PROOF ISSN 1322-0330

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Hansard Home Page: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/hansard/ E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (07) 3406 7314 Fax: (07) 3210 0182

Subject FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SECOND PARLIAMENT Page Wednesday, 27 August 2008

APPOINTMENTS ...... 2319 Opposition ...... 2319 PETITIONS ...... 2319 MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS ...... 2320 Homelessness ...... 2320 Advancing Health Action ...... 2320 Community Cabinets ...... 2321 Freedom of Information ...... 2321 Tabled paper: Queensland government response to the review of Queensland’s Freedom of Information Act—The right to information...... 2321 Market Research Services ...... 2322 Tabled paper: Document detailing market research activity by Queensland government departments...... 2322 Tabled paper: Copy of Queensland Transport Draft Questionnaire by AC Nielsen dated 2 November 2007...... 2322 Tabled paper: Copy of TransLink Customer Satisfaction Research Program, South East Queensland Report Quarter 3 2007...... 2322 Tabled paper: Copy of Queensland Transport Key Performance Indicators 2007, Bus, Train, Taxi and Ferry Public Transport Services...... 2323 North Bank ...... 2323 Tabled paper: North Bank Enquiry by Design Workshop Report, dated August 2008...... 2323 Tabled paper: North Bank Enquiry by Design, summary and consultation document...... 2323 Fuel Subsidy Scheme ...... 2324 Queensland Health, Staff Satisfaction Report ...... 2324 Montessori Education Program ...... 2325 Gladstone Air Monitoring Network ...... 2325 Biosecurity Audit ...... 2326 Local Government Reform ...... 2326 Sports and Recreation Funding ...... 2327 Child Protection ...... 2327 Magistrates Court ...... 2328 Renewable Energy Projects ...... 2328 Queensland Ambulance Service ...... 2328

M F REYNOLDS N J LAURIE L J OSMOND SPEAKER CLERK OF THE PARLIAMENT CHIEF HANSARD REPORTER Table of Contents — Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Queensland Government, Get Involved Web Site ...... 2329 Traffic Management Code ...... 2329 Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme ...... 2330 NOTICE OF MOTION ...... 2330 Health System ...... 2330 QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE ...... 2330 Townsville Hospital ...... 2330 Tabled paper: Copy of document titled Queensland Coalition, Policy 093, Townsville Hospital Policy...... 2331 Aramac Hospital ...... 2331 Maternity Services, Regional Queensland ...... 2332 Aramac Hospital ...... 2333 Policy Commitments ...... 2334 Hospital Emergency Departments ...... 2335 Shale Oil Mining ...... 2335 Nambour Hospital ...... 2336 Shale Oil Mining ...... 2336 Cairns and Atherton Hospitals ...... 2337 Vegetation Management ...... 2338 Hospital Emergency Departments ...... 2339 Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay, Health Services ...... 2340 Allamanda Surgicentre ...... 2340 Local Government Reform ...... 2341 Moreton Bay Marine Park ...... 2341 CRIMINAL CODE (TRUTH IN PARLIAMENT) AMENDMENT BILL ...... 2342 First Reading ...... 2342 Second Reading ...... 2342 PRIVATE MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS ...... 2343 Hendra Virus ...... 2343 Aramac Hospital ...... 2343 Ipswich Electorate, Schools Funding ...... 2344 Council Amalgamations ...... 2344 Council Amalgamations ...... 2345 Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons ...... 2345 Northern Busway ...... 2346 Sunshine Coast, Greenfield Development Sites ...... 2346 Centaur Hospital Ship ...... 2346 Vocational Education and Training, TAFE ...... 2347 Rail Services ...... 2347 Queensland Health, Dialysis Survey ...... 2348 Liberal National Party ...... 2348 Tabled paper: Copy of an extract from a Facebook page, titled ‘We support Jeff Seeney to be Queensland’s 38th Premier’, downloaded 25 August 2008...... 2348 APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL; APPROPRIATION BILL ...... 2349 Consideration in Detail (Cognate Debate) ...... 2349 Appropriation Bill ...... 2349 Estimates Committee A ...... 2349 Report No. 2 ...... 2349 Report adopted...... 2358 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ...... 2358 Riverside Boardwalk ...... 2358 APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL; APPROPRIATION BILL ...... 2359 Consideration in Detail (Cognate Debate) ...... 2359 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill ...... 2359 Estimates Committee A ...... 2359 Report No. 1 ...... 2359 Report adopted...... 2367 Clauses 1 to 4, as read, agreed to...... 2367 Schedule, as read, agreed to...... 2367 Appropriation Bill ...... 2367 Estimates Committee B ...... 2367 Report ...... 2367 Tabled paper: Extract from the web site of the member for Mudgeeraba, Mrs Reilly, dated 27 August 2008, titled ‘Reedy Creek and Mudgeeraba to receive $7.5 million policing boost’...... 2376 Report adopted...... 2377 Estimates Committee C ...... 2377 Report ...... 2377 Report adopted...... 2387 Estimates Committee D ...... 2387 Report ...... 2387 Table of Contents — Wednesday, 27 August 2008

MOTION ...... 2388 Health System ...... 2388 Speaker’s Ruling, Amendments to Motions ...... 2399 Division: Question put—That the amendment be agreed to...... 2399 Resolved in the affirmative...... 2400 Division: Question put—That the motion, as amended, be agreed to...... 2400 Resolved in the affirmative...... 2400 CRIMINAL CODE AND OTHER ACTS (GRAFFITI CLEAN-UP) AMENDMENT BILL ...... 2400 Second Reading ...... 2400 ADJOURNMENT ...... 2417 Forde Inquiry, Redress Scheme ...... 2417 Dayboro and Ocean View Rural Fire Brigades ...... 2418 Moggill Electorate, Pedestrian Safety ...... 2418 Foster- and Kinship-Carers ...... 2419 Male Voice Choirs ...... 2419 Redcliffe Public Meeting ...... 2420 Queensland Ambulance Service ...... 2420 Tabled paper: Copy of front page, Cairns Post dated 14 August 2008...... 2420 Springwood Electorate, Schools ...... 2421 Gold Coast City Council ...... 2421 Undulating ...... 2422 ATTENDANCE ...... 2422 27 Aug 2008 Legislative Assembly 2319 WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2008

Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly met at 9.30 am. Mr Speaker (Hon. MF Reynolds, Townsville) read prayers and took the chair. Mr Speaker acknowledged the traditional owners of the land upon which this parliament is assembled and the custodians of the sacred lands of our state.

APPOINTMENTS

Opposition Mr SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (9.32 am): I inform the House that the member for Lockyer has been appointed as the Opposition Whip and the member for Noosa as the Deputy Opposition Whip.

PETITIONS

The Clerk presented the following paper petitions, lodged by the honourable members indicated—

Sandgate Road, Noise Barriers Ms Darling, from 99 petitioners, requesting the House to erect noise barriers along the arterial road near Sandgate Road Bridge (north bound and south bound).

Cairns Yacht Club Mr McArdle, from 9,633 petitioners, requesting the House to direct the Port Authority to stay any order or requirement for removal or demolition of the Cairns Yacht Club building, allowing it to remain in situ.

Sunshine Coast, Greenfield Development Sites Mr Dickson, from 2,164 petitioners, requesting the House to guarantee the fast-tracking of Greenfield development sites on the Sunshine Coast will not be allowed to proceed until appropriate infrastructure and community facilities have been provided and all planning processes completed.

Nicklin Way, Noise Barriers Mr Dickson, from 64 petitioners, requesting the House to erect sound barriers along Nicklin Way to protect residents from increasing traffic noise.

Chancellor State College, Principal Mr Dickson, from 825 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse the decision to not provide for an appeal process in the appointment of new Executive Principal at Chancellor State College and ask for an explanation as to why proper community consultation was not undertaken in line with normal processes.

Adoption Laws Mr Dempsey, from 281 petitioners, requesting the House to include section 39 of the Adoption of Children Act 1964 in the current review of the Queensland’s adoption laws.

Curtis Island, Industrial Development Mrs Cunningham, from 2,154 petitioners, requesting the House to ensure protection of Curtis Island from industrial development or at the very least to ensure the environmental integrity of the majority of the island, full protection from industrial development of any type for the island east and north of the ridge (including South End).

The Clerk presented the following e-petitions, sponsored by the honourable members indicated—

Four-Wheel Drives, Moreton Island Mr Gibson, from 1,703 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse the decision to close Comboyuro Point and North Point, Moreton Island to 4x4 vehicles.

Fire Fighters, Health Risks Mr Moorhead, from 1,958 petitioners, requesting the House to enact laws that link certain cancers and diseases with firefighting so there is a presumption these cancer or disease contracted by a firefighter is associated with firefighting, requiring the employer or workcover authority to demonstrate or prove to the contrary.

Arts and Community Organisations Ms Grace, from 226 petitioners, requesting the House to provide the infrastructure support for arts and community development organisations to partner together to address social issues effecting young people, the aged, immigrants and other marginalised groups. 2320 Ministerial Statements 27 Aug 2008

Yeerongpilly Railway Station, Air Train Services Mr Finn, from 152 petitioners, requesting the House to immediately compel Queensland Rail to reinstate the Air Train services to Yeerongpilly Railway Station.

Pigs Mr Fenlon, from 660 petitioners, requesting the House to review the Code of Practice for pigs, with a view to banning the use of sows stalls and only allow group housing with bedding or free range conditions.

Jet’s Law Mrs Scott, from 254 petitioners, requesting the House to amend the current legislation to include doctors reporting medical conditions that affects a persons ability to drive safely to Queensland Transport and officially rename the current and amended legislation to ‘Jet’s Law’ in memory of Jet Rowland who died after an unstable epileptic driver crashed into his family’s vehicle. Petitions received. Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, there is far too much audible conversation in the chamber. I did not interrupt the Clerk when he was reading the list of petitions, but it is overwhelming.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Homelessness Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (9.36 am): Homelessness is a challenge not only here in Queensland but all across Australia. It affects a broad spectrum of society from young singles to families with children to seniors. There are a multitude of issues including health, financial and family issues which contribute to homelessness. My government has already demonstrated its resolve when it comes to combating this demoralising social problem. Our $235 million Responding to Homelessness strategy is now in its fourth year and has seen the provision of more accommodation and support options, the connection of people with services, the targeting of mental health issues and the allocation of aid to ensure that residential services stay open. The government has also continued to invest record amounts into building and buying more social housing for those in need. The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program managed by the Department of Communities and the Crisis Accommodation Program managed by the Department of Housing are both integral parts of the government’s response to homelessness. To ensure that both programs continue to be relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the community, both have recently been comprehensively and independently reviewed by KPMG. The review recommended a single line of ministerial accountability to drive new and innovative developments in policy and to deliver enhanced outcomes for Queenslanders. I advise the House that the Department of Communities will take lead responsibility for homelessness policy. This will include the transition of elements of the Crisis Accommodation Program from the Department of Housing to the Department of Communities. These changes will come into effect on 1 January 2009 and both agencies are already hard at work to ensure a smooth transition. With the Department of Communities already funding counselling and support in the areas of domestic violence, mental health, substance abuse and juvenile justice—all factors that we know contribute to homelessness—it is well placed to coordinate new policy outcomes to help those who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. Advancing Health Action Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (9.38 am): I am pleased to report that our Advancing Health Action and our discussion paper on regulating junk food advertising for children is already generating spirited debate. I am pleased to say that we have had ringing endorsement from a number of important health organisations, and just a few examples in the last 24 hours include the AMA Queensland President Dr Chris Davis, who said that regulating junk food advertising to children is a responsible and cost-effective way for the government to really make an inroad into reducing rates of childhood obesity. The Chief Executive Officer of Diabetes Australia Queensland, Michelle Trute, said that our government’s decision to act on this issue could not come at a more critical time. She very soberingly pointed out that today’s young people will be the first generation not to live as long as their parents if we do not change our lifestyles. In relation to our broader plan to tackle preventable disease, the response has been just as strong. Jeff Cheverton, the Executive Director of the Queensland Alliance, has encouraged all members of the community to take up our challenge to promote health and create communities that support wellbeing. Rachelle Foreman, the Heart Foundation’s Director of Cardiovascular Health, said that despite Queensland’s outstanding performance at the Olympics the average Queenslander has a long way to go if we are going to take out the gold medal for being the healthiest in Australia. She said that we can no longer wait for people to get sick and that we have to prevent illness in the first place. Compare these thoughtful and considered responses from people at the coalface who actually deal with the issue to those of the Leader of the Opposition. He rushed out like a bull at a gate blabbering about a nanny state—once again, hot air instead of a helpful contribution! As I said yesterday, who deserves nannying more than our children? 27 Aug 2008 Ministerial Statements 2321

Community Cabinets Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (9.40 am): This weekend my cabinet, our parliamentary secretaries and state government department directors-general will again be on the road to meet Queenslanders on their turf and on their terms. We will be in Mackay for a two-day community cabinet and I am very much looking forward to visiting that part of the world. Sunday’s community cabinet will be held at the Holy Spirit College at Mount Pleasant, Mackay, from 1 pm. While cabinet meets in Mackay on Monday, our parliamentary secretaries and departmental DGs will take deputations at Sarina’s Cultural Hall from 9.30 am. I am pleased to announce today that we will be holding another community cabinet in a fortnight’s time. To reinforce my government’s commitment to the southern suburbs of Brisbane, we will meet in the Belmont-Chandler region for a two-day community cabinet on Sunday, 14 September and Monday, 15 September. Government members interjected. Ms BLIGH: I know we will be made very welcome by the local members out there. My ministers and I will be there to take questions and to hear ideas. These two-day gatherings, be they at Belmont or Thursday Island, are important for me and my cabinet and the state’s key decision makers. We will be there to listen and to respond. A new addition to community cabinet programs this year has parliamentary secretaries and government representatives available for deputations and meetings on Monday mornings while cabinet is holding its formal cabinet meeting. On average, our parliamentary secretaries have undertaken a total of about 30 deputations each at every community cabinet since I became Premier. Apart from representations on behalf of their minister, they attend ministerial regional community forums, ministerial council forums and hold positions on various government and community boards. Mr Speaker, as you well know, planning is well underway for the historic far-north Queensland sitting of Parliament in Cairns from 28 to 30 October at the Cairns Convention Centre. I think it promises to be a very exciting opportunity for the parliament and the government to again meet with and respond to the needs of the people, on this occasion in far-north Queensland. These are all examples of my government continuing to engage one on one with Queenslanders.

Freedom of Information Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (9.42 am): Last week I released our government’s response to Dr David Solomon’s report on Queensland’s freedom of information laws. I seek leave to table a copy of the government’s response for the information of members. Tabled paper: Queensland government response to the review of Queensland’s Freedom of Information Act—The right to information. I encourage all members to read it. It is a blueprint for a new way of public administration in our state and will form the basis of our new right to information legislation. I believe the contents of Dr Solomon’s report and our response to it will break down bureaucratic barriers, cut red tape and give us the most open and accountable government in Australia. Existing laws will be completely revamped. Significantly, the government has supported all of the recommendations in relation to changes to the current cabinet exemption and has gone further. Yesterday I heard the opposition leader making a number of misinformed statements about the 30-year rule. So for the benefit of all members, let me clarify. Firstly, Dr Solomon’s report makes no recommendations for changes to the 30-year rule—none, not one recommendation about a change to the 30-year rule. However, there is some discussion in the text of the report to the effect that other states lift the cabinet exemption after 10 years and that the government should consider reducing the 30-year rule to 10 years. In the absence of a clear recommendation, I requested further advice on the provisions in other states. In considering this matter, and as we go towards the development of legislation, it is important for members to understand that there are two concepts at play. Firstly, there is the lifting of the cabinet exemption at some point—that is, where somebody makes an application for an FOI request and one of the documents involved is a cabinet document, at what point should that exemption be lifted. The other concept at play is the full administrative release annually of every single document in the cabinet in that year from 30 years ago. In relation to these two issues, Queensland will adopt, as suggested in the discussion paper, the lifting of the cabinet exemption after 10 years. Further, we will reduce the time for full administrative release of documents from 30 years to 20 years, thereby being the most shortened time period anywhere in Australia. There is no other state that has a full administrative release at 20 years. So, in fact, we have met all of the recommendations in relation to the cabinet exemption and gone further and put Queensland ahead of the rest of the country. 2322 Ministerial Statements 27 Aug 2008

In brief, some of the other recommendations the government will support are the removal of specific exemptions in relation to GOCs, cutting the maximum period for supplying documents for application from 45 calendar days to 25 working days, and the recommendation to refund fees if the deadline is not met. We will develop a separate, complementary privacy bill that will deal with access and amendment rights for personal information; appoint a privacy commissioner; and adopt a new simpler, fairer charging structure. We supported in full or part 139 of the 141 recommendations. As I said, we also go further by removing the cabinet exemption after 10 years, despite the fact that there was no recommendation to that effect. I have no doubt that some of these changes will be difficult. The information released will not always be positive and in fact is likely to be embarrassing either to the government or to some part of the Public Service. Last week in the Courier-Mail Dr Solomon was quoted as saying it was ‘very brave’ of our government to go down the path of reform that he has urged. The reality is that I knew that when I commissioned him to do the work, and I know that now. I do not resile from the fact that our current FOI laws are not working as well as they might. As a rule, I believe that unless there is a legitimate and compelling reason for a document or information to be withheld, then in the public interest it should be in the public arena. As Premier, I send a very clear message to my ministers, to my government and to state government departments that we need to move to a model where information can be provided to the public as a matter of right wherever possible. Market Research Services Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (9.46 am): Yesterday I think the credibility of the opposition leader took another blow. He triumphantly waved around a document as if he had made a magical discovery. Putting aside the fact that it is on a web site and the World Wide Web and was advertised in two major daily newspapers, I think it is important to look at the document. It is an invitation to offer for the provision of market research services. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is seeking a panel of prequalified suppliers to support research in the department and across government when necessary. This is not new. It happens in major departments across the government and has happened for a very long time. It is a way of prequalifying suppliers so that when a project is necessary those suppliers have already qualified for government services. The services provided usually fall into one of two broad categories: advertisement concept testing and evaluation and client satisfaction surveys. Our advertising guidelines actually spell out that it is the expectation of cabinet that all government communication campaigns reflect, where appropriate, the relevant input from market research to inform the production of the advertisement itself. This is a common-sense approach to ensure that we get value for money for taxpayers’ dollars. Why would we spend millions of dollars on an anti-smoking campaign that does not work? Why would any government in the public interest spend money on campaigns to reduce speeding or drink driving if it had not concept tested it in focus groups and carried out market research? That is the normal part of putting together an advertisement, and it will continue because it provides value for money for taxpayers. Yesterday I asked the director-general of my department to contact every agency to compile a list of all research conducted using market research companies in this term of government. I seek leave to table the document provided to me by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. It provides a list by departments. Leave granted. Tabled paper: Document detailing market research activity by Queensland government departments. Tabled paper: Copy of Queensland Transport Draft Questionnaire by AC Nielsen dated 2 November 2007. Tabled paper: Copy of TransLink Customer Satisfaction Research Program, South East Queensland Report Quarter 3 2007. Ms BLIGH: Let us look at some of the examples. In January 2007, ACNielsen provided Queensland Transport with research in relation to consumer attitudes towards public transport. The research found that regular users of our public transport system showed consistently higher levels of satisfaction than the general community. However, not all of the findings were pretty. It found overall satisfaction with public transport had decreased, particularly in response to whether they considered the system well run, reliable and meeting transport needs. In effect, it showed Queensland Transport where it had to do better. Guess what? Queensland Transport reported those results in its annual report. It is there on the web site. Mr Schwarten: A big secret there! Ms BLIGH: Yes, it is another big secret. This type of research fed into the decision to create the South East Queensland Transit Authority. In addition, members will see the list of numerous market research projects undertaken by Queensland Health, specifically in relation to the effectiveness of 27 Aug 2008 Ministerial Statements 2323 advertising and messaging to address issues such as mouth cancer, fluoride, school vaccinations, influenza and cervical screening. Each and every one of those are important issues. They are issues that matter. This government is making sure that the money that we spend on these sorts of public interest campaigns are hitting the target market and that we are not wasting taxpayers’ dollars. For the information of the House, and by way of example, I table the Queensland Transport key performance indicators for 2007. Tabled paper: Copy of Queensland Transport Key Performance Indicators 2007, Bus, Train, Taxi and Ferry Public Transport Services. North Bank Hon. PT LUCAS (Lytton—ALP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning) (9.50 am): The Bligh government is committed to getting the design right for the North Bank development and a recently held workshop of independent experts is an important part of achieving that aim. Building the Riverside Expressway 30 years ago was an act of National Party urban environmental vandalism, up there with the bulldozing of Cloudland and the Bellevue Hotel. It is a rolled-gold eyesore; a structure that squats across the river from one of Brisbane’s triumphs of design, the people-friendly South Bank. It is hard to find a starker contrast. On one side the family is king, with places— Mr Springborg: It’s the only thing that keeps the city moving, though. Mr LUCAS: It is true that the Leader of the Opposition was in parliament in 1989, two years after Sir Joh retired. I was elected seven years after him. The former Deputy Leader of the National Party has also been in parliament longer than me. So much for the new opposition! The Leader of the Opposition was elected in 1989, just two years after Joh retired, and the Deputy Leader of the National Party was elected in 1992. This is the all-new opposition that has a new vision to bring into this place. It is no wonder it is like it is. The Bligh government is committed to giving this stretch of the river back to the people. Mr Hobbs: What would you have done? Mr LUCAS: The member for Warrego is even worse. How long has he been here? The question is what the final design should look like. Opposition members interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr LUCAS: The tired old opposition is recycling policies and does not like to hear this. That is why we held the North Bank Enquiry by Design workshop, which came up with seven different concepts for the design. The Enquiry by Design group has now used these to produce a single set of design principles. I table the report and the summary consultation document. Tabled paper: North Bank Enquiry by Design Workshop Report, dated August 2008. Tabled paper: North Bank Enquiry by Design, summary and consultation document. These are the road maps, if you like, that lay out the best ideas that the experts have come up with. Today I am inviting members of the public to have their say on these new design guidelines. An opposition member: Again. Mr LUCAS: We want to hear which parts people like before they guide the developers’ final design. What about the consultation the National Party did before it mowed down Cloudland, built the Riverside Expressway and mowed down the Bellevue Hotel. They are running true to form. Let the record show that Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen went out in 1987, the Leader of the Opposition came in 1989 and he is a whole new broom. Kentucky Fried Chicken! The guidelines are a clear direction for North Bank developed by independent experts. They show we can have a North Bank that is a vibrant, inner-city attraction without building too far into the river or creating a flood risk, which have been some of the legitimate concerns expressed about previous design options. The guidelines would turn North Bank into an area that is used by people day and night, with a riverfront promenade, plazas, parkland, entertainment and retail outlets, as well as commercial buildings. Key design features include a reduced river footprint, taking in an area 50 metres wide and up to 300 metres long, and allowing for three to four commercial buildings with 16 to 30 stories. They also take into account flooding, with only a three millimetre increase in existing levels, and feature improved public amenities, a heritage precinct and a signature building that will straddle the Elizabeth Street off-ramps to retain and frame the views to the river. The best way for people to make up their minds is to look at the proposal for themselves. The design principles will be available for public comment until Wednesday, 24 September. They can be viewed at www.dip.qld.gov.au. Following consultation, the state will finalise design guidelines and ask Brookfield Multiplex to prepare a revised development proposal. Brisbane is rightly proud of the South Bank development. It is a place that one can take visitors to knowing that it shows the best of what the city has to offer. The Bligh government wants North Bank to do the same. I would encourage people to go to the web site and have a say so that we can make that idea a reality. 2324 Ministerial Statements 27 Aug 2008

Fuel Subsidy Scheme Hon. AP FRASER (Mount Coot-tha—ALP) (Treasurer) (9.55 am): At the last sittings, the Bligh government set out our policy to ensure fuel retailers passed on the full 8.354 c per litre subsidy from the price charged at the pump. This followed the results of a fuel commission of inquiry which found that up to one to two cents of the state government subsidy was not being passed on to motorists. In June we proposed a plan to introduce a point-of-sale system to ensure Queensland motorists visibly receive the full benefit of the fuel subsidy. We want to make sure the mechanism for delivering the subsidy to Queenslanders is the most efficient and practicable way to deliver the subsidy. We are now consulting with industry, retailers, motoring groups, industry organisations and bulk-end users on the new mechanism. Under the government’s plan, fuel retailers will be required to advertise the unsubsidised price on price boards and bowsers. Retailers will then reduce the price at the point of sale by the amount of the subsidy upon presentation of a subsidy card. This is a system similar to the way in which existing shop-a-docket schemes operate. We are consulting with industry about two options for the subsidy card. The first option we put forward is for Queensland drivers licenses to have a bar code sticker attached, with a view to having the bar code incorporated in the new Queensland drivers license under development, which will be capable of communicating stored information. We are also consulting on an alternative mechanism that would involve a separate subsidy card issued on the basis of registration. The registration model has particular advantages in assisting with compliance operations. Whichever model is ultimately adopted, there will be an automatic entitlement and automatic issue to Queenslanders, free of charge. The subsidy will remain universally available, in accordance with constitutional requirements. Other licence holders or registered owners would need to apply for a subsidy card, with an administrative fee payable. This will be determined through this process and will be on a cost-recovery basis. The Bligh government’s plan will ensure that motorists will witness the full 8.354 c per litre being deducted with each sale. They will receive a sales receipt at the point of sale that will list the unsubsidised price, the deduction of the subsidy and the net price for the fuel. We believe that this system ensures that there is less opportunity for rorting the system with ineligible bulk sales. This plan has been introduced for one reason: to ensure that petrol remains cheaper for Queenslanders. As I have said before in this House, the costs involved are estimated to be accommodated within the $20 million I have previously indicated we foresaw. Our focus is on ensuring that the full amount of $570 million subsidy is being passed on to consumers. We remain committed to delivering the new subsidy delivery scheme by Easter next year.

Queensland Health, Staff Satisfaction Report Hon. S ROBERTSON (Stretton—ALP) (Minister for Health) (9.57 am): In 2005 the Forster review made a number of recommendations for structural and cultural changes in Queensland Health. Since then Queensland Health has been committed to implementing and building on those recommendations. In addition to improving staff retention and recruitment, Forster recommended changes that focused on cultural change within Queensland Health. Research has also shown that staff attitudes and behaviours impact significantly on our patients and clients. That is why, acting on the recommendations of Peter Forster, Queensland Health conducts regular staff opinion surveys to monitor the health of its workplace culture. I am pleased to inform the House that Queensland Health’s latest better workplaces staff opinion survey reflects a marked improvement in Queensland Health’s workplace culture. This report, prepared by the University of Southern Queensland’s community and organisational research unit, clearly shows staff are seeing the strong commitment to and momentum of positive change within Queensland Health. Staff rated their relationships with co-workers as the best thing about working in Queensland Health, which reveals just how far we have come since there were claims of widespread bullying in the health system in 2005. There was also an increase in staff saying that they have a good quality of work life, enjoy peer support and trust their immediate supervisor, which are all vital elements of a functional workplace. Most importantly, our front-line doctors and nurses reported increases in morale, opportunities for professional growth, participative decision making and supervisor support. This is the fifth staff opinion survey to be completed since April 2006 and provides a genuine yardstick to measure cultural change at the grassroots of the organisation. Queensland Health continues to improve in each of the surveys and has made real gains in creating a positive workplace culture. As the University of Southern Queensland’s report notes—

Queensland Health has recorded a marked improvement in its workplace culture for the group surveyed in the last two years. While only just short of a clean sweep in improvements on all indices, staff clearly recognise the momentum of positive change. 27 Aug 2008 Ministerial Statements 2325

As always for any organisation, there is room for further improvement, but this should not cloud the many constructive gains made by staff and management working together. There is a great deal to be proud about in this report, and we encourage Queensland Health to maintain its fruitful efforts in making Queensland Health an even better place to work. It is time that these improvements were recognised by those who continue to want to criticise Queensland Health for base political purposes. Montessori Education Program Hon. RJ WELFORD (Everton—ALP) (Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts) (10.00 am): During my time as education minister I am determined to position Queensland education at the cutting edge of innovation in the provision of education in our country. Mr Johnson: Do a cartwheel, Rod. Mr Schwarten: At least he could do one. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t be able to get up off the ground. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Minister. Mr WELFORD: I observed the honourable member doing a roll down the hill the other day, Mr Speaker. Mr Johnson: What sort of a roll? Mr Schwarten: A backflip probably. An opposition member: A jelly roll! Mr WELFORD: A jelly roll! Come on, you are detracting attention from my ministerial statement. As members are aware, I have already instituted a number of initiatives to provide diverse and specialised options in public education for students in Queensland. Today I want to make another major announcement about an innovation in state education. Innovation, creativity and knowledge are cornerstones of our Smart State philosophy, and our government is building a modern, responsive education system that is going to equip our young people for the challenges of the 21st century. A modern education system must offer parents and students choice—choice of specialised programs, choice of creative and diverse programs—and now, more than ever, there are so many options from which we can choose, from our Queensland academies for our high-achieving senior students to Aviation High and the College of Wine Tourism for students who already have a career path in mind, to our gateway school programs in areas such as mining, manufacturing and ICT or sports excellence programs offered at many different high schools. State schools are indeed changing for the better. There is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach in state schooling. And, as an example of this, I am pleased to announce today that the first of our Queensland state schools will be offering a Montessori education program for the first time in Queensland. Grovely State School in Brisbane’s north will be offering an integrated stream of the educational program from the start of 2009. One multiage class or stream will be offered, giving parents in the Grovely area greater choice in education options for their children. The Montessori class will be a multiage environment on a three-year cycle rather than a distinct year-by-year level class system. Montessori offers a different teaching philosophy with a focus on encouraging independence and fostering a love of learning to build self-confidence, discipline and positive social behaviour. There are two existing independent or non-state Montessori schools in Queensland—one in Caboolture and one in Fig Tree Pocket. Other states already offer Montessori programs in their public schools but this is the first time Montessori has been offered within a Queensland state school. The initial single-stream class will be fully integrated into Grovely State School, and it is hoped that the program can grow in following years. Yesterday, the school hosted an open day for families enrolling in 2009 to showcase their new educational option. More than 25 families new to the school attended, with most of them seeking the Montessori program. Like state schools, Montessori aims to instil a commitment to lifelong learning in students. This is something I obviously strongly support and encourage in all Queensland students. Whereas most students on the north side have had to travel to Fig Tree Pocket, they will now be able to get a centrally located Montessori program at Grovely State School. Gladstone Air Monitoring Network Hon. AI McNAMARA (Hervey Bay—ALP) (Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation) (10.04 am): As part of this government’s commitment to protecting the health of Queenslanders, I can inform the House that the latest link in the upgraded Gladstone air monitoring network is up and running as of this morning. This new $150,000 machine is the latest generation of mobile air monitoring stations and will be the benchmark for future machines of its kind in Queensland. It will complement the fixed air monitoring network, as it has the capacity to measure the same full suite of 2326 Ministerial Statements 27 Aug 2008 more than 100 potential pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particles. The monitor is sited at the Boyne Island Environmental Education Centre and the EPA will be discussing future locations at a meeting tonight with the community and industry reference groups. Being trailer mounted, it gives us the flexibility to measure chemicals of concern depending on the prevailing winds. Like the fixed stations, the mobile station will be linked to the EPA web site, where residents can view constantly hourly updated data. By the end of September there will be seven air monitoring stations in place, with the installation of a fixed station at Boyne Island and an optical long- path analyser specifically designed to analyse gases to be mounted on top of the Entertainment Centre. In addition, further upgrades of existing stations will be carried out over the next two months. Today is another milestone in this government’s Clean and Healthy Air for Gladstone program, which will ensure that the city has the most comprehensive air monitoring network of any city in Australia.

