysis report was released by the Department ofAgriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. It identified yam scale as a biosecurity risk that Fijian exporters mustmanage. Australian ginger growers have also taken objection to methyl bromide fumigation, either in Fijior on arrival in Australia. Clearly that will not work. Ginger is a crop that is easily replanted and thispresents its own problems, such as the introduction of other soil-borne diseases in the imported gingerrhizomes.

We cannot risk the future viability of our agricultural industries, which is why a Senate inquirymust be held to examine the risks associated with allowing fresh ginger into Australia. Once diseasesare introduced from overseas, they are extremely difficult to eradicate and can have devastatingeconomic consequences. I thank federal member for Hinkler, Paul Neville, and Senator Ron Boswell fortheir continued support and advocacy for growers in the Burnett. We look forward to the visit to Burnettby shadow agriculture minister John Cobb and we sincerely hope that that visit will have somesignificant success in securing a Senate inquiry.

Police Commissioner, AppointmentMr BYRNE (Rockhampton—ALP) (8.52 pm): On behalf of the opposition, I rise to congratulate

Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart on his very well-deserved and well-earned promotion to QueenslandPolice Commissioner. We cannot imagine a more appropriate person to lead our Police Service as itenters a new era—a person well known to Queenslanders, a person who is trusted and admired due inno small part to his leadership during one of our state’s darkest hours.

All members will remember Commissioner Stewart as one of the faces we came to know and trustduring our summer of natural disasters when large areas of the state were devastated by flood and then,as we thought the worst was behind us, our northern communities were torn apart by Tropical Cyclone






Yasi. It was Ian Stewart who, along with our former Premier, took the reigns and took control to reassureQueenslanders, to ensure that everyone was safe and to coordinate the most intense rescue andrecovery missions in our modern history. During this horrifying time, it was Ian Stewart who stood in frontof the television cameras on an hourly basis and, with uncommon compassion, helped to make us feelsafe, to keep us informed and, with admirable honesty, to keep Queenslanders abreast of the rapidlyunfolding situation. He demonstrated the type of communication skills and compassion and the type ofbrutal honesty that will hold him in good stead in his new role. Indeed, honesty is the hallmark of IanStewart.

Our new commissioner has served the community for almost four decades and will soon lead aQueensland Police Service that is vastly different to the one he joined in the 1970s. He also possessesan understanding and appreciation of the technological challenges ahead in policing, a qualification thatstands him in excellent stead to take on the challenges of his new position. He lists as one of hisproudest achievements the introduction of the police computer system, QPRIME.

He is a proud participant in social media and regularly corresponds with members of thecommunity via twitter. I mention twitter because on the deputy’s profile, he states he is ‘passionate aboutleadership, integrity, justice and team’. These are qualities to which we should all aspire, especially inthe areas of integrity and justice. The new commissioner states that he would never accept officers wholie, commit offences or are not true to the oath of office. We commend his commitment in setting a highstandard for the officers and staff under his command.

The new commissioner has served in regional areas of Queensland throughout his career. Hismost recent role was as Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations and his understanding of theneeds of regional Queensland should ensure they will always be well regarded by the new executive.He has also developed important links with our Indigenous and multicultural communities.

The opposition is most pleased to see this appointment and we will support it to the best of ourendeavours.

Murrumba ElectorateMr GULLEY (Murrumba—LNP) (8.54 pm): Tonight I would like to talk about the epic community

of Murrumba. Why epic? I have the privilege to have a 14-year-old daughter at home and if Tabithawants to say anything positive she will use the word ‘epic’. There seems to be several variations of epicincluding ‘epical’ and ‘epicimus’. I am not sure how she does it, but epic can be a verb, adjective andnoun and sometimes all of the above.

The under 5s at Deception Bay recently had an epic morning. I would like to thank the epic workdone by the epic Jodi Manskie of BoysTown at Deception Bay and the epic work of the Deception BayChild and Family Alliance in supporting the epic families of the epic place called Murrumba.

