Legislative Assembly Hansard 1985
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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 26 MARCH 1985 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy 4348 26 March 1985 Ministerial Statements TUESDAY, 26 MARCH 1985 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. J. H. Warner, Toowoomba South) read prayers and took the chair at 11 a.m. FILMING AND VIDEOTAPING OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS Mr SPEAKER: Order! I advise the House that approval has been given to television channels to update library film footage at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 27 March. Filming, without sound-recording, will be allowed for one hour. 1 further advise that, for the production of a video tape on the Queensland Pariiament, the Public Relations Branch will be taping the proceedings of Pariiament for one hour from 2.15 p.m. on the same day. I request the full co-operation of all honourable members. PAPERS The following paper was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed— Report of the Police Superannuation Board for the year ended 30 June 1984. The following papers were laid on the table— Proclamation under the Film (Censorship and Review) Acts Amendment Act 1984 Orders in Council under— Harbours Act 1955-1982 Fauna Conservation Act 1974-1984 Regulations under the Censorship of Films Act 1947-1984. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Community Employment Program Hon. C. A. WHARTON (Burnett—Minister for Works and Housing) (11.3 a.m.), by leave: Last week in this House 1 answered questions about the employment of people under the Community Employment Program, which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State Governments. Since then, the man who raised the questions, the honourable member for Everton, has made some quite outlandish claims, which have been reported in some newspapers. He implied that the funds were being used incorrectly and claimed that the State Govemment is dependent on the Federal Govemment to maintain its vital services. All of them are quite amazing utterances, considering that the State Government is co-operating and funding this scheme jointly with the member's colleagues in Canberra.The Works Department provides 30 per cent of the cost of each project. Is the honourable member suggesting that the State Government should not be offering such co-operation, that it should not be trying to find avenues of employment for the unemployed? His claims are really outlandish, considering that the State Government is involved in this scheme at the invitation of Canberra, that the guide-lines for who can and cannot be employed under the scheme are laid down by the Federal Government, and State Government proposals for this scheme must have Federal Government approval before they can proceed. So any criticism of this scheme by the member for Everton is, in fact, a direct criticism of the Federal Labor Government. The criticism levelled at the State Government by the honourable member would apply equally to other bodies using the scheme, including local government bodies, such as the Brisbane City Council. Let me point out that the Federal Government has made no criticism of the way in which the State Government is co-operating in this scheme, Ministerial Statements 26 March 1985 4349 which is not surprising, considering the overriding responsibility that it has for authorising proposals put forward by the State Government. The State Government is not evading its responsibilities. It has a vigorous program of its own, which will involve the spending of more than $50m this financial year. But let me spell it out for the honourable member and for the media, which have published Mr Milliner's claims; the State Government was invited to participate in and financially contribute to this scheme to provide employment assistance where it was needed. The program has the particular aim of assisting employment in particular areas in which certain trades are listed as unemployed with the Commonwealth Employment Service. In the Sunshine Coast area, the CES has identified painters as a group needing that type of assistance. Together with the Commonwealth, the Queensland Government has moved to help employ more of these people. Let me make it quite clear that this is in addition to, not instead of, the maintenance program that is being undertaken by the Works Department, which involves substantial work for private contractors. The people whom we are helping through this joint program are people who have not been able to find employment in the private sector. Electric Train Collision, Beenleigh Line Hon. D. F. LANE (Merthyr—Minister for Transport) (11.5 a.m.), by leave: Parliament is entitled to be informed formally of the electric train head-on collision that occurred at 6.48 a.m. near Trinder Park Railway Station last Saturday, 23 March. Regretfully, two people were killed in the collision and 28 others were injured. 