Biosecurity Audit Hon. TS MULHERIN (Mackay—ALP) (Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries) (10.05 am): The Bligh government is getting on with the job of protecting the future of Queensland’s primary industries by taking a fresh approach to biosecurity. Biosecurity Queensland was established in 2007 to bring together the biosecurity resources and functions of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, the Department of Natural Resources and Water and the Environmental Protection Agency. Biosecurity Queensland is the new agency responsible for securing Queensland’s primary industries, environment and way of life and protecting them from pests and diseases. The Queensland Audit Office recently examined what we are doing to protect our state from pests and diseases. The report was tabled here yesterday. The Auditor-General reports that to date Biosecurity Queensland should be commended for the good work being done in handling and containing biosecurity cases. Additionally, the Auditor-General has recommended improvements. They include the finalisation of a biosecurity strategy and the completion of drafting instructions for new biosecurity legislation. Further, the Auditor-General has recommended implementation of a formal risk management framework to prioritise threats and ensure that resources are used effectively. As well, the report recommends the development of a comprehensive communications plan for biosecurity stakeholders. The Bligh government has looked over the horizon at Queensland’s biosecurity needs and it is already taking action that will secure the future of primary industries and our environment. I am pleased to report that work is already well underway to address the Auditor-General’s recommendations. A biosecurity discussion paper is currently out for public consultation. Drafting instructions for new legislation are nearing completion. Work has started on the development of a risk management framework. Biosecurity Queensland draws together the right expertise and capabilities into one central agency. The new DPIF business group has been able to work more collaboratively to deliver a fresh, integrated approach to risk management. Biosecurity Queensland is also reforming its emergency response systems to ensure that it is as prepared as possible to tackle a biosecurity incursion. Major responses have been handled successfully. Still, there is always room for continuous improvement, which is a normal part of Biosecurity Queensland’s best practice. The Auditor-General’s work will assist the state’s hardworking Biosecurity Queensland team. It will assist the Bligh government’s continuing efforts to maintain the clean green reputation of Queensland primary production and to protect our state’s primary industries and environment from pests and diseases.

Local Government Reform Hon. FW PITT (Mulgrave—ALP) (Minister for Main Roads and Local Government) (10.08 am): The Queensland government is committed to a stronger, more efficient and modern system of local government that has a greater ability to deliver services and infrastructure to ratepayers. In order to do this, we are continuing with the most significant reforms to Queensland’s local government sphere in 100 years. We are making councils more accountable to the communities they serve. And, when it comes to accountability, we are practising what we preach. After the 15 March elections, I made a commitment to visit each of the 34 councils affected by amalgamations and boundary changes to find out firsthand how they are managing the reform process and what issues are arising. I am pleased to advise that I have made significant progress in meeting this commitment, and I have now visited 24 of the councils affected by amalgamations. What is more pleasing, however, is the fact that on each of my visits I have met councillors who are passionate about serving their communities and helping them grow and prosper. I can also report that generally the amalgamation process is going well and councillors are enthusiastically tackling the challenges confronting them. 27 Aug 2008 Ministerial Statements 2327

Of course, the March elections did not mark the end of the reform process; rather, they marked the beginning. That is why further reforms and support mechanisms are needed to enable councils to deal with the issues they face. As part of this process, we are currently undertaking the legislative aspect of local government reform. We are now focusing on building a legislative framework that will empower local governments. The core of this reform will be a new Local Government Act that will replace the overly prescriptive and restrictive current act and enable councils to take on a more innovative role through greater freedom and flexibility. This new act will give councils a contemporary framework that supports the delivery of modern services in effective and efficient ways. The Queensland government’s ongoing reform process will provide the people of Queensland with a sphere of local government based on flexibility, innovation, accountability and transparency.

Sports and Recreation Funding Hon. JC SPENCE (Mount Gravatt—ALP) (Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport) (10.10 am): Yesterday I outlined how the Bligh government spends more on sport and recreation than any other state government. Today I have three important announcements regarding our programs. First, I am pleased to announce that the next round of our Major Facilities Program is now open. This year the majors has been boosted, with the budget increased from $20 million to $30 million. Eligible organisations can apply for assistance to build major sporting infrastructure, giving Queenslanders more opportunities to get physically active. In the last round of majors, we funded 26 projects, including swimming pools, sports fields, multipurpose centres, a skate park and a water-saving irrigation system. These are the sorts of projects that really kick-start sport in a community. Many organisations have been anticipating this announcement, and I look forward to seeing their proposals. Today we are also opening the $5 million Local Sport and Recreation Program. Local governments can apply for assistance with projects like walkways, outdoor courts and lighting for a sports field. These are smaller-scale projects but are, nevertheless, really important. If a sports team is able to train at night because lights have been installed, it can make a world of difference. Finally, I am pleased to announce improvements to our $2 million Young Athlete Assistance Program. This scheme helps young athletes travel to compete in sporting events. Previously, young athletes were eligible to apply for $200 assistance if they travelled 300 kilometres or more, one way, to a sporting event. Now they can apply if they travel only 200 kilometres one way. And previously the assistance only applied to athletes travelling within Queensland, while it now applies to interstate and international travel. These changes are a result of feedback from users and it means far more athletes are now eligible for assistance. All three programs play an important role in improving the health and fitness of all Queenslanders, which is essential to combating rising obesity rates.

Child Protection Hon. MM KEECH (Albert—ALP) (Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Women) (10.13 am): Child protection is a high priority for the Bligh government. The government has proven its commitment by trebling the budget for my Department of Child Safety since its formation in 2004. We have also doubled the number of front-line staff. Under the Labor government, the budget for Child Protection in the past decade has been boosted by a massive half a billion dollars—from $80 million to a record $586 million this year. But the government needs help to protect our vulnerable children. Child protection is everyone’s responsibility—every government agency, every community, every Queenslander. The Department of Child Safety can only intervene to protect a child from harm when we are aware that risks exist. It is said it takes a village to raise a child but it takes a neighbourhood to protect one. We need to spread the message that we all have a role to play. If you believe something is not quite right, whether it be next door or down the road, it is very important that you contact the Department of Child Safety. Child Protection Week, which runs from 7 to 13 September this year, provides a perfect opportunity not only to highlight child protection issues but for members of the public to become involved in making a difference. The Bligh government has committed $85,000 for community groups to organise events during Child Protection Week. I have been very impressed with the scope of activities planned— family fun days, story-telling events, barbecues, picnics, information stalls, child poster competitions and street parades. I encourage all honourable members to get involved in their local events, whether they are in Cairns, Gordonvale, Mackay, Moranbah, Brisbane, Townsville, the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Logan, the Gold Coast, Mundubbera, Normanton and Yarrabah, to name just a few. Other major Child Protection Week 2008 events include the awards ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday, 11 September, and the Child Protection Week dinner at Royal on the Park on Friday, 12 September. This year’s theme, Children See, Children Do: Make Your Influence Positive, reminds all of us not only of the importance of our influence on children but of the ever-present need to be vigilant in their protection. 2328 Ministerial Statements 27 Aug 2008

Magistrates Court Hon. KG SHINE (Toowoomba North—ALP) (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Premier in Western Queensland) (10.15 am): The Queensland Magistrates Court plays an important role in the Queensland justice system, handling the highest number of cases of all Queensland courts and dealing with approximately 96 per cent of all criminal cases. Our magistrates courts are at the coalface of the state’s judicial system, and strong population growth, particularly in south-east Queensland, has led to increasing demands and workloads. In addition to increasing the number of magistrates by five in the last three years, the government has responded to this rising workload with a two-year pilot program of judicial registrars, at a cost of $2.4 million. The pilot started in January with the appointment of judicial registrars to four of our busiest courts at Brisbane, Beenleigh, Southport and Townsville. In recent months, they have also begun circuiting to surrounding court centres. Under this program, judicial registrars are authorised to deal with minor debt claims, Small Claims Tribunal matters, civil chamber applications, domestic violence adjournments, temporary orders and orders by consent. This has reduced the demands on local magistrates and allowed them to focus on weightier matters in a more timely way. The figures speak for themselves. In the six months to 30 June, judicial registrars dealt with 4,059 criminal matters and 3,281 civil matters. That is a total of 7,340 matters that the local magistrates in those four courts have not had to deal with. This pilot has only been in place for six months and the formal evaluation will not be concluded until early next year, but there has already been significant positive feedback from court stakeholders. As a result of the excellent work being done by the judicial registrars, local magistrates have been able to dispose of more serious matters sooner, with obvious benefits for all concerned. For example, dealing with criminal charges earlier ensures victims of crime and vulnerable witnesses, including children, are able to give their evidence sooner. For defendants, it reduces the waiting time for hearings and finalisation of their cases. The program has also led to faster disposal of civil chamber applications. I look forward to the formal review of this pilot program in another six months, but early indications are very promising.

Renewable Energy Projects Hon. GJ WILSON (Ferny Grove—ALP) (Minister for Mines and Energy) (10.18 am): The Bligh government is putting dollars on the table to tackle climate change. We have got our sleeves rolled up and are working towards a cleaner, greener energy future for Queensland. We are delivering real and solid commitments. Today is 187 days since the Leader of the Opposition promised Queenslanders a renewable energy policy. On 22 February, he produced 31 lines on a two-page document that said he would announce a policy on renewable energy. It has been 187 days since then and he still has not delivered. Mr Speaker, do you know what LNP really stands for? Look, No Policy. Meanwhile, the Bligh government is getting on with the job of tackling climate change. We have a $50 million Renewable Energy Fund where we provide loans or grants for innovative renewable energy generation projects, and we have our $50 million Smart Energy Savings Fund for new energy efficient technologies. In a first for Queensland, we are investing $7 million in a solar thermal power station at Cloncurry which will produce green energy powered by the sun. There is $5 million for coastal geothermal exploration, $250,000 towards a solar atlas, and we are spending $15 million over five years on our Geothermal Centre of Excellence to be at the cutting edge of hot rocks technology. There is our $7.5 million solar gas plant in partnership with the CSIRO and our $4 million solar farm at Windorah, where giant solar dishes are now in place. It is expected to be switched on later this year. We are investing $15 million in a Solar Cities trial in the north, transforming Magnetic Island into a truly solar suburb. And we are working with the Rudd Labor government on a single national renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020—unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who has an opinion on everything and a solution for nothing.

Queensland Ambulance Service Hon. N ROBERTS (Nudgee—ALP) (Minister for Emergency Services) (10.20 am): I am proud of the achievements of the Queensland Ambulance Service. In 2007-08 the Queensland Ambulance Service delivered over 870,000 responses. On average, that is one response every 35 seconds. This is in an environment where demand for emergency assistance is growing at the rate of around 10 per cent per annum. In handling the increase in demand, the Queensland Ambulance Service attended 50 per cent and 90 per cent of code 1 cases within 8.3 minutes and 16.7 minutes respectively. This makes the Queensland Ambulance Service one of the best performing services in the country. 27 Aug 2008 Ministerial Statements 2329

The Ambulance Service is facing ever-increasing demand due to Queensland’s ageing and growing population, and I believe it is heading in the right direction. This government is confident that our policies and funding commitments will help the Queensland Ambulance Service continue to plan for and manage future growth. When it comes to the opposition, it remains bereft of ideas and lacking any semblance of constructive policy. This is a by-product of spending all the time talking to themselves about themselves instead of providing direction and leadership to the people of Queensland. Recently on radio the shadow minister for emergency services was asked directly what the Liberal National Party’s policies were for the Queensland Ambulance Service. In a rambling answer, the opposition spokesperson offered not one constructive policy initiative, despite having an open-ended opportunity to advocate the merged Liberal and National parties’ agenda. There was not one fresh idea and not one fresh policy initiative. The member for Mirani continually pours negativity all over the Queensland Ambulance Service. He regularly attacks the performance of our paramedics, calls for inquiries and undermines public confidence in our Ambulance Service. In my more than 12 months as minister, the opposition has not announced one single positive policy initiative in relation to the Ambulance Service or the Department of Emergency Services in general. The only impact the member for Mirani has ever had on the direction of the Ambulance Service was to crash into a parked ambulance vehicle in his own electorate. Whatever they want to call themselves, this is the same old Liberal National Party coalition or opposition with the same old shadow ministers who have an opinion on everything and a solution to nothing.

Queensland Government, Get Involved Web Site Hon. LH NELSON-CARR (Mundingburra—ALP) (Minister for Communities, Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Seniors and Youth) (10.23 am): The Bligh government is committed to listening to Queenslanders and taking their views into account in developing robust policies that safeguard quality of life and protect our children’s future. That is what we call accountable government. In delivering on this commitment, I am pleased to report that there has been a 33 per cent increase in the number of Queenslanders logging on to the Bligh government’s Get Involved web site. This is rising from 63,000 hits in 2006-07 to 94,000 last financial year. More and more Queenslanders are using the internet to have their say 24/7 about government policies, decision making and the future of Queensland. Not only is this web a cost-effective way for people to have their say; it is open and it is around the clock, and that appeals to busy people who are trying to juggle work and family. To keep the Get Involved web site up to date and user friendly, we have undertaken an $80,000 makeover of the site. Good government is about ensuring that Queenslanders can get involved in government business, and we are doing this as we build tomorrow’s Queensland today. Queenslanders are engaging in technology and online community participation, and that will undoubtedly be a huge growth area. If we take the recent consultation about smoke-free laws, of the 588 Queenslanders who had their say online, 89 per cent said no to smoking in motor vehicles where children under 16 are present. With strong community input like this, the Premier went on to announce changes in smoking laws in May of this year. More than 18,000 people have responded to 38 online consultations in the 2007-08 financial year on issues like transport, smoke-free laws and altruistic surrogacy. That is what accountable government is all about.

Traffic Management Code Hon. RJ MICKEL (Logan—ALP) (Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations) (10.25 am): I am pleased today to launch a safety code intended to reduce the risk of death or serious injury posed by traffic to Queensland workers. It is where road safety and workplace health and safety intersect. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has developed the Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice to protect the safety of roadworkers. It takes effect from 1 September and will be vital to protect the safety of roadworkers. It will be vital because in the last four years there have been four fatalities on road projects and more than 30 cases where a traffic controller has been injured by a vehicle. With Queensland’s civil construction boom, we can never rest and must be vigilant in our protection of these workers. The code provides practical guidance for employers, principal contractors and workers involved in construction or maintenance work on or adjacent to a road. This includes civil construction companies, asphalters or pavers, road maintenance companies and traffic controllers. What the code practically will do is aid the identification and control of risks around roads. The most obvious hazard to workers is the risk of being struck by traffic, especially on road construction sites in busy, built-up areas where motorists, construction vehicles and other workers all interact. 2330 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

There are also dangers in more remote areas where it is possible for a roadworker to be alone, protected only by traffic cones and speed signs. The code will mainly affect construction and maintenance workers involved in building, repairing or resurfacing roads, laying pipes, repairing footpaths, landscaping, trimming trees and those working on underground or overhead surfaces. Every Queensland worker deserves fair pay and a safe working environment. That is why we launched the successful Homecomings campaign. That is why we have developed this code—to make Queensland one of the safest states in the country. Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme Hon. CA WALLACE (Thuringowa—ALP) (Minister for Natural Resources and Water and Minister Assisting the Premier in North Queensland) (10.27 am): The Bligh government is proud of the key role it plays in helping Queenslanders improve their water efficiency around the home. The government’s Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme continues to be the largest and most successful scheme of its type in Australia. The three-year program that started in July 2006 with initial funding of $29 million has grown today to a great success that has been fully embraced by Queenslanders. I am pleased to report to the House that, as at 25 August 2008, the Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme has received applications for rebates totalling over $292 million. It has already paid out in excess of $277.7 million in rebates to Queenslanders for water-efficient products including rainwater tanks, four-star water rated washing machines, dual-flush toilet suites, and swimming pool covers and rollers. The scheme continues to be an integral part of the Bligh government’s efforts to save water and ensure sustainable water supplies right across our Queensland communities. The response of Queenslanders to this most generous of government schemes has been astonishing. As at 25 August the Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme had received over half a million applications for more than 562,700 products and has approved 465,300 applications for this rebate. To date, more than $240.2 million has been paid out in rebates for close to 240 plumbed and unplumbed water tanks. Also, $37.6 million has been paid for 188,417 four-star water rated washing machines—a lot of clean clothes out there. The Home WaterWise Rebate Scheme is still receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 applications each week. These figures indicate the extraordinary manner in which the Queensland community has embraced and continues to embrace measures to improve water efficiency around the home. It also shows how this commitment to saving our most precious of natural resources has manifested itself in the lower water consumption level achieved by Queenslanders, particularly in the south-east corner of the state. Mr SPEAKER: That concludes ministerial statements.

NOTICE OF MOTION

Health System Mr McARDLE (Caloundra—Lib) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (10.30 am): I give notice that I will move— That this Parliament condemns the failure of the State Government to improve Queensland’s once proud Health system and notes: That after 10 years in office the Labor Government in 2008 is making the same promises on Queensland Health that it made on 3 June 1998, when they launched their campaign and sought a mandate to form government including: • A promise to fix the waiting lists; • A promise to complete building Queensland’s hospitals; • A promise to pay attention to baby health; and • A promise to revitalise our ambulance service.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Townsville Hospital Mr SPRINGBORG (10.30 am): My first question without notice is to the Minister for Health. I refer to the latest in a decade of failed health plans that the minister and the Premier announced yesterday. At the same time as the minister was preaching that this, yet another Labor plan to turn the corner, would fix health in Queensland, Townsville Hospital was imploding. Members can see that from this particular newspaper article today. This is a matter that is a running red hot in Townsville today. Will the minister tell Queenslanders why after 10 years in government 24 people in Townsville yesterday were unable to get a bed in emergency departments while ambulances queued in the car park and, in the words of a prominent doctor, ‘How long do you have a master plan before you actually do something?’ 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2331

Mr ROBERTSON: What has been brought forward by the opposition in relation to Townsville is very interesting in terms of one’s election commitments and meeting the needs of a fast growing area of Queensland. What we have seen in Townsville over the last five years is population growth of around nine per cent. What has been the increase in demand at emergency departments? It has been 35 per cent. That is the kind of increase in demand that Townsville Hospital is experiencing at this point in time. When we went to the last election we were very clear about what we were going to do for Townsville, and we are delivering. We have already delivered 22 extra beds over the last year. This financial year we will deliver an additional 11 beds. On top of that, once the master plan is completed in October, we will commence the tendering process for the additional 78 beds. We have already delivered for Townsville. Contrast that with what the opposition promised. Mr Springborg interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you have had your show so let us keep going. You have had your show with the newspaper article. That is what I am allowing. That is fair enough. The minister is actually replying to your question. Mr ROBERTSON: What Lawrence Springborg promised was— A Queensland Coalition Government will build a new wing onto the existing Townsville Hospital. This new wing will provide an extra 100 beds— In effect, that is the total that we are building— to ease the acute shortage and ease the access block ... The Coalition will complete the expansion within its first term—between 2-2½ years. What that means is that if the coalition were in power today not one extra bed would have been provided in Townsville. Not one extra bed, and those opposite stand there and criticise us for delivering 22 last year, another 11 this year and the building for 78 in the next couple of years! The record speaks for itself. The Hollowmen of Queensland politics have been exposed yet again. What kind of fresh start are we talking about? Absolutely no fresh start because not one extra bed would have been delivered for Townsville under the coalition. The record speaks for itself. I table the coalition’s election policy from 2006 which demonstrates for all to see that not one extra bed would have been provided for Townsville under the coalition. They are the Hollowmen of Queensland politics. Tabled paper: Copy of document titled Queensland Coalition, Policy 093, Townsville Hospital Policy. Mr SPEAKER: I call the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Hobbs interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! That includes the member for Warrego. Your leader is on his feet. I am going to give a fair go to questions being asked and a fair go to questions being answered. I tell both sides of parliament that today. I call the Leader of the Opposition. Aramac Hospital Mr SPRINGBORG: My second question without notice is also to the Minister for Health. I refer to the latest in a decade of failed health plans that the minister and the Premier announced yesterday, and I ask: as the minister claims that his priority was hospitals and closing the gap for rural communities, why did he hide from this parliament the fact that yesterday 22 staff at the Aramac Hospital were told that the hospital would be closed? Will he explain how the closure of a hospital advances health care for Queenslanders? Opposition members interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am on my feet. I will once again tell the members of the opposition that their leader has asked a question and the minister is going to answer the question. They should not immediately barrage the other side of the chamber. They should let the minister answer the question accordingly. Mr Malone: We’ll remember that. Mr SPEAKER: I beg your pardon. Mr Malone: I mentioned that we will remember that when we get into government. Mr SPEAKER: I am not too sure what you mean by that. I call the Minister for Health. Mr ROBERTSON: I reject completely the allegation made by the Leader of the Opposition with respect to Aramac Hospital. What we are about is giving Aramac a future in terms of its health services. Over the last decade or more, including the time that those opposite were in government, small rural hospitals have been given a future transitioning to what is called a primary healthcare model. Let us deal with what is happening in Aramac at this point in time. For the last four years they have failed to be able to attract a permanent doctor to that hospital. They have 10 beds. What was the admission rate over the last 12 months at Aramac Hospital? 2332 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

Mr Johnson: We had a doctor to go there and you wouldn’t support him. Mr SPEAKER: Member for Gregory! Mr ROBERTSON: Whilst we are resourcing Aramac Hospital for 10 acute care beds, over the last 12 months up until the March quarter I believe they had 12 overnight admissions. So for 10 beds opened they had 12 admissions. That is one a month. One person a month used a hospital bed in Aramac where we are providing 10 beds for acute care. In addition, they had 57 day-only admissions. That is a total admission rate of 69 over the past 12 months. There is no wonder when we look at those figures that we cannot attract a doctor there. There is not that much for a doctor to do to advance his career. What are we doing? We are moving away from that acute care model. Bear this in mind: how far is Aramac away from Barcaldine where they have a terrific centre? It is around 60 to 70 kilometres away. What we will be doing is building up a primary healthcare centre, as those opposite have done in the past in other parts of rural Queensland, and we are continuing to provide sustainable health services where we will be able to attract medical and nursing staff under that kind of model. What I have authorised is an investigation into that model to commence. There will be consultation. I note to date that the Barcaldine mayor has come out against this model. I would say to everyone here, ‘Actually participate in that process.’ I think the member for Gregory has an obligation to do so. If he is fair dinkum about providing health care in Aramac he will sit down and realise when he looks at those kinds of statistics that having a 10-bed acute care hospital is not sustainable in that community. What we want to do is provide them with a future.

Maternity Services, Regional Queensland Ms CROFT: My question is to the Premier. Pregnancy can be a daunting and vulnerable time for women and it is important that they have access to quality support close to home during this time. Can the Premier please advise the House what the government is doing to improve maternity services for regional Queensland women? Ms BLIGH: I thank the honourable member for the question, and I am sure that every member of the House joins me in wishing her and her new family all of the best as they embark on all of the challenges of parenthood. Those of us who have had an opportunity to meet Brock know what a beautiful baby he is, and I congratulate her and wish her all of the best. But the member is right: this is a very big time in the life of women who are experiencing pregnancy. Yesterday the health minister and I spelt out clearly that the Bligh government has clear aspirations for Queenslanders and our aspiration is unashamedly to make Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people. We know that that means more hard work in some critical areas, and maternity services is one of those areas that we have identified as one of our top priorities. To that end, I want to acknowledge that regional mothers can do it particularly tough, particularly if they live in areas a long way away from a primary hospital. One of the first places I visited when I became Premier was Charleville. I was very pleased to be received with a great deal of hospitality on one of the local properties. A number of the women there who are trained midwives took the opportunity to meet with me to talk about a different model of care that they could provide in Charleville as midwives that would eliminate the need for particularly low-risk birth mums to have to leave town and leave their support in order to give birth. I am very pleased to advise the House that I have recently announced that mothers in Ipswich, Logan and Charleville will be the first to benefit from a new model of midwifery care. What this does is provide personal, professional and local support to mothers from conception to the early weeks of motherhood. Women are assigned a midwife from the time that they have their pregnancy confirmed. That midwife will oversee all of their antenatal care, in partnership with a doctor, and will be there at the hospital to be part of the birth process and then will visit those mothers at home after they leave hospital so that there is continuity of care. Mr Johnson: We need one in Longreach, Premier, where mothers can stay. Ms BLIGH: I take the interjection from the member for Gregory, because it is this model of care that is providing opportunities in Charleville and we will be looking to roll it out into other parts of Queensland. This builds on the work that is already underway with the $2.2 million Townsville birthing centre. Construction is underway there, and I was very pleased to turn the sod on that in May. Six new postnatal care clinics—in Cairns, Townsville, the Sunshine Coast, Logan, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast—will be opened by the end of 2008. This is direct support for mothers immediately after birth to ensure the establishment of breastfeeding and to ensure they have support at that early vulnerable stage. There is also an upgrade of our 13HEALTH line to provide around-the-clock advice to new parents. In Ipswich and Charleville the midwifery services will target women with low-risk pregnancies. We expect to treat about 70 women a year in Charleville by the end of 2008. Time expired. 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2333

Aramac Hospital Mr McARDLE: My question is to the health minister. I refer to the minister’s plans to close the Aramac Hospital. I note that no public consultation was undertaken with the people of the region prior to its closure as a hospital and that the mayor of the Barcaldine Regional Council has been trying to meet with the minister for the last two years. I ask: as the Barcaldine Mayor, Robert Chandler, is in the gallery today, will the minister now do the right thing and meet with him—today—and explain why he has failed his community so badly? Mr ROBERTSON: I think it is important to state that the hospital has not closed. That is a deliberate mistruth. Mr McArdle: Will you meet with the mayor today? Mr ROBERTSON: So apologise to the House. You misled the House. Mr SPEAKER: Member for Caloundra, you have had a bit of a break, but you are coming back to your old habits that do not seem to want to go away. You have asked a question. Let the minister answer it. Mr ROBERTSON: He has not started particularly well, has he? He got caught out on Townsville. He has been caught out again telling lies around the place. You never get any better, buddy! Mr SPEAKER: Minister for Health, I want you to withdraw that unparliamentary statement. Mr ROBERTSON: I withdraw. I am happy to meet the mayor. It is untrue to say that there has been no consultation, and I am sure that the mayor of Barcaldine, when I do meet with him at some stage today, will actually confirm that he has been consulted—just as you have, member for Gregory. Mr Johnson: It’s not in my electorate. Mr ROBERTSON: Sorry, but are you saying, member for Gregory, that you have not been consulted about this? Mr Johnson: I have been consulted. Mr ROBERTSON: You have been, so there it goes. There has been consultation—caught out again! Out of the mouths of the old National Party comes the— Mr JOHNSON: I rise to a point of order. Aramac is not in my electorate yet, but I will say that I have been briefed by central Health about this. The point is: why didn’t the minister have public consultation with the people of Aramac? Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Mr Johnson: Because you haven’t got the guts! Mr SPEAKER: Member for Gregory, I have asked you to sit down. There is no point of order. A government member: The new LNP! Mr ROBERTSON: What has just been graphically demonstrated under the new Liberal National Party is that the old right wing does not know what the new right wing is doing! The thing about actually coming together as a single party is that those opposite actually have to talk to each other. They actually have to talk to each other! This is a graphic demonstration of what an absolute failure the Liberal National Party is. It cannot even get its story straight about who talks to whom. It is irrelevant whether it is your electorate or not, because the member for Gregory was consulted and he would have been told that once the minister signs the business case there will be public consultation, and there will be. Mr JOHNSON: I rise to a point of order. The whole fact of the matter is that the minister did not have the guts to go and tell those people himself! You sent somebody out to do your dirty work! Mr SPEAKER: You have said it twice this morning, member for Gregory. You have said it twice— that is, the unparliamentary term ‘haven’t got the guts’—and I would like you to withdraw those terms. Mr JOHNSON: Mr Speaker, I— Mr SPEAKER: Unqualified! Mr JOHNSON: Unqualified, I withdraw. I apologise, Mr Speaker. But at the same time you go and talk to those people. Mr SPEAKER: No, I asked you for an unqualified withdrawal. Mr ROBERTSON: Mr Speaker, the member has put both feet in his ever-expanding mouth. Mr SPEAKER: I call the member for Waterford. 2334 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

Policy Commitments Mr MOORHEAD: Thank you, Mr Speaker. A government member: The new face of the LNP! Mr Johnson: You’ll know we’re here, old mate! Mr SPEAKER: Member for Gregory! Mr Johnson interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Member for Gregory! Mr Lucas: Sir Frank Nicklin! Government members: Ha, ha! Mr Johnson: It’s no laughing matter, Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: Member for Gregory! I warn the member for Gregory under standing order 253. I call the member for Waterford. Mr MOORHEAD: Thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. My question without notice is to the Premier. Can the Premier outline to the House any new policy commitments in the areas of environment, health care and accountability? Ms BLIGH: I thank the member for the question, and I note in doing so how pleased the Liberals must be to be sitting in that one party over there after that performance! They must be very proud of this morning’s performance! Honourable members interjected. Ms BLIGH: The modern progressive face of Queensland is on display here, Mr Speaker. The next election, like every election, will be a contest of policy and a contest of ideas. Our side of politics looks forward with relish to a debate about the policies that will take Queensland forward and is standing toe to toe with the Liberal National Party in putting forward a vision for Queensland for the next term. There has been some criticism of the Liberal National Party. People have been saying that it has not put any policies forward. What we have seen in the last 24 or 48 hours is in fact what I would see as its first three parts of a policy platform. Firstly, we had the shadow minister for mines and energy last night confirm that the Liberal National Party will not support a moratorium on shale oil in the Whitsunday area. So Labor will protect the Great Barrier Reef; the Liberal National Party will not. It has confirmed its policy in that regard, and I do not hear members opposite objecting. The people of the Whitsundays have a clear choice: Labor will give a moratorium; the Liberal Nationals will not. It is the same old attitude to the environment—same old attitude, same old National Party! It is little wonder that one in two Liberals do not want to join them. On day 2 we gave a commitment to a crackdown on political donations to open the door even further and give more transparency. Did those opposite support it? No. So the clear difference for the people of Queensland is that Labor supports openness and transparency on political donations; those opposite support the brown paper bag. Mr SPRINGBORG: I rise to a point of order. I am not going to be verballed by the Premier anymore. I table the press release where we actually welcomed it. Mr SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, that is not a point of order. It is also not a time to table a document. I think you know the standing orders. I ask you to stick by the standing orders. You have been in this House for a long time and you should know the standing orders. Ms BLIGH: Talk about too little, too late! The Leader of the Opposition spent 48 hours on radio all over the state saying that it was political intimidation and he was frightened of it. Yesterday, we announced that we will take action to protect the health of Queensland children. What did we get from the Liberal National Party? Blathering about a nanny state. So what we know is that we will protect— Time expired. Hon. RE SCHWARTEN (Rockhampton—ALP) (Leader of the House) (11.49 am): I move— That the Premier be further heard. Question put—That the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to. Ms BLIGH: As a result of this week’s sitting of parliament, the people of Queensland know that there are three clear areas of policy difference. On the environment and the question of the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, Labor will put a moratorium on shale oil development in the Whitsundays; the Liberal National Party will not. It is Labor that will support openness and transparency in political donations; it is the Liberal National Party that will not. Labor will protect our children from the barrage of junk food advertising that they are being assaulted with every day; the Liberal National Party will not. Anti-environment, political donations in brown paper bags—it all has a familiar ring to it. 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2335

Honourable members interjected. Mr SPEAKER: I am on my feet. We are having a robust session once again today. I ask everyone to take the tone down a little bit. We do not need to have everyone interjecting at the same time. Ms BLIGH: With the same old National Party reasserting itself with such vigour, is it any wonder that one in two Liberals will not join them? Mr Copeland interjected. Mr SPEAKER: The interjections from my left are extraordinarily repetitious. There was a repetitious statement just made by the member for Cunningham. Can we cut the repetition as well, which takes up the time of parliament. Before I call the member for Clayfield, I know that the Clarendon State School, with that robustness, was not able to be mentioned. I would like to mention that they were here. That school is in the electorate of Ipswich West, which is represented by Mr Wayne Wendt. Hospital Emergency Departments Mr NICHOLLS: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to the latest in a decade of failed health plans that the minister and the Premier announced yesterday and the appalling lack of emergency medical treatment available to an injured elderly constituent of mine about two weeks ago. Why do sick and injured Queenslanders like Mrs Flower have to spend four and a half hours in an ambulance, being passed from hospital to hospital, while the minister rolls out yet another expensive advertising program claiming Queensland Health has finally turned the corner? Mr ROBERTSON: I take it that the honourable member is referring to an article that appeared in an edition of the Sunday Mail. Unfortunately, that report was not correct in terms of what happened to that particular individual. Regrettably, the ambulance that picked her up was diverted away from Prince Charles Hospital, which was at capacity. Given the injury that this elderly woman had unfortunately suffered, it was recommended—at least this is my information—that she be taken to the RBH, which had the capacity to admit her. For some reason that did not occur. I am waiting for a full report in relation to that particular matter. But it was not the case that this elderly woman would not have been admitted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital had she been taken there. I am going from memory in terms of the full details that have been provided to me so far. There is some issue that there was also an offer for her to be taken to Redcliffe, but she refused that request. As I said, I am receiving a full report on exactly what happened. But I am assured that it was not an issue where hospitals in south-east Queensland could not accept this elderly woman in terms of the nature of the injuries that she had unfortunately suffered. Shale Oil Mining Ms STRUTHERS: My question is to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. Can the Deputy Premier tell the House about the state government’s decision to place a moratorium on shale oil mining at Proserpine? Is the Deputy Premier aware of any alternative approaches to shale oil mining in Queensland? Mr LUCAS: I thank the honourable member for the question. It is very instructive when one has a look at what the member for Callide and the shadow mines minister—the Liberal National Party person who has custody of mining issues on behalf of the opposition—said last night. He stated— There has been a series of decisions made by this government over a period of time which sends a completely wrong signal to the mining industry. I would venture to say there is none more so than the decision to ban the mining of shale oil. If that is the wrong signal to send to the mining industry, what is the signal that the opposition wants to send? It is a signal that, if it is in power, shale oil has a dream life. Do the members opposite support protecting the environment or not? What is their history? This government supports the mining industry. This government— Opposition members interjected. Mr LUCAS: The members opposite do not know what their history is. I just happen to have a copy of a letter dated 7 August 1996 from Tom Gilmore, the then mines and energy minister, setting out— Mr Hobbs interjected. Mr LUCAS: The member would remember that. He was in parliament at that time. In fact, he has been in parliament for 20 years. That is why this government supports the mining industry. That is why the total government expenditure on committed and planned infrastructure under our coal infrastructure programs has increased from $4.2 billion in 2005 to $19.3 billion in 2008. We support the boom in the mining industry and we have no shortage of people coming to see us. But it is not absolute. We say to the mining industry that they have to do the right thing and we reserve the right, on behalf of the people of Queensland, to make appropriate decisions in the interests of the environment and the continued sustainability of the industry. 2336 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

We know the history of shale oil in Queensland and the ATP process that was established in Gladstone that subsequently went broke. When that was not working effectively, it showered the Targinni community with black soot and odour. That is the record that this industry has thus far in Queensland. I see new people are now running it. They want to have a better way of doing it. That Paraho process has worked in the United States, but we have still not seen it operate in Queensland. The main lease that exists in Gladstone was issued under the National Party government. Our policy says that in two years time we will assess the process to make sure it is at best practice and it is environmentally appropriate. Mike Brunker, the Mayor of Whitsunday—you could not get a more pro- mining person than Mike Brunker, who is prodevelopment—supported the government’s decision. Daniel Gschwind supported the government’s decision. Indeed, the other day the Mayor of Gladstone, George Creed, indicated that he thought the decision in relation to Gladstone—and you would have to look at the exact media report—was an appropriate process. The opposition issued the lease first. It has the responsibility.