I had the privilege to open epic stage 3 of St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School with FatherMichael McCarthy.

A government member interjected.Mr GULLEY: It is brilliant. I also wish the principal, Mark Creevey, an epic period of long service

leave.A government member interjected.Mr GULLEY: The principal is an epic man. I also wish to recognise the epic work of the Deception

Bay Community Youth Programs. The grade 4 kids at Deception Bay North State School and I had a great, or should I say an epic,

time reading a book together on national reading day, and what an epic teacher they have in MissPatience.

Whilst talking about all things epic, I wish the QUT epic team all the best in their upcomingstudent union elections. May they continue their 2012 ‘epical’ success of running the QUT student body.

In Deception Bay recently we had the Deception Bay Showcase 2012. I would like to thank JedHardman for organising that. The Deception Bay State High School dance group, concert band andmusic group and the primary schools all put on an epic performance. As a not quite so epic euphoniumplayer in my childhood, I certainly enjoyed their standard of music. Madam Speaker, I would like toconclude by wishing you an epic evening.

Madam SPEAKER: Thank you.

National Stroke Week; Playgroup, Picnic in the Park; Law SocietyDr DOUGLAS (Gaven—LNP) (8.57 pm): This week I spoke at the Gold Coast launch of National

Stroke Week at Southport. I table the foundation’s magnificent document for those members who mightnot have seen information on National Stroke Week. It runs until 16 September.Tabled paper: Document titled ‘National Stroke Week activity ideas’ [1078].







Using some medical knowledge I had, I was able to tell people that not only old people but alsomany younger people suffer strokes. In fact, strokes can start at birth. So people of all ages havestrokes. Unfortunately, many people walking down the street do not know that they are at a high risk ofsuffering a stroke which could often be debilitating and sometimes fatal and, sadly, for too many willleave them with permanent disability.

Lifestyle issues including smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, family historyand the No. 1 issue high blood pressure put people at risk. Not enough people have their bloodpressure measured often enough. This is what puts people at risk. Even though more males thanfemales smoke, the growth in young female smokers is a very worrying trend. Since so many of themconcurrently take the contraceptive pill this markedly increases their risk of having a stroke. That is whyit is very important for people to make these lifestyle changes before it is too late.

I would like to commend Mr Colin Oxenford, the chairman and coordinator of the Gold CoastStroke Support Group, for his work in highlighting services for stroke victims. Colin, himself a strokevictim, puts many hours into this support group and brings to the attention of the public the devastatingsigns of stroke. Michael Hart and I were at lunch with Colin, all those on the committee and someenthusiastic members earlier this week.

I would also like to pay tribute to the work of grandparents who are the primary carers of theirgrandchildren. I recently spoke at a Picnic in the Park at the Broadwater, Southport, attended by 65families. The event was organised by Playgroup Queensland and was a celebration of the wonderfulsupport of grandparents in raising their grandchildren. These people so freely give up their retirement,and what amounts to their entire lives, to care for these children and I commend them for this.

I also spoke at a Queensland Law Society conference earlier last week about how submissionsinfluence the legislative process. I do not claim to be an expert on it, but I know a little bit about it. Wespread the message that parliamentary committees are the key for communities to be heard before newlaws are passed. This was in sharp contrast to the previous system when committees were stacked bygovernment members and the whole system seemed a waste of good time and the worst of partypolitics. It certainly defeated the concept of working for the greater good for elected representatives. Icongratulate the Law Society for doing such a good thing for people who will be involved in writingsubmissions, and I look forward to reading their submissions.

