Hansard 4 April 2001
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4 Apr 2001 Legislative Assembly 251 WEDNESDAY, 4 APRIL 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PRIVILEGE Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads; Bus Action Committee Hon. K. R. LINGARD (Beaudesert—NPA) (9.31 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege suddenly arising. Yesterday in the House when talking about school transport I said that the Minister for Transport had rung the Bus Action Committee and said that the president of the committee was not allowed to approach him or his department and that they would not talk to that person again. The minister rose to a point of order and said— The honourable member's statement is untrue, I find it offensive, and I ask for it to be withdrawn. Mr Speaker, you asked me to withdraw and I did. However, that phone call from the minister was made and, unbeknown to the minister, it was taped. I table a tape of that conversation. The tape is clearly the voice of Steve Bredhauer. The conversation, in part, is— It's Steve Bredhauer speaking. Under the circumstances I'm not prepared to have anyone in my ministerial office nor in my department deal with Kim Bax again. The minister has clearly misled the parliament by saying that my statement is untrue. As there is no privileges committee of this parliament at present, Mr Speaker, I ask that when the privileges committee is set up you refer the matter of the minister misleading the House to the committee for consideration. PRIVILEGE Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads; Bus Action Committee Hon. S. D. BREDHAUER (Cook—ALP) (Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads) (9.33 a.m.): I rise on a matter of privilege suddenly arising. The member has answered his own question. He said in parliament yesterday that I refused to have anything to do with the Bus Action Committee. What he has said today proves my point: I did not say that I would not have anything to do with the Bus Action Committee. What was actually in the voice mail message—and the member has also misled the House by claiming it was a secretly taped conversation because it was not; it was a message I left on the voice mail of a mobile phone—was that I would not have anything to do with Kim Bax but that the Bus Action Committee was welcome to continue to contact my office and I would deal with them. Mr LINGARD: I rise to a point of order. Mr SPEAKER: Order! No, we are not having a debate on this. Mr LINGARD: This play on words is obviously a matter that the privileges committee can work out. Quite obviously, I have provided the tape, and I believe that the matter should be referred to the privileges committee. Mr SPEAKER: You have indeed. We are not going to debate the issue. PETITIONS The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petitions— Bicentennial Bikeway Mrs Edmond from 6 petitioners, requesting the House to provide police on bicycle patrols along the Bicentennial Bikeway along Coronation Drive. Fuel Prices Mr Horan from 37 petitioners, requesting the House to call on the Premier of Queensland, the Honourable Peter Beattie, to immediately establish a royal commission of inquiry with powers to investigate the retail fuel price in the state of Queensland. 252 Ministerial Statement 4 Apr 2001 Car Parking, Brisbane Mr Horan from 84 petitioners, requesting the House to call on the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Cr Jim Soorley, to make parking signage more easily understandable and to allow street parking for business people during non-peak periods. Child Sex Offenders Mr Horan from 13,929 petitioners, requesting the House to immediately enact legislation to ensure that all convicted child sex offenders receive a mandatory jail sentence and that repeat offenders receive the maximum sentence relevant to the offence, and that ultimate release is conditional on that person having successfully completed sexual rehabilitation programs to such an extent that they are no longer deemed to be a substantial risk of re-offending. Victims of Crime Dr Kingston from 14 petitioners, requesting the House to introduce a new act or amend an existing act to protect the confidentiality of private counselling records of victims of crime, in particular sexual assault victims, by preventing access to them in both common and criminal law. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Western Cape Communities Coexistence Agreement Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.36 a.m.), by leave: Once again Queensland has taken the lead in the peaceful resolution of native title issues and the advancement of reconciliation in this nation. On 14 March this year, 2001, in Weipa traditional owners from the Aboriginal communities of western Cape York, the Cape York Land Council and the acting Chief Executive of Comalco signed the Western Cape Communities Coexistence Agreement, which resolves substantial elements of the Wik native title claim. I subsequently signed the same agreement on behalf of the people of Queensland. This is a tremendous achievement for Queensland and Australia because it demonstrates how business, the indigenous community and government can work together in coexistence to deliver a certain and positive future. The Western Cape Communities Coexistence Agreement arose from discussions between Comalco and the Cape York Land Council as a means of resolving native title issues surrounding bauxite mining in the area. With the support of the Beattie government in the negotiations, it became clear that there was a large number of tenure and community issues that needed to be resolved and that these were best addressed as part of a comprehensive package. The agreement contains the following— confirmation of the validity of Comalco's operations and native title agreement to expand bauxite mining in the area; recognition of Aboriginal title to traditional lands not used for other purposes; process for normalisation of the township of Weipa, clearing the path for future development; financial payments by Comalco and the state to support community development and resolving compensation for past extinguishment of native title; consent to expansion of the Weipa port facility; and maintenance of public access for recreational use. It is a comprehensive list. This historic agreement leads the nation towards reconciliation by responding comprehensively and constructively to native title interests and shows the rewards which can be gained from that approach. The winners are— Comalco wins because it now has secure access to its vast bauxite deposits into the future. The state of Queensland wins because we will enjoy the benefits of Comalco's future growth in jobs and income, which will be used for the people of Queensland. Indigenous people win by getting recognition of their rights in land and receiving support for the social and economic developments of their communities. I congratulate the Cape York Land Council, their constituent traditional owners and Comalco for working with the state government to resolve longstanding issues affecting land use in the western cape. It shows what native title can really achieve: recognition of traditional interests in land, while providing certainty for business to expand and invest which, in turn, provides jobs and other opportunities for the traditional communities. This shows that, by dealing constructively with 4 Apr 2001 Ministerial Statement 253 native title holders, we can ensure that development can progress in a way which has the acceptance of those affected by that development. This agreement was a fair and just reward for the sustained struggle conducted over the last 40 years by the Wik and other peoples of the area to have their rights to land recognised. Until now, the Western Cape has provided a sorry chapter in the history of development in this state, beginning with the forcible removal of people from Mapoon and the subsequent destruction of the township, including church land and particular church buildings. If the government and Comalco had our time over again, there is no doubt we would have gone about the development of the Western Cape in a more constructive way. This agreement signifies a desire to learn from the mistakes of the past and move forward together for the mutual benefit of traditional owners of the Western Cape, the ongoing Comalco operations and the state of Queensland. On the day of the signing, the member for Cook, Stephen Bredhauer, the Minister for Transport—who represented me personally at the signing, the government as well as himself as the local member—delivered a formal apology from me on behalf of all Queenslanders to the traditional owners of the Mapoon area for the pain and hurt caused by the destruction of their community. I want to read that apology. It states— I apologise on behalf of the people of Queensland to the residents of Mapoon for actions taken between 1950 and 1963 under the laws of the time which resulted in the removal of people from Mapoon and the destruction of property in Mapoon, and I express my sincere regret on behalf of the people of Queensland for the distress and personal hurt caused to the people of Mapoon as a result. I table that apology for the information of the House. One of the important things about life is that if you get it wrong you have to be strong enough to say you are sorry, and then you move on. Both Comalco and my government understand that we must redress the past to lay the foundation for a positive future in the Western Cape. To their credit, the Western Cape communities have demonstrated their willingness to turn the page and engage in constructive negotiations about better arrangements for the future.