Nambour Hospital Miss SIMPSON: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to the latest in a decade of failed health plans that the minister and the Premier announced yesterday and I note that yesterday Nambour Hospital was on bypass for 24 emergency patients waiting for hospitalisation. Can the minister inform the House why this major regional hospital was on bypass and the impact this had on the clinical response to sick or injured Sunshine Coast residents and visitors? Mr ROBERTSON: I would back our response to growth pressures on the Sunshine Coast before the opposition’s any day of the week. What are we doing on the Sunshine Coast? We are getting on and building the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital, which will have 650 beds. In the meantime, we are opening more beds at Nambour Hospital. It would have been very easy for us to just announce a brand-new tertiary hospital for the Sunshine Coast and do nothing between now and when it opens. Rather, what was our response? We recognise that we have an obligation to continue to invest in Nambour to meet the needs of that growing part of south-east Queensland. That is why we are getting on with the job and putting more beds in place—which, of course, the member knows. I have not yet heard any member from the Sunshine Coast actually say ‘Thank you, that is a great response’—apart from, of course, the member for Nicklin, who understands what we are doing in his part of the world to increase the number of beds now before the opening of the new hospital. Mr McArdle interjected. Mr ROBERTSON: Will you please be quiet, you rude little man. Opposition members: Oh! Mr ROBERTSON: Are you right now? Have you settled down? Get that blood pressure down a little bit, Sunshine. In your backyard we are investing in more beds now, before the new university hospital comes online. We are recognising and meeting the growth pressures that are occurring on the Sunshine Coast. Winter is always a very busy time. It is the busiest time for all of our hospitals right throughout the state. That is why, through our winter bed strategy, we have put in place plans to open more temporary beds. However, as a result of chronic underinvestment by the Commonwealth government in the GP sector, from time to time our emergency departments become the last line of defence for Queenslanders who cannot access a GP. If you want to know why your local hospital is under such pressure despite us increasing the number of beds, doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, you should go and ask John Howard. He has plenty of time on his hands these days. He will tell you what he did. He put a freeze on the number of university places for medical students. The chronic shortage of doctors that we have in this country at this point in time is as a result of John Howard. You should give him a call. He has plenty of time on his hands and he will explain why you do not have the services that you believe you need on the Sunshine Coast.

Shale Oil Mining Ms JARRATT: My question is to the Minister for Mines and Energy. At the outset can I say that I applaud the government’s decision to listen to the people who raised serious concerns about shale oil mining in the Whitsundays. Can the minister please tell the House what drove the government to decide to put oil shale mining— Opposition members interjected. Ms JARRATT: Do you mind? 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2337

Mr SPEAKER: Order! Excuse me, member for Whitsunday. I indicated before that I will not tolerate that when a person is asking a question. I have been very fair to the opposition in that regard and you have just drowned out the member for Whitsunday. I will warn a member in a moment and then that member will be out. Ms JARRATT: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will complete my question. Will the Minister please tell the House what drove the government to decide to put shale oil mining in the Whitsundays in the deep freeze? Mr WILSON: I thank the member for the question. Along with the rest of my colleagues in the government, I am happy to hear her today and we have been happy to hear her for many weeks as she made very strong representations to government about concerns for the Proserpine resource if it is mined. Why were we happy to listen to the member for Whitsunday? Because she was bringing to us concerns about the environment. The Bligh government is serious about tackling climate change and being serious about tackling climate change involves being serious about protecting the environment. We have announced a 20-year moratorium on mining in the pristine wetlands of the Whitsundays. Why? Because it is blindingly obvious that to dig a hole three times the size of Suncorp Stadium in the middle of pristine wetlands on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef is a threat to the environment. We have also announced that a limited small-scale demonstration plant at Gladstone will be able to proceed subject to strict environmental conditions. After two years there will be an independent scientific assessment of the impact of that trial plant on economic, commercial, community and environmental grounds. Locals know full well that the previous trial plant at Gladstone was an absolute disaster. It is blindingly obvious that, unless there is a very tight arrangement for the new trial plant, there will be a threat to the environment. We are about dealing with the challenge of climate change and protecting the environment. While Queenslanders have very clear views about what we have just announced, what does the opposition think? Where does the Leader of the Opposition stand on this issue? He is curiously silent. We have not heard from him. Last night the member for Callide tippy-toed in here and refused to support the moratorium, but he did not say that he opposed it. What does the member for Clayfield, as a member of the Liberal Party, say about it? What does the member for Burdekin say about it, as her electorate is up against the Great Barrier Reef? What does the member for Mirani say about it? This is the same old National Party. It is no wonder that one out of every two members of the Liberal Party refuses to join the Liberal National Party, the National Liberal Party or whatever they call it. Normally the Leader of the Opposition has an opinion on everything but a solution for nothing. Normally he has a voice. This time, there is no voice. Time expired. Mr SPEAKER: I welcome to the public gallery today teachers and students from the Thornlands State School in the electorate of Redlands, represented in the House by the Deputy Speaker, John English.

Cairns and Atherton Hospitals Ms LEE LONG (Tablelands—ONP) (11.05 am): My question is to the Minister for Health. The golden staph infection rate is so high at the Cairns Base Hospital that an Atherton patient who was recently sent there just for a scan contracted a staph infection that has caused the loss of sight in one eye which now has to be surgically removed, the loss of cartilage around one shoulder leaving permanent impairment and other injuries to the patient’s hip and leg. In addition to losing her eye she will now require lifelong antibiotic treatment. The minister and his department insist on sending patients to this highly infected hospital and centralising services there, despite repeated calls for a CT scanner and a return to more and better services to great hospitals such as at Atherton. I ask: as the minister responsible, when will he give Atherton Hospital a CT scanner? What is he doing to address the golden staph problems at the Cairns Base Hospital? What assistance will he give to this innocent patient who will now have to live with an array of lifelong disabilities? Mr SPEAKER: I indicate to the member for Tablelands—and I will get a copy of the question from you—that I think it is clearly in contravention of standing orders in regard to its length and the number of questions asked. I am not asking for your reply in regard to that, member for Tablelands; I am making a statement. With regard to the importance of it, I will ask the Minister for Health to answer the question. Ms LEE LONG: I rise to a point of order. I have timed this question and it is under one minute, which is the allowable time. Mr SPEAKER: As I said to you, I will get a copy of that question from you. I think it is in contravention of standing orders, probably in a couple of areas. I will look at it and come back to you. I am letting it go through today. I call the Minister for Health to answer it. 2338 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

Mr ROBERTSON: Without knowing the particulars of the case that you mentioned, I would ask you to provide evidence of your statement that golden staph is out of control at Cairns Base Hospital. Do you have any such evidence for making that statement? Ms Lee Long: I haven’t got it on me. Mr ROBERTSON: No, you haven’t. Mr SPEAKER: I do not think this is a question and answer session. Ms Lee Long: There are plenty of patients who have golden staph from Cairns Base Hospital. Mr ROBERTSON: What the member has just confirmed is that her statement is clearly— Mr COPELAND: I rise to a point of order. Today the minister has repeatedly been referring to members directly, not through the chair. He knows the standing orders. He asked a direct question of the member for Tablelands and is in contravention of the standing orders. Mr SPEAKER: I take the point of order and I ask the minister to refer to members through the chair. Mr ROBERTSON: What the member has just confirmed is that she has no evidence to back up that outrageous statement, which is designed to undermine confidence in one of our state’s great hospitals. As I said, I do not know the circumstances of that particular case, but golden staph exists in all hospitals all over the world. To suggest that Cairns is any different from any other hospital without providing evidence is grossly irresponsible. Despite that, I can confirm that in the not-too-distant future a tendering process will go out for a CT scanner and other equipment for the Atherton Hospital. We hope to complete that tendering process earlier this year, so Atherton will get that CT scanner, However, it does not help when we have to put up with gross exaggerations such as that, which undermine public confidence in a local hospital. In the time that is available to me can I just deal with the issue of the Sunshine Coast. Those opposite asked me what I am doing about the Sunshine Coast. I told the House that we are building a new 650-bed tertiary hospital. We already delivered 30 new beds by June this year at Nambour. We are already delivering 30 additional beds at Caloundra by the end of this year, and we have recently announced a new 96-bed ward to be built at Nambour Hospital. That is our record. What was their record during the last election campaign? If I recall correctly, the sole sum of their election commitments for the Sunshine Coast was 25 beds at Noosa. That was it. It is a bit rich for the member to come in here and suggest that we are not doing anything when their commitment was for 25 solitary beds in Noosa and to not do anything about the rest of the Sunshine Coast while we get on with the job of delivering 30 extra beds at Nambour, 30 extra beds at Caloundra, another 96 beds at Nambour over the next couple of years and 650 beds at Kawana. That is in stark relief to what people can expect from the LNP when the next election comes around—chronic underperformance. Vegetation Management Mr LEE: My question is to the Minister for Natural Resources and Water. Can the minister inform the House about the latest statistics on vegetation clearing in Queensland? Mr WALLACE: Yes, I can. I can advise the House of the latest findings of the Statewide Landcover and Trees Study, or SLATS. The land cover change for 2005-06 is available and I will make that available today on the departmental web site. These figures measure clearing that occurred in the 12 months prior to Labor ending broadscale land clearing in December 2006. So they measure clearing that occurred in the last year before that ban came into place. Mr Wilson: Did the opposition support that legislation? Mr WALLACE: No, the opposition did not support that legislation. The Liberals did at that stage but I do not think they support it anymore. Ms Jones: What about now? Mr WALLACE: I do not know their position now. Their president has said that they may well get rid of it. So I am really worried about this legislation. This report said that vegetation clearing in 2005-06 was 375,000 hectares. That is 49 per cent lower than the peak of 758,000 hectares that occurred in 1999-2000, prior to our vegetation management reforms—great reforms. In 2005-06 there was a slight increase on the year before, but that marked the finalisation of those clearing permits which the government allowed plus some extra clearing in western Queensland, which was going through the worst drought in living memory, to allow for fodder clearing in the Brigalow Belt. As members have intimated, I am worried about this groundbreaking legislation. I am worried about what the other side will do. We have seen comments from Senator Joyce and from the president of the new party that they want to get rid of this legislation. Think back to the bad old days. Opposition members interjected. 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2339

Mr WALLACE: Listen to them, Mr Speaker. Just listen to the tree killers opposite. They will have the chain out. They will have the dozers out. They will be there from day one. Shame, shame, shame! They will have the dozers out and they will have the chain out from day one. Opposition members interjected. Mr WALLACE: Listen to them complain, Mr Speaker. The guilty party. The National Party is back. What does the new National Party member for Surfers Paradise think about it? Mr Gibson: The same as us. The same as any LNP member. Mr WALLACE: What does the new National Party member for Clayfield think about it? Listen to them. Listen to them sitting there in silence. They will be only too glad— Mrs Stuckey: You’re a waste of space. You’re wasting parliament’s time. Mr WALLACE: The National Party member for Currumbin pipes up. She will be voting for legislation to destroy Queensland’s trees. This legislation saves 20 megatonnes—20 million tonnes—of greenhouse gases. So the National Party member for Currumbin will be joining with them to get rid of this legislation. Shame, Mr Speaker, shame! Time expired. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member for Lockyer, I indicate to the member for Tablelands that I have now had an opportunity to read your question. I would particularly draw your attention to standing order 115. I can see about four or five reasons why it contravenes standing order 115. I ask you to look at that standing order. If you wish to discuss it with either me or the Clerk, come and do that at some stage.

Hospital Emergency Departments Mr RICKUSS: My question is to the Minister for Health. I refer to the latest in a decade of failed health plans that the minister and the Premier reannounced yesterday. Public hospitals on Brisbane’s south were at capacity alert on the weekend. Why were there four cardiac emergency patients waiting more than four hours on ambulance trolleys at Logan for appropriate clinical response from any public hospital? Will the minister advise the House why all emergency departments in public hospitals on Brisbane’s south were at capacity and the impact that this had on clinical response to sick and injured people? Mr ROBERTSON: I am happy to inform the member once again as to why that would be the case. It is because we are seeing record numbers of patients. People go around the place wanting to say that there is a health crisis going on in this state. No, but we are under pressure. A health system that month in, month out treats record numbers of patients is not a system in crisis. If we were going backwards there would be an argument there. But what we are doing is treating record numbers of patients at multiple rates compared to population growth. We are seeing emergency department demand compared to population growth, which is around two per cent per year, throughout the state at 10 per cent. In some parts of the state, such as Townsville and the Gold Coast, we are seeing rates of ED attendances increasing up to 35 per cent over the last 12 months. That is exactly what is happening. That is why our hospitals are under pressure. Why? There are multiple reasons for that and I have outlined what those reasons are time and time again. The number of GPs in this state compared to the rest of Australia is below average. In places like Townsville it is absolutely scandalous. Why we have a workforce shortage of GPs in the Gold Coast district beggars belief. Why we cannot get enough doctors working there I have no idea, given that it is one of the best places to live. But that is the result of federal government underinvestment in our medical workforce. At the other end what we have is insufficient investment in aged care places. Each and every night in Queensland on average there are 450 acute care beds occupied by the aged and frail who should be in transition care or nursing homes. Who is responsible for underinvestment in nursing homes? The federal government. Those opposite should give John Howard a call. He has plenty of time of on his hands. He will tell them the results of his underinvestment in health. We are doing the right thing. We have record investment in health. We are opening beds every week throughout the state to cope with those demands, but we cannot do it alone. We have been doing it alone over the last decade with respect to the federal government, which never ponied up for its appropriate contribution to the primary healthcare sector and the aged healthcare sector. Not one extra dollar came to Queensland to match our $10 billion extra. Those opposite want to know the reason our hospitals are under pressure. They are just some of the reasons. If I had another three minutes I would continue to bury the former federal government even deeper as a result. 2340 Questions Without Notice 27 Aug 2008

Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay, Health Services Ms MALE: My question without notice is to the Minister for Health. The minister has referred to the next phase of post-Forster restructure reforms in Queensland Health. It was announced that the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Fraser Coast districts will be consolidated to form the Sunshine Coast- Wide Bay district. What impact will the reforms have on the current health services in the Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay district? Mr ROBERTSON: I thank the member for the question. Last week my new director-general and I announced far-reaching reforms to Queensland Health. At the heart of those reforms was removing a layer of bureaucracy to ensure that our districts where health care is provided have direct accountabilities to senior managers and the minister of Queensland Health. That is what we have done. As a result of that, we anticipate initially there will be some savings of around $5 million, which we have indicated will be invested in improved health care for paediatric services at the Royal Children’s Hospital, including addressing elective surgery waiting lists. I am aware there has been some criticism and concern around the place that as a result of consolidating our districts there is a view that there may be some loss of local management. I can understand that because we have, both on the Fraser Coast and in Bundaberg, exceptional local managers—at Hervey Bay, at Maryborough and at Bundaberg, despite the member for Burnett’s constant carping—who have been doing a lot to improve health services. Paddy has been getting on with the job of improving services to record numbers of patients, getting on with the $40 million redevelopment and expansion of beds at Bundaberg. Nevertheless, we do hear constant carping coming out of that area. What I can do is ensure that there will continue to be a local management presence in major centres like Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. The creation of that new district for Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay provides us with a unique opportunity to link those communities with our new university hospital to be built at Kawana. Instead of acute care patients having to travel to Brisbane for their services, the opening of that tertiary hospital will provide a much better range of services closer to where people live on the Sunshine Coast. I thought you would welcome that because it also provides unique opportunities for training and research for your doctors, nurses and allied health professionals whilst working in your local communities in Wide Bay to link in with the major university hospital and provide that ongoing career development for them. That is the benefit of creating districts around major tertiary hubs. That is what we are doing. I would have thought a forward-looking alternative government would understand that but, sadly, that is not the case yet again. It is just the same tired, old National Party which stands for nothing, criticises everything and has answers for nothing. Allamanda Surgicentre Mr LANGBROEK: My question is to the honourable Minister for Health. Will the minister advise the House of the total rent cost so far for the Allamanda Surgicentre? How many of the 6,000 surgical procedures a year that he promised have so far been provided? Mr ROBERTSON: Implicit in that question is the ongoing criticism about the additional investment that we are putting in place down on the Gold Coast. Just as I have explained what we are doing on the Sunshine Coast, I am happy to inform the House—and I am hopeful the media will actually take away a very strong message from today—that we are actually delivering record numbers of beds each and every week to record numbers of patients, particularly on the Gold Coast. We recognised that, with a 35 per cent increase in emergency department attendances, we needed to take elective surgery out of Southport Hospital so what we have done is lease some theatres and bed space across the road at Allamanda. That means we have a dedicated elective surgery centre that will not be interrupted by increasing emergency department attendances. That allows us to actually treat more elective surgery patients. I would have thought that you would have welcomed that. In fact I do recall during your celebrated tenure as opposition spokesperson for health that you did welcome that. It seems you have now done a bit of a backflip judging by your strategy of today. Whilst we are building a new 750-bed university hospital at Parklands for the Gold Coast, we are also increasing the number of beds at Robina, we are investing in a new surgicentre for Southport and we have just bought a former nursing home to provide for transition care, with 60 extra beds. Compare that to your election commitments back in 2006. If you had been in office with your election commitments for the Gold Coast, there would be absolute gridlock because you provided no answers and no relief for the pressures that were existing down on the Gold Coast. Contrast that with our detailed plan to provide extra beds on the Gold Coast now while we get on with the business of providing a new 750-bed university hospital. Our comprehensive health plans deliver in the short term and the long term. Contrast that with the policies offered at the last election by the coalition. They have no answers for the people of the Gold Coast. Mr SPEAKER: I welcome a further group of teachers and students from Thornlands State School in the electorate of Redlands, which is represented in this House by the Deputy Speaker, John English. 27 Aug 2008 Questions Without Notice 2341

Local Government Reform Mr HOOLIHAN: My question is for the Minister for Main Roads and Local Government. The Queensland government’s reform of local government is being implemented very successfully across the state. Is the minister aware of, and could he tell the House of, any alternate views on local government reform? Mr PITT: The Minister for Health must now be suffering some sort of question deprivation after not getting this next question. If there is any doubt about the gulf that exists between the policies of the Bligh government and the opposition, we need look no further than this recent issue brought up by the member for Warrego regarding de-amalgamation of councils. This government has a plan for the future. This government, after 100 years of councils operating the way they had, decided that we had to have a fresh start and we had to prepare ourselves for the future. We have got our eyes on the future but the opposition and the member for Warrego are deeply rooted in the past. They are firmly looking back into the past for their inspiration for the next election. How else can you explain the shadow minister’s proposition to de-amalgamate local councils? He is going around the state putting forward this proposition, but I note that he really only speaks up loudly when he finds a pocket of interest where there are a few fellow travellers who hold the same views that he does. Do they really have a policy on this? Well, there is no actual policy. All we have from him is a press release and a few comments about de-amalgamation; there is no actual policy. I have looked very hard for it and I cannot find it anywhere. What is the status of the policy? Is this an official policy of the Liberal National Party? Is it the view of the shadow minister, the member for Warrego? We do not know because there is no policy out there. If he truly believes that it is a good thing to tear down all the hard work that has been done by those amalgamating councils over the last 12 months, let him say so quite clearly because that is not the impression I am getting as I go around the state. I am going around talking to councils directly. Mr Hobbs interjected. Mr PITT: Yes, ask me a question on that one later. You will get a turn. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Warrego! Mr PITT: As I go around the state, councils are telling me they are getting on with the job. They are now realising that the amalgamated position is one they can cope with. The member for Warrego addressed the QLGA recently and floated this idea of de-amalgamation and it went across like a lead balloon. No-one was interested in his de-amalgamation process. What I do today is I ask the member for Warrego to table in this House the full policy they have for local government for the future. Let us have their policy on de-amalgamation. How are they going to go about this, other than to go around Queensland trying to stir up a bit of trouble and return to the past? We have 116 councils that have been merged into 31 new entities, and my understanding as I move around the state is that people are now happy with the new arrangements. Mr SPEAKER: Before calling the member for Toowoomba South, I acknowledge in the public gallery the principal and student leaders from Miami State High School in the electorate of Burleigh which is represented in this House by Mrs Christine Smith, who we know was a student of the school in past days as well. I welcome you. I call the member for Toowoomba South. Mr Schwarten interjected. Mr Lucas: He hates Rugby Union. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the House! Deputy Premier, we have a question being asked and I ask both you and the Leader of the House to desist from interjecting. Moreton Bay Marine Park Mr HORAN: My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation. Can the minister tell the parliament if his office drafted the recreational fishing petitions distributed by his colleagues John English, Carryn Sullivan and Peta-Kaye Croft to their constituents which urge him to make changes, which he has obviously decided to do, to the draft green zones of the Moreton Bay Marine Park? As the public consultation period has closed, are these dummy petitions just an ALP ploy to gather names and details from unsuspecting people? Mr McNAMARA: I thank the honourable member for the question. It is a startling thing, is it not, when opposition members stand up in this place and seek to criticise members of parliament for running petitions in their electorates about issues of concern to their electorates. I can say absolutely at the outset that I have met repeatedly with members around the bay—repeatedly— Mr Seeney: Answer the question. 2342 Criminal Code (Truth in Parliament) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

Mr McNAMARA: I will get there. Collectively and individually, the members for Cleveland and Redlands and members all around the bay have been meeting with me, with my office, with the department—as they should do. On this side of the House, we work. That is what has been going on while this House has not been sitting: members have been working with their local communities. I will go right to the detail. A number of members said to me, ‘We think we should make petitions in this area,’ and I said, ‘Good,’ but the drafting of the wording of those petitions has had nothing to do with me. At the end of the day, hardworking members work with their communities. While the parliament has been in recess our party backbenchers have been out there doing the right thing. What have we seen on the other side of the House? We have seen the total capitulation of the nationalised Liberals to the illiberal Nationals. We have seen an absolute scandal at our estimates hearings when for the first time ever the Liberal Party did not turn up to the estimates hearings into the environment. For the first time ever the Liberals put their hands up in the air and said, ‘The Nationals don’t like this and we aren’t turning up.’ The member for Clayfield had something else to do on the day of the estimates hearings. Notwithstanding the palaver that comes from the other side about how important estimates are; notwithstanding the suggestion that estimates matter—and I think they do—the illiberal Nationals win every time. Mr SPEAKER: Order! That concludes question time.

CRIMINAL CODE (TRUTH IN PARLIAMENT) AMENDMENT BILL

First Reading Mr SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (11.30 am): I present a bill for an act to amend the Criminal Code to provide for the offence of giving false evidence before parliament and to make a particular consequential amendment to the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001. I present the explanatory notes, and I move— That the bill be now read a first time. Question put—That the bill be now read a first time. Motion agreed to. Bill read a first time. Second Reading Mr SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (11.31 am): I move— That the bill be now read a second time. Today, historically, I introduce into the state parliament the first-ever bill by the LNP. Not only is it the first bill of the LNP; if it is rejected by the 10-year-old Beattie-Bligh government, then I will ensure that it is the first bill introduced and the first bill passed by Queensland’s first LNP government. The LNP stands for a new openness for a new Queensland. This bill is the most powerful tool of open and honest government—more powerful than any freedom of information reform could ever hope to be; more powerful than any number of policies and protocols could ever hope to be. This bill does not only define the values of the LNP, it does not only define the values we strive for in this parliament, it does not only define the values Queenslanders expect from all their elected representatives, it does not only define the standards that I would demand in government; it also provides an opportunity for the current Premier to say, ‘We got it wrong’. Let us not forget that the very person who first announced that Labor would decriminalise providing false evidence to parliament was the then Acting Premier, Anna Bligh, in 2006. This bill aims to restore the credibility and standing to the Queensland parliament that was ripped away by the Beattie- Bligh government in 2006—all in the name of trying to save one of its mates from criminal charges. Never before had such a corruption of our justice system occurred when Labor Party members of parliament voted and the government used its numbers to effectively decriminalise the offence of providing false evidence to the parliament or its committees. The removal of this offence was an open invitation to legalised deceit and mistruths. We are elected to this place on a platform of honesty and standing up for the truth and doing what is right. The need to ensure accountability in parliament is a foundation of our system of government, yet it has been lacking in recent years. Being truthful should be a given with any politician, and allowing a politician to deliberately provide false evidence to a parliamentary investigation or inquiry destroys the very foundations of a democracy. I seek leave to have the remainder of my speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. I am introducing amendments to the Criminal Code 1899 and Parliament of Queensland Act 2001. The amendment to the Criminal Code will re-introduce the offence of providing false evidence to Parliament. This offence is a crime. 27 Aug 2008 Private Members’ Statements 2343

The amendment to the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 amends section 47 to make it clear that acts amounting to both contempt of parliament and providing false evidence under the criminal code, the code offence should be proceeded with. This Bill effectively says any member in this house, and anyone else, if you deliberately provide false evidence to parliament or one of its committees it’s a crime. The LNP takes honesty and accountability in parliament very seriously and by all our members supporting this Bill they have put themselves on notice and are willing to continue to be honest and forthright without fear. It is now up to the Premier and her Government to support this Bill and show that they too will not tolerate providing false evidence to parliament by its members. This is a test of honesty, and a move towards restoring faith in the process of parliament and is about ensuring that the people of Queensland, the voters, who have elected us can have the utmost faith in what is said before parliament as being the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I commend the Bill to the House. Debate, on motion of Mr Shine, adjourned.

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

Hendra Virus Mr ENGLISH (Redlands—ALP) (11.33 am): Recently we have seen a tragedy unfolding in the Redlands. In early July, the Hendra virus was detected in a horse at the Redlands vet clinic. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and Queensland Health quickly responded to this incident. At risk were all other horses at the clinic and, of course, all clinic staff who had contact with the horses. The DPIF provided support and direction at the clinic to test, monitor and ensure the health of at-risk horses whilst Queensland Health provided advice, support and testing for clinic staff. This is not a political issue; this is a human tragedy. The stress caused to the staff and to the owners of at-risk horses was considerable. As we know, two staff from the clinic tested positive to the Hendra virus. One of those, Dr Ben Cunneen, passed away on 20 August. Ben was a passionate, professional and caring vet. I would like to inform the House that during the 2006 election campaign my partner’s dressage horse, Ted, fell ill. Ben worked for a number of days to save Ted and, when the very difficult decision was made to put Ted down, Ben’s caring nature and support were very much evident and very much appreciated. Whilst the horse community has lost a great friend and a very talented vet, Ben’s wife, Gill, has lost her husband and best friend. Ben’s parents, Denis and Paula, have lost their son. Gill’s parents, Tom and Alison, have also lost their son-in-law. Ben’s family have asked that people make a donation to Guide Dogs Queensland, and I encourage all members of the House to make a donation to this great cause. I think it is proper that I also place on record my appreciation for the efforts of Dr David Lovell, Dr Ron Glanville and Dr Allison Crook during this outbreak. However, in closing, I would like to remind all honourable members that there are still two people under a cloud. I would ask all honourable members to keep the vet nurse from the clinic and the vet from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in their thoughts and prayers. Given the limited knowledge we have of the Hendra virus, I am pleased that more money is being allocated to research this dangerous virus. As a former police officer, I am very much aware of the benefits of reviewing operations and incidents to see if improvements can be made. I support the proposal to review this outbreak, not as a witch-hunt but to see if improvements can be made to try to avoid this type of human tragedy from happening in the future.