Newman GovernmentMrs MILLER (Bundamba—ALP) (9.00 pm): I rise tonight to speak about the extraordinary

response in the Courier-Mail to Premier Campbell Newman’s assertion that it is ‘simply not true’ that hisgovernment has sacked 14,000 public servants. It is reported that the Premier today decried the ‘hypeand hysteria’ around the LNP’s widespread cost-cutting regime, saying that many were ‘choosing’ totake voluntary redundancy packages. It is very interesting tonight that when I last looked there wereover 600 responses to the Courier-Mail website basically saying that Mr Newman was kidding himself.In fact, comment No. 32 states—Am i reading this correct ?? Our department lost 350 personnel. They were told their services are outsourced and they are nolonger required. This doesn’t look like they are leaving voluntary. Choose your words carefully Mr. CAN NOT DO and showrespect to all who are suffering and leaving. Of course, I am one of the 350 unfortunate public servants leaving due to the politicalgames by LNP.

Comment No. 34 states—Sorry Mr Premier, Offering staff a redundancy to leave or the other alternative which is not to take the redundancy, and be placedin a redeploy pool where the chances of actually getting a Gov job by redeployment where there are no jobs are almost zero, surelooks like sackings no matter which way you look at it.

Then comment No. 63 states—Who are you kidding Newman. I am an AO4.4 and been in government for a fair time and acted in an AO6 level for 4 years andget a payout with no recognition of my higher duties, so I was used all that time and yet someone who had just been inappointment in an AO6 for two months gets their entire service paid at that level. What a joke you are—

meaning Mr Newman—this is not a generous package for someone who is like me, single with kids trying to pay a mortgage. We don’t all live in luxuryhouses getting a large salary like Newman every fortnight. Lets see Newman live on the poverty line like most in the state.

And the comments go on and on. Government members interjected.Mrs MILLER: I take those dreadful interjections, because do you know what level an AO4 is paid

at or what an AO4.4 actually means? Do you know what an AO6 means? Do you know what an SOmeans? Do you know what an SES officer means? Do you know what a CEO means?

Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member, you will refer your comments through the chair and ceaseusing the term ‘you’.




Mrs MILLER: Thank you for your guidance, Madam Speaker. No, because these MPs have notgot a clue about the way the Public Service is structured. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I tablethis document. Tabled paper: Extract from the Courier-Mail, dated 14 September 2012, titled ‘Government hasn’t sacked any public servants,they took generous options to leave, says Premier Campbell Newman’ [1079].

(Time expired) Mr Bleijie interjected. Mrs Miller interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney-General and the member for Bundamba will cease their

interjections across the chamber.

Whitsundays Electorate, AthletesMr COSTIGAN (Whitsunday—LNP) (9.04 pm): I rise in the House to pay tribute to some

individuals from Mackay and the Whitsundays after their recent heroics in their chosen sport. Firstly, Iwant to congratulate Proserpine cyclist David Nicholas, a dual world champion, who won both a goldand bronze medal in the C3 time trial and men’s individual C1-3 road race respectively at the LondonParalympics. Like all elite athletes, 20-year-old David trained the house down prior to the games,spending time in Wales before his pedal power kicked in for the Paralympics, where he was part of avery successful Australian team.

Fittingly, the Whitsunday Regional Council has organised a street parade to honour David, whohas cerebral palsy. The parade is on next Friday, 21 September 2012, and I commend the council onthis great initiative. I encourage members of the community to come out in support of this special event,which will start at 5.30 pm near Freshfields Shopping Centre before finishing at the front of theProserpine Entertainment Centre. Here, the mayor, Councillor Jenny Whitney, will make a presentationto David, whom I might add follows in the footsteps of another great and world-class Paralympian fromthe Whitsundays—the legendary Alan Dufty. For those unaware, Alan won 12 medals at threeParalympics from 1984 to 1992.

I would also like to congratulate another of our region’s Paralympians, Cobi Crispin, who was partof the Australian women’s wheelchair basketball team in London. Cobi, a 23-year-old from Mackay, whowas born without a thigh bone, took part in her second Paralympics and went one better than Beijing,winning a silver medal. Well done, Cobi. Here’s hoping gold follows in Rio!

The other sporting identity whom I wish to acknowledge this evening is rugby league star BenBarba, who has enjoyed a stellar NRL season for the Canterbury Bulldogs. Ben was named the 2012Dally M Medal winner. Not only did he win that medal; he also walked away with the Provan-SummonsMedal, named after the ‘Gladiators’, from the 1963 grand final played in the mud at the Sydney CricketGround. But wait there’s more.

