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Hansard 30 May 2001

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Hansard 30 May 2001 30 May 2001 Legislative Assembly 1217 WEDNESDAY, 30 MAY 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PETITIONS The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petitions— Abortion Law Mrs Liz Cunningham from 11 petitioners, requesting the House to (a) not decriminalise abortion, nor amend Sections 224, 225, 226 and 282 of the Queensland Criminal Code and (b) take all steps to facilitate the enforcement of the Queensland Criminal Code on abortion. Lagoon Street, Sandgate Mr Nuttall from 119 petitioners, requesting the House to prevent the closure of Lagoon Street, Sandgate for the purpose of a private development. School Buses, Seatbelts Mr Pitt from 320 petitioners, requesting the House to take immediate steps to (a) halt the practice of allowing school children to stand in buses travelling on the highway where the statutory speed limit exceeds 80km per hour, (b) phase in a requirement for all new buses carrying school children on roads where the statutory speed limit exceeds 80km per hour to be outfitted with seatbelts and (c) require all existing buses carrying school children on roads where the statutory speed limit exceeds 80km per hour to be outfitted with seatbelts within a period of 10 years. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Job Creation; CBD Building Projects; Biotechnology Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.33 a.m.), by leave: My government has a comprehensive range of policies designed to create jobs and attack unemployment in Queensland. We are working hard to boost trade opportunities, encourage investment, add value to our primary produce and resources, and attract more tourists. We have to be innovative and develop our biotechnology and information technology industries—something the government is doing. We need to increase the skills of our work force and we have to have programs that help our most vulnerable unemployed people—the mature aged and young unemployed people—find jobs and enter the work force. Just last week my colleague the Minister for Employment, Training and Youth briefed cabinet on the implementation plan for four new programs aimed at reducing unemployment among these mature aged and young people. Planning is now well advanced and it is now time to rename those programs to make them more user friendly and descriptive for those who will be involved in them and benefit from them. The first of the two programs that will target the needs of the mature aged unemployed will be known as the Back to Work program. The other, the wage- subsidy program, is to be known as Experience Pays. The two programs for the younger unemployed will be known as Get Set for Work and Youth for the Environment and Local Communities. The four new programs will begin operating from 1 July. They deliver on an election commitment to increase spending on the highly successful Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative to $470 million to help create more than 56,000 jobs over the first two terms of the Beattie government. These new programs will operate alongside others already in place under the Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative. They will help to deliver on the government's No. 1 priority of jobs for Queenslanders. The Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative has already helped create more than 26,000 jobs, many of them for the most disadvantaged in the labour market—the long-term unemployed. Importantly, many of them have been in rural and regional areas of Queensland, areas which traditionally have the greatest difficulty in creating jobs. My ministerial colleague Matt Foley will release more details about these new programs, but there are some general comments I would like to make about the federal government's approach to unemployment, particularly as it contrasts with our own. The federal budget delivered last week 1218 Legislative Assembly 30 May 2001 does virtually nothing for the unemployed. In fact, they are budgeting for an increase in unemployment of almost one per cent, without budgeting for innovative new programs to help unemployed people develop new skills and find jobs. In other words, the federal government has said that under its policies unemployment will rise by almost one per cent. While the federal government is making it harder for unemployed people, the Queensland government is listening and responding to the needs of unemployed people. The federal government has been dragging the chain on funding for TAFE places, effectively denying thousands of young Queenslanders access to vocational and educational training. It also cut funding to the Full Service Schools program aimed at helping young people in danger of dropping out of school. The minister tells me a total of 2,421 year 11 and year 12 students at 95 schools across the state will be affected by the funding cut. It was disappointing on budget night to see that the Howard government has again missed the mark. It should be out there working with us to create jobs. Instead, it is virtually silent on the matter, other than acknowledging that there will be an increase of almost one per cent in unemployment in Australia. Notwithstanding the poor performance of the federal government, I am very optimistic about the Queensland economy and its prospects for the future. While we have seen some mixed economic indicators in recent times, I can assure the House that there is a real buzz in the Queensland business community, particularly the property industry. Just yesterday I attended the launch of the new $100 million office building now under construction at 175 Eagle Street. Although the 20-storey building is still in the early stages of construction, office space in the building is already 60 per cent leased. And that is indicative of what is happening with office space in Brisbane, with the industry currently experiencing its best absorption rates in a decade. In fact, 175 Eagle Street is the first premium commercial office block to be constructed in the Riverside sector of Brisbane's CBD in almost 10 years. There are also two major office blocks due for completion this year, the Ariadne Australia Millennium Square at 119 Charlotte Street and Forrester Kurts' Hall Chadwick Centre at 120 Edward Street. We also have work progressing on Riparian Plaza, probably better known to members as the Riverside 2 project. There is also commercial development under way at Macarthur Central on the corner of Queen and Edward Streets. Clearly, big things are happening and it is a good pointer to future growth in the Queensland economy. The word from the property sector is that new office space is being quickly absorbed by new tenants and expanding businesses, so there is clearly a high level of confidence in the business community about Queensland's future growth. The building project at 175 Eagle Street has been dubbed Australia's first 'thinking' building and takes an innovative approach that exemplifies the spirit of the Smart State. The 'intelligent' and 'thinking' theme of the building will be reflected in its innovative approach to integrating building management systems with web-driven technology. This technology will control lifts, airconditioning, security, data, lighting and power, communications and a conference centre and catering facilities. The building at 175 Eagle Street will be a prototype, a model of what we expect will be standard features of city buildings for this new century. This is about conserving energy. It is a very sound model for future buildings. The reality is that the modern world is moving faster and we have to innovate or stagnate. Developments like this introduce cutting-edge technology to Queensland. On the issue of future jobs, which is important to this government, last week I had the honour of delivering in Melbourne the keynote address to the Eureka Project's National Forum on the Future Development of Biotechnology in Australia. All the leading players in the research and commercialisation of biotechnology were there from scientists, to manufacturers, to bankers and venture capitalists. I gave them a simple message: innovation is the fundamental dynamic force which underpins growth across our economy. Queensland is pursuing the Smart State vision, because if we do not innovate we will stagnate and we will miss out on the investment and jobs that we need to grow as a community. Australia is the only mega-diverse country in the world with a developed economy, advanced infrastructure, transport and communications systems, research and development capabilities, and a highly skilled work force. We are perfectly placed to be at the forefront of the biotechnology revolution that will sweep through this 21st century. This is a matter that Paul Lucas, the minister, is working on at the moment. I told the Victorians that, while they are doing well in developing a biotechnology industry, Queensland is breathing down their neck. According to a recent bioindustries work force survey, Queensland was home to 7,690, or 28 per cent, of the industry's 27,000-strong national work force. That is not far behind Victoria, with 8,352 people working in the industry, and New South 30 May 2001 Ministerial Statement 1219 Wales, with 7,856 bioscience employees. However, our state has the largest number of people involved in bioscience research and development, at 3,111 people last year. That compares with 2,500 in New South Wales and 2,101 in Victoria. That is a clear demonstration of our leading edge. I provided this important national audience with the following
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