Aramac Hospital Mr KNUTH (Charters Towers—NPA) (11.36 am): Today is a sad day to be living in rural Queensland. Today, as mentioned previously by the Leader of the Opposition, rural Queenslanders and the rest of the nation witnessed the disgraceful treatment this government dished out to the tax-paying residents of Aramac in closing down their hospital. There has been no community consultation and minimal consultation with staff, and so I refute the minister’s statement in this House that there was much consultation. As the MP whose electorate takes in Aramac, I had no consultation whatsoever. A message left on my message bank yesterday afternoon from a representative of Queensland Health advised me that the decision had been made. That is no consultation whatsoever. It is simply horrendous that these Queenslanders are not considered worthy enough to be informed and to be able to access a hospital in their own home town. Once again we see a medical service being determined by the mighty dollar. We see statistics govern the placement and distribution of health services. The minister’s statistics have been distorted to set a perception of the need to downgrade Aramac Hospital services. 2344 Private Members’ Statements 27 Aug 2008

The minister did not mention the exploration and mining development taking place near Aramac, which is part of the Galilee Basin. He did not mention the elderly who have lived in the area for their entire lives. I understand that the hospital currently has three to four elderly patients residing at the hospital including one 94-year-old. The prospects for these patients are grim. In Aramac they are afforded quality care to ensure their final years are filled with dignity and respect. They are visited regularly by locals who adore them and value their senior role in the community. What the government has also conveniently forgotten in this vast area is that the hospital service—the main referable hospital—is 170 kilometres away in Longreach. Hughenden to the north is 300 kilometres away. Aramac Hospital is the main referable hospital for the Muttaburra Primary Health Care Centre, which is 85 kilometres away. The sad thing now is that emergency patients will be transported elsewhere, when once emergency services were provided in their own town. There are currently about 25 permanent and part-time staff employed at Aramac Hospital. This would make Queensland Health a significant employer in the town. This conversion to a primary healthcare centre will result in 22 staff out of a job. Now they will be forced to relocate to either Longreach or Barcaldine. This will have a devastating impact and effect on the town, with the school losing students. Time expired. Ipswich Electorate, Schools Funding Ms NOLAN (Ipswich—ALP) (11.38 am): Just a week ago the education minister, Rod Welford, visited Ipswich to announce $134 million to transform local schools. The schools involved are Bremer State High, which will be completely rebuilt on a new site adjoining UQ Ipswich; Bundamba State School; and Silkstone State School, which will be significantly upgraded. They are the schools in my electorate of Ipswich. There will also be substantial, well-publicised and well-justified changes to schools in the neighbouring electorate of Bundamba. This news has been enthusiastically welcomed by many in the Bremer High community and very enthusiastically welcomed by the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland’s Ipswich campus, Alan Rix. In a media release, Alan Rix welcomed the announcement saying that it would transform education for Bremer High students. He said that the opportunity to build from scratch a high school and a university which will be colocated is a unique opportunity for educators. So what did the Queensland LNP have to say about this announcement? The opposition’s education spokesman, Mr Langbroek, said that Labor had completely botched education in Ipswich and West Ipswich. That is an intriguing comment. The LNP could not even get the electorates right—it is Ipswich and Bundamba—let alone grasp the fact that this is a transformative change for the nature of public education in our area. The LNP in Queensland, from its leader down, has a track record of failing to grasp the value and transformative potential of education. In contrast, Labor understands that public education is our future. With more than two-thirds of Queensland kids in state schools, it is imperative that we build the best facilities to open the minds of children and to inspire them to think and to learn for themselves through their lives. The LNP does not get it about education and from the leader down rejects it. We are building 21st century schools for the future of Ipswich kids. Council Amalgamations Mr HOBBS (Warrego—NPA) (11.41 am): The government would want Queenslanders to believe that forced council amalgamations are going well and councillors are working hard to work through the new system of regional government. Yes, the councillors are working hard and doing their jobs, as they should be. I congratulate them for that. But forced council amalgamations have been an absolute disaster. Let me give an example of that. Last night 500 people gathered in a hall in Mossman in what was previously the Douglas shire. They have reason to complain. For example, they say that their rates have gone up by 10.5 per cent, they have lost their 10 per cent discount, pensioner remissions have gone down from $315 to $260, grave sites have gone up by 108 per cent, water restrictions have been placed on them for the first time in history and Meals on Wheels has a business premises for which they are now paying $2,500 in rates. A standard letter has gone out to the Premier and other ministers. The letter states— As a former Douglas Shire resident, I wish to convey my extreme anger and dissatisfaction at the clear advantages I am experiencing as a direct consequence of the amalgamation of my council with Cairns City. I find it impossible to find one single benefit to me as a result of this merger. In fact the dis-benefits include: 1. Substantially increased rates; 2. Increased charges for services; 27 Aug 2008 Private Members’ Statements 2345

3. Introduction of new charges; 4. A loss of services; 5. Reduced ability to access council staff; 6. Reduced representation in the council; 7. Little or no community consultation/engagement; 8. Reported deliberate disenfranchisement of my elected representative by other councillors and executive; 9. Erosion of the fabric of my community. According to your own Government’s criteria, the Douglas Shire, was a model of strong, financially sound and cost efficient local government. The Douglas Shire met all the terms of reference set out by the Local Government Reform Commission. Despite these inconvenient truths, your government forcibly amalgamated the Douglas shire with Cairns City. Time expired.

Council Amalgamations Mr O’BRIEN (Cook—ALP) (11.43 am): I would like to respond to what the member for Warrego just said. The former Douglas shire is in my electorate of Cook. People living in that area have seen many advantages since council amalgamation. I can remember going to protest meetings at the former Douglas shire council at which hundreds of people were complaining about the performance of that council and trying to get them to make decent decisions, particularly with regard to the former Douglas shire council wanting to have rampant development north of the Daintree River and wanting to destroy the very place that underpins the economy of that area. I have been to many protest meetings in the Douglas shire dealing with the performance of the previous council. What the amalgamated council gives people living up there is a stable governing body. That is something that they have not had there for a long time. What it gives them is the capacity to deal with the challenges that they will face in the future. The former Douglas shire council area is going to face massive population growth in the next few years. Having a stronger council allows them to better plan, to stand up to the developers who want to do the wrong thing and to employ better planners and better designers. If they cannot do that, the developers run right over the top of them. They have a much stronger capacity to deal with the challenges of the future. What we have here is an opposition that is caught in the past. What we have is an opposition that wants to keep councils small. It is those councils which cannot protect the lifestyles of the communities that they purport to represent. Tin-pot councils will not do in the 21st century. We need larger councils that can partner with the federal government and the state government to bring serious cash to the table to get major projects done. Small councils cannot do that. They cannot provide the services and infrastructure that those communities are going to need in the 21st century. Time expired.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons Mr FOLEY (Maryborough—Ind) (11.45 am): I rise to bring to the attention of the House the new changes to EPIRBs. EPIRB is a five-letter acronym for emergency position-indicating radio beacons. These particular beacons emit a two-tone radio signal that can be picked up by aircraft and satellites. Being both a responsible boat owner and a pilot, I understand how the technology works. Unfortunately, the international council that controls the satellite system, Cospas-Sarsat, is phasing out processing of 121.5 megahertz analog signals from distress beacons in favour of 406 megahertz digital systems. When I say ‘unfortunately’, the unfortunate part is the cost impost to boat owners. In terms of the safety delivered, I think everyone would agree that the phasing out of the analog EPIRBs in favour of digital is a great idea. So often these particular beacons give false signals and send people on wild goose chases. Queensland vehicles that are required to carry EPIRBs must be changed over to 406 megahertz units by 1 November 2008. This is putting a lot of stress on boat owners. A struggling family man buys a boat and thinks that he is all set up to go and then he finds out that the rules have changed in terms of EPIRBs and he has to basically toss out a perfectly good EPIRB and replace it with a better EPIRB. That is a cost that he has not bargained for. I acknowledge the many benefits of transferring EPIRBs from 125 megahertz to 406 megahertz, but I would like the minister to consider giving constituents who have current and unexpired EPIRBs a rebate or a discount as they are legally obliged to purchase the new equipment. Time expired. 2346 Private Members’ Statements 27 Aug 2008

Northern Busway Ms GRACE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (11.47 am): On Sunday, 20 July construction of the Northern Busway’s $198 million first stage from the Royal Children’s Hospital station to Windsor reached a major milestone with the installation of the first bridge beams to the elevated busway. The elevated busway runs from the existing Royal Children’s Hospital busway station at Herston to a connection at Bowen Bridge Road just south of Enoggera Creek, Windsor. I was there with Premier Anna Bligh and Minister John Mickel to see the first of 14 Super T precast bridge girders installed. These beams are typically 26 metres in length and weigh about 50 tonnes. A 350-tonne hydraulic crane was used on site to lift each beam into place. This is the largest crane currently in use in Brisbane. A total of 184 bridge girders will ultimately be installed for the first stage of the Northern Busway. It is a great pleasure to drive past and see the fast progress that is being made. I want to congratulate the Northern Busway Alliance for their work so far on this complex project. I also want to acknowledge the cooperation of our Queensland Health stakeholders during these works. Minimising construction impacts on our neighbours and motorists is a key focus of the project. One of the major benefits of this project is the greatly improved public transport access to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. It will be a key link to the existing Inner Northern Busway. The next stage of the Northern Busway, from Windsor north to Kedron, will soon start construction in conjunction with Airport Link. By 2016 it is expected 47,000 passengers a day will use it. The busway’s $198 million first stage is on schedule to be completed by September 2009. It is great that we will see better public transport in inner-city Brisbane, elevated busways taking buses fast into the inner city and passengers saving very valuable minutes on their journey to get to the inner city because of the investment made by the Bligh government. Sunshine Coast, Greenfield Development Sites Mr DICKSON (Kawana—Lib) (11.49 am): Today I tabled a petition and an e-petition from 3,168 petitioners which called on the government to guarantee that fast-tracking of greenfield development sites on the Sunshine Coast will not be allowed to proceed until appropriate infrastructure has been provided. The petition resulted from this government’s announcement that greenfield sites will be developer ready within 12 months. These include Palmview in my electorate of Kawana which has the potential of bringing another 20,000 people to this area. The previous Caloundra council identified that due to infrastructure and environmental issues development at Palmview should not be undertaken for at least another 10 years. We need additional infrastructure to meet the current and future needs. We need to know that development of greenfield sites will not compromise sensitive environments. If the government allows those extra people to move into our area, those people are going to get sick and will need a hospital, they are going to need a police force, they are going to need public transport and they are going to want to send their children to a school. These things are just not in place and are not ready. This is not just true in Palmview but applies to the whole of the Sunshine Coast where the government has proposed greenfield sites. When it comes to future growth, we do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. That is why local residents submitted this petition to me. They want to protect our lifestyle—not just for ourselves but for our children and the people who are moving to the Sunshine Coast. I thank the Sippy Downs community organisation for bringing this petition forward and for representing the people of the Sunshine Coast. It is important to take on board what Stephen Robertson said this morning with regard to hospitals being built on the Sunshine Coast. If he thinks it is bad now and the current hospitals cannot cope, he needs to get his head around dropping a further 75,000 people in the area, because it is never going to cope. People are dying waiting to get into hospitals, and this government will be absolutely screwing over the people of Queensland if it proceeds with delivering these greenfield sites inappropriately without adequate infrastructure that should be put in place prior to development. The government has to let the people of Queensland know whether it is the developers’ mate or it is Queenslanders’ mate. From the way it is heading at the moment, it looks like it is the developers’ mate. Prove me wrong! Centaur Hospital Ship Mr WEIGHTMAN (Cleveland—ALP) (11.51 am): I rise to inform the House yet again of an issue in my electorate which has particular significance for a number of my constituents and indeed many people in Queensland. I am talking about the search for the AHS Centaur hospital ship which was lost off the north coast of Stradbroke Island 65 years ago. Stradbroke Island, as members would be aware, is in my electorate. On 14 May 2008, the 65th anniversary of the sinking of this ship and of course the deaths of the 268 people who sank with it, the Premier and I both spoke in the House urging the federal government to support the search for the Centaur’s final resting place by providing funding for the 27 Aug 2008 Private Members’ Statements 2347 creation of a search team in the same way as occurred with HMAS Sydney. As I am sure many members of the House will understand, that discovering the location of this ship is of enormous importance to many of our constituents who are, after all these years, still desperate to know more about their courageous ancestors and the Centaur’s fate. I note that this issue has recently been well canvassed in the local paper and, as such, has generated a lot of interest in the community. This has been reflected in the Cleveland electorate because I have received many calls and emails from people urging that some action be taken to find the lost hospital ship Centaur. I echo those community calls in this House. The memory of the Centaur should never be forgotten and I urge the federal government to once again consider the possibility of establishing an exploration team as it did with the HMAS Sydney.

Vocational Education and Training, TAFE Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (11.53 am): I am proud to stand in this place as the new Liberal National Party shadow minister for education, skills and the arts. I am thankful for this new opportunity as I strongly believe that education and training are among the pillars upon which our society is built. One area in which the Bligh-Beattie government is failing when it comes to education is in the provision of vocational education and training. There is no doubt that employers in Queensland are having a very hard time trying to find skilled employees. We are facing chronic skills shortages right across Australia. There are currently 42,000 job vacancies in Queensland across a diverse range of industries including manufacturing, hairdressing and health. Queensland TAFE and its predecessors have been the key provider and trainer of skilled workers in Queensland for more than 120 years. TAFE in Queensland has come a long way since its inception in 1882 when one course was offered to only 12 students. Today it is the largest provider of vocational education skills and training, with more than 800 programs and a quarter of a million enrolments every year. Our TAFE system is doing an excellent job providing quality education and training. However, our dedicated TAFE teachers are constantly frustrated by bad management by the Bligh government. TAFE teachers, with their wealth of knowledge and commitment to training, provide the very backbone of the structure that will see Queensland overcome its skills shortage issues. Other avenues of training will need to be sourced because the methodology in the delivery of training, along with the demand for training, have increased to such a degree that TAFE is now at bursting point. For these reasons, the LNP is developing a VET policy that sees the employer, the apprentice, the registered training organisation—both public and private—and industry work in partnership to establish the best training delivery method for the apprentice that complements rather than hinders the operations of the employer. These are the skills and workforce development principles of COAG that all Labor ministers have signed up to. The LNP is not looking for a quick fix for the skills shortage problem in that it is not trying to push apprentices through merely to have them on the ground and qualified at the expense of quality and safety. We are looking to take the pressure off the hard work that TAFE teachers— Time expired.

Rail Services Mrs ATTWOOD (Mount Ommaney—ALP) (11.55 am): I rise to commend the minister for transport, the Hon. John Mickel, for ensuring that rail services along the Corinda to Darra track are vastly improved. A fourth rail track will be built on the rail corridor between Corinda and Darra to meet Brisbane’s increasing freight demands and provide greater capacity for passenger and rail services in the growing western corridor. This fourth track will be dedicated to freight and it will mean fewer freight trains running on the same track as passenger trains, enabling increased passenger services on the Ipswich line. The fourth rail track will support south-east Queensland’s economic growth by increasing network capacity to accommodate the region’s projected growth in the freight transport task. A freight bypass will also be built at Corinda and the older relay based signalling system at Corinda which controls signals from Darra to Indooroopilly will be replaced with a new state-of-the-art system. The new works were in addition to the construction of the $189 million third track between Corinda and Darra announced in January this year which will become part of the Corinda to Darra rail upgrade project under the Queensland government’s $82 billion South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program for 2007 to 2026. QR has improved reliability of the Ipswich line with the recent construction of a new $6 million overhead traction power feeder station at Wulkuraka on the Corinda to Rosewood corridor. This project will further assure reliability and efficiency of the rail network for commuters on the Ipswich line. 2348 Private Members’ Statements 27 Aug 2008

In another boost for public transport infrastructure in Brisbane’s western suburbs, construction on the $6 million upgrade of Oxley station is due to be completed at the end of this year. Both Oxley and Darra stations will receive facelifts under the Corinda to Darra third track project, due for completion in early 2010. The Oxley station upgrade includes a new footbridge and platform, new and upgraded shelters, passenger information signage, upgraded lighting, additional security cameras and landscaping, as well as 70 additional carparks. Time expired. Queensland Health, Dialysis Survey Mrs CUNNINGHAM (Gladstone—Ind) (11.57 am): Queensland Health is rightly conducting an audit on the cost of dialysis procedures for patients. A senior planning officer wrote to one of my constituents stating— I am writing to request your participation in a study being conducted by Queensland Health to determine the costs of renal dialysis. Part of this study involves studying the costs borne by patients who dialyse in dialysis units, in self-care facilities and at home. This study will inform how Queensland Health delivers renal dialysis services in the future. The survey goes on to request information such as gender, age, the sort of dialysis the patient is receiving, how it has impacted on employment, how many hours a week they need and all of that sort of information—all very relevant. Then it asks— How much does your journey to your specialist cost you? You should include your total fares and car parking but not petrol. It then goes on to say— How much does it cost you to go for your blood tests, but do not include petrol. Given that petrol is one of the commodities that has risen in price exponentially and is a significant input cost to a patient accessing renal dialysis, I do not believe that Queensland Health genuinely realises the cost of dialysis if it does not take such costs into account. If the questionnaire says, ‘In a separate column please state the amount of petrol consumed,’ or ‘Please state the approximate wear and tear on your vehicle in undertaking these trips,’ then this questionnaire would result in some credible cost analyses. As it is, one of the specific and high-input costs for rural and regional Queenslanders who have to travel 100 or 200 kilometres for dialysis is ignored. Time expired. Liberal National Party Mr LEE (Indooroopilly—ALP) (11.59 am): Like many Queenslanders I have always considered the National Party to be at best breathtakingly ignorant about the environment—like Lawrence Springborg’s belief that climate change was either not real or caused by volcanoes—and at worst environmental vandals, for instance the Nationals’ determination to reverse Labor’s important environmental achievements such as the ban on broadscale tree clearing and our protection for wild rivers. The Liberal National Party is little more than a National Party takeover of the hapless Liberals. That means that former Liberals have signed up to the Nationals’ environmental views—views such as those presented in this House last night by Jeff Seeney. He stated— ... we have opposed— referring to the opposition— every other attempt by the state Labor government to restrict or impugn the activities of the mining industry. This means that every wilderness river is threatened by the Liberals and Nationals—every tree in Queensland, every area with environmental values in Queensland. With the Nationals it will be open season. They have not changed. Now they own the Liberals. They bought the Queensland franchise. People should not be fooled. As usual, leadership troubles are never far from the surface of the LNP. I note that the member for Surfers Paradise is already advocating for a leadership change to none other than Jeff Seeney. On a number of occasions in this place the member for Surfers Paradise has spoken about his Facebook page. I perused it this morning and noted that the member for Surfers Paradise is a member of a Facebook group ‘We support Jeff Seeney to be Queensland’s 38th Premier’. I table a printout from that page. Tabled paper: Copy of an extract from a Facebook page, titled ‘We support Jeff Seeney to be Queensland’s 38th Premier’, downloaded 25 August 2008. The page states— What Queensland needs is a man with a vision to fix the problems this state is encountering, what Queensland needs is Jeff Seeney. That is what the member for Surfers Paradise has signed up to. Time expired. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr O’Brien): Order! The time for private members’ statements has concluded. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2349

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL

APPROPRIATION BILL Resumed from 6 June (see p. 2187). Consideration in Detail (Cognate Debate)

Appropriation Bill

Estimates Committee A

Report No. 2

Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr O’Brien): Order! The House will consider the Appropriation Bill first. I have been informed of the intention to consider Estimates Committee A report No. 2 and then defer consideration of the Appropriation Bill in order to consider the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill. I have been further informed that it is then the intention to resume consideration of the Appropriation Bill. Of course, the exact process is in the hands of the House. The question is— That report No. 2 of Estimates Committee A be adopted. Mr FINN (Yeerongpilly—ALP) (12.02 pm): I rise to speak in support of the Appropriation Bill and report No. 2 of Estimates Committee A, which examined the expenditure in the portfolio responsibility areas of the Premier, Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, and Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology. As the chair of this committee, I thank the members from both sides of the House for the cooperative manner in which the committee was able to undertake its work. Whilst I will mention a couple of things today that indicate some disagreement, particularly the statement of reservations regarding the Premier’s portfolio, the proceedings of the committee were conducted with the appropriate decorum and agreement. The committee considered allocations across the Premier’s portfolio of more than $314 million, including allocations to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, the Office of the Governor and the Queensland Audit Office. The examination of these portfolios provided a clear understanding of the financial commitments of government within a rapidly growing state. The Premier reported on a Queensland economy that is the strongest in the country, having recorded 13 consecutive years of economic growth. After 10 months of the Bligh government, the Premier and the Deputy Premier were able to report a commitment of $17 billion this year to building and rebuilding infrastructure. This equates to a Bligh government infrastructure spend of $2 million for every hour of every day. It is this commitment that is building and rebuilding eight major hospitals, constructing Airport Link, building the inner-northern and eastern busways and securing our water supplies. The Premier also made comment about action to protect the environment, including increasing the national park estate, the introduction of the solar panel scheme and the development of the Climate Change Fund. The Deputy Premier outlined infrastructure delivery across Queensland, including the Tugun bypass, which was opened six months ahead of schedule, the $9 billion South East Queensland Water Grid and the $107 billion blueprint for infrastructure delivery contained in the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan. Last night in this place we heard speaker after speaker from the opposition oppose the government’s levying of $26 million per year on the mining companies to contribute to the provision of health and safety in the industry. But no-one mentioned this government’s $15 billion coal infrastructure plan that is expanding our coal haulage capacity, building and upgrading rolling stock and investing in our ports. The Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology reported on a record outlay of $759 million in housing assistance expenditure programs, which cover capital works, grants assistance, maintenance and lending. The early success of the One Social Housing System was reported on, with its focus on the allocation of social housing to those most in need. In the couple of minutes I have left I turn to the statement of reservations tabled by the Leader of the Opposition in relation to the Premier’s portfolio which addresses some generalities and some specifics. Whilst I reported the cooperative workings of the committee, I was disappointed to first learn of some of these reservations when I read the report as tabled. The committee met twice before the commencement of the hearing and twice following. At no stage did any member raise any concerns about their ability to examine the appropriation in these portfolio areas. In the meetings prior to the hearing, no concerns were raised about the time allocated to the deliberations, nor were any concerns raised about who could be questioned. Following the hearing, no questions were raised about the responses provided to questions. 2350 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

I do not intend to comment on the full statement, which I believe in the main amounts to political comment. I believe the hearing transcript outlines the detailed responses that were provided by government members, in particular the Premier and the commissioner for children. The statement by the Leader of the Opposition, though, that his ability to follow a direct line of questioning was made difficult due to insistence by the chair that all questions be addressed through the Premier is farcical. On one occasion during questioning, relating to the children’s commissioner, the chair commented that the member’s questions procedurally go to the Premier in the first instance. Notwithstanding that, nine questions were responded to directly by the children’s commissioner, with the acceptance of the chair, the Premier and the children’s commissioner. It was also disappointing that the Leader of the Opposition pursued a line of questioning relating to a report that was purportedly written by the children’s commissioner. It took three requests by the chair for the member to table the document to enable the Premier to respond in detail. When it was finally tabled, the reason for this obfuscation became clear, as the document was an early draft of the commissioner’s report—a fact that had not been disclosed. All I say to the Leader of the Opposition is: if you are going to raise concerns about the rigour of the estimates process, you need to address rigour in your questioning as well. Adequate examination requires rigour on both sides. I commend the estimates committee report and the appropriation. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr O’Brien): Order! Before calling the Leader of the Opposition, I acknowledge in the public gallery students and teachers from the Thornlands State School in the electorate of Redlands, which is represented in this parliament by Mr John English. Welcome to the parliament. Mr SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (12.08 pm): I, like the chairman, would commend the operation of the committee and also thank very much the committee secretariat that supported it so ably during the process. I also thank the other members of the committee for the way in which they conducted themselves. I am concerned about the deliberate misrepresentation by the chairman of the committee in his contribution just a moment ago and I will address some of those things. I say to the chairman that I have had long-held concerns placed on the record in this place, and also in discussions with the Premier, about the overall issue of the operation of the committee—not necessarily the internal operation but the times that are defined by resolution of this parliament. The times indicate the maximum that is available to particular estimate committees. It usually works out to be around about three hours and sometimes in relation to the superportfolios the time is a little bit longer. That is the concern that I have. It was not a concern with regard to the internal operations of the committee. The internal operations of the committee are generally constrained by the time frames that are laid down externally by the government and by the body politic. The chairman does himself no service whatsoever by misunderstanding that particular fact. With regard to statements of reservation, it has been a long-held practice that members of parliament present their statements of reservation. With all of the committees that I have been involved with over a number of years—longer than the honourable member—there has never been a barney. Everyone accepts the report and they accept that the reservations will come subsequent to it. If the member wants to have a debate internally we will do that next time, but there is a convention with regards to the way that those things have operated in the past. In relation to the issue of Indigenous child placement principles and the draft audit report, the chairman did not mention to the parliament that neither the Premier nor the Commissioner for Children and Young People were able to discount any of the facts in the draft audit report. In addition, at no stage did I say that we would never table that document. I just sought to get a copy of it. I know when one takes a document to a committee one is justifiably expected to table it if requested to do so. On the issue of the draft audit report I simply asked the Premier if she had any knowledge of it. She said she had no knowledge whatsoever. The day before the Premier had made much in the media about how premiers and ministers had to be well briefed and should be able to answer questions, but she could not answer the first question she was asked. She had to turn to the Children’s Commissioner and there was an element of confusion there. Importantly, this question related to the placement of Indigenous children in Queensland and the auditing process four years after the CMC inquiry into the fact that not one of the 101 files involving 28 children complied with the Indigenous child placement principles. Nothing was said to discount that fact, either during the meeting or subsequent to it. The Premier and the Children’s Commissioner kept looking at each other as if to say, ‘How are you going to handle this?’ I would have been more than happy for one or the another to answer the question, but they kept looking at each other to seek guidance and direction. I want to address the issue of the environmental consequences of government projects. On the day of the meeting the Premier pulled out of thin air the Port Clinton development. It might even have come as a surprise to the member at that stage. I asked whether all of the environmental safeguards would be ensured in the process. The Premier assured me that they would. Earlier on we heard the Premier talk about the proposed shale oil development in the Whitsundays. She misrepresented our 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2351 position, yet nothing has been clearer with regards to Port Clinton. Our position is very clear. We said exactly the same thing that the government has been saying: that these things should stack up environmentally. If they do not stack up environmentally, they do not go ahead. If it is good enough to save the Whitsundays until 2028, it is good enough to save it from shale oil development until 2038, 2048 or 2058. This proves that the government does not have a consistent approach with its environmental assessment process. We believe that the Whitsundays is pristine and should be protected, but it should not be protected only until 2028. If there are environmental consequences, that protection should go on and on into the future. It should not be protected only until after the next election or when the current member for Whitsunday and the current Premier are gone. This is more about a political fix involving a 0.4 per cent margin than saving the Whitsundays from mining development in the future. Ms STONE (Springwood—ALP) (12.13 pm): As a committee member of Estimates Committee A, it gives me great pleasure to speak in support of report No. 2, which has been tabled. The committee performs in an environment that allows access by the public and the media, it allows an opportunity for an extremely important document such as the budget to be scrutinised and it allows the executive and departments to be held responsible and accountable. It is a very transparent process. Having the transcript of the hearing available online makes it very easy for people to access the hearing of the day. People can make up their own minds about what occurred on the day and what was said, and about the comments made by the previous speaker. I am sure that they will get the clear message that what he said does not stack up. I take this opportunity to compliment the chair, parliamentary staff and departmental staff on their professionalism and efficient handling of the estimates process. Estimates A report No. 2 summarises the estimates referred to the committee and highlights some of the issues the committee examined. We examined the portfolios of the Premier, the Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, and the Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology. Today in the time that I have to speak I will be restricting my comments to a few areas that I know are of interest to my electorate. People in my electorate are very interested in water infrastructure and security. During the estimates hearing I was able to ask the Deputy Premier some questions regarding very important infrastructure projects and our integrated water strategy. Those issues are important not only to my electorate but also to all Queenslanders. I was pleased to hear that the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project, at a spend of $795 million this financial year, is on track to finish construction by October 2008. The corridor has pumped its first water to Tarong North Power Station from Bundamba, producing 41 megalitres per day. That is enough water for 290,000 people. The Tugun desalination plant is on track to deliver 125 megalitres per day from January 2009. The southern regional water pipeline, which is a 100 kilometre pipeline, links Tugun into the water grid. An amount of $448 million is projected for projects in 2008-09, including $219.7 million for the northern pipeline interconnections, $16.69 million for the eastern pipeline interconnector and $531 million for the proposed Traveston Crossing and Wyaralong dams, subject to approvals of course. Coming from a high growth area I was interested in what steps the government has taken to ensure planning is in place for priority infrastructure by councils. I was pleased to hear from the Deputy Premier that priority infrastructure plans, or PIPs, and associated infrastructure charge schedules are a key part of infrastructure planning for our growing population. PIPs also provide a mechanism for local governments to levy infrastructure charges based on detailed planning for the five networks of water, sewerage, stormwater, roads and parks. The process for preparing and adopting PIPs has proved complex and onerous. To date, only one council has adopted a PIP, which is the Gold Coast council. A reform process has taken place and I am sure that it will ensure consistency and certainty across local government areas. Developers should reasonably expect to contribute to the cost of new infrastructure but they also expect certainty about what they have to pay for and when it has to be delivered. Some councils were seeking to charge developers today for infrastructure that was not expected to be needed for another 50 years. Different councils had very different charging mechanisms and standards for the provision of parks and so forth. Therefore, I am pleased that the Premier and Deputy Premier have released a proposed standard infrastructure charges schedule which outlines what can and cannot be charged for. I have received many inquiries regarding this matter and the schedule will address some of the concerns raised. It will also assist us with our housing affordability strategy, which is really important. Urban congestion is also another issue that is often raised with me and I was able to ask the Premier about this important issue to my electorate. I am pleased that the government is not just focusing on one thing but is taking a multipronged approach. To that end we are looking at five key areas including landuse planning, public transport, new and expanded roads, and improved efficiency on the roads that we currently operate. In terms of improving efficiency, methods from overseas are being investigated. Certainly we have added to public transport through the new transit authority. This 2352 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008 budget provides for rolling stock of an additional 12, three-carriage trains for the city network, 90 new buses and $33.7 million worth of new cycling facilities. All of that adds up to getting on with the job and busting urban congestion. The Department of Housing has supported well over 85,000 households with more than 85,300 of those receiving on-going assistance. This number was boosted during 2007-08 by an increase— Time expired. Mr CRIPPS (Hinchinbrook—NPA) (12.18 pm): I rise to contribute to the debate on the report of Estimates Committee A. During the Estimates Committee A hearing the issue of the draft Far North Queensland 2025 Regional Plan was discussed by both the Premier and the Deputy Premier. Soon after the draft FNQ 2025 plan was launched in Cairns on 9 May this year by the Premier and the Deputy Premier, I spoke in this parliament about the concerns held by a number of stakeholders in far-north Queensland even at that early stage. They had reservations about how the draft plan was put together and how it would affect their communities. The Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils expressed concerns about how the document was drafted, stating that the final draft plan lacked details about project planning processes and described the way in which the draft plan was written as an ‘on-the-run approach’. The FNQROC also stated that the advisory panels that considered various aspects of the draft plan were formed as a result of a rushed process that was required to meet tight time frames without appropriate administrative support. The FNQ 2025 plan was launched in Cairns amid a great deal of staged fanfare, but not everybody in far-north Queensland shares the enthusiasm of the government for this document and what it proposes for the area that it will be imposed upon, including the part of my electorate within the Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Concerns expressed earlier about the drafting of this document have become more serious, widespread and proven to be justified as the provisions of this proposed statutory planning instrument have become better understood. There is a significant alarm in respect of the maps that have been issued with the draft 2025 plan. Some examples of the more serious errors include the Cairns International Airport, the Paradise Palms and Novotel developments at Palm Beach, urban areas around the suburb of Smithfield and Stocklands shopping centre being mapped as good quality agricultural land. These fundamental errors have undermined the confidence of many stakeholders in the accuracy of not only the maps but the policy decisions that have been made and incorporated into the draft plan on the basis of and with reference to these maps. Stakeholders in the rural sector have been shocked by the release in early July of draft policy regulations and extensive mapping by the Environmental Protection Agency providing for vast tracts of land to be declared as part of the FNQ 2025 plan as areas of ecological significance under a variety of categories, including conservation corridors, priority rehabilitation areas, wetlands and terrestrial areas of high or general ecological significance. These maps were inadequate for effective consultation as far as their level of detail was concerned. Replacement maps were not provided until early August. In the first instance, this proposal is objectionable on the basis that the draft EPA regulatory provisions and maps to create these areas of ecological significance were not available until July 2008 and the normal 60 business days consultation period has not been provided for. This is not acceptable. While rural stakeholders have had a limited opportunity to scrutinise these regulatory provisions and maps developed and released after the rest of the draft FNQ 2025 plan, the general public has been deprived of this opportunity. The draft areas of ecological significance regulatory provisions and maps were not included in the draft FNQ 2025 plan document released in May. The areas of ecological significance in the rural landscape and production areas, as defined by the draft FNQ 2025 plan, are an ambit claim by the EPA to secure control over private land, purportedly for environmental reasons, without any prior consultation with landowners and without any suggestion of compensation. There are already reports in the area covered by the draft FNQ 2025 plan that property values have decreased where the title is affected by the areas of ecological significance mapping. It is also unclear in precisely what circumstances the areas of ecological significance regulatory provisions will be triggered. In terms of how the FNQ 2025 will affect far-north Queenslanders in towns and suburbs of larger centres, many local communities have expressed concerns about the proposed increases in urban densities. In my electorate of Hinchinbrook, for example, the draft FNQ 2025 plan proposes that residential densities more than double in townships like Tully, Cardwell and Mission Beach, while townships like Innisfail, Mourilyan, Kurrimine Beach and South Johnstone are also proposed to double. People come to far-north Queensland to move away from urban densities of that nature. The FNQ 2025 plan limits the supply of residential land within mapped defined urban zones. Densities, as a result, ultimately will be achieved by the creation of smaller lots or providing for multistorey buildings. Residents do not want to see far-north Queensland’s unique character permanently altered by this inflexible, poorly drafted statutory plan. The state government has presented a flawed planning proposal to the people of far-north Queensland. It ought to withdraw the plan and it ought to go back to the drawing board. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2353