Ben was also the Dally M fullback of the year, he was the NRL’s joint top try scorer and he alsowon the Peter Frilingos headline moment of the year thanks to his wizardry on 24 June 2012. That iswhen Mackay hosted its first NRL game, and I am pleased to advise the House that I have since writtento all NRL clubs in Australia outside the great state of Queensland, encouraging them to play in Mackay.For the record, Ben’s junior club, Norths, is based in my electorate and the Red Devils, the Mackayrugby league community and our Indigenous community—in fact, the entire Mackay community—weredelighted to see him win the Dally M.

Mr Ruthenberg: He’ll bring home the championship, too.Mr COSTIGAN: We’ll see. The Cowboys are 12-12 against Manly. Thank you, member for

Kallangur. The Dally M is an award for the best player in the toughest rugby league competition on theplanet and, on that note, it would be remiss of me not to say that Ben’s performances for the ‘Dogs’ in2012 were something out of this world.

Warren, Mr EHWMrs SCOTT (Woodridge—ALP) (9.07 pm): It was a sad gathering at St Paul’s Catholic Church,

Woodridge, on 23 August as friends and family came together to farewell a much loved and well-knowncharacter who had impacted so many of our lives, Edward Henry William Warren—Ted to us all. Hebecame one of the very enduring and notable characters in the local community, a proud life member ofhis beloved Labor Party, as well as having a long association with the QTU and the Teachers Federationin New South Wales and an incredibly interesting early life.

Ted was born on 30 October 1922 near Southampton in England. His early training was as anapprentice fitter and turner in the railway workshops. He studied mechanical engineering at universitybut, when World War II came along, he joined the Home Guard and rose to the rank of corporal. He wasa member of the Air Cadets, and once he was old enough he joined the Royal Air Force and became a







gunner. He then later joined the 170 Squadron and was part of the No. 1 Group Bomber Command andthen, with the rank of warrant officer, flew bombing raids over Germany. He was part of the SevenDwarfs and he is clearly identified in a documentary made about this crew and their Lancaster Bomber.

As with many others who endured such events through the war, Ted became an avowed pacifistand rarely spoke of his war service. His next move after the war was to join the merchant navy as anengineer officer. He travelled the world and, on a visit to our shores, decided he would migrate toAustralia, arriving by ship in 1947. At just 25 years of age he then started work at the Port KemblaSteelworks at Wollongong. It was here during the great strike of 1948 that his sense of social justicestarted to stir. He was laid off and headed to Sydney, where he became a postal worker at the GPO. Hiscareer then led him first to marry Flo, having two great sons, David and Ted Jr; then to study at FortStreet Girls High School to get his senior certificate; then to train as a primary school teacher, teachingin several schools; and then to become active in the New South Wales Teachers Federation and theAustralian Labor Party.

He then spent 10 years as an organiser with the union and in January 1971 moved with his familyto Rockhampton. In 1972, Ted sadly lost his wife and those were hard years, caring for his sons, butthey were a close family. The QTU relocated the family to Brisbane, and Ted was promoted to AssistantState Secretary of the QTU. In 1980, Ted moved from Wynnum to Slacks Creek and here he met thesecond love of his life, Ditas. And so for our Logan community it was here that we got to know andappreciate both Ted and Ditas, and Ted became dad to Ditas’s two lovely daughters, Lowell and Mericar.Living on Kingston Road at the junction of Wembley Road, they took on the 7-Eleven store right nextdoor to their home. Ditas was a great manager and they won many national awards.

