Hansard 18 October 2001
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18 Oct 2001 Legislative Assembly 3001 THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PETITION Malanda Ambulance Station; Mr L. Klein Mr Pitt from 108 petitioners, requesting the House to (a) immediately reinstate Ambulance Officer Lee Klein to the position of Officer in Charge, Malanda, (b) confiscate the full financial and general records of the LAC and financial records to be audited by KPMG Auditors and (c) direct the LAC to immediately set a date, giving 14 days notice of their AGM/BGM. PAPER MINISTERIAL PAPER The following ministerial paper was tabled— Minister for Families and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy and Minister for Disability Services (Ms Spence)— Report of Trade Delegation to China and Vietnam MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Coal Industry Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.32 a.m.), by leave: The announcement of a major new coal opportunity in Central Queensland is the trifecta of positive news for the state's resources sector in recent weeks. Macarthur Coal Ltd announced yesterday that it is set to exploit another growth segment of the international coal market with the acquisition of the advanced Monto thermal project. The announcement outlines the intention to investigate the mine. Stage 1 involves a feasibility study for the development of a mine with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes to one million tonnes a year. Upon acceptance, production at Monto could start as early as 2002-03. Stage 2 is based on a longer-term plan to extend the mine to 10 million tonnes a year. This stage would require an upgrade of the railway line, which Macarthur intends to contract out or use infrastructure providers for. This is about jobs, investment and opportunity. I am delighted to see the coverage of this announcement in the Gladstone Observer of this morning. What a great headline: 'Coal Bonanza'. I table the article for the information of the House. While the resulting jobs will exist mainly in Central Queensland, the potential is there for all of the state to win from more export income. The mine is adjacent to the Monto township. The mine will produce an ultra-low nitrogen coal with a nitrogen content of 1.1 per cent. This makes it the lowest of any Australian coals on the export market. Of additional appeal is that the Monto coal has a comparatively low ash content. This makes it most appealing to power utilities, especially in Japan. It is good quality coal. This announcement sits well with the Australian Magnesium Corporation's release of a new public offer seeking to raise $525 million to help fund construction of the $1.3 billion Stanwell refinery. This is an exciting time for the export potential of Central Queensland and indeed all of Queensland. The first of the three positives for Central Queensland's resources sector came on Friday, 15 September, when Deputy Premier and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth and I detailed how a consortium led by international investment bank Babcock and Brown had successfully bid $630 million for the long-term lease of the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. Dalrymple Bay, at Hay Point south of Mackay, is one of the largest terminals in the world, handling almost 25 per cent of the coal exported from Australia. The lease to the Babcock and Brown consortium will be for 50 years, with an option of extension for a further 49 years. The consortium made an up-front payment to the state government to secure the payment of lease rentals over the term of the lease. This is a win for the coal industry as well as for all Queenslanders. This is a sensible use of resource. On the one hand we receive a strong return for the state from this asset—the money raised can be used now in schools, hospitals and roads—while on the other hand we help to ensure the long-term efficiency of the coal supply chain and the sustained competitiveness of the 3002 Ministerial Statement 18 Oct 2001 Central Queensland coal industry. This is indeed smart thinking in the Smart State. Under the existing management of the government owned Ports Corporation of Queensland, the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal had achieved growth rates in excess of similar terminals elsewhere in the world. By leasing it, however, we free government capital tied up in the facility and foster private sector participation in Queensland infrastructure while retaining state ownership in the long term. Not surprisingly, when expressions of interest were sought for the lease the proposal attracted wide market interest from Australia and overseas. Mines currently supplying the terminal include Blair Athol, Goonyella, Riverside, German Creek, Oaky Creek, North Goonyella, Burton, Moranbah North, Foxleigh and Coppabella. The new $425 million Hail Creek mine and the Moorvale mine south of Coppabella will also export through the terminal. In order to meet this demand, the Ports Corporation of Queensland is currently undertaking stage 5 of an expansion to the terminal to increase the current capacity of approximately 40 million tonnes per year to around 44 million tonnes per year. Work has also commenced on stage 6 to expand the terminal to approximately 54 million tonnes per annum. This will be completed by the lessee by mid 2003. This expansion will make the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal the third-largest coal export terminal in the world and will make the port of Hay Point, which also includes the privately owned BHP facility, the largest in the world. Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd, a consortium of six users, will continue to operate and maintain the terminal, while the Ports Corporation of Queensland will remain the port authority. Monto, AMC and Dalrymple are a genuine trifecta of success for the whole state. When the community cabinet meeting goes to Mackay in the next few weeks I will be visiting the facility at Dalrymple Bay. An opening will be performed at that time to show the government's commitment to this project. While I am talking about things happening in this can-do state by this can-do government, I tell the House that tomorrow Tony McGrady, the local member, and I will travel to Delta Downs property via Normanton to participate in an announcement of a training initiative for Aboriginal youth with Peter Holmes a Court and Noel Pearson. This is about ensuring jobs and opportunities for young indigenous Queenslanders. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Premier's Literary Awards Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.38 a.m.), by leave: Last night I had the privilege of presenting Australia's richest literary awards to some of the countries most talented writers. The occasion was the 2001 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards at Brisbane's Hilton Hotel. I presented a selection of Australia's finest professional and aspiring authors with awards worth almost $150,000 at the Brisbane Writers Festival Gala Dinner. The decision-making process was a difficult one for the judging committee, with the awards attracting almost 500 high-quality entries from across the country, 191 of those from Queensland writers. I started these awards to promote the Australian literary industry and offer support for Queensland's unpublished authors as part of my government's policy of recognising, supporting and enhancing the arts throughout the state and making Queensland the Smart State. I am proud to announce that the 2001 awards achieved that goal, with an extremely high calibre of Australian authors gaining recognition and receiving financial assistance to help in the production of their writing. Arts Minister Matt Foley demonstrated another facet of our support for writers by presenting the $15,000 Judith Wright Colanthe Award for Poetry to Brook Emery and the $15,000 Steele Rudd Award for Short Story Writing to Judith Clarke. The standard of entries in the Premier's Awards is clearly evident in the prize for the best fiction book, which was accepted from London by highly acclaimed author and winner of many international awards, including the Booker Prize—which he has just won—Peter Carey for True History of the Kelly Gang. I congratulate Peter for pulling off one of the most sought-after quinellas in the world of literature: the Queensland Premier's Award followed by the Booker Prize, which he was awarded this morning, Queensland time. This year's best emerging Queensland author winner, Deborah Carlyon, has not only won $20,000 but also the opportunity to have her book, Mama Kuma: One Woman, Two Cultures, published by the University of Queensland Press within a year. I extend my congratulations to the winners of the 2001 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and to all those who entered the awards for their tremendous talents. The winners were: 18 Oct 2001 Ministerial Statement 3003 Best fiction book—$25,000, Peter Carey for True History of the Kelly Gang (University of Queensland Press); Best emerging Queensland author—$20,000, Deborah Carlyon for Mama Kuma: One Woman, Two Cultures; Best non-fiction book—$15,000, Brian Matthews for A Fine and Private Place (Pan MacMillan); Best literary or media work advancing public debate—$25,000, Michael Gordon for Reconciliation: A Journey (UNSW Press); Peter Mares for Borderline: Australia's Treatment of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (UNSW Press); David Fagan & Dossier Team for Dossier Inside the ABC—they are from the Australian; Best children's book—$15,000, Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks for Fox (Allen & Unwin); Best history book—$15,000, Tim Bonyhady for The Colonial Earth (Melbourne University Press); Best drama (stage)—$15,000, Duong Le Quy for Meat Party (Playbox); and Best film or television script—$15,000, Christine Olsen for Rabbit-proof Fence.