Hon. PT LUCAS (Lytton—ALP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning) (12.23 pm): I welcome the report from Estimates Committee A. At the hearings I was pleased to inform members of the committee about the record level of investment the Bligh government is making to deliver the infrastructure and planning reform needed to keep Queensland strong and vibrant. Projects already delivered this year include the Tugun bypass, which opened six months ahead of schedule, and the Inner Northern Busway, which opened ahead of time as well. The government is investing a record $17 billion on capital works this financial year. That is the largest per capita investment in infrastructure in any state in Australia and it is a 19 per cent increase over last year. But we are also working on getting planning right. That is why I detailed significant planning initiatives including a review of the SEQ Regional Plan and the release of the draft FNQ 2025 regional plan. I note the member for Hinchinbrook thinks mates’ rates development out of sequence with town planning all over the place is actually good and good for the environment, but then again this Liberal National Party wants to ruin the environment, not protect the environment. I do note the statement of reservations from the member for Maroochydore. The member for Maroochydore, who was elected four years earlier than I was, criticised the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program. Significantly, the member for Maroochydore does not seem to be aware of how much the state government capital budget is and where it is being spent. A classic example of that is what happened in her electorate when her government was in power. I was surprised to see her suggestion that the government is not spending money on infrastructure outside of south-east Queensland. Had she properly analysed the budget, she may have realised that 56 per cent of our capital outlays occur outside Brisbane. She also criticised alleged cost increases in the state government’s $9 billion water grid. The state government makes no apologies for spending more money to deliver more water sooner to south- east Queensland. I would not be surprised if her criticism is to hide the fact that her water policy would cost people more while delivering less water. I look forward to the member for Darling Downs and his even more erudite contributions in the future. The member for Maroochydore attacked plans to fix the eyesore that is the Riverside Expressway and replace it with North Bank. Clearly she subscribes to the Sir Joh mentality of development—at all costs and with no consultation, as she revealed with her plan to put a desalination plant on Bribie Island within two years without following an appropriate process. She attacked the Queensland Water Commission, when they have reduced water consumption in south-east Queensland from almost 300 litres per person per day before the drought to less than 140 litres per person per day. Finally, in her report the member for Maroochydore criticises the Airport Link proposal. That has to be the biggest joke of the lot. It is one of the biggest pieces of infrastructure ever built in Australia. I was a bit surprised that she delivers that criticism in her report given the issues she raises were not even discussed at the hearing. Once again, the opposition has demonstrated that it has an opinion on everything and a solution for nothing. If the member for Maroochydore actually went to a conference on PPPs, she would hear what they think about Airport Link, which is the best and biggest project in Australia and it will be delivered far quicker in terms of time frames than any other major project. Mrs KIERNAN (Mount Isa—ALP) (12.26 pm): I was pleased to be a member of Estimates Committee A. Estimates Committee A examined the proposed expenditure of the organisational units within the portfolios of the Premier, the Speaker, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology. I thank Premier Bligh, Deputy Premier Paul Lucas, Mr Speaker and Minister Schwarten for their openness during the hearing. I take the opportunity to congratulate all staff from each portfolio area for the highly detailed work undertaken in research, preparation and follow-up for the hearing. I would also like to thank the research staff and the research director, Robert Hansen, and his team, Erin Pasley and Kellie Moule, for their professionalism and guidance which contributed greatly to the preparation of the committee on the day. I thank all members of the committee for how the committee conducted itself in a friendly cooperative way. Special thanks to Simon Finn, who chaired the committee and offered support and guidance throughout the process. This was my second estimates experience—2007 being on Estimates Committee B. I welcomed participating on a different committee this year. I find the process very informative. I have to say that I am a great supporter and advocate for community consultation and participation. The Premier held her first community cabinet in Cloncurry and Mount Isa in November last year. The Premier has been to the Mount Isa electorate some four times in 11 months. The Premier delivers balance. While recognising that our area is one of the economic drivers of our booming Queensland economy, she is also acutely aware of the needs of our city and towns and indeed in addressing the needs of our Indigenous communities. Deputy Premier Paul Lucas also clearly understands the issues confronting the north-west mineral province and is working strongly with my local councils, industry and others to progress the continued development of the north-west through the Northern Economic Triangle and through the development of regional plans for the central, north-west and gulf regions. 2354 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

The seat of Mount Isa covers 10.9 per cent of the state prior to redistribution. Post redistribution it will be 15 per cent, a third of the state. The population is increasing due to greater employment opportunities. The holdback of course is housing and the issue of fly in, fly out—currently 3,000 contractors do this compared to 4,560 resident mining workers. I am working with the Deputy Premier to address this and looking forward to the draft regional plan for the north-west being delivered. I sincerely thank Minister Schwarten and his staff—particularly the staff of the north-west office— for their hard work. These people are to be commended for the work they do in the Mount Isa electorate. The decision for the department to manage housing stock in my more remote and isolated Indigenous communities has been welcomed by everyone. The $90.2 million spent in 2008-09 to provide housing in regional and remote communities—money, I must say, which was not provided by, and indeed was defunded by, the Howard government—is extremely welcome. There is little doubt that Mr Speaker has a strong commitment to community engagement with our parliament. I take this opportunity to congratulate and thank sincerely all service areas which delivered the vast and broad range of services not only here in the House and Annexe but all the way back to our electorate offices. We all look forward to the regional parliament sitting in Cairns. It will certainly be a great opportunity for my students of the Mount Isa electorate to see parliament and democracy in action. I further value my role on the Speaker’s advisory group and believe that this committee is important for regional members. Mrs MENKENS (Burdekin—NPA) (12.30 pm): I am very happy to contribute to this debate of Estimates Committee A. I wish to direct my comments to issues relating to the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. As shadow minister for social inclusion, I have a keen interest in the workings of this special authority, which of course is attached to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. After the 2004 CMC report was completed with its 110 recommendations, the children’s commission was granted greater responsibilities to oversee the implementation of the child protection reforms and changed its name to include the role of child guardian. Before I address the concerns I do have within the area of Estimates Committee A, I would like to mention my opposition to the manner in which estimates committees are conducted, which is best described as superficial transparency. As with other estimates committees, the processes for Estimates Committee A which examined Premier and Cabinet have highlighted some major deficiencies that limit the scrutiny of expenditures. Year after year, opposition members quite rightly complain about the shallow examination permitted which prevents disclosure of information that Queenslanders have every right to hear. In fact, the very day before the Estimates Committee A hearing, the Premier was out in the media saying that questions should not be asked directly of public servants because she expected her ministers to be on top of their portfolio. Yet, lo and behold, during the first question directed to the Premier, it was noticable that she immediately called on the commissioner for children for assistance. One can only assume that she was not capable of answering the question and appeared to have no idea. There were a series of other somewhat embarrassing gaffes by the Premier which amounted to little more than a cheap attempt at a political whitewash of a very serious inaugural report by the commissioner into the Department of Child Safety’s application of the Indigenous child placement principle. What the commission found in its report was that the Department of Child Safety had failed in every one of the 101 selected files to comply with section 86 of the Child Protection Act. Rather than admit there was a problem, the Premier tried to fudge the facts and argue about whether application of a principle took place. To make matters worse, the children’s commissioner was forced to bail out a Premier who was out of her depth. This report was critical in its findings and highlighted the fact that, after spending millions and millions of dollars on the flawed integrated client management system, the Department of Child Safety was still putting children at risk through poor management and reporting of child placement and, worse, it was trying to cover it up. This very issue was a fundamental point made by the Ombudsman in the baby Kate inquiry and was a key recommendation of the CMC into foster care—the section being amended in 2005 as a result of these recommendations. Yet three years on, and multimillions of dollars later, the system remains defective. Such a vital role as the commission must maintain its independence if it is also to inspire public confidence, by ensuring that governments are held to account with regard to looking after the best interests of children. Data collection must be accurate and relevant in order to protect children effectively. The shadow minister for child safety has previously questioned the snapshot report put out by the commission each year. The most recent snapshot, which was released in 2007, disturbingly used data that is from a raft of different years and is inconsistent, making comparisons impossible to make. On another matter, despite expanding screening provisions in recent years, I am genuinely concerned that the budget papers make no reference to funding for photo identification on blue cards. A guessed estimate of just $5 million given by the police minister earlier this year is a small price to pay for photo ID. After all, we all have a photo on our drivers licence and passport. Are our children not worth the same protection? Should people who work with them not be screened effectively, with thorough monitoring and checking? We are talking here about a government agency. This is an important 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2355 government agency that is charged with screening every person in the state wishing to work with children in one context or another, as well as overseeing the interests of our children, and our children are our most important resource. Miss SIMPSON (Maroochydore—NPA) (12.35 pm): Another day, another announcement about North Bank, a project which was announced years ago by the Labor Party as a vision for Brisbane and then turned into an apparition that would potentially flood this part of our beautiful city and intrude into the river. Now we have another announcement today, with new design options which one might say could well be a mirage rather than the vision the government is promoting. The latest with North Bank—this never-ending story which is something like Days of our Lives— has a number of options, including removing the South East Freeway, a freeway which is a vital link into the middle of Brisbane. That solution from the government, which has repeatedly been bagging having a freeway in the city, is rather concerning. I take this opportunity, in light of this new information that the government has today released about North Bank and one of its options, to ask: will the government truly and sincerely rule out the stupidity of removing a vital arterial where we already have a city in gridlock? The proposed North Bank project is just another example of how this government does business. It spends years doing nothing and then the cost of what it has to do is so much more expensive. It was revealed during the budget estimates that the North Bank design to date had cost taxpayers $5 million, despite government assurances that the project would cost taxpayers nothing, and we still have not seen a final design to resolve this issue. As I said, this is typical of how this government does business in regard to the planning and delivery of appropriate infrastructure. Poor scoping, contracting and cost control of major capital projects is threatening to roll back our projects which are needed to match Queensland’s growth. As a result of this bad planning and management, the SEQIP document—which started out as a $32.27 billion document and is now estimated by government at $107 billion—is fast becoming an aspirational document rather than a robust operational tool. It should be noted that SEQIP is only the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and there is a need for a 20-year plan to clearly map out the capital investment required for the rest of the state. We as the state opposition support the concept of 20-year infrastructure plans. It is a good concept, but they have got to be robust, they have got to be well managed and they have got to actually deliver, rather than having projects which are blowing out to such extraordinary lengths that they threaten the viability of a number of other projects. Thus, it is disappointing that the $800 million blow-out on the $2.5 billion western corridor recycled water pipeline—a blow-out which is equivalent in cost to 38 schools or 136 police stations—is glossed over by the government as an acceptable cost variation. This is despite this project’s drought yield being revised down to only 140 megalitres a day. That 140 megalitres a day is about the same yield as the $1.2 billion Gold Coast desalination plant—a desalination plant which is half the price of the western corridor pipeline. I applaud the engineering abilities of the pipeline’s builders but question the cost control, contracting and poor strategic decision making of the government which has led to this unacceptable blow-out. Airport Link provides one more case of government budgeting incompetence. Airport Link was reported at estimates to be $3.4 billion. Premier Anna Bligh previously said that the state government’s contribution would only be $47 million, but after the estimates process it was revealed that the state government’s contribution had now risen to $267 million. I heard the minister say before, ‘We didn’t ask about this cost blow-out.’ Well, he did not reveal it. He had a duty of disclosure to the people of Queensland. This government covered up a significant increase in taxpayer liability in regard to this project. This is after he lauded what a wonderful financial success their mechanisms for funding it were. This once again raises a question of whether they really know what they are doing in regard to appropriate scoping and costing of their projects. Finally, I turn to Queensland’s new convoluted water bureaucracy—a beast of unknown costs and destined to blow out even further than what Peter Beattie promised the Water Commission would cost. A few years ago the then Premier said that it would be $2 million, and this year it will be a $24.1 million bureaucracy. Time expired. Mr STEVENS (Robina—Lib) (12.40 pm): Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mr Simon Finn, the Chair of Estimates Committee A, on his fair and considerate leadership of the committee. Mr Lawlor: What has gone wrong with you, Ray? Mr STEVENS: He did a very good job, member for Southport. I would also like to congratulate the minister, Mr Schwarten, my opposite in the government ranks, for fronting up and attempting to answer most of the issues that I raised off his own bat with minimal assistance from government officers. I appreciate that. At least he has a handle on his portfolio even if he cannot quite give us the answers that we need to go forward for the betterment of both of these areas of public works and affordable housing. 2356 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

I did raise these issues at the committee but I would like to reiterate them, because they are very important and they will keep coming up again. In relation to the issue of asbestos, which is on everyone’s lips, throughout school communities in particular, the government’s hiding—for want of a better word—of the actual number of materials that are highly suspect throughout the school system should stop. The information should be made available to the opposition, to the media and to the people involved with those schools. Quite clearly, that is an issue that is carried on throughout the commercial industries and all the government buildings in relation to the requirement for private enterprise commercial activities to have audits conducted annually by professional auditors. The government only requires itself to do its own audits on these issues. I am sure that will come back to haunt us one day when we become the government. We will end up being sued for the mistakes of the Labor Party government. I honestly believe that, if you are going to inflict an annual audit upon commercial buildings for the protection of workers, then it is incumbent upon the government to provide that same protection to its workers through its own auditing process. Those issues will raise their heads again next year if not addressed. Greenhouse gas emissions were an issue in the estimates committee and one which was of particular interest to me. Quite clearly the government officers and the minister responsible had not completed much work on this particular area. I put them on notice for next year that, given the issuings from the government in relation to their concerns on climate change, concerns on emissions— Mr Moorhead interjected. Mr STEVENS: I take the member for Waterford’s interjection in relation to next year. We might be having an election before next year, so it might be pre-emptive. You might be asking me questions next year. I thank the member for Waterford for that interjection. Mr Shine: Dream on! Mr STEVENS: Well, we live in interesting times. In relation to other areas in housing, of particular concern was the lack of more public housing throughout Queensland. The money that is going in is disappearing somewhere through the traps, and it is very hard to find out where all the federal government money and the state government money is going when we have not seen an increase in public housing in Queensland. All members would have the same situation throughout their areas. Public housing has been identified as a particular shortage on the Gold Coast. Quite clearly there is a need for better public housing provision. Selling public housing stock to fund other public housing is not the way forward. It is not giving us the answer that we need. In relation to the new housing policy, I believe that Queensland Shelter, as the sole arbiter, is going to make it very difficult for other groups that have requirements to be heard in a fair and equitable manner, particularly when Queensland Shelter is completely funded by the government. So it will be serving the government’s message in any shape or form the government requires. I know that this issue falls into the Speaker’s section of the estimates, but I would like to remind him that the piano in the Lucinda Bar needs tuning urgently after last night’s efforts. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hoolihan): Order! Perhaps the member for Robina could hold that over until the debate on the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill. Hon. AM BLIGH (South Brisbane—ALP) (Premier) (12.45 pm): At the outset I would like to thank the committee for its detailed examination of the units and independent agencies in my portfolio. The estimates committee process is an integral part of openness and accountability to which my government is absolutely committed. I believe it is important for the government to be put under scrutiny in this way. I would like to take the opportunity to address some of the comments made in the opposition leader’s statement of reservations, which I have to say is churlish in tone. I note that the opposition has chosen to make similar remarks about the estimates committee process, as it did in previous years like a broken record. All I can say is that, if the opposition had any serious concerns in this regard, they would have been raised in 2004 when the motion to adopt the revised standing orders was debated. There were no comments at all about the process at that time. Regarding the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, I reject the assertion by the Leader of the Opposition that comments made at the committee’s hearing were misleading or that the role of the commissioner has been politicised. If the Leader of the Opposition honestly believed that misleading comments were made, he has an obligation to refer them to the Members’ Ethics and Parliamentary Privileges Committee, and of course he has not done so. The commissioner’s independence has been amply demonstrated through the publication of a range of independent reports, submissions and surveys. I would have thought that the role of the Commissioner for Children and Young People and Child Guardian is one that should, like other independent commissioner roles, enjoy complete bipartisan support. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2357

With respect to ministerial staff and criminal history checks of appointees, I think it is important to note that, as general employees under section 147 of the Public Service Act, ministerial staff are assessed prior to engagement. There is no requirement under the act for general employees, whether they are in ministerial offices or other parts of the public sector, to be subject to criminal history checks. Like all public servants, ministerial staff are subject to a code of conduct. The Leader of the Opposition expressed a great deal of concern that the government had renewed investment in the internet domain Peter Beattie.com. This is one of the several domains acquired and transferred to the state as a consequence of a legal action started a number of years ago. The registration cost of this domain was a staggering $69.30! Mr Lawlor: He has big issues in mind. Ms BLIGH: It is up there with the big issues. I would also like to respond to the Leader of the Opposition’s comments in relation to the carbon footprint of government. As I advised the committee at the hearing, government departments will be reporting information on carbon emissions or their equivalent in the 2007-08 annual reports of government. This information will, for the first time ever, form baseline reporting data as my government moves to standardise reporting on carbon emissions or their equivalent in line with international reporting guidelines and standards. For anyone who was at the committee hearing or who has read the transcript, they will know that what the Leader of the Opposition was really complaining about was that I did not answer a question that he did not ask. The reality is that he asked the wrong question and the blame for that cannot be laid at my door. We see the usual material in the statement of reservations about borrowings. I think it is important members understand that, while the Leader of the Opposition is using his time to criticise the borrowing program of government, he is attending Property Council lunches and giving absolute commitments that he will maintain every one of the borrowings that government has. Mr Shine: A hypocrite. Ms BLIGH: It is nothing short of hypocrisy. It could even be said to be misleading. The infrastructure that this state is building will be in place for many decades to come. It is a well-grounded principle that the cost of infrastructure should be borne by both current and future taxpayers. The real truth about Estimates Committee A is that this was the first opportunity that the Leader of the Opposition, having been Leader of the Opposition on two different occasions, had to put me as Premier under scrutiny. The truth is that he ran out of questions. It was a bit embarrassing. Just after half time of the committee he had to start piggybacking on the questions being asked by government members. The Leader of the Opposition is very lucky that government members were asking such interesting questions. It was clear that he had run out of steam, he had no more written questions and he had not done any further homework. As we have said many times, this is one of the most well-resourced oppositions and the laziest in the country. This is the member who proposes that estimates committees on each portfolio should run for two to three days instead of three to four hours. If the Leader of the Opposition cannot sustain his effort for three hours I would hate to see what would happen over three days. This government is very serious about the accountability mechanisms of this parliament. I congratulate the officers of the parliament and the members of the committee for their work. I also take the opportunity to congratulate my ministers, who I think demonstrated beyond doubt that they are well and truly across their portfolios. Hon. RE SCHWARTEN (Rockhampton—ALP) (Minister for Public Works, Housing and Information and Communication Technology) (12.50 pm): I thank all members of the committee for the afternoon of grilling, ably chaired by Simon Finn. I must say that I was dismayed by the actions of the shadow minister. The next day there was a media release put out which corrected things that I said during the hearing. I know how these things work. Mr Stevens: It wasn’t my release. Mr SCHWARTEN: No. I suspect that the release was put out by somebody else. I am sure that those people got the benefit of the wisdom of the shadow minister as a result. I will not go into that any further. I want to make some comments on a couple of points made in the statement of reservation. One point related to the sale of a house at Woolloongabba. If the shadow minister had checked this with me I would have been able to tell him that we do not necessarily sell all the properties to tenants. Not all the houses that we sell are sold to tenants. If they are in a state of disrepair or in a place that we cannot redevelop or if they have been creating neighbourhood exhaustion, they are sold. In other words, if a tenant has mental health issues and has created neighbourhood disturbances then it is very difficult to put people back into that house. Where neighbours have been given grief we sell the properties. 2358 Ministerial Statement 27 Aug 2008

The one at Woolloongabba was sold to a private person for $482,000. What happened to the $482,000? It was reinvested in a better prospect in the area. Mr Stevens: You can buy two for that price. Mr SCHWARTEN: We probably did. We have spent $100 million in the last two months. We spend about $4 million every day. We are out there, going like the clappers, trying to buy as much housing as we can. The opposition also expressed issues with Q-Fleet. It said that we had too many surplus vehicles and it would be a better idea if we sold them. We do not keep surplus vehicles; we actually sell them. We had 808 vehicles for sale at the time of the committee hearing. Over the 2007-08 financial year Q- Fleet has maintained return vehicle levels at six per cent of the total fleet. On average, this is well below the 10 per cent threshold that we set for ourselves. The opposition said that the government could do a bit better in terms of getting the message out there that we have unclaimed bonds. If the shadow minister has any great ideas about how we might do that, he should let me know. We send out media releases. We notify the newspapers. I notice the member for Springwood is nodding. She is one who puts out media releases in her local paper and does interviews, as do other members. But we still have people who either do not or will not reclaim those bonds. I pick up the clips on this every year. Kerry Shine, who is in the chamber, is big on this. Paul Hoolihan in Keppel is big on this. If the shadow minister has a great idea about how we can get this out to people then he should let me know and I will do it. Short of standing in a public place and screaming it out and drawing attention to myself, I cannot think of any other way of doing it—and I am not sure that would work anyway. True to form, those opposite gave Goprint a belt. They think we should privatise it. Mr Stevens interjected. Mr SCHWARTEN: You are not alone in doing that. Everyone who has sat in that position before you has done that. I will always defend Goprint, as I do all the business units that we have. The people who work in that business are highly skilled and highly professional. Last night at about a quarter to nine a Goprint car pulled up outside and a worker got out and brought the Treasurer’s bill into this House. I do not know what we would pay a private enterprise person to do that. It would cost a lot more to have them on call. Yes, we have issues. We are working through those issues within government. It is not as though we have sat idly by and allowed it to deteriorate. I can tell the shadow minister that whoever is sitting in his place next year—and I hope it is still him—will be asking me the same thing and condemning me for having Goprint. That is the way tories are. Mr Stevens: It might be you sitting in my place. Mr SCHWARTEN: I will have a little bet with you, my friend. You can get plenty of odds and plenty of start with me. I notice somebody suggested that we were lacklustre in our performances. I do not think I was ever given a question that I could not answer off the cuff. I have an excellent department. I want to thank the people in the department who worked hard on this process. I think it is a very valuable process because it also assists me in working with the department every year to bring those sorts of answers up. The work that goes into it is well worth it. I look forward to the process again next year. Time expired. Report adopted. Hon. RE SCHWARTEN (Rockhampton—ALP) (Leader of the House) (12.57 pm): I move— That the House defer its consideration of the Appropriation Bill in order to consider the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill. Question put—That the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to. Sitting suspended from 12.57 pm to 2.30 pm. Debate, on motion of Mr Mickel, adjourned.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

Riverside Boardwalk Hon. RJ MICKEL (Logan—ALP) (Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations) (2.30 pm), by leave: The state government has been advised by the Port of Brisbane Authority that a section of the city reach boardwalk must be closed for this year’s Riverfire. An investigation has discovered that a 70-metre section of the boardwalk at Admiralty Quays does not meet safety standards for the event. The Riverwalk from Boundary Street to Macrossan Street—between the Story Bridge and Customs House—will be closed today for up to three months for essential maintenance work to be carried out. This decision follows the recommendations of a report 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2359 commissioned by the Port of Brisbane Authority. We received advice last night that the section in question would represent an unacceptable risk during Riverfire. Meetings with key stakeholders were held this morning and the decision was made to close the section immediately. Perhaps I am being overcautious, but this was a difficult decision to make and the safety of the public is paramount. Engineers found that parts of the concrete surface of the walkway have split from the supporting planks underneath. The advice given to me is that these cracks do not present a risk under normal use but that crowds during Riverfire on the walkway would pose problems. The investigation examined two sections of the boardwalk—the Admiralty Quays and the 145-175 Eagle Street sections. These two sections had been identified by the Port of Brisbane Authority as potential trouble spots. The Eagle Street section was found suitable to stay open under controlled conditions. We have no reason to believe that any other sections of the boardwalk are at risk. The consultants did raise the need for works at the Eagle Street section but passed it as safe for Riverfire under controlled conditions. Ownership and management of the walkway is currently shared between Brisbane City Council, the state government and private interests. Last week the state government made an in-principle arrangement for Brisbane City Council to take full control of planning, maintenance and management of the boardwalk. This arrangement, as I am advised, will not be affected by today’s announcement. This walkway has become an iconic feature of Brisbane and it is a much-loved public facility. We will work with Brisbane City Council to ensure it is safely reopened for the public as soon as possible.

APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL

APPROPRIATION BILL

Consideration in Detail (Cognate Debate) Resumed from p. 2358. Appropriation (Parliament) Bill

Estimates Committee A

Report No. 1

Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Palaszczuk): Order! The question is— That report No. 1 of Estimates Committee A be adopted. Mr FINN (Yeerongpilly—ALP) (2.33 pm): I rise in support of the Appropriation (Parliament) Bill and in particular the consideration of report No. 1 of Estimates Committee A relating to the examination of expenditure for the Legislative Assembly. The Appropriation Bill outlines a vote of $64.5 million and includes an amount of $3.5 million in capital expenditure for the operation of the Assembly. At the outset I acknowledge the cooperation of all members of the committee in the process of the examination of this section of the appropriation and the day-to-day work of the committee. By nature of our democratic system there are differing views about the detail of appropriation. My work as chair of this committee was made easier by this cooperation. Much of the hearing deliberation related to questioning by the Leader of the Opposition regarding parliamentary security. Members who have been coming into this place for a while know well how precinct security has been upgraded. Just a few short years ago there was no scanning of visitors and unlimited lift access to most floors of the Annexe. Implementing an adequate level of security accords with community expectation, and the current and former Speakers are to be commended for their efforts to bring security up to standard. A particular focus of the Leader of the Opposition’s questioning related to detail regarding detection of items at security screening points and confiscation of knives from schoolchildren. The Speaker reported that such incidents were very rare, that if contraband items were found in school bags they were returned to the schoolteachers and that those incidents were so rare that there was not any need to raise any heightened security concerns. It was commented on to me by one of the wags in this place that discussion at previous estimates hearings on this area of appropriation was about knives going out of the place and this time it was about knives coming in! Given the work that is undertaken in the Assembly and the impacts of legislative decisions on the lives of Queenslanders, that a discussion of security concerns can focus on schoolchildren with pen knives reflects the broad safety of our community as well as the respectful democracy that all of us, 2360 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008 schoolchildren included, live and work in. The Speaker also reported on the ongoing security program in electorate offices and the reports provided by the Security Intelligence Branch and the State Crime Operations Command of the Queensland Police Service. In responding to questions by government members, the Speaker made reference to the Healthsmart Program, which provides health advice to parliamentary staff and members. Whilst it is not reflected in the transcript of the hearing, I am sure the Leader of the Opposition will not mind me reporting his support when the Speaker was commended for implementing the Healthsmart Program. Members and parliamentary staff work in a stressful environment, and the provision of preventative health support and advice reflects the work of the Speaker to uphold the Assembly as a good employer and to address the broader need for preventative health measures in our community and workplaces. The Speaker also addressed regional sittings of parliament, a successful and popular program developed by this government, and the taking of parliamentary democracy to Cairns later this year. The kitchen refurbishment program was reported on, along with the increase in output of the Catering Services department, which has delivered in excess of 1,000 functions attended by more than 50,000 people per annum in each of the last four years. I also note the statement of reservation submitted by the Leader of the Opposition. These reservations fall into two broad categories—those that relate to generalities of estimates proceedings and some specific matters relevant to the work of the committee, and I want to comment on a couple of the specifics. In relation to electorate office security, the Speaker provided a detailed response to a question on notice and included access for the Leader of the Opposition to the detailed report of the electorate office security working group. The recommendations of the report are still under consideration, and the Speaker reported confidence in gaining funding support for the implementation of recommendations in future appropriation. The issues raised in the reservation regarding equity withdrawal were addressed by the Speaker through response to questioning that there are no planned capital projects from which funding has been removed or reduced as a result of the equity withdrawal. In relation to the impact on the precinct of the proposed North Bank development, the Speaker reported that he had spoken with government about the development and that the Parliamentary Service was represented in the inquiry-by-design workshops. The Speaker reported the involvement of the Parliamentary Service, his concern to preserve the precinct, his focus on ensuring adequate parking provision and the fact that a development proposal has not been finalised. I find it a little bit curious that this is a statement of reservation. I felt that the Speaker addressed the North Bank development and its impacts on the parliament in some detail. As was mentioned earlier in this debate, I want to thank the committee secretariat for its work on Estimates Committee A—Rob Hansen, Erin Pasley and Kellie Moule—for their diligence and commitment to assisting the work of the committee. I commend the report of Estimates Committee A and the appropriation to the House. Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Darling): Order! Before calling the member for Southern Downs I welcome students, teachers and staff from Buddina State School in the gallery today from the electorate of Kawana, which is represented in this chamber by Mr Steve Dickson. Mr SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) (2.39 pm): This is an area that is of particular interest to members of parliament, because it is to do with one of the arms of our responsibility which many of us avail ourselves of for a fair amount of time during the year. I know in my case I probably spend more time here than I do anywhere else in Queensland. So the running of the parliamentary precinct is something that is of vital importance not only to me but also to other MPs, and I think staff here as well. I am generally very happy and comfortable, as most of my colleagues would be, with regard to the Speaker’s running of the parliamentary precinct. I have shared those thoughts. But it is up to us to raise issues and matters of concern. A moment ago the chairman mentioned the Healthsmart Program which was put in place by the Speaker. I would like to commend the Speaker for that program. I think it is an excellent program and it was certainly taken up well in the assessment process and in the few weeks directly after that. But, as everyone knows, we have to make sure and encourage members of parliament to ensure that the momentum and the commitment to the program is carried forward. It is certainly the most extensive program that has been put in place in the time that I have been in this place and the Speaker deserves commendation for that. One thing that I did notice—and I was going to speak to the Speaker privately about it—is that, whilst we have some very good new equipment in the gym, some of the walking or running machines need a little bit of a tune-up. The other morning I was on one of the machines doing intervals and I was having trouble getting up to a particular speed. Maybe Mr Speaker could take that on notice and have the equipment looked at. I went from one to the other to the other and they all had the same issues of racing a little bit. Whilst they are excellent pieces of equipment, obviously they are high-tech machines and you are dealing with moving parts so it is necessary to ensure that they are continually serviced. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2361