Ted has enjoyed many long and enduring friendships, along with his treasured wife, Ditas, andthey have been highly respected identities in Logan City. A regular in my office, Ted loved a good yarn.He was a man of high intellect. When I visited him recently in hospital, there by his bed was the latestbook on quantum physics. How do you sum up such a rich and full life? He was a special man, loving hisfamily, enjoying so many friends and being passionately loyal and fiercely devoted to the cause that heloved—the Australian Labor Party. Your legacy will live on through your family and friends, Ted, alongwith the virtues and values you espoused throughout your life. Rest in peace, my special friend.

Parliamentary Service, StaffMr MINNIKIN (Chatsworth—LNP) (9.11 pm): I rise tonight as the last speaker of this week, a fairly

hectic week, to pay tribute to all of the Parliamentary Service staff. On 24 March most of us, lookingaround the chamber and its composition right now, became first-term MPs. So it was only a matter ofjust under six months ago that at different times—6.20 pm, 7.20 pm or whenever—we all found out, withthat chill running down our spine, we were going to become new MPs. Then a matter of weeks later weassembled in this hallowed place, and at that time we were introduced to Neil and Michael and the restof the staff. And it was a little bit like, from my experience anyway, coming to school for the first time. Wewere all a little bit nervous and there was a bit of trepidation, checking out who was who in the zoo. Iknow one thing for sure and that is that we really, really were lost at sea. I distinctly recall the first timethat we had the one-stop shop and the—

A government member: What an epic event that was!Mr MINNIKIN: It was. It was epic. We had four days of training. I have to say that during the

course of those four days we learnt exactly where we had to be, how we had to bow to the Speaker,protocols et cetera. It really was a transition process from being basically a spectator to being a newmember of parliament.

So, on behalf of all new members—and I take the liberty to include the member for Rockhamptonat this point in time, because he is not a bad bloke and I know that he too surely would echo thesentiments of all first-time MPs—I say to Neil and to Michael and to all of the parliamentary staff howmagnificent they have been in the first six months since we have been here. Indeed, Madam Speaker, Ihave had the privilege of having some personal functions and dining experiences here, and the foodand catering by Jaakko, Mario and Helena has been absolutely first-class. It has been absolutely epic inthe extreme.

The other thing that I would like to bring to the attention of the House is that when you get to knowthe staff you find out their length of service. Many of the staff have spent 20 years or more of theirworking lives here, and they are to be commended for their length of service. Indeed, their customerservice and their professionalism is absolutely exemplary. In fact, I would go so far as to say that theyare actually part of making this place perform its role in the democratic process even more so. They areapolitical. They are at all times completely courteous. They do not care which side of the House youcome from, which political persuasion or ideology you follow. They absolutely deliver the same degreeof service each and every time. So, as much as we all say that they are epic time and time again, Iwould like to say on behalf of all new MPs that we salute each and every one of them and we thankthem for all of their tutelage.



2140 Attendance 14 Sep 2012

Question put—That the House do now adjourn.Motion agreed to.The House adjourned at 9.14 pm.

ATTENDANCEBarton, Bennett, Berry, Bleijie, Boothman, Byrne, Cavallucci, Choat, Costigan, Cox, Crandon,

Cripps, Crisafulli, Cunningham, Davies, C. Davis, T. Davis, Dempsey, Dickson, Dillaway, Douglas,Dowling, Driscoll, Elmes, Emerson, Flegg, France, Frecklington, Gibson, Grant, Grimwade, Gulley, Hart,Hathaway, Hobbs, Holswich, Hopper, Johnson, Judge, Katter, Kaye, Kempton, King, Knuth, Krause,Langbroek, Latter, Maddern, Malone, Mander, McArdle, McVeigh, Menkens, Millard, Miller, Minnikin,Molhoek, Mulherin, Newman, Nicholls, Ostapovitch, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Powell, Pucci, Rice, Rickuss,Ruthenberg, Scott, Seeney, Shorten, Shuttleworth, Simpson, Smith, Springborg, Stevens, Stewart,Stuckey, Symes, Trad, Trout, Walker, Watts, Wellington, Woodforth, Young

hansard home page: e-mail: phone: (07) 3406 7314 fax: (07 ... · legislative assembly titled annual...

Documents