Hansard 25 November 2003
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25 Nov 2003 Legislative Assembly 5005 TUESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2003 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PRIVILEGE Real Estate Commissions Hon. M. ROSE (Currumbin—ALP) (Minister for Tourism and Racing and Minister for Fair Trading) (9.31 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege. Yesterday and today the Courier-Mail reported that I had appeared to have misled parliament about the content of a report relating to real estate commissions. The Courier-Mail's claim appears to be based on a draft report dated February this year. The article is incorrect. At no time—at no time—in my ministerial statement did I refer to any report. I spoke only of a review which was subsequent to the draft working party group report. I refer to Hansard of 13 November, page 4920, which clearly shows that I only ever referred to a review and did not at any time refer to any report. I told the House that the government had ruled out deregulation of real estate agent commissions because of a lack of evidence to convince us of the need to do so. I said that a recent Office of Fair Trading review found no need at this time to deregulate commissions. That is fact. I make no apology for that decision. We will not deregulate for the sake of deregulation. We will only do so if it will benefit sellers and buyers. If real estate commissions were to rise beyond their current regulated maximum level, this would only add dollars to the already inflated cost of housing. I seek leave to table a letter from the Commissioner for Fair Trading to the Courier-Mail setting out the chronology of the review. Leave granted. PRIVILEGE Gympie Hospital Hon. W. M. EDMOND (Mount Coot-tha—ALP) (Minister for Health and Minister Assisting the Premier on Women's Policy) (9.33 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege. On 13 November I was asked a question by the member for Gympie about claims in her local paper that the Gympie Hospital had suddenly stopped carrying out emergency surgical procedures. At that time I told the House that Gympie Hospital never provided emergency surgery services. This was incorrect. I am advised that, depending on availability of appropriately qualified doctors, some emergency surgery has been done at times at Gympie. At the time I told the House that the Gympie Hospital continues to provide emergency services to the people of Cooloola shire, just as it always has done. I remind the House that, although visiting medical officers at Gympie Hospital have provided emergency surgery and although surgeons have been on call to provide emergency surgery in the past, there has never been a full emergency surgery service at the Gympie Hospital as we have in larger referral hospitals. Gympie Hospital provides a very good service to residents, but makes no pretence about being able to carry out the sort of emergency surgical operations that are more safely provided by larger hospitals where there is a bigger staff with medical professionals with the required skills. This government is committed to delivering a safe health service to Queensland. ASSENT TO BILLS Mr SPEAKER: Order! Honourable members, I have to report that I have received from Her Excellency the Governor a letter in respect of assent to certain bills, the contents of which will be incorporated in the records of parliament. 5006 Petitions 25 Nov 2003 19 November 2003 The Honourable R.K. Hollis, MP Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament House George Street BRISBANE QLD 4000 Dear Mr Speaker I am pleased to inform the Legislative Assembly that the following Bills, having been passed by the Legislative Assembly and having been presented for the Royal Assent, were assented to in the name of Her Majesty The Queen on 18 November 2003: "A Bill for an Act to provide for matters relating to disaster management in the State, and for other purposes" "A Bill for an Act to amend the Magistrates Act 1991, and for other purposes" "A Bill for an Act to amend the Education (General Provisions) Act 1989" "A Bill for an Act to amend Acts administered by the Minister for Education, and for other purposes" "A Bill for an Act to amend the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000, and for other purposes" "A Bill for an Act to amend the First Home Owner Grant Act 2000". The Bills are hereby transmitted to the Legislative Assembly, to be numbered and forwarded to the proper Officer for enrolment, in the manner required by law. Yours sincerely (sgd) Governor AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that today I have received from the Auditor-General a report entitled Audit Report No. 2 2003-04: Results of a review of governance at James Cook University and the Queensland University of Technology. I table the said report. Ms P. HANSON; Mr D. ETTRIDGE Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that, in accordance with the resolution agreed to by the House on 11 November 2003 relating to matters referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission concerning the arrest and prosecution of Pauline Hanson and David Ettridge, I have written to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, forwarding a copy of that resolution, and I table a copy of that correspondence and resolution. LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY CHAMBER, FLORAL ARRANGEMENT Mr SPEAKER: I note honourable members' interest in the floral arrangements on my dais. I can assure members that I am not celebrating the English Rose's Rugby World Cup win. The honourable Minister for Local Government has brought these beautiful roses from Bundaberg to brighten the House for this last sitting week of the year. I thank the minister for that. PETITIONS The following honourable members have lodged paper petitions for presentation— Regional Race Meetings Mr Johnson, 3 petitions, from 6,780 petitioners in total, requesting the House to reassess the discriminatory cut backs of regional race meetings throughout regional Queensland and reinstate all race meetings and ensure prize money, as race meetings are an essential part of the social fabric in rural, regional and remote areas. Public Transport, Cairns Mr Pitt from 264 petitioners requesting the House to direct the Department of Transport to undertake a review of bus routes, service times, frequency of service and the provision of disability accessible buses in the southern suburbs of Cairns. 25 Nov 2003 Papers 5007 Scarborough Boat Harbour Precinct Breakwater Mr Hollis from 1,573 petitioners requesting the House to not approve any residential or multi-level development and halts the sale of the reclaimed Scarborough Boat Harbour Precinct Breakwater and that it protects the existing mangrove stand on the south western edge from any extensions proposed for that area and that the mangrove stand and adjourning reclaimed foreshore be protected and given to the people as enduring parkland. PAPERS PAPERS TABLED DURING THE RECESS The Clerk informed the House that the following papers, received during the recess, were tabled on the dates indicated— 14 November 2003— • Response from the Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads (Mr Bredhauer) to a paper petition presented by Miss Simpson from 672 petitioners regarding dredging of the Mooloolah River mouth. This response replaces a previous response tabled on 31 October 2003 Ms Vickie Power 32 Coomaroo Crescent Minyama Qld 4575 Dear Ms Power Thank you for the recent petition asking for urgent dredging of the Mooloolah River mouth and an assurance that timely maintenance dredging is undertaken on an ongoing basis in the future. This petition was received by the House on 11 September 2003 and forwarded to me for my direct response by the Clerk of the Parliament. As you would be aware the state government recently completed this dredging work. The natural currents and wave action in this location usually shift sand bars from the entrance channel without the need for human intervention. However, on this occasion coastal conditions had failed to clear the entrance and it was necessary to use dredging equipment to speed up the process. Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) carries out regular hydrographic surveys of the harbour entrance and in April 2003 became aware of the formation of the sandbar. Since that time, MSQ had regularly moved navigation markers and issued Notices to Mariners advising of the changed conditions. Consistent advice from MSQ over recent months was that the sandbar, although requiring care to navigate, did not present a significant safety risk. Since 1987, sandbars have formed in the harbour entrance and subsequently disappeared through natural coastal processes over periods between a number of weeks and a few months. The last time dredging was undertaken, the work was almost complete when heavy sea conditions caused the sandbar to reform in the entrance and it had to be completely redredged. This situation also happened in 1986, when the entrance was dredged twice within a few months, after the sandbar reformed. This shows that the decision to dredge the harbour entrance cannot be made lightly, as it could result in a waste of hundreds of thousands of dollars if the sandbar quickly reforms, as has happened in the past. Yours sincerely (Original signed by Minister) Steve Bredhauer Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads Member for Cook • Non-State Schools Accreditation Board—Annual Report 2002-03 • Queensland Tertiary Education Foundation—Annual Report 2002-03 • Department of Justice and Attorney-General—Annual Report and Financial Statements 2002-03 • Legal