I also commend all of those who were involved in the preparation and the presentation of the parliament for the swearing-in of the new Governor. I think it was an absolutely wonderful day. It concerns me a great deal that there is so much questioning about the ceremony surrounding the swearing-in of the Governor and the cost. In the overall context of democracy and good governance in Queensland, the cost associated with that ceremony is absolutely nothing. The problem is that people spend too much time questioning the traditions and those who make the administration of government better in Queensland instead of looking at what they offer, the history and the fact that we have to do these things. If people are going to criticise that administration, they should be prepared to put forward alternatives to it. Certainly, the dignity of Her Excellency Penelope Wensley when she was sworn in did us all proud. The same applies to the outgoing Governor of Queensland, Quentin Bryce. As a Queenslander, I was proud of the presentation. As a Queenslander, I was pleased to be able to participate in it. I think all Queenslanders should be proud of it. We should look at what we do in this wonderful institution. Queensland has an excellent and proud history of governors in this state who have served the state extremely well with a great degree of compassion, a great degree of application and a great degree of intelligence. They have never caused any controversy. I believe that is the important thing—the way they have carried out their ceremonial duties and also their important governance duties. With regard to North Bank, I would question why we are all a little bit in the dark about what is actually going on. Whilst it is true that the Speaker indicated that there had been some discussions with regard to the potential impact on the car parking in the parliamentary precinct, what is going to happen remains very unclear. The government is unclear about what it is going to do with North Bank and what impact it will have upon the parliamentary precinct, particularly the staff and visitors who park in that area. That in itself is going to create some issues. What are the contingencies if that area is lost to the parliamentary precinct? I commend the staff. I think they do a wonderful job in looking after us here in the parliamentary precinct, whether they be in Hansard, in catering, in security, in gardening, or in housekeeping—you name it. They do a wonderful job in looking after us. They are professional in all of their duties. Certainly, as one of Queensland’s 89 representatives, it makes me extremely proud to be able to come here, to be able to serve here and to be able to work with such wonderful people. Ms STONE (Springwood—ALP) (2.44 pm): As a member of Estimates Committee A, it gives me great pleasure to speak in support of report No. 1. I would like to take this opportunity to compliment the chair, parliamentary staff and departmental staff on their professionalism and efficient handling of the estimates process. Report No. 1 of Estimates Committee A provides details gathered from budget papers, answers to prehearing questions on notice, evidence taken at the hearing and additional information given in answers on the particular area of the Legislative Assembly and the Parliamentary Service. I must say that during the process it was very clear that we are making this House—the people’s House—available to people at every possible opportunity. There is great encouragement for domestic and international visitors, for Queenslanders and for as many school students and their teachers and parents as possible to tour this grand building. For everyone who has been involved in the open days and other activities that are held so that people can come and enjoy this wonderful House, I commend you on that important work. Like every business and every household, we all work within our budgetary constraints. Of course, there are some who do it better than others. I have to say that the staff here in all areas of the parliament do a wonderful job. I do not have time to speak to all of the areas related to this part of the budget, but I want to take the time to acknowledge the implementation of a range of electorate office security initiatives following a comprehensive security review that was conducted in 2007-08. I particularly want to mention this, as I know this is important to all electorate staff throughout the state. My staff certainly welcomed this review and the outcomes that have since been implemented, and I believe all electorate staff will probably feel the same. Another area that I believe is very important is the parliamentary education and information resources. I have to say the new fact sheets, historical booklets, changes to the parliament’s web site and that very distinctive marketing brand for the Queensland parliament are certainly wonderful to see. When the Speaker tabled the new-look resources, I was certainly surprised by how striking and bold they were. Everyone’s Parliament has a wide range of fact sheets, details, the roles and functions of parliament as well as the history of this wonderful building. We often hear people complain about not being a part of the democratic process or not being engaged in the decision making of our parliament. We as politicians also complain about how hard it is sometimes to engage people in the political process. I wonder just how much of that reluctance is because people have a lack of knowledge or a lack of understanding about our parliamentary process. This new kit has a lot of information. It is an easy tool to use for anyone who wants to know more about their parliament. I congratulate the Speaker on introducing that kit. I think it looks fantastic and I certainly will be handing it out in my electorate. 2362 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

I am extremely lucky, because I can have students in my electorate come into the House and sit in this chamber while I speak to them about parliament. It is also just as easy for me to go to the schools and talk to them in their classrooms about how they can become involved in the parliamentary process and learn about the different levels of government. But not everyone in this chamber has that choice. That is why it is so important that we recognise that it is impractical for people in the regions, especially those in the far-northern and western areas of the state, to come and visit parliament. That is why I believe taking the parliament to the regions is so important. It has been successful in giving regional people an opportunity to witness their parliament at work and also to interact with MPs from all over the state and discuss the issues that are important to them. It has also given school students the opportunity to see their parliament at work. I look forward to this year’s far-north Queensland regional parliament. I commend all of those involved in regional parliaments, because they do a great job. Another program that schools in my electorate have been involved in is the youth parliament. I know that students from Shailer Park State High School always speak highly of their involvement in the youth parliaments that are held here throughout the year. On the day of the estimate committee hearings I was extremely pleased to hear from the Speaker that a youth parliament was held in Ingham, hosted by Abergowrie College. That regional youth parliament was the first one that was held north of Brisbane. I was very pleased to hear that 90 school students participated in that youth parliament at Ingham. Those students certainly got to see the procedures and processes of the Queensland parliament. That is just another great example of the parliament going out into the regions. On the day of the estimates committee hearing, school leaders from the high schools in my electorate came in to witness the proceedings. Students from Springwood State High School, John Paul College and Shailer Park State High School came in to witness the committee hearing into the Premier’s portfolio estimates. They enjoyed it very much. They could see another example of the workings of parliament, not just a normal sitting day. It certainly gave us plenty to talk about over lunch. I am pleased that I was able to bring those students in for the estimates committee hearing and I wish them well for their future. I am also pleased to see that water efficiency programs have been put in place in the building. I know that with heritage buildings it is very hard to keep facilities up to a standard that meets the expectations of people today. So I am pleased that we are focusing on the efficiency measures and how we can implement them. With those words, I commend report No. 1 of Estimates Committee A to the House. Hon. KR LINGARD (Beaudesert—NPA) (2.49 pm): Previously in estimates hearings I have criticised the conditions of the gardens at Parliament House. May I say that in the past 12 months quite obviously the rose gardens have returned to their previous grandeur. I congratulate the parliamentary gardening staff for that. I have also criticised the fact that the statue of TJ Ryan was placed in the upper chamber, although I notice it has since been removed. Obviously I was not criticising TJ Ryan himself, but of all people TJ Ryan would not have wanted his statue in the upper chamber. The previous Speaker did not understand the history behind that. I do not mind where the statue of TJ Ryan is but, for his sake, it should never be returned to the upper house. I congratulate the Speaker for the support he extends to different groups, especially the CPA, the Australasian Study of Parliament Group and the youth parliaments. In my latter years in parliament I have come to see the significance of supporting and mixing with other parliamentarians, both state and federal. Tomorrow the Speaker is meeting with the chief executive of the Australian Parliamentary Sports Club, and I would like to say some complimentary words about the club. I wish to outline some of the things that the parliamentary sports group does because there are people who criticise it. In Queensland we have had hardly any contact with the club, yet other parliaments have considered it to be very important. The Council for Inter-Parliamentary Sport Australia, CIPSA, is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Australian Parliamentary Sports Club. The club exists to foster international relations development and friendship as part of a worldwide movement. Members participate in a number of sporting events throughout the year across a range of sports including cricket, football, golf, rugby, tennis, netball, snooker and many others. Internationally, Australia is one of eight participating nations under the control of the Council of Inter-Parliamentary Sport. Nelson Mandela, former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg are keen supporters. In New Zealand, numerous frontbench politicians have played for the teams. At various times Australia was able to field 26 members of parliament and senators when winning the parliamentary Rugby World Cup in Sydney. In Paris Australia was undefeated until defeated by New Zealand. People would be amazed if they knew of the strength of this parliamentary sports club. In Paris seven countries participated in the competition, including 30 parliamentarians from South Africa alone. Ireland fielded a team, as did New Zealand, Argentina, France, Scotland, England, South Africa and Australia. The group has always embraced three central themes. We encourage participation in sport for people of all abilities with a view to improving fitness, health and enjoyment. There are in excess of 75 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2363 active members drawn from federal and state parliaments. We build and strengthen relationships with parliamentarians and businesses from around Australia and internationally. Over $150,000 has been raised through the generosity of our sponsors since we started the program in August 2005. I have no qualms in saying that I have just returned from Canberra where I played at the Royal Canberra Golf Club, where one has the opportunity to play against diplomats. There were diplomats from Belgium, Japan and Indonesia, against whom I played. It is very important that diplomats have some contact with parliamentarians and that parliamentarians make some contact with diplomats. Golf, snooker and tennis are games that make that sort of contact possible. However, in Queensland we are still reluctant to participate in what has been a very important activity at the Australian parliamentary level. While I have got into more than enough trouble as far as the sports parliamentary association is concerned, I believe that it is very important and Queensland is turning its back on it. As we have seen from the reactions of many members who have listened to me this afternoon, it is regarded as a little bit of a funny joke. It is not regarded as a funny joke in places like Canberra. Mr LEE (Indooroopilly—ALP) (2.54 pm): I am delighted to rise in the House today in support of this estimates committee report. I want to start by putting on record once again my strong support for the community engagement initiatives undertaken by the Queensland parliament. It is always important that parliaments are open to the whole community so that the entire community can feel free to engage with the institution of parliament. I wish to comment on something said by the previous member. For the most part my state seat is within the federal electorate of Ryan. TJ Ryan is someone for whom I have great admiration, particularly in light of his achievements. While I do not suggest that I can know exactly what he would think about having his statue in the upper house, I suspect he would have smiled. It really made my day when I visited the upper house to tell people the story of why Queensland does not have an upper house. I would go through the history of his frustrations with the conservatives who served in the upper house. They represented property and insurance industry interests and they blocked our world-leading workers compensation legislation. I do not think enough people in this state know why the upper house was abolished. One of the principle reasons was that the insurance industry interests in the upper house did not want a state-run universal workers compensation system. Instead, they wanted a Santo Santoro style hotchpotch where, depending on your employer, you might be covered or you might not be covered for injuries at work. That was at a time before there was social security, so people who were injured at work had some serious issues to contend with, as did their families. I must say it brought a smile to my face every time I told those stories to my constituents and visitors from overseas, and I was able to point to the bust of TJ Ryan and say, ‘That was the fellow who played a significant role in doing that.’ In terms of community engagement, I am a huge supporter of the way that the Queensland parliament has led Australia in electronic engagement. We are at the forefront of e-petitions. I think we were the first state in the Commonwealth to have e-petitions and we are still well ahead of the federal government in that regard. I have sponsored around a dozen e-petitions on a range of diverse topics such as transport, the environment and health issues. It is a popular way for people to engage with the parliament. E-petitions are a modern way of keeping the community engaged with the work that members do in this place. The e-petition system is working exceptionally well and when systems do work well we should build upon that success. Recently I was thinking about the next meaningful form of electronic community engagement that the parliament could undertake. I would humbly suggest that the parliament might want to consider making use of modern technologies such as YouTube. I imagine that a Queensland parliamentary channel would perhaps be pitching towards a niche market, but I think it is important that this information is available to the community. For example, a suggestion was made to me that you could have a three- to four-minute section on each question and answer during question time. You could very quickly place online speeches that members make during private members’ statements or adjournment debates. You would have the capacity to play major legislation online and people all over the world could download it in a format that they are used to using. Again I put on record my gratitude to the Parliamentary Service for the bike racks at the front of the building. They are very well used. With public buildings it is very important that we make cycling easy. Once again, I say how pleased I am that that has been achieved. I want to thank the good folk in the education section for the important work they do with the Queensland Parliamentary Internship Program. I have always been a strong supporter of this program. I hope that it continues well into the future. I also want to acknowledge the security personnel in this place. I have always found them to be incredibly helpful and I think they do an excellent job. I am delighted to support this report. Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (2.59 pm): It is my pleasure to rise and speak to the Estimates Committee A report on the Legislative Assembly. I am privileged to be on the Speaker’s Advisory Committee. I read the transcript of the estimates hearing, and I note the Speaker’s reference to 2364 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008 the fact that any committee deliberations are confidential. I want to commend the Speaker for the establishment of this committee. It is certainly a good way for us to be able to get matters directly to the Speaker. I want to mention a couple of other things that were discussed in the report. I know that the training program for electorate office staff is greatly appreciated, even for long-serving staff. I have a very long-serving electorate officer, Josie Stinson, who has been with about four members, but even she realises the need and appreciates the effort to get her to Brisbane for training sessions a couple of times a year. I stress that I really do think that the security audit is important, and we have seen a number of issues canvassed in the media. For example, something happened in the Cook electorate office some time ago. Even I have concerns. Even though we have a screen in our office, you just do not know when someone comes into your office what is going to happen. We do not want any incidents to happen. I think the Speaker, as well as the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service, should be congratulated for progressing the security audit and the arrangements that the Speaker mentioned in that hearing. I was interested to hear the comments by the honourable member for Beaudesert. I did just have the pleasure of having lunch with the Consul-General from Japan. I mentioned to him, as I have already mentioned to the Speaker, my interest in setting up a parliamentary friendship group, as the Speaker has already done with the Queensland-China Parliamentary Friendship Group, which I am pleased to be in. I think the point the member for Beaudesert was making is that there are many different ways of engaging with members of parliament and other people whom we may meet throughout our travels. Sport is one where you might be able to have relationships with people and from such things comes friendship. If sport is a way for parliamentarians to interact and catch up in different areas, then I am happy to say that I have joined that sporting group. I have not been to anything yet. I may never go to anything. But it is no different from my joining the Australasian Study of Parliament Group, and I was happy to go to the conference here and contribute in whatever way I could and support the processes of parliament. I am also happy to be a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and happy to support many of the activities of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It is all part of our wider education and learning about the place—just as being on committees, just as giving speeches, just as doing research. We all learn, and I think it is very narrow minded to be criticising someone who is the father of the House for the way that he has chosen to serve his community and for the way that he has obviously been returned by his community a number of times to this place. I think that is something we should keep in mind rather than the narrow, petty, small-minded attitude that might get us a bit of story in the paper but in the end diminishes us all. I think it would be nice if we could give some allowance to the father of the House, the honourable member for Beaudesert, in what he already acknowledges is his last term. He was happy enough to face up to those issues today and express his true feelings about it. We all got the email about whether you want to join this sporting organisation. As I say, I do not look for reasons not to be in things, whether it is going to something in my electorate or whether it is joining something to do with the parliament. If the Speaker rules that we should not be in it, then we might discuss that and debate that at a different time and that might be fine. But until then let us not get to the stage of the Western Australian parliament where the Western Australian Premier is talking about such big issues as closing the bar in his parliament during their election campaign. I think sometimes we should be above all these sorts of things and consider the wider picture. I also commend the Speaker for the initiative of the Youth Parliament. My daughter was the youth member for Robina in the Youth Parliament. Anything that gets the kids involved is a good initiative. She really enjoyed the process. I understand that there are some problems with future funding for that. The Speaker and I have already had discussions about that. I commend the Parliamentary Service for Everyone’s Parliament and the information that we received lately. In the time available to me, following some feedback that I have had, members’ executive support levels 9 to 13 suggest that there should be electronic scanning capability for one of these floors— perhaps with the supervising executive assistant on level 11, as when I wanted to have something incorporated in Hansard the executive assistant on level 9 had to go to the library to get the item scanned before forwarding it to Hansard, so it just made it a little more difficult. With those comments, I commend the committee’s report. Mr ENGLISH (Redlands—ALP) (3.05 pm): I am extremely proud to stand here in this House and represent the good people of the electorate of Redlands. It is quite an honour to be elected to state parliament. Occasionally—and I think we have all experienced this—when an issue blows up in our electorate, one of the common threats that is made to sitting members is that, ‘If you don’t deliver or if your government doesn’t deliver a certain outcome, then I’m not going to vote for you at the next 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2365 election.’ I take a similar attitude to our democracy as I do to the legal system: what works for you today will work against you tomorrow. Let us look at the system and assess it. Is it generally producing good outcomes? At the end of the day I strongly suspect that at some point in time I will get thrown out of this House or, as I would like to argue, the people of my electorate will think I am in dire need of retirement and will vote to give me a break. But realistically I do love our democracy, and this House, this parliament, is the embodiment of our democratic institution. Unfortunately, democracy comes at a cost. The cost of running this parliament is considerable, but I would like to challenge those people who deride our democratic institutions: what would be the personal, the human, the social cost of not living in what is this beautiful and robust democracy? There is no doubt that if you were a strict economic rationalist the most effective form of government is definitely a benevolent dictatorship, but it is not a form of government that I support or want for our state or for our country. The estimates committee reviewed the expenditure of running parliament, of running our electorate offices and providing members with the resources not only to do their job here in the chamber but also to do their job out there in the electorates. In my opinion, I think 80 per cent of our time is spent focused on our electorates, so the resources we need out there are considerable, but the resources needed to run this place are also considerable. In the last few years we have seen a huge effort on behalf of successive Speakers and parliament as an institution to actively engage with the community. I remember the very first groundbreaking regional parliament, and what a great event it was. At the time there was some criticism of the cost. But this morning in parliament I had one of my local schools bring through three classes of grade 7 students to witness democracy in action. We have to not just have a south-east Queensland focus but we have to take parliament to the regions. We take it for granted here in south-east Queensland that our schools and community groups can come into parliament and have a barbecue or attend a function here. That is not the case for regional Queensland. We need to broaden our view. I believe that this institution and Speakers are actively doing that. We have seen under Speaker Reynolds the creation of a Community Engagement Unit. Again, I have seen firsthand the value of that, particularly with the significant improvement and increase in Indigenous engagement. I would like to compliment Brett Nutley in particular. Brett attended a NAIDOC Week celebration at one of my schools. I know the students were very, very impressed at having Brett there, as were the staff and members of the local Indigenous community. Again, when you look at the budget and review the expenditure for this parliament, I do not know of any politician who is ever going to win one lousy vote arguing for increased expenditure on politicians. We are marginally higher or maybe significantly lower than used car salesmen in people’s perception. Mr Hoolihan: We’re higher. Mr ENGLISH: We are higher, are we? Ms Jones: Higher. Mr ENGLISH: Again, we do not win votes by spending money on politicians, but I think we invest in our democracy by spending reasonable resources, reasonable amounts of money on allowing parliament to function and by actively getting out there and engaging with our community. There was a significant IT spend to underpin the rollout of the e-petition process but, if you go to the web site and look at the number of e-petitions that members from across the state have sponsored over the last few years, you would have to say that it is a very, very successful mechanism for regional Queenslanders to engage with this parliament. I commend the report to the House. Mr HOOLIHAN (Keppel—ALP) (3.10 pm): I was one of the members of this committee, as will be seen by the report, and I would like to thank the research director and his staff and also the other members not only of the government but also the opposition for their approach to this estimates committee. I know there is a lot of criticism about not reaching consensus, but in this instance I think every one of us, as we just heard from the member for Redlands, really has a great love of the democracy in which we presently serve. I get really sickened by letters that talk of times of Hitler and how the government is some sort of Nazi group, yet most of those people have never had the decency or even the get-up-and-go to come into this House or come anywhere near parliament or most of our offices to see just how democracy works. This estimates committee covers not only the cost of administering parliament; bear in mind that it covers the 94 electorate offices of the 89 members. Every one of those people out there whom we represent can come to our offices because they know that is where they go to get assistance, to get help with their own problem or even sometimes to just let us know that they are not very happy with what is going on. In my day-to-day actions within the electorate, it really amazes me that people will make comments about parliament and how it operates and you will ask them, ‘Have you ever been to parliament?’ And they will say, ‘No.’ I would like to commend the current Speaker and previous 2366 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

Speakers for taking parliament out to the people. I know when we went to Rockhampton during the last term there were not as many people as I had anticipated who did attend, but the many people who went there were so impressed and were also humbled in that suddenly they understood how parliament worked and, indirectly, how hard most of the people within the parliament work. Money is not only expended on the 89 elected members. Money is expended on the staff members within the cafeteria area and within the whole Parliamentary Service. That is done not only so we can bring parliament to the people but also so we can bring democracy to the people and allow them to see that we do have a free and open government and that any money spent on that is spent to allow the citizens of this state to get the full benefit of that. We each relate to people in our own way. I know there are all sorts of comments about how well- off members are because we have these brilliant restaurant kitchens et cetera, and certainly we have had refurbishments over the last 12 months, but in real terms that does not benefit only us. The cafeteria area is for staff and the many people who come to this parliament to see how it works. Some of the funding has gone to youth parliaments, and there will be funding expended on the youth parliament held at Ingham. That allows our students to access parliament. We see many hundreds of school students come through this parliament every time we sit, and they also come when we do not sit. It does cost money to take out to the people of this state the democracy that we all serve and that we all believe in. We all spend our time here—and some of it is at times when many others are asleep—providing what we all believe is good government. I would like to commend the Speaker and his personal staff—and I know he has only a very small number of personal staff—and all of those people who work so hard to make parliament work. I supported the report and I have no reservations whatsoever in recommending its adoption. Mr SPEAKER: I would like to thank the chair and members of the estimates committee who scrutinised the work of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. As Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, I am very proud of the work that our Parliamentary Service does on a day-to- day basis. Indeed, the initiatives I have been able to bring in since I was elected Speaker on 10 October 2006 have really depended on the great support I have received from the Clerk of the Parliament, the directors, managers and staff of the Parliamentary Service, and of course the three staff members I have within my own personal office—Stephen, Julie and Eddie. I think many of the suggestions in regard to community engagement have been innovative, and I would like to particularly thank the members who have commented on the community engagement initiatives today. When I became Speaker, I indicated that we needed to have a much greater engagement with young people, regional Queenslanders and Indigenous people, and I would probably add to that now the work we are doing with people with a disability and the international people we work with on a constant basis as well. I commend highly the work of Community Engagement; it is a highly successful unit. Running the Parliamentary Service in this state parliament is a bigger job than it is in other state parliaments because we have a very diverse set of areas to look after, including managing a hotel. No other parliament in Australia has that area of management of accommodation for members. Also, in regard to the catering service, other parliaments have contracted out their catering, and I think it would be an extraordinarily retrograde step to commercialise those activities here. We have a very good Parliamentary Service right across-the-board. I wish to respond to some points of reservation made by the opposition leader. In regard to his comments on the budget papers, I would simply make the point that the format and presentation of the annual budget papers is a matter for the Treasurer. I think with the way we formatted and presented our budget papers we have ensured that, under that new reporting format, the independence of the parliament’s budget afforded by a separate Appropriation Bill has been maintained for this year via a stand-alone document in the Speaker’s Service Delivery Statements. In response to the second point regarding the impact of the proposed North Bank development, let me once again reiterate as I advised the committee that as Speaker I have a very personal interest in preserving the parliamentary precinct and, in the case of the parliament’s car parks, maintaining the capacity for constituents and other visitors to attend the precinct. This is an iterative process by the government, as we have heard in the parliament today, and I am confident that the government will continue to consult with me in that regard. Some comments were also made in regard to parliamentary security and the security of electorate offices. I again say that the advice I gave to the committee is that I am confident the government and the Premier, whom I have written to, have that issue in hand and I am looking forward to working with the government in regard to the implementation of the recommendations of that report. The fourth area relates to the withdrawal of equity. I say for the benefit of members that there is no connection between the equity withdrawal in furniture and furnishings in the Annexe, as suggested by the opposition leader, because the majority of furniture and furnishings are not deemed a capital expense and are therefore unaffected by any equity withdrawal. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2367

I conclude by saying that my staff have taken good note of what has been said by members today and we will follow up those suggestions. In response to the suggestion by the member for Indooroopilly that the parliament embrace technology such as YouTube to provide downloadable vision and audio of the proceedings, I am happy to advise that the next stage of the broadcasting of parliament project will provide that facility. I am happy to take on board the member’s suggestions as the next stage is developed. I thank the member for Surfers Paradise for the comments that he made about our advisory committee. I am trying to open up the work that I do as Speaker and that the Parliamentary Service does. I very much respect the input and feedback that I and the Parliamentary Service get from members and from our staff as well. At the end of the day, we are a true democracy and I think that is what the robustness of the parliament is all about. I would like to thank members of the estimates committees for their comments. Report adopted. Clauses 1 to 4, as read, agreed to. Schedule, as read, agreed to. Appropriation Bill

Estimates Committee B

Report Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The question is— That the report of Estimates Committee B be adopted. Ms DARLING (Sandgate—ALP) (3.21 pm): I rise to speak in support of the proposed expenditure for the portfolios of Treasury, Health, and Police, Corrective Services and Sport. I relish the opportunity to again chair an estimates committee, and I thank my parliamentary colleagues: the deputy chair and member for Moggill, the member for Ipswich West, the member for Burleigh, the member for Murrumba, the member for Gregory and the member for Surfers Paradise. I congratulate my colleagues the Treasurer, the Minister for Health, and the Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport on their engagement with the committee process and their professional approach to the examination of proposed expenditure in their respective portfolios. This was the first state budget for the current Treasurer, and he impressed the committee with his thorough responses. The ministers were all ably supported by senior departmental representatives, and Hansard and parliamentary staff ensured the day’s hearings ran smoothly. The secretariat support provided to Estimates Committee B by Stephen Finnimore, Allison Tait and Jennifer North was exemplary, and on behalf of the committee I thank them. Finally, I need to thank my electorate officer Di, who provides me with great support at estimates time. The Treasurer, Andrew Fraser, has crafted a budget for Queensland which provides some certainty in uncertain global economic times. It is a budget which expands both the social and economic infrastructure for the state. On 3 June this year Standard and Poor’s assessed the state budget and confirmed Queensland’s AAA rating. The budget focuses on essential service delivery into the future, with funding boosts to health, police and education, with a buffer of an $809 million surplus. The Treasurer was also able to demonstrate the government’s capacity to service the comparatively modest debt being incurred to continue essential infrastructure necessary for a growing state. The budget forecasts a generous surplus, not only this financial year but also for the subsequent three years. It is in this time of growth and expansion of state assets and net worth that it is most prudent to borrow to build now for future need. As John Mulcahy from Suncorp has been quoted as saying— Given the recent and projected growth of Queensland’s economy and population, it is absolutely necessary and appropriate to invest in the state’s transport, water, energy and health infrastructure now so future governments can continue to meet the needs of all Queenslanders. Steve Greenwood from the Property Council of Australia sums it up nicely. He has said— The property industry has argued strongly and consistently for an increase in both infrastructure delivery and borrowings to fund it. Many will argue long and loud that borrowing for infrastructure is bad, but they are wrong. There are reams of research that suggest that borrowing money delivers the best outcome for the community, the economy, the jobs market and the State Budget. The Minister for Health, Stephen Robertson, outlined proposed expenditure of a record budget of $8.3 billion for Queensland Health. This year’s additional funding focuses on emergency department admissions, birthing services, emergency surgery and extra services resulting from hospital redevelopments. $230 million has been allocated this year to progress work on three new tertiary hospitals in south-east Queensland valued at around $3.8 billion. I congratulate the minister on the progress of the recruitment strategy, which has delivered extra visiting medical officers from a headcount of 4,552, or 3,720 full-time equivalents, to 6,152, or 5,249 FTEs, in June 2008—an increase of 35 per cent since June 2005. 2368 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

Nurse numbers have increased by 24 per cent, from 17,126 FTEs to 21,434 FTEs. Allied health staff numbers have increased by 27 per cent, from 6,026 FTEs in June 2005 to 7,723 FTEs in June 2008. This investment in clinical staff is essential in a state where the number of patients presenting to public hospital emergency departments has been skyrocketing over the last couple of years. A total of 929,093 people were treated in our major emergency departments in 2007—a 35.4 per cent increase on the 2000 figures. The Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport explained that the budget increase of nearly 10 per cent would boost front-line police services, with plans to recruit more than 760 new police including 200 extra police positions so that by October 2009 there will be more than 10,100 police officers helping to keep Queenslanders safe. I also welcome the boost to both the major and minor sports facilities programs, which will benefit sporting clubs around the state. With the Bligh government goal to make Queensland Australia’s healthiest state, funding allocated to both health and sport and recreation programs is welcome. I commend the report of Estimates Committee B to the House. Mr NICHOLLS (Clayfield—Lib) (3.26 pm): I am happy to rise to speak to the report of Estimates Committee B. Although I was not part of the committee, I have gone through the transcripts and read the report somewhat closely. As I said when addressing the budget initially in June, this budget is another typical Labor budget—big borrowing, big taxing, little planning and increasingly a tricky budget where figures and programs are moved around within the budget papers themselves to make it more difficult for an in-depth scrutiny of the expenditure proposed and the revenue being raised. I think the transcript of the Estimates Committee B hearings indicates that is the case. There are a couple of issues for which I want to give some credit to the government where it is due. It is not a big list. The changes to the stamp duty regime for first homeowners, both on the transfer of property and on the mortgage of that property up to a value of $500,000, are a welcome initiative on the part of this government to address a cost that increasingly makes property much more unaffordable for first homebuyers. There are other steps that I believe this government can take in relation to a number of these issues about housing affordability that still need to be taken, but I do acknowledge the work that the Treasurer has done in providing that incentive for people. What was obvious from the report and from the transcript, and what is obvious from the budget itself, is this government’s dangerous addiction to debt. It cannot help but go out and borrow more and more money. The budget papers for the 2007-08 year— Ms Darling: Didn’t you just listen to my speech? I explained it beautifully. Mr NICHOLLS: I am not yet in a position to be taking economics lessons from the member for Sandgate. Despite my regard for her in many respects, that is not one of them. The budget papers for last year, for 2007-08, projected a combined public sector debt in 2010-11 of $51.7 billion. Last year the then Treasurer and now Premier was predicting that debt in 2010-11 would be $51.725 billion. This year the combined public sector debt for the same financial year, 2010-11, is now proposed to be $59.17 billion—an increase of something in the order of $8 billion. That is the projected debt of the government. That is its guess. It is only a guess because it has got it wrong so many times in the past. That is its projected debt in 2010-11. It blows out in 2011-12 to $64.4 billion. With interest costs on this of over $3 billion a year and increasing, Queenslanders are increasingly paying more for Labor’s 10-year mismanagement of infrastructure programs and its failure to invest in time. While debt has its place in any prudent budget strategy—and I am the first to acknowledge that—this government is in danger of substantially overmortgaging Queenslanders’ futures and leaving them with too much on the tick for too long. Intergenerational equity is an important and accepted concept of government financing. Assets that last a hundred years or longer do have the capacity to be funded from generation to generation. I do agree that there are appropriate debt mechanisms in place for certain assets. But this government is relying on this too heavily and for too long. To say, as the Treasurer does, that it is just like investing in one’s home is too simplistic by far. There are a number of other issues. The Treasurer went on to try to explain his government’s proposals in relation to PPPs and what its policy is in relation to PPPs. In doing so, he sought to attack our policy position on PPPs from a position of no knowledge whatsoever. At the same time he failed completely to put his own PPP program on the record. The same goes for privatisation. He failed to adequately explain the government’s policy on privatisation other than to say, ‘Crikey, we need some money. We need it now. We had better flog something off and we had better flog it off fast.’ Here we have the airports being sold off to fund essential infrastructure like our hospitals. There is no policy program that this government has outlined in relation to privatisation. It does not identify the assets. It does not identify the purposes for which money from privatisation is to be used. Time expired. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2369

