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Hansard 26 Mar 1997

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Hansard 26 Mar 1997 26 Mar 1997 Ministerial Statement 843 WEDNESDAY, 26 MARCH 1997 by-product such as squid, crabs, mixed fish, prawns, etc. Mr SPEAKER (Hon. N. J. Turner, Nicklin) Banyo Railway Station read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. From Mr Roberts (90 petitioners) requesting the House to take actions to ensure that the coalition Government meets PRIVILEGE its commitment to the people of Banyo by re- Teachers Strike allocating funds to commence the upgrade of Mr BREDHAUER (Cook) (9.30 a.m.): I Banyo Railway Station immediately. rise on a matter of privilege. Yesterday in this Petitions received. Parliament the Premier read from two documents which he said were Queensland Teachers Union fliers about the teachers PAPER strike. One was an official memo sent to QTU The following paper was laid on the members at the Brisbane School of Distance table— Education by union representative Veronica Minister for Health (Mr Horan)— Macaulay. The other was an unnamed, unidentified, unsourced document which the Private Health Insurance Reforms— Premier deliberately and dishonestly Discussion Paper. represented as a QTU document. It was the Premier's staff who stapled the MINISTERIAL STATEMENT two pages together in the press gallery to Business Infrastructure malign the QTU. Ms Macaulay has sent me a disclaimer of any knowledge of the pink flier, Hon. J. M. SHELDON (Caloundra— which I table. Ms Macaulay is an honest and Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for decent person doing her job well, which is The Arts) (9.33 a.m.), by leave: The continued more than can be said for the Premier. growth and popularity of Queensland as a headquarters for Australian and international businesses has been highlighted in a PETITIONS Business Queensland article titled "HQ The Clerk announced the receipt of the relocations boost Brisbane's profile". I would following petitions— like to commend to members the article, which states that the loyal members of Queensland's business community really have some Referendums optimism—and a reason for that optimism— From Mrs Cunningham (25,958 and that a vibrant local financial infrastructure petitioners) requesting the House to enact a is beginning to develop. legislative provision, subsequently to be The article highlights the decision by entrenched in the Constitution of Queensland, sugar giant CSR to relocate important whereby a designated number of petitioners, corporate functions to Brisbane, which will in an approved manner and within a set time- create several hundreds jobs, and the RTZ- span, shall require the elected Parliament of CRA decision to move its world aluminium Queensland or, in the case of a Local industry headquarters to Brisbane. The article Government the elected council concerned, to continues with reference to the Australian hold a State or local government referendum Stock Exchange decision to move important as applicable, whereby citizens may assent or functions to Brisbane. It says that Brisbane dissent to any existing law or regulation, or appears to be emerging as a very significant proposed law or regulation, the decision of the energy centre. The article states also— majority of those voting in such a referendum "Pipeline operator Epic Energy, being binding on the elected Government presently a $500 million company with concerned. ambitions to treble its size within four years, does not intend to move corporate Fishing Industry headquarters from Brisbane, despite press reports to that effect." From Mr Nuttall (243 petitioners) requesting the House to support the It continues— commercial fishermen and their industry, by "Chevron, manager and leading allowing them to continue to catch and keep partner in a joint venture investigating the 844 Ministerial Statement 26 Mar 1997 economics of a $1.3 billion natural gas DHL Worldwide Express has relocated its pipeline from Papua New Guinea to national customer service centre and Queensland is based in Brisbane." regional distribution centre here; PGT Australia, which owns and operates the Chancellor Pty Ltd has located a major pipeline from the Surat Basin to Gladstone, ocean cruise line project in Queensland; and has plans to build another pipeline from Surat to Brisbane dedicated to coal seam Sealright Packaging Company has methane, also has established headquarters relocated its labelling and packaging plant in this State. with its head office in Brisbane for Australia and the Asia/Pacific; The article further states— Asia-Pacific Electric Cables, which "Not least of all, another United States major, Conoco, will decide later operates a cable manufacturing plant this year whether to invest up to $1.3 producing cable for the Australian and billion in the extraction of coal-seam Asia/Pacific export market has methane from the Bowen Basin." established operations in Queensland; and, very significantly, Conoco's headquarters are also in Brisbane. we also