1 inform honourable members that a board of inquiry has been established by Queensland Rail, and it is presently investigating thoroughly the factors involved in the accident and its possible causes. The eight-member board is being chaired by Mr J. Paull, Queensland Rail's permanent way engineer, Brisbane. 1 table a list of the persons who constitute the board and ask that it be incorporated in "Hansard" Leave granted. Chairman: Mr J. Paull Permanent Way Engineer, Brisbane. Members: Mr S. Slipper District Mechanical Engineer, Mayne. Mr F. Hartigan District Superintendent, Brisbane. Mr D. Whisson Signal Engineer, Brisbane. Representing Railway Employees: Mr M. Ryan Clerk, South Brisbane. Mr D. McLeod Senior Instructor, Traffic Training, Brisbane. Mr K. C. Bloxsom Driver, Mayne. Mr N. R. Lester Signal Maintainer in Charge, Park Road. Mr LANE: I inform honourable members that when that board has reported its findings to me, its deliberations and conclusions will be publicly disclosed as completely as possible, bearing in mind that the rights of those railway employees and members of the public who are called to give evidence for the board must be acknowledged and protected. 1 do not in any way propose to add to the uninformed speculation on the cause of the accident until the board's investigations have been completed and it is satisfied with its conclusions. In addition to setting up the Queensland Rail board of inquiry, I have initiated, in consultation with the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General (Mr Harper) and the Minister for Lands, Forestry and Police (Mr Glasson), a full coronial inquiry into the 4350 26 March 1985 Ministerial Statements deaths and have asked that senior police officers be assigned to investigate the cause of the collision in the event that there is a case of criminal negligence to be answered. I am sure honourable members will join me in extending our utmost sympathy to those bereaved relatives and friends of the crash victims. Queensland boasts the safest electric rail system in the world. Obviously, we recognise now that it is not totally error-proof, and when the board of inquiry discovers the cause of this collision, be it human or mechanical, immediate action will be taken to ensure that such a disaster never occurs again. Mr CASEY: I rise to a point of order. Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to Standing Order No. 108A, "Ministerial Statements" In part, it states— "At the conclusion of the Statement, the Minister may move 'That the House take note of the Statement' and, if so, the Leader of the Opposition or his nominee shall be given equal time to reply to the Statement either immediately " I ask the Minister whether he is prepared to so move on this occasion. Mr LANE: I do not choose to take that opportunity. LEAVE TO REPLY TO MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Mr CASEY: Mr Speaker, as the Minister has refused Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr CASEY: I rise to a further point of order. As the Minister has refused to take that stand in accordance with Standing Orders, I appeal to the House to grant leave to the honourable member for Mackay to make a statement on the Trinder Park railway disaster. Question—That leave be granted—put; and the House divided— AYES, 29 NOES, 48 Braddy Wilson Ahern Lee Burns Yewdale Alison Lester Campbell Austin Lickiss Casey Bailey Lingard Comben Bjelke-Petersen Littleproud D'Arcy Booth McKechnie De Lacy Cahill McPhie Eaton Chapman Menzel Fouras Cooper Miller Goss Elliott Muntz Kruger FitzGerald Newton Mackenroth Gibbs, I. J. Powell McElligott Glasson Randell McLean Goleby Row Milliner Gunn Simpson Palaszczuk Gygar Stephan Price Harper Stoneman ScoU Harvey Tenni Shaw Henderson Turner Smith Hinze Wharton Underwood Innes White Vaughan Jennings Veivers Tellers: Katter Tellers: Warburton Prest Knox Kaus Warner, A. M. Davis Lane Neal Resolved in the negative. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Hon. B. D. AUSTIN (Wavell—Minister for Health) (11.16 a.m.), by leave: On Tuesday night last week, the national current affairs program "Four Corners" carried a report that was supposed to be a thorough and objective examination of Acquired Ministerial Statements 26 March 1985 4351 Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. The report contained several references to Queensland that were insulting and offensive and cast a slur on the activities by health authorities in this State to respond to the AIDS problem. In fact, the producers of the program appeared to have a fixation, bordering on a phobia, about the Queensland approach to the issue. The thrust of the "Four Corners" report was that the only successful way to deal with AIDS is through close involvement with the so-called gay community. The message was that, unless homosexuals are heavily involved in the AIDS campaign, measures to deal with the problem will fail. The clear inference was, therefore, that Queensland's AIDS program will fail. I totally reject such a narrow and distorted view of Queensland's position and take this opportunity to advise the House on the truth.