Hon. AP FRASER (Mount Coot-tha—ALP) (Treasurer) (3.31 pm): Given that this is my first opportunity in debate in the parliament, I congratulate the member for Clayfield on being appointed shadow Treasurer in the apparently new but suspiciously familiar opposition which seeks to hold this government to account in this chamber. I look forward to the economic debate that will be conducted with him over the next year or so. It will be a debate that in many ways, as the shadow Treasurer has just outlined, centres on the notions of debt and the way in which the government engages with the private sector in executing a capital program. I would like to make a couple of remarks about the contribution of the new shadow Treasurer, who seems to be suffering from the same affliction as the former shadow Treasurer; that is, a somewhat inexplicable aversion to the notion that one can appropriately and should appropriately, in part, responsibly debt finance an infrastructure platform. We saw the last shadow Treasurer attempt a notion of good debt and bad debt much like, in his own words, Seinfeld had good naked and bad naked. I can only encourage the shadow Treasurer to seek to move the debate forward from that. Let us start from the first principles, given that this is his first day in the job participating in a debate. If the shadow Treasurer went to budget paper No. 2 and table 9.7, he would find that there is a way of being able to get an assessment of the nature of the interest obligations, the debt obligations, that the government of Queensland has. That is, if we take away all the zeros we can see the figure for total operating receipts at the end of the forward estimates—so I will project forward to the end of the budget; I am not talking about the present year—is 40,674. A couple of lines under that we can see an interest expense of 1,292. If we take away all the zeros then this is the equivalent of someone with an annual income of $40,674 having to pay an interest expense of $1,292. If we take away all the zeros that is the position that the state is in. Three per cent is the interest expense on budget for the Queensland government. Every single business I know, every single family I know, everyone with a mortgage I know would love to be in a position where their interest expense is three per cent. Yet the economic genii on the other side seek to put forward a proposition that somehow this is a debt provision that is a burden on the Queensland taxpayer and constrains our fiscal capacity. Who does not agree with them? The rating agencies, the Property Council, the Australian Industry Group and, in fact, most people who have a modicum of knowledge about the way in which we should appropriately structure a state budget and build a growth platform. I very much look forward to the new shadow Treasurer not only providing some clarity around the policy that the opposition pursues with PPPs but in fact I would like a policy about PPPs. We have seen the Liberal Party and National Party under their various guises in recent months put forward propositions against the government’s proposal to procure south-east Queensland schools through a PPP. But at the same time we see the new but old opposition leader now put forward a proposition that they are all for PPPs. The shadow Treasurer, who would like to be the leader I suppose, has put forward the proposition that they will put forward their views about PPPs. We are very much looking forward to them because at the moment all we have is a whole series of conflicting advices from different elements of the supposedly unified National and Liberal parties on the other side of the parliament. They owe a clear exposition of their approach to this. The last record that this parliament has of the position of the Liberal and National parties is that they voted against it. I find it passing strange then that it is in fact a proposition put forward by the Liberal National Party that it is the government that has a conflicting position. Our position is clear. We will pursue them where there is strategic advantage for our government and where there is a benefit to be secured. We will also use and exercise the strength of our own balance sheet and our ability to access finance in a way that is more efficient and more economic than private sector finance to deliver the capital program that we have as a state. There is no question about the fact that we face materially different circumstances in the Queensland economy. That has an effect on the budget position. There can be no question about the fact that life is materially different from where it was 12 months ago. The budget that we handed down was subject to scrutiny through the estimates committee process. It withstood that scrutiny, in my view, because it looks to the future. It takes account of the uncertainty. It provides a buffer with an $809 million surplus and it seeks to chart a course for the future growth of this state, it seeks to fund the infrastructure expansion that is required at this point in our state’s history and it does so in a way that looks very much to the long term and not the short term. Time expired. Mr McARDLE (Caloundra—Lib) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (3.37 pm): I rise to speak in relation to the report of Estimates Committee B and the Health portfolio. I start by noting the increase in the budget from 2007-08 of $7.45 billion to $8.35 billion in 2008-09. This is a significant increase in funds to be poured into the health system across the state. At the same time, the health system in Queensland has never been in more of a malaise; it has never been in a sicker or more dire situation. We have had now a period of 10 years of the Beattie-Bligh government. We continually see the government bring out the same rhetoric, raise the same old chestnuts and use the same colour brochures but fail to tackle the concerns that impact upon the whole of Queensland and every 2370 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

Queenslander on a daily basis. I need not go into the history of question time today except to say that it highlighted again the ongoing concerns that people in this state face in trying to get into emergency departments or hospitals of any sort to obtain medical treatment—treatment that we took for granted under the good old coalition days when we had a health system that was well financed and dealt with the concerns. Mr Horan: Worked. Mr McARDLE: I take the interjection. It simply worked. It faced the issues square in the eye and said, ‘We are going to solve these problems.’ People like Mike Horan did so. Mr Horan provided a great example of what a health minister can do. Unfortunately, under this government over the past 10 years we have limped to misery on a daily basis. What the people of Queensland need in the Health portfolio is simply answers and then solutions, not the bandaid fixes that we have become accustomed to from this government. What we have to offer the people of Queensland is hope—real hope, not just figures and not just words. We on the LNP side are committed to making certain that we work with clinicians, we work with the bureaucracy and, more importantly, we work with the community to provide them with the services that they so desperately need to obtain a lifestyle that guarantees them happiness, that guarantees them longevity and that guarantees them health on a daily basis. The government will often trot out the old adage that it is trying to cater for population growth. I do not know how long this government needs to understand that population growth in this state has been going on for years and years and years, yet we saw the health minister stand up here today and yet again say that population growth is causing all of the problems. One would think that after 10 years the government may have realised that population growth was in fact going on across this state and factored that into any policy development and plans that it had for the future. But unfortunately yet again here today the health minister showed the hollow rhetoric for which this government is so well known. It was back in 1998 when Peter Beattie as opposition leader stood and made proclamation after proclamation that he was going to fix this and he was going to fix that and he was going to make health work right across this state. Some 10 years ago he launched that policy at the Conservatorium of Music right here in Brisbane. We should have realised at that point in time that the actual place it was launched actually meant the swan song of Queensland Health for all of Queensland, and that is exactly what it has been. It has been a downhill slide of rhetoric, of rubbish, of not getting things done, people on waiting lists that are growing every single day— Mr Nicholls: Bundaberg Hospital. Mr McARDLE: Yes, the Bundaberg Hospital scenario, the Davies royal commission and the Forster report—hundreds and hundreds of pages that simply have not been dealt with by this government. And we find that in Townsville today there are still people lying on trolleys in the emergency department in that city’s hospital trying to obtain medical treatment on an ongoing basis. On the weekend people were moved to Logan because the hospitals on the south side of Brisbane were simply not able to cater for the number of people walking in the front door seeking treatment. This is the story that goes on every day in Queensland at a time when this Premier stood in this House yesterday, echoed by the health minister, and said, ‘Guess what? We’ve got a new plan. We’ve got a new plan.’ Mr Nicholls: An advertising plan. Mr McARDLE: It is an advertising campaign built on 1998 rhetoric and simply says the same things: ‘We’re going to fix the waiting lists.’ I have got news: the waiting lists are not fixed. They are getting worse and worse every day. Time expired. Mr WENDT (Ipswich West—ALP) (3.42 pm): I rise today to speak to the report of Estimates Committee B. I say at the outset that I was very pleased to be a member of this committee, which examined the proposed expenditure of organisational units within the portfolios of the Treasurer, the Minister for Health and the minister for police and corrective services. I think it deserves to be recognised that Ministers Fraser, Robertson and Spence showed a willingness to take a variety of questions. I also want to take the opportunity to congratulate them and the ministerial and departmental staff from each of the portfolio areas for the highly detailed work undertaken in research, preparation and indeed follow-up to the hearing questions and inquiries. I also think it would be appropriate for me to pass on my congratulations to the parliamentary research staff, in particular research director Stephen Finnimore for his assistance and guidance during this important process. It would also be remiss of me if I did not take the opportunity to congratulate the chair of the committee, Ms Vicky Darling, as well as my fellow parliamentary colleagues who took part. Mr Deputy Speaker, as you would be aware, being on Estimates Committee B gave me the opportunity of challenging and querying this government’s most senior ministers on how they spent their department’s budgets in previous years and comparing this to how they plan to spend their budgets in the future. I think it needs to be reinforced that the estimates committee process is a very important part 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2371 of our parliamentary process, and I am happy to announce that this public process provides an assurance that all expenditure from the public purse is scrutinised and that all responsible portfolios are being properly administered. I have heard today in this House how the opposition has raised the fact that the standing orders favour those who are answering the questions over those who are asking the questions. However, I think it needs to be recognised that the same standing orders were in operation when in fact the opposition was in government. In fact, I consider that the estimates should be an excellent opportunity for opposition members to demonstrate to Queenslanders how well they have researched their portfolios and how ready they are to be taken seriously as the alternative government. If I had to pick out a few areas of interest to me it would be the following. I was very interested to hear the police minister advise the committee that 200 additional police officers will be employed in the coming year, with a target of 10,000 officers to be reached by October 2009. We also heard of an allocation of $14 million to purchase 1,240 tasers for front-line police, and it was also good news to find out that the planning for the $450 million Police Academy is well underway. In addition, we found that $7.6 million has been allocated for the PCYC CAPE project, which will assist our Indigenous youth in Cape York communities, and that an additional $378 million has been set aside for the construction of future prisons at Gatton, Lotus Glen and Townsville. The Health portfolio is another area that has received tremendous scrutiny and attention over the last couple of years, as well as in this House this very morning. I personally believe that the Minister for Health displayed a superior knowledge of his portfolio and, indeed, it was quite obvious that he is working towards making the Queensland health system more accountable and more transparent. However, I would have to say that much more is yet to be done. We all appreciate that, and I look forward to working closely with him on further projects in my area such as the digital breast-screening service only recently rolled out across the Ipswich region. Finally, I also want to thank the Treasurer for his full and focused cooperation with our committee. During the estimates committee the Treasurer emphasised to us that the budget for 2008-09 is framed with an $809 million surplus in mind while focusing on front-line service delivery. It is reassuring to know that this year the Queensland government has committed to such areas as health and police and in addition given to the state of Queensland 270 extra teachers and teacher aides in education alone. As the father of school-aged children, this is very pleasing and most reassuring. The Treasurer also highlighted the fact that there has been a record $1.2 billion injected into Queensland Health, and as a direct result of the recent ambulance audit the Bligh government will ensure that an extra 250 paramedics will be employed and that these officers will form just a part of the expected 2,000 extra front-line health workers. I want to wholeheartedly support the government’s recognition of the difficulties faced by first homebuyers entering the property market by removing stamp duty on any house or unit under $350,000. As members can imagine, this is a significant saving for first homebuyers. Finally, I was proudly part of Estimates Committee B. The Treasurer was most forthcoming with his detailed and succinct responses, and I can guarantee members that we did not hold back with our sometimes difficult questioning. As such, I urge all in this parliament to take the time to read the transcript of the hearing on the Hansard page of the Queensland parliament’s web site. I commend the report to the House. Mr HORAN (Toowoomba South—NPA) (3.46 pm): I thank Mr Vaughan Johnson for putting in a statement of reservations on my behalf because I asked some questions on sport and racing. He was the person who had to present that statement of reservations on my behalf. In that statement of reservations I made comment that I questioned the minister for sport, who is also the minister for police and corrective services, about the development of the State Tennis Centre at Tennyson, and I acknowledge that it will be a wonderful centre for the state. But we spend a poultice of money on these committees, and masses of people from all of the departments spend weeks and weeks preparing for possible questions. The question I asked related to the allocation of the $44.5 million to this particular venue and the arrangements with the developer. We were advised that some things could not be told to us because of commercial-in-confidence regarding the land, but basically the state is keeping ownership of the land on which the tennis centre is to be constructed and the developer has been presented with the balance of the Tennyson site for associated development. Apart from that, we were not able to be told anything more. When it came to the amount of money that the government is expending—some $44.5 million— the minister said that $10 million of the department of sport’s capital funds went towards the capital cost of the State Tennis Centre and a further $17 million went towards the cost of postagreement variations, including a centre court roof and alterations to the media facilities. That leaves a substantial amount of money—some $17.5 million—unexplained and unaccounted for. Will the minister tell the parliament what that $17.5 million was for? We need to know. It is a lot of money. It just cannot be left up there in thin air, unexplained and unaccounted for. It is, after all, the funds of Queenslanders. 2372 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

I also asked some questions of the Treasurer, who is also the minister responsible for racing. Once again, the response from him was unsatisfactory. The minister is responsible not only for the integrity of the conduct of racing and the welfare of the animals participating in racing but also under the act for the integrity of the various control boards. We have a serious situation in Queensland where Queensland Racing took to the government an application to be the control board and were granted that licence for six years in 2006. That application set out the structure of the committee that would be put in place—four directors and one chairman—from 2006 to 2012. In that time there would be elections for two committee members in 2009, another election for another two committee members in 2010 and another election for one in 2011. Then they would be in a regular cycle of alternate-year elections. That is how any corporation operates and faces up to accountability to their shareholders and stakeholders. But in this case Queensland Racing has attempted to grab extended power from 2006 to 2018 with only one occasion on which they have to face their stakeholders for re-election. It is woeful corporate ethics and it is woeful in terms of accountability to the public and to the industry that it is to support. I have called on the minister to refuse to grant that change. Under the act, the minister has the power to give directions about policies, to give various approvals and to even apply discipline. In this case, the minister must refuse that request and insist that Queensland Racing continues with the constitutional arrangements that were presented to this parliament when it was granted a licence in 2006. I also found it very unsatisfactory that the minister could not provide an answer, even within the five days available, as to how much money was saved by the control board during the EI outbreak when so many races were cancelled—not only in the red zone but also in the green zone of the state. We need to know. It was probably somewhere in the order of $25 to $30 million. Subsequently, the control board did not need to use that money to pay back to the federal government or the state government any costs incurred under the emergency deed, because the federal government wiped those. We need to know how much money was saved and what that money was used for. The Treasurer said that he would provide parliament with that detail. How many weeks have gone by since then and still that information has not been presented? That is a real failure by the Treasurer. Time expired. Hon. DM WELLS (Murrumba—ALP) (3.52 pm): The estimates committee that dealt with the estimates relating to the health minister, the police minister and the Treasurer was known to the cognoscente who inhabit this place as Estimates Committee B. It was ably and graciously chaired by the honourable member for Sandgate and more than adequately served by the very capable parliamentary staff. I would like to thank the parliamentary staff who served that committee as well as compliment my fellow members of the committee who played an important role in this exercise of open government. The committee considered three sets of estimates. The police minister was able to report on significant increases in police numbers and significant decreases in crime. That is a success story by any standard and it overshadows any reservations or any other comments that the opposition might express on the subject. The opposition expressed reservations relating to the Treasurer’s estimates, arguing that the level of borrowings could be questioned. The fact is that the borrowings will bring forward a record program of necessary and, in the long term, revenue-saving infrastructure. It should be noted that Queensland still retains its AAA rating. That investment in infrastructure will be achieved with interest costs of only three per cent of revenue—a statistic that any business in any country would envy. The opposition’s reservations regarding the Commonwealth-state health care agreement need some comment here. The opposition says that the Howard government did the right thing by Queensland. In fact, it robbed us of $2 billion. The 10-year agreement was for 50-50 funding but, as necessity required increased dollars, the Commonwealth failed to match Queensland’s increases in dollars. So the Commonwealth ended up paying only 33 per cent of an agreement that was originally 50-50. It is alarming that the opposition thinks that $2 billion of Commonwealth funds can go missing and that that is okay. I would like to compliment the Minister for Health on one specific initiative that he undertook. It is one that was of some concern to me. Some time ago two people presented themselves in my electorate office: the gentleman was 72 and the lady was 73. The lady was suffering from cancer and the gentleman had been her carer for some considerable time. It was their daily practice that he would take her to receive chemotherapy whenever that was due. Unfortunately, his capacity to do that was about to be limited by virtue of the fact that he had developed cataracts. Shortly, he would be unable to drive. When he became unable to drive because he was not able to have the operation on his cataracts, the consequence would be that the lady would have to get ambulances or find some other way of going to the hospital and their last days would not be marked by the partnership that had formerly subsisted and their grief was going to be significantly added to. Over a period of time and after a number of representations the cataracts operation for my constituent was brought forward and as a result he was able to continue to be the prop and stay for the lady that he had been with throughout his life. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2373

However, what remained was the problem that not sufficient priority was given to carers in circumstances such as those. I made further representations to the honourable the Minister for Health and at the estimates committee hearing the Minister for Health announced that there would be a new policy framework put in place whereby the social obligations of parties involved in category 3 operations could be taken into account so that in circumstances such as those—where somebody was a carer for somebody else and all rationality as well as all humanity dictated that it should be so—that person would go to the head of the list. That I think is a significant advance and in that respect I would like to congratulate the Minister for Health on his wisdom and on his humanity. Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (3.57 pm): It was my pleasure to be a part of Estimates Committee B. I also want to thank the parliamentary research staff and the attendants. It was a very long day and evening. The committee hearings, chaired by the honourable member for Sandgate, were conducted in a good-natured way throughout the day. I note that we had the Treasurer first of all, who spoke with his usual prolixity. We received some interesting answers to questions. In terms of the Health budget, I note that the honourable the minister acknowledged, in answer to prehearing non-government question on notice No. 1, that the government had spent in excess of $711 million for the three area services, which was a 10 per cent increase. Therefore, I want to advise the honourable the Treasurer that, given that his budget had an $809 million surplus this year, there could be problems if the health minister has a 10 per cent blow-out in his budget again this year. It will take all the surplus that the Treasurer has allowed for. I note that the honourable the health minister had a couple of arguments, which he has returned to even today, and they were the shortcomings of the federal government and the election promises of Labor. We were actually talking about this year’s budget. In terms of election promises, I think it is acknowledged that both sides made election promises. The government won the election and the people of Queensland would like to have those election promises upheld. I do not think that saying that the promises that we took to the last election would not be fulfilled by now is really important to the people of Queensland in the sense that we did not get elected and the government did. The people of Queensland would like to have the government’s election promises upheld. The honourable member for Murrumba mentioned the Commonwealth-state health funding agreement. The honourable member for Murrumba seems to suggest that if the Queensland state government increased its funding by any exponential amount—say, 50 per cent—on the argument that he just put, under the health care agreement the federal government would have to increase its contribution by a similar amount. I really cannot see that that shows any sort of fiscal responsibility. When you have an agreement, I am sure there is some sort of arrangement. It would not just be a 50-50 arrangement; it would be based on actual amounts that would be put in. The Queensland state government has acknowledged that it certainly increased its own funding during the last health care agreement. Issues were raised relating to the Queensland Plan for Mental Health. I was disappointed to hear that on the Gold Coast the extra beds that we definitely need may not be reached in 10 years when the mental health plan is supposed to cater for 600,000 people. On climate change initiatives it was disappointing that the minister spoke about energy savings instead of being able to identify, as some of the other ministers were able to, the carbon emissions from his department. I note some of the concerns that arose from my questioning about housing for Queensland Health staff and the number of safety and condition inspections that have not been done. Certainly the department has made a concerted effort in the period from the Auditor-General’s report to the estimates committee and more will be inspected, but clearly more needs to be done in this area. I was very concerned about the answer given to the prehearing non-government question on notice No. 2 relating to how many beds would be opened in Queensland public hospitals in 2008-09. Once again we came back to the theme of the honourable minister telling us how many election- promise beds there had been, which was 69, and then later in the afternoon the minister returned with the information that there would be 142 beds, including 63 at Carrara. From the answer given to us I identified that no beds would be opened in public hospitals on the north side, which includes Caboolture, Prince Charles and Redcliffe hospitals. Therefore, I was perplexed to read a recent Northern Star newspaper article that referred to a press release I issued stating that there would be no new northside hospital beds in 2008-09. However, the paper quoted health minister Stephen Robertson as saying that Queensland Health expected to open an additional 117 beds on the north side this financial year. I would like some clarification about that because, clearly, the graph given to us in answer to question on notice No. 2 contained no such information. It seems that the minister has said one thing in the parliament and another to the Northern Star. I asked a question on notice about three categories of elective surgery and how many people had to wait at the 100th percentile. That was given to me in percentage form. It was explained to me that I could not have the information because I would run the risk of identifying people. The department did not give me the answer as I requested. 2374 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

Hon. S ROBERTSON (Stretton—ALP) (Minister for Health) (4.02 pm): I have been moved to participate in this debate by the ridiculous reservations submitted by the previous shadow minister for health. Firstly, the opposition has taken issue with area health service spending. Despite the fact that in the recent restructure we abolished area health services, let me reiterate where the extra expenditure for Queensland patients has gone. The budget increase that has been questioned pertains to the midyear review. As is the case with all government departments, we put forward a midyear submission to the budget review committee for additional funding for more services. As a result we were allocated additional funding to enable us to perform more elective surgery, meet increasing demand and employ more clinical staff. The LNP criticises this government for its ‘cost blow-out’ in allocating additional funding for health services, and the former opposition health spokesperson suggested that this overspend would have had a detrimental impact on state finances. Surely the LNP could not be suggesting that allocating additional funds to the current and future demands of our public hospitals is not worth the investment. If it is, I suggest that it is precisely that type of financial analysis that has resulted in the member for Surfers Paradise being demoted from the health shadow portfolio. The opposition also takes issue with Commonwealth-state health funding arrangements, and the member for Surfers Paradise was at it again today. It is no secret that the previous Commonwealth government did not live up to its obligations. The foundations of Australia’s health system are embedded in a Commonwealth-state arrangement that makes us the envy of countries the world over. Under the previous federal government, the Commonwealth share of funding fell from around 50 per cent to around 34 per cent. At the same time, pressures on our public health system have increased due to an ageing and growing population. That means that Queensland has to overcompensate for the litany of failures by the previous Howard government, including the $1 billion it ripped off the states and invested in private health care, which was the feature of the last negotiations for the current Australian Health Care Agreement. As the member for Surfers Paradise suggests, it is not simply a case of the Commonwealth matching the states dollar for dollar in terms of the funding that it provides. What it provides is funding according to a complex formula that has clearly not stood the test of time in either meeting existing levels of demand or the true cost of providing health care to the states. That is clearly witnessed by the indexation factor in the current Health Care Agreement. The Commonwealth provides less than half of what it provided to the private health sector in terms of allowing that sector to increase its private health insurance premiums to reflect the true cost of providing health care in that sector. If it costs a certain amount of money to provide a hip replacement in the private sector and that is increasing at eight or nine per cent a year, that cost increase should be reflected in the costs of providing a hip replacement in the public sector and the cost indexation that applies to that. Under the Howard government we saw an indexation factor that was less than half the true cost increases that apply in the private sector. Mr Speaker, you do not have to believe only me, as this lack of federal funding is not lost on clinicians. The AMA called it ‘the slow erosion of federal funding’ and has long called for federal government public hospital funding to play catch-up by at least $3 billion nationwide. This translates to an annual shortfall of around $600 million to Queenslanders. The LNP continues to defend its federal counterparts by suggesting this gap has been skewed by the state government’s increased investment in health since 2005. That is right: the LNP defends its stance by applauding this government’s actions! It is no secret that Queensland’s population is both growing and ageing and we are facing a tsunami of chronic disease, all of which has placed enormous pressure on our public hospitals. That is why the Bligh government has lived up to its promise to deliver for the people of Queensland. Not only have we committed to investing over $10 billion to deliver more hospitals, beds, services and staff to our public health sector; yesterday we also announced a comprehensive strategy to combat the rising toll of chronic disease. Yet the LNP holds steadfast to its belief that it is the state and not the federal government that is failing to invest in public health care. The Bligh government has reiterated its call for the federal government to live up to the expectations of Queenslanders and match the state’s public hospital funding. The Rudd government has demonstrated its commitment to redressing the Howard government’s shortfall through an immediate and substantial public hospital funding injection. In 2007-08 we received $27.6 million to treat a further 4,000 long-wait patients, a target we are well on the way to meeting. Despite the LNP’s pathetic defence of the Howard government, only yesterday the new shadow health minister circulated a media release stating— Queensland needs additional health funding and the Federal Government must come to the party. Time expired. Dr FLEGG (Moggill—Lib) (4.07 pm): As deputy chair of this committee I would like to join with other members in expressing my thanks to the committee secretariat—Steve Finnimore, Allison Tait, Jenny North and Narelle Robinson, and my colleagues on the committee. I make my comments in relation to the examination of the Treasury portfolio, which is the area I was responsible for at that time. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2375

I record my thanks to the minister for one area in particular—succinct answers. The minister did not seem to feel the need to fill every three minutes, which enabled the committee to examine more areas than would otherwise have been possible. A key area within the Treasury portfolio obviously is the mounting burden of debt that the Queensland public sector is living under. I note the information provided to the committee by the Treasurer that currently we are issuing debt at an interest rate of 7.2 per cent, which is up from less than 6.5 per cent at the time of the estimates committee last year. On top of that, the forward estimates for the level of debt have increased by a further $10 billion. That is an almost 20 per cent increase in the projected debt burden of the public sector in this state in the course of just 12 months. This issue is going to dog the public sector in Queensland and severely limit what can be provided in terms of both capital works and service provision. It is going to require the government’s constant monitoring. One of the areas in which the government will be looking further and an area in which it has been particularly weak to date is in the provision of PPPs. When you have blown your balance sheet, when your credit card is maxed out and you have to go and build something, you have to find someone else to pay for it. Today this government does not have a good record of providing PPPs. Members will notice even with the government’s attempt at a relatively modest PPP in relation to the building of some schools it has had some problems with a complex debt model. In relation to the PPPs, the minister did come out with one statement which was referred to by somebody as an ‘Oh my God’ statement. He said, ‘I am not aware of the fact that there are good PPPs and bad PPPs.’ That in itself is quite frightening because the government already has an appalling record of failure to deliver the projects that Queensland desperately needs by PPPs, and to have the minister admit that he thinks that all models, ways and means are good seems to be an extraordinary revelation. The other area where the government appears to have very confused policy is that of privatisation. We have seen this government trying to address the debt in the state by tax slugs on the coal industry, on motorists and on anyone else it can slug with taxes. We have seen the government try to raise money by other means but in particular by this piecemeal, ad hoc approach to privatisation where it grabs the easiest, the quickest sale with the least examination, the least public comment— whether it is a gas pipeline in north Queensland or airports. It is ad hoc policy. It is policy on the run. The government needs to start laying down the principles that it will apply to privatisation or we will see more ad hoc raiding of the silver cabinet. Perhaps the most extraordinary area has been the fuel rebate scheme. The minister conceded that the 9.2c a litre less that fuel should cost in Queensland— Mrs Sullivan: 8.354c. Dr FLEGG: I take the interjection from the member but there is an issue of GST on retail fuel prices. So the difference at the pump should be 9.2c a litre. We see that compared to Melbourne diesel is only 4.7c a litre—only half of the subsidy—cheaper in Queensland. The minister sought to have this aborted system of bar coding our licences which today collapsed— Time expired. Mr JOHNSON (Gregory—NPA) (4.13 pm): In rising to speak in the Estimates Committee B debate I want to put my appreciation on record too, especially to the chair of the committee, the member for Sandgate, Vicky Darling; to members of the committee; and also to Steve Finnimore. I do apologise to the chairman. I was unable to get to many of the committee meetings, and that is something I do not customarily do, but I do apologise. I know the committee worked very well. I want to speak mainly about the police issues in relation to this debate. The $1.57 billion police budget this year is certainly welcome. I thank the police minister for very courteously taking me out to the graduation this afternoon at Oxley where we witnessed 105 officers being sworn into the Queensland Police Service. They are a credit to that organisation, and I do thank the minister. There are many issues that are still currently confronting Queensland police, and one of those is making certain that we are not losing police right across the state and addressing the reasons why they are leaving. I was very receptive to the words of the commissioner during the estimates hearing when I asked about Task Force Argos and the vacancies in the child abuse unit. He went on to explain that it is not hard to see why there are vacancies when you see some of the terrible crimes that are committed. Police are subjected to this. I was thinking about it today while I was sitting out there at Oxley. We have to train officers and move them on through the different sections to make certain that they are not subject to such terrible trauma that it will scar their minds for the rest of their lives and ultimately lead to those good officers being dropouts because they have been subjected to that. An area that I asked questions on was that of police radios. This year the response from the minister and the department was— There is no component for stand-alone police radios that cannot be intercepted by external non-police radios in the funding allocation of $77.8 million. However, the radio and electronic section of the Queensland Police Service is currently preparing a submission, to be considered by Queensland police, for the allocation of funds in the next financial year. 2376 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

This is something, Mr Deputy Speaker English, as you would be well aware, that is very important to the Queensland police. They have to have a radio network that is not going to be intercepted by the elements that are out there to beat the police. I just cannot say enough about how quickly this must be implemented. We must get this process in place to see that our police have the best resources and the best technology in the land. We have been waiting a long time to see tasers rolled out. I was in north Queensland last week and they asked me again about tasers. I call on the minister today to make sure that we get this technology rolled out as soon as humanly possible. In the commissioner’s own words, it is about providing an area of safety for the police officers to work in. I think this is an area again where we have to make certain that that is fast-tracked to say the least. There is $140-odd million for infrastructure. It is very interesting to see that in last year’s budget the Reedy Creek police station was supposed to be built, and the member for Mudgeeraba made reference to that in the lead-up to last election year’s election. But it is not being built at Reedy Creek now; it is being built at Robina, about five kilometres away. The situation is that instead of $6 million being spent it will be $3.8 million. I note in the response that the minister has given to the budget estimates hearing that it is currently at a contract documentation stage, with the construction program to commence in December 2008. I table that documentation from the web site of the member for Mudgeeraba today. Tabled paper: Extract from the web site of the member for Mudgeeraba, Mrs Reilly, dated 27 August 2008, titled ‘Reedy Creek and Mudgeeraba to receive $7.5 million policing boost’. Are we going to have a police station at Robina and one at Reedy Creek, only about 5½ kilometres away? This is the situation in the capital works program right across Queensland. We have to have that technology. In the one minute I have left available to me I want to talk about the issue of corrective services. In recent times I have visited two correctional centres in Queensland, and I am very happy to say that I am impressed with what I have seen. The one area of concern that I still have is that of the high concentration of Indigenous people in our prison system. I really believe that the department responsible for Indigenous affairs has to look at how we manage the alcohol programs, the education programs and the health programs in those communities so that we can keep the 25 per cent of the prison population which is Indigenous—when Indigenous people represent two per cent of our population—out of prison. There is a lot of work to be done there yet, and I think both sides of this House can contribute to this in a positive vein. Hon. JC SPENCE (Mount Gravatt—ALP) (Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport) (4.18 pm): I thank opposition members for their comments. It is indeed a wonderful day for policing when we have just returned from a ceremony to swear in another 105 new officers in Queensland. There are a lot of reasons why this is a very special year for police in this state. This year is the 50th anniversary of police induction ceremonies in Queensland. This is the 50th anniversary of the Queensland Police Pipes and Drums band. It is also the 60th anniversary of our PCYCs. So there are a lot of anniversaries this year. Another reason it is a great year for police is this wonderful budget of almost $1.6 billion—which means an increase in police numbers and an increase in the technology that we are able to give police. It is another great year of being able to report to Queenslanders a reduction in most categories of crime. I think our Police Service is in as good a shape in 2008 as it ever has been. As I said to the new recruits today, since we started our new ‘We don’t do boring!’ recruitment campaign last year, we have had a flood of new applicants every month. We are able to pick amongst the best of Queensland when we choose recruits these days. They are highly qualified, professional people who are doing a good job on our behalf. I thought I might mention a couple of issues that were raised in the opposition’s reservations. One of those was the issue of bench warrants. The opposition claimed in its statement that police do not have the resources to act on bench warrants. The police utterly reject this assertion. When a person fails to appear in court, a judge may issue a bench warrant for their arrest. All bench warrants are forwarded to police and flagged on the QPRIME system. Between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008 the courts issued 670 bench warrants and cleared 696 bench warrants. They cleared more than the courts issued, so they were able to clear some outstanding bench warrants. If the police were poorly resourced, they would not have been able to clear more than were issued. The police do 21,000 QPRIME checks daily, and this includes checking to see if a bench warrant is in existence for a person. One of the things that will make a difference and push these bench warrants down—and I acknowledge that I gave you the figure of 2,445 outstanding—is the new digital laser fingerprint technology that we put into the watch-house. This means that once a person’s fingerprints are taken digitally in the watch-house these days the police will know whether a warrant is outstanding on that person anywhere in Australia within 15 minutes because it links into the national fingerprint database. So that person will not be released from the watch-house until we know whether there is a warrant outstanding. That is making a difference. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2377