have the recent announcements I would like to refer honourable members by both Comalco and CSR to relocate to the article titled "High State taxes their headquarter functions to Brisbane. hampering growth" in the Northern Star newspaper in Lismore on 22 January. The In addition, the coalition has played a article stated that northern New South Wales major facilitative role in a number of major is just not competitive enough against development projects, including— Queensland to attract new business. This was Western Mining Corporation's phosphate the message from John Pearson, who is a project in north-west Queensland, regional manager for the Australian Business announced in December, with a Chamber. He said that the New South Wales competitive rail freight arrangement Government had been asked by the chamber provided by QR and $24m of to reduce business taxes to make the State infrastructure support from our more competitive. Mr Pearson said he knew Government; and that, in his part of New South Wales, businesses were choosing to relocate or to set QMC's Magmetal joint venture with Ford up in south-east Queensland. He said that the announced in January. high and continued growth of New South Yesterday I was speaking to Magmetal, who Wales taxes, fines and fees continued to will be up and running by the year 2001. They impede business activity. And Mr Pearson have plans to put value adding factories there added that the Queensland Budget surplus as well. All these things I have mentioned had led it to reduce business tax levels. bring massive investment and create jobs in As Mr Pearson so rightly says, we in Queensland. Queensland are attracting business. The In closing, Queensland is now in an coalition Government has already taken a unprecedented position of great potential and major step in this direction by creating a major has the opportunity to develop into a major financial entity for Queensland, with the business centre in its own right. From speaking combined strengths of Suncorp, Metway and to the Ports Corporation and the Brisbane Port the QIDC. This new entity will act as a catalyst Authority, the increased figures for our port are to attract major companies to headquarter obvious evidence of increased activity in the their operations in Queensland, and there port, and it has risen considerably in the last have already been a number to date. For 12 months. The coalition Government is example, I refer to— committed to maintaining the State's sound the decision by the Dutch bank ABN- fiscal position and also maintaining AMRO to locate its major corporate Queensland as the lowest tax State in function in Brisbane; Australia while simultaneously providing the the international credit rating agency necessary infrastructure to encourage future IBCA has now set up an office in Australia investment. and has chosen Brisbane as home base I leave the final words to RTZ-CRA chief for its corporate function; executive Leon Davis to sum up the the Australian Stock Exchange has development of Brisbane when announcing relocated its marketing operations to Brisbane as the world headquarters of Brisbane; aluminium. He said— 26 Mar 1997 Ministerial Statement 845 "The move of Comalco to Brisbane We are already the leading film State in and the locating of RTZ-CRA Iron Ore in terms of production expenditure and the Perth acknowledges the establishment of awards by these latest two Queenslanders can Queensland and Western Australia as only serve to boost our film stocks even world centres of the mining industry." further. The latest official figures by the Australian Film Commission, which showed 35% or $132 million of the total Australian MINISTERIAL STATEMENT production expenditure of $478 million for the Queensland's Film Industry 1995-96 year, took place in Queensland. That represents a doubling of expenditure in this Hon. J. M. SHELDON (Caloundra— State since the previous financial year. It was Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for the vision of the State coalition Government in The Arts) (9.41 a.m.), by leave: Mr establishing the studios on the Gold Coast Speaker—— that has helped lead to an export-based Mr Beattie interjected. industry which is a significant contributor to the Mrs SHELDON: The honourable Queensland economy. The Government member will hear from me for as long as I like continues to play its part in encouraging the employment of Queenslanders through its when I am giving good news for Queensland. I cast and crew rebate scheme with more than would have thought that he, as the Leader of the Opposition, would like to hear that good 2,760 jobs created. news. However, I know that all he does is Australian productions already scheduled negatively whinge and whine about what we for this year include a further series of the are doing in this State. He should listen to the family series Ocean Girl, located in Port good news. He certainly could not create any Douglas, and further episodes of the medical when he was in Government.
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