The other thing that is making a difference—although we have not quite achieved it yet—is the national DNA database. We have not got all states online. New South Wales is still to come in, but once it comes in and every state is hooked up it will be very hard for anyone to escape being picked up for an outstanding warrant in Queensland or anywhere in Australia. Another significant thing that will enable these warrants to be cleared up is the legislation that I put before the parliament this week. I know we are not allowed to discuss that legislation, but I urge members to think about it because it will be the single thing that will push these warrant figures down and make sure anyone who travels anywhere in Australia will be picked up on an outstanding warrant. The other issue that was raised by the opposition in its reservations was the number of people who are unlikely to finish parole and probation successfully. I want opposition members to consider one thing. The tougher we make our parole and probation service—and I think we have the toughest service in Australia in terms of making sure people report and in terms of random drug and alcohol testing at people’s homes and workplaces—the less likely it will be for everyone to complete their parole and probation service. If we made it easy, everyone would be able to complete it. We would have 100 per cent compliance and think we were doing a good job. The tougher we make it for people, the more we will catch them out and the more we will see people falling through the cracks and going back to prison. As far as I am concerned, I am very pleased that we have a tough system because people know that parole and probation mean something in this state. We are fair dinkum about making sure people carry out their court orders or the orders that have been placed on them by parole boards. Report adopted. Estimates Committee C

Report Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is— That the report of Estimates Committee C be adopted. Ms PALASZCZUK (Inala—ALP) (4.23 pm): I rise to speak in support of the report of Estimates Committee C as chair of that committee. Estimates Committee C examined the budget as it related to the portfolios of the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Rod Welford, and the Minister for Main Roads and Local Government, the Hon. Warren Pitt. I would like to briefly address the education and training component of the hearing. The 2008-09 budget proposed to invest $7.3 billion in recurrent funding in the Education, Training and Arts sector and a further $833.8 million in infrastructure. In his opening statement to the committee, the minister stated that this year, 2008, sees the full introduction of prep, the new Senior Certificate and the Year of Physical Activity in Queensland schools. These are really major achievements. In relation to prep, I do not think any member of this House would not have a smile on their face when they visit the prep students at their local schools in their electorates. I have a sister, Miss Nadia, who is a prep teacher and I know firsthand the dedication and commitment that prep teachers give to these young children. Last week I visited St Mark’s Catholic primary school in Inala to inspect the state government funding of the new prep facilities. It is a real credit to the government that we are putting this funding into these new facilities that are undoubtedly first rate. Numerous topics were covered by the minister during the estimates hearing, including capital works funding, solar schools, disadvantaged students, rural teachers, Indigenous arts and Indigenous education, as well as school based apprentices and trainees. The education minister also made mention of the $89.6 million allocated to build four new schools, all of which are planned to open for the start of 2009, in Ormeau, Oxenford, Upper Coomera and North Lakes—areas in the south-east Queensland corner that are experiencing high population growth. The minister for education also addressed the renewal of schools in Inala. Initially, the funding allocated last year for the renewal of Inala schools was around $50 million; however, the minister indicated during this hearing that this has now been revised to $70 million. This is the largest injection of funding for education in Inala ever. A community reference panel made the recommendation to close two schools in my local area. I am saddened to hear that two schools will close—Inala West at the end of 2009 and Richlands in 2010. However, seven primary schools in the local area are unsustainable over the long term, and the renewed schools will give children improved facilities. As part of this initiative, six schools will be renewed with facilities of a similar standard to the new schools that are opening which I mentioned previously. In Inala new buildings will be constructed and some will be remodelled, providing larger, more flexible classrooms and learning areas that take advantage of modern teaching methods. I am also pleased that as part of this initiative the Western Suburbs State Special School will receive an upgrade to teaching areas and improved life skills areas. 2378 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

In relation to the Arts, the minister made mention of the Gallery of Modern Art. It has definitely put Queensland on the map. It has attracted world-class exhibitions, such as Andy Warhol and Picasso. I think any member or any member of the public who has visited those exhibitions would agree with me that they are truly state of the art, and it is a true credit to this government that the Gallery of Modern Art has been built here in Brisbane. I would now like to address the second half of Estimates Committee C in relation to the portfolio of Main Roads and Local Government. The minister, the Hon. Warren Pitt, outlined that the capital works program for this financial year on Main Roads throughout Queensland is $3.25 billion. He indicated that these major projects are aimed at helping to battle traffic congestion. Some projects that he mentioned include works on the Gateway upgrade, the Ipswich Motorway, the new interchanges on the Pacific Motorway on the Gold Coast, the duplication of the Houghton Highway bridge and the extension of the Centenary Highway from Springfield to Yamanto. Every member driving around south-east Queensland—even driving around Queensland—would see the major construction happening. There is so much construction happening locally in my area that not a day goes by that I do not have people talking to me about it. The minister addressed the issue of local government reform in the estimates hearing. I understand the minister has embarked on a series of road trips to meet with the newly amalgamated councils throughout Queensland. He also addressed the issue of strengthening local government, transparency and accountability for the newly amalgamated councils. In conclusion, I would like to thank both ministers who comprehensively answered all questions put to them by the committee. I would like to pay tribute to the work done by Ms Renee Easten and Ms Elaine Neill and all of the committee members, especially the deputy chair, the member for Cunningham, the member for Kurwongbah, the member for Chatsworth, the member for Gaven, the member for Nicklin and the member for Warrego. I also want to make mention of the reservation statement made by shadow ministers. I actually disagree with what they said because I believe that both ministers answered the questions that were put to them in a very comprehensive manner. Mr COPELAND (Cunningham—NPA) (4.29 pm): I rise to participate in the debate on the report of Estimates Committee C. At the outset, I thank the other members of the committee and the ministers who participated in this committee. It is the second time that I have served on a committee chaired by the member for Inala, and I have to say that I think it has worked well over the last two years. The member for Inala has been willing to change the way the portfolios were structured within the question times, and I think that worked well. I also thought the way she allowed questioning to be a little less rigid in the timing and the restarting of questions allowed a much better examination of the portfolios than some other chairs whom I have worked with in the past. I would encourage all estimates committees to try to do that in the future— Ms Barry interjected. Mr COPELAND: With the exception of the member for Aspley. I asked some great questions when she was chair. I think the way that some estimates committees operate is very rigid and very restrictive. That has certainly not been my experience in the last two years, and I congratulate the member for Inala on the way that she handled it. I will restrict my comments to the area for which I was shadow minister at the time, and that is the portfolio of Education and Training and the Arts. With regard to the education and training portfolio, we raised a number of issues—and I have listed them in my statement of reservation—on which I have reservations about the current government’s budget and policy direction. The Premier stood up this morning and said that it is quite clear there are a number of differences between her government and the LNP, and that is very true. None is starker than our commitment to implement the provision of full- time teacher aides in prep. The government has refused consistently to do that. We have promised that we will do that, and I am very proud to stand by it. While I think prep has been a good program, and one supported by everyone in this parliament when the necessary legislation was passed, we are absolutely committed to providing full-time aides as a fundamental way of making prep work to the optimum and to get the best achievements that we possibly can. With regard to the issue of asbestos, again I have very great concerns. I asked the minister during last year’s estimates committee hearing what briefings he had been given particularly regarding asbestos in teacher accommodation. He said at that stage none. There is still not much more information available regarding that. While there is a target for the number of students who are included in prep classes in Queensland, that target has been exceeded in a number of schools, and by a large number over the target in some cases. The area that I really want to concentrate on because it was an extraordinary 20-minute block was the questioning I put to the minister regarding funding for small to medium arts groups. I put a number of questions to the minister, because I believe some very bad decisions have been made with regard to the funding of small to medium arts areas, particularly where some groups have had their 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2379 funding cut, reduced or completely abolished. The minister gave quite inaccurate answers to some of the questions that I asked. For example, with regard to the funding of Expressions Dance Co., the minister described the allocated funding as rolling annual funding but that is not correct. It is annual funding, and that is the problem. That is why the two founding directors of that company have resigned—because on annual funding they are not able to plan with certainty into the future. It was a completely wrong answer that the minister gave. As is included in the tabled minutes of the committee, the minister in fact asked for changes to the Hansard to reflect that it was a wrong answer, and the committee did not accede to that request that that be changed. Any changes to be made to Hansard are simply for typos or clarification, not to fundamentally change the answer itself. I think the committee made the right decision there. Similarly, some of the answers regarding the Queensland Arts Council about a bloated bureaucracy were absolutely inaccurate. Its staffing level has reduced from 39 to 27 but it has still maintained a very impressive touring schedule. The leverage the council gets around Queensland from the funding it receives is enormous. I would be very surprised if there were any other organisations, regardless of how good or well intentioned, that are able to deliver the number of performances to as many people around Queensland as the Queensland Arts Council does. The Queensland Arts Law Centre also had its funding cut. The minister said that it is also receiving funding from the Department of Justice and Attorney-General as one of a range of legal services that that department funds. The minister would be aware that the funding from the Department of Justice and Attorney-General was made available only after funding from the department of arts was cut. Time expired. Hon. RJ WELFORD (Everton—ALP) (Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts) (4.34 pm): I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate and emphasise the importance of education and training as the foundation of the Smart State. The 2008-09 state budget commits $7.03 billion in recurrent funding and $833 million in capital funding to education, training and arts sectors. This is a major commitment of our government and underpins the approach I have taken in education, training and the arts to try to drive innovation in the way in which the state supports these areas of important public policy. Our reforms have seen a range of new initiatives. If we start with curriculum, we have the Queensland Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Framework, QCAR; the roll-out of essential learnings in consistent reporting frameworks to parents across the state; the establishment of the Queensland Certificate of Education for school leavers in the senior schooling phase; the establishment of the Queensland Academy of Science, Maths and Technology, the Academy for Creative Industries and the Academy for Health Sciences; the establishment of gateway schools across a range of areas that provide school to work transitions for students in the vocational education area; and of course the announcement today of the new Montessori education program to be run in the first state school in Queensland. All of these reforms are about providing an education system that is modern and responsive. We are investing in education infrastructure, both hard and soft, to provide opportunities for young Queenslanders to achieve success in life and to find a pathway, both through school and post school education and training, that will set them on a path for successful careers and rich and fulfilling, not to mention financially lucrative, post school lives. All of our initiatives invested in this budget give priority to those principles that I have outlined— the principle of diversity, the opportunity of specialisation, the opportunity to find dedicated pathways through school and university, and to build the foundations for a successful and fully rounded education. For example, we have had the Year of Physical Activity, renewed emphasis on social and emotional development of young people, implementation of school behaviour plans, and a focus on leadership and professional development for teachers. All of these initiatives, which in a sense are initiatives that I have launched in my time as minister, will now dovetail neatly with the education revolution being initiated by the federal government. In a major speech today the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, outlined the key priorities that the federal government has in focusing on schools in disadvantaged areas, in building the quality of teaching, in emphasising the importance of literacy and numeracy—areas where I have already been blazing a trail in education in this country to lay the foundation of the basics that are necessary for students to be effective and successful. In the training sector the $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan is itself a national innovation. It works in partnership with industry and for the first time establishes industry based boards to identify skills needs by sector and by region across the state. It then targets our funding in those training and skilling strategies both in the TAFE sector and in the private training providers sector to meet that enormous unmet demand for skills in our booming economy. 2380 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

This has had ripple effects across the education and training sector. Our retention rates at school have dipped slightly as a result of the buoyancy of the jobs market and the opportunities for jobs that exist for young people, even before they finish school. But we need to keep them in the fold either in education, in training or in work based skills development that will ensure in the future our economy continues to prosper. In the creative industries, not just in the Academy for Creative Industries but across the arts sector, we are going to invest more than $259 million this year—a $50 million increase on last year. Time expired. Mr HOBBS (Warrego—NPA) (4.39 pm): I am pleased today to speak in the debate on the report of Estimates Committee C. Once again we have an opportunity to talk about many of the issues in the budget. In my case, I will be looking at Main Roads and Local Government. There are a number of very interesting issues concerning Main Roads. One issue a little bit from left field is the fact that Main Roads is into tenancies and is doing this for a notorious paedophile. I asked a simple question about the scrutiny undertaken of tenants for insurance purposes. Molotov cocktails were being thrown around in this case. I wanted to know whether we have insurance for these buildings. I presume the answer is that we do not. The government has its own insurance. Another issue of importance is the amount of money available for road funding. It is never enough. I do not doubt that the government is providing a significant amount of money for roads. However, it is nowhere near enough. Everybody blames everybody else for not having the finances. The reality is that we have something like 5,435 kilometres of road seal that exceeds the optimal seal. If we use the same percentage increase from last year to this year, in 10 years time we will have 7,246 kilometres of road beyond the optimal seal rate. The reality is that we are going backwards at a very fast rate. We do not have enough money for the maintenance and capital works that need to be undertaken to get our road system up to scratch. When we drive around Victoria we can go on ring-roads and drive at 100 kilometres an hour and the skyscrapers are going by. In Brisbane we drive at 30 or 40 kilometres an hour or we are parked in car parks on the roads. We have a long way to go to improve what is happening here. There are a number of other issues of concern with Main Roads. The indexation rate, the CPI rate, that is used by Treasury to calculate the additional funding that is required from year to year is nowhere near adequate. The construction basket of products costs far in excess of the normal basket of products that are used for the normal CPI. The construction industry CPI is running very high. The costs for any work being done on our road networks are blowing out all of the time. There are a lot of issues in terms of local government that are of great concern to many people in the community. The most serious issue is the unbelievable denial of the fact that the huge cost of council amalgamations is flowing onto ratepayers. There seems to be a blatant disregard by the government to pick up that tab. I am not opposed to amalgamations if they are sensible, reasonable and practical. The reality is that there was $80 billion worth of local government assets and no cost benefit analysis or due diligence was done of the impact on ratepayers. What we are finding now is that rates are increasing dramatically. They have increased by 58 per cent in some cases. On average there have been double digit increases. A lot of this is being attributed to the amalgamation costs. We are finding that projects have been put on hold and councils are struggling. I think it is very disappointing that when referring to councils that are looking for funding help the minister described these requests for assistance as Nigerian loan scams. We cannot get any lower than that. I am disappointed that he has that view. I asked the government to put together some figures on what the real cost would be. It has refused to do that. It has refused to sit down with the councils and the Local Government Association to work out a formula for the type of expense that is acceptable. It has not done that. Time expired. Mrs LD LAVARCH (Kurwongbah—ALP) (4.44 pm): I am pleased to rise in support of Estimates Committee C’s report to parliament. Estimates Committee C examined the portfolio budgets of Education, Training and the Arts and Local Government and Main Roads. The committee report sets out an overview of each portfolio’s budget and key funding initiatives and investments. Firstly, I wanted to speak in relation to the Education, Training and the Arts portfolio budget. The 2008-09 budget proposes to invest $7.03 billion in recurrent funding in the education, training and arts sector and a further $833.8 million in infrastructure which includes $89.6 million to construct four new schools across the state and $150 million towards the $850 million State Schools of Tomorrow initiative to deliver new and renewed facilities to older schools. I would like to thank Minister Welford for his commitment to the estimates process, for his comprehensive knowledge of his portfolio and also for being very frank and forthright in answering the committee’s questions. Over the 3¾ hours we examined his portfolio proposed expenditure many areas of his portfolio responsibility were examined. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2381

I would like to make particular mention of the programs and initiatives in respect of the training part of the portfolio. Representing an electorate that is a high growth area, it is critical that we have the skilled workers to meet the demands, especially in the construction industry. It was heartening to hear that according to figures released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research in December last year Queensland is leading the nation in overcoming skills shortages, with apprenticeship and traineeship commencements increasing at more than the national rate. There is no doubt that this is due to the efforts of the $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan and its forerunner, the Breaking the Unemployment Cycle program. On 11 August I attended the 21st anniversary of East Coast Apprenticeships which is a group training scheme situated in the electorate of Kurwongbah but covers the areas of Redcliffe, Caboolture and Pine Rivers. East Coast started 20 years ago with 12 apprentices. It has over 700 today. This shows the commitment the state has to apprentices and the commitment the community has to the training of apprentices in our area. I commend Alan Sparks, the CEO of East Coast, for the growth of that group training scheme. It is pleasing to see the target has been set to increase the number of school based apprenticeships and traineeships to 12,400 by the end of next year. This is also followed up by an allocation of $186.5 million to train apprentices and trainees and to create an extra 17,000 trade training places by 2010. The minister reported that the Queensland Skills Plan is having a positive impact on addressing our state’s challenge in meeting the skills that are needed for fast-growing industries. The minister was confident that the range of reforms introduced will see us working gradually towards a more vibrant and robust VET sector. Enhancement of the VET system’s overall capacity and ability to meet industry and geographical needs is critical. In respect of the examination of the Main Roads portfolio budget allocation it was the infrastructure program which received most attention. It is worth noting here that the capital works program for Main Roads this year is $3.25 billion which equates to $60 million per week being spent on our roads system. The minister reported that the main focus of this expenditure will be projects that help tackle urban traffic congestion. Representing an outer metropolitan electorate, traffic congestion is the daily experience and many times the daily frustration of my constituents. While it is our own responsibility to be cognisant of traffic conditions and allow sufficient time to undertake our trips, it is recognised that some of our roads do carry capacity volumes of traffic. There is no room for recovery. Any minor mishap can see commuters in grid lock. This is why projects such as the $1.88 billion Gateway upgrade, the first stages of the Ipswich Motorway upgrade, the construction of new interchanges on the Pacific Highway and the completion of the motorway upgrade together with the $315 million duplication of the Houghton Highway were of interest to me during the committee hearings. The minister also informed the committee that the plan for tackling urban traffic congestion is not confined to new and upgraded roads. He advised that innovative solutions to help ease congestion are being pursued. Time expired. Mr WELLINGTON (Nicklin—Ind) (4.49 pm): It gives me a great deal of pleasure to participate in the debate. Firstly, I want to put on the record my appreciation for the assistance offered to me and provided by the chair of the committee, the member Inala, the assistance and support provided by members of the government and especially the member for Cunningham and the member for Warrego in ensuring that some questions I wished to have tabled and presented were presented under their names. So I thank those members of the opposition for their assistance in enabling those questions to be received and responded to by the respective ministers. In answer to my specific questions to the minister for education, I note that the minister acknowledged the significant growth pressures on some towns in my electorate. In particular, we discussed the issues involving Palmwoods school and I note that the minister acknowledged that Education Queensland had identified that there was a need for a new administration building to be provided in the future. The North Arm school is very similar to Palmwoods in that it is undergoing significant growth pressures from students at the moment. I take this opportunity to again draw to the minister’s attention the need to prioritise the bringing forward of the construction of the new administration building at the school at Palmwoods and also the provision of new classroom spaces. I was only recently at the Palmwoods and North Arm schools and again witnessed firsthand the pressures that our students are under. I would hope that if there are sufficient funds in next year’s budget we might be able to bring forward the allocation of funding to provide not just the new administration building but also new classroom blocks for both of those schools. In particular I was approached by the P&C president of the Palmwoods school and asked questions in relation to why some sewerage connection had not been able to be attended to and some other issues which I am very 2382 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008 aware that the facilities department of Education Queensland is aware of. I would hope that, perhaps by mentioning the issues involving the Palmwoods school here, the facilities department might be able to finalise those issues involving the needs at Palmwoods school. I also note that during the estimates hearing I questioned the minister in relation to the government’s support for school gardens—vegetable gardens and permaculture gardens. I am very pleased to hear that the government has announced the anticipated banning of junk food advertising. I would hope that in the future—perhaps next year—the government might announce a new initiative to provide a specific allocation of funding to assist schools like the Palmwoods school, the Montville school and the many other schools in Queensland that are involved in what some people call environmentally sustainable education. Other people refer to it as vegetable garden projects or permaculture garden projects. It is clear that there are significant benefits, for a whole range of reasons, to supporting vegetable gardens in our schools. It is not just about teaching future Queenslanders and Australians about gardening. One of the significant benefits of this activity that I was never aware of relates to behaviour management. Gone are the days when we need to have students waiting outside the principal’s office for a caning or to write 100 or 200 times why they misbehaved and why they should not misbehave in the future. It has amazed me how students with behavioural problems have turned their life around and are different students after being involved in vegetable garden projects. I again take this opportunity to urge the minister and the government to reconsider—perhaps maybe in next year’s budget—providing an allocation of funding. It may be the case that schools are able to access $3,000 or $5,000. It does not need to be a significant amount of money, but if there is an opportunity I believe there will be significant long-term benefits for Queensland in relation to behaviour management to the extent that in the future we would not need the police to be involved or community workers to be involved. We would be providing significant training to our students at the coalface at our primary schools. I again thank my parliamentary colleagues from the government, the opposition and the chair for their support in enabling questions to be raised during the estimates committee hearing. Mr BOMBOLAS (Chatsworth—ALP) (4.53 pm): I rise to make a contribution to the consideration of the estimates committee report. Along with the member for Inala, the member for Cunningham, the member for Gaven, the member for Warrego, the member for Kurwongbah and the member for Nicklin, I was appointed to Estimates Committee C. At this point I want to congratulate our chair, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and her deputy, Stuart Copeland, for guiding us through this process and a big thank you to our secretariat, Renee Easten and Elaine Neill. Also to the Hansard and parliamentary staff, thanks for your help as well. Estimates Committee C was allocated the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts, as well as the Minister for Main Roads and Local Government. At a public hearing on Thursday, 17 July the committee quizzed the ministers and their directors-general over proposed expenditure contained in the Appropriation Bill 2008. The 2008-09 budget proposes to invest $7.03 billion in recurrent funding in the education, training and arts sectors and a further $833.8 million in infrastructure. Key education, training and arts funding initiatives and investments include, as the member for Kurwongbah has previously stated, $89.6 million to construct four new schools and $150 million towards the $850 million Schools of Tomorrow initiative to deliver new and renewed facilities to older schools, and in the Chatsworth electorate the Tingalpa State School will be part of this initiative. There is also $125.1 million for school maintenance, and once again in that extra budget for maintenance $500,000 is going to the Carina State School for a much- needed new amenities block. That is something that I have been campaigning on for a couple of years now, so I am really pleased that the minister and the department have seen fit to allocate that money in the budget. There is $26.2 million to acquire, refurbish and maintain staff and teacher accommodation; $23 million to complete covered walkways at prep facilities; funds to employ up to an additional 321 full- time equivalent staff, of which 270 are teachers and teacher aides; $20 million in funding for the preprep early learning program in 35 Indigenous communities; almost $11 million to support students with disabilities; over $100 million in Smart Classrooms initiatives to improve electronic access to learning materials; $20 million towards the Computers for Teachers program—and I might add that Carina State School was one of the first schools to receive its computers; over $47 million for staff professional development; and $2.1 million for 2008-09 to increase the number of school based apprenticeship and traineeship commencements to 12,400 by December of next year. There is $186.5 million to go towards training apprentices and trainees to create an extra 17,000 trade training places by 2010—that is a fantastic initiative—and $54.7 million for flexible and modern training facilities for SkillsTech Australia and to plan and construct training centres. There is $9.6 million for the small to medium arts sector and $2.7 million for the Backing Indigenous Arts program, and so goes the budget in the arts area. Key initiatives and investments for the portfolio of Main Roads for this year’s budget include commencement of planning and design for upgrades to the Bruce Highway; the Ipswich Motorway upgrade—and we have seen some fantastic work there; completing construction of the south-west arterial; completing construction of key roads on the Sunshine Coast and upgrading of the Sunshine 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2383

Motorway; completing construction of the Townsville ring-road, the Hospital Bridge in Mackay and the Ward River and Woolshed Gully bridges near Charleville; generally improving safety for road users and workers; reducing road trauma; improving freight efficiency and heavy vehicle safety; and replacement of old traffic lights with energy-efficient, low-maintenance light-emitting diodes for greater reliability and longer life. Also in 2008-09 the department of local government will administer up to $812 million in funding to local governments through the department’s grants and subsidies programs. I note that most members of the opposition have made general criticism of the estimates process, and I guess that is their prerogative. The two opposition members on our committee were no different and registered statements of reservation. On a positive note, I pay tribute—and I note that he has left the chamber—to the member for Nicklin for his contribution. His passion for his electorate and constituents was obvious in his rigorous questioning of the ministers. I commend the report to the House. Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (4.59 pm): It is my pleasure to speak to the report of Estimates Committee C as the new education, skills and the arts spokesman for the LNP. I have read the transcript. I was interested to note the questions asked by the member for Cunningham and other questions asked of the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts. The minister was certainly quite forthcoming about many issues. I note the statement of reservations that the member for Cunningham has included in the report, and I want to speak to some of those issues contained in it. I note that whilst at the estimates committee hearings the school closures at Blackstone and Dinmore were flagged, they were announced just a couple of days ago under the State Schools of Tomorrow program. Those closures are added to the school closures at Wynnum that were announced last year and, of course, there are more school closures planned at Inala and Innisfail. The LNP has expressed concern about these closures. Bigger is not necessarily better, and we look forward to more explanation from the minister as to exactly what is happening with this program so that Queenslanders can be reassured that the education that their children are going to receive is as good as it can be. I note, too, at the hearing there was an announcement of an outstanding performing arts centre at Brisbane State High School. It is something that I have campaigned for, and will continue to do so, for Benowa State High School. Last Friday night I attended the secondary schools drama festival at the Gold Coast and I also recently attended a performance by the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra, which needs a home. It would be my contention that Benowa State High School, which has a proud record in such matters, would be a great place in which to place a performing arts centre. There is one at Upper Coomera State College and I know there are many others throughout the state. I will be progressing that proposal as part of my initiatives for my electorate and as part of my commitment to the arts for Benowa State High School. I note, too, from reading the transcript that there was discussion between the honourable member for Cunningham and the minister about the computer program that was announced by Kevin Rudd. Of course, it has been revealed that for every dollar of computer value the state government has to spend $2 to implement this program in schools. The honourable the minister said— ... I guess the key principle that you are driving at, which I agree with, is that the federal government really does need to acknowledge that there are on-costs inherent in the installation. So whilst New South Wales has made a claim for hundreds of millions of dollars, this is obviously still subject to some negotiations here in Queensland. I think it is important that the people of Queensland understand that the promise of giving every secondary schoolchild a computer is one that came with a lot of costs that were not allowed for in the last federal election campaign. I note, too, that in the estimates committee hearing the number of prep classes and the number of classes that had more than the average number of students was also canvassed. In terms of skills or training, there was discussion about VET. I note, too, that the LNP’s commitment will follow the COAG announcements on participation and productivity. We will be placing clients, individuals and business at the centre of the system and reforming the training product, services, the information systems and regulation to meet a more demand and client driven system while also expressing our support for TAFE. I look forward to attending a dinner next week with the honourable member for Gaven. He is a member of the new board—the statutory body of the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE. I will see him there next Monday night, along with the director, Deb Daly, and other members of the board. I want to confirm our absolute commitment to the arts portfolio. As the honourable member for Cunningham has said, many small to medium enterprises were very concerned about some of the statements made by the honourable the minister at the estimates committee hearing about whether there was rolling annual funding or annual funding being given to some companies and, in relation to the cuts that had been initiated to some of the bodies, whether there would be any proper acquittal or how we will be able to assess that the money that is given to other organisations will lead to better outcomes in the arts. I acknowledge the refurbishment that is happening at the Lyric Theatre, which was mentioned in the estimates committee report. I note the success of GoMA. The Hon. Joan Sheldon was always a great benefactor of the arts. I want to assure all members of this community that we will continue our support for this wonderful section of our community which is as important to people as is sport, given the 2384 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008 success of the Beijing Olympics. As the former Premier used to say, the arts are also a reflection of how society is travelling and we need to make sure that we keep supporting the arts. With those words, I commend the report. Mr GRAY (Gaven—ALP) (5.03 pm): Before I address a number of issues within the report—and, of course, I stand to speak in support of the report of Estimates Committee C, which covered the portfolio areas of Education and Training and the Arts and Main Roads and Local Government—I would like to thank the chair of the committee, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the other members of the committee for their support during the hearing and for the way in which the hearing was conducted. I would also like to thank Renee and Elaine, our secretariat, for their good work as well as Hansard. I want to thank another group of people whom we sometimes forget about when we are dealing with estimates committee hearings, and that is the very many senior public servants and other public servants who put in endless hours preparing briefs for the ministers and for us so that the detailed questions that we ask can be answered by the minister and the best possible information can be given. Before I go on, I mention open and accountable government, because I regard the estimates committee process as a very large part of open and accountable government. It is one of those measures in time— Mrs Sullivan: Introduced by the Goss Labor government. Mr GRAY: It was introduced by the Goss Labor government. Estimates hearings are a very powerful tool by which both government members and opposition members can examine the minister of the day and dig deep in terms of getting the information that is required to be given so that full information is available. When you consider the other elements of open and accountable government— the democratic process that we have here—question time is certainly one of those elements. Estimates hearings are another one of those elements, as are community cabinets. With its regional parliament, this government has added a fourth plank to open and accountable government. While I hear arguments put that Queensland does not have a house of review, I suggest to members that every time this parliament meets Queensland has a house of review and every time estimates committee hearings are held Queensland has a house of review. I refer to a few issues that relate to education. I note the record budget of $7.139 billion for the next financial year and the $89.6 million to construct four new schools. If those schools are anything like Park Lake State School, which was opened last Friday, I will be extremely pleased. This is a wonderful school that has a wireless network and beautiful buildings. The school has a very good design that enables students to catch breezes through the buildings. The teaching conditions are also very pleasant. The school also has had quite a bit of electronic equipment installed including electronic whiteboards, which I also note were mentioned in the report. I also refer to the $20.7 million in funding in 2008-09 for the preprep early learning program in 35 Indigenous communities. It has been my pleasure to visit a number of Indigenous communities within the last two months and to see programs such as this put in place with a very high attendance rate. Of course, we have to transfer that attendance rate for the preprep program into the school program. I know that a number of the Indigenous communities in Cape York are working very hard to see that happen. There has been an allocation of an extra $10.9 million to support students with disabilities, which is an area that is near and dear to my heart. For many years I worked in this area through recruiting and allocating staff to provide programs for students with disabilities. Those children are some of the most vulnerable children in our schools. They certainly deserve every dollar that goes to them. Life is not easy for these people, but for many of them school is an enjoyable place and it is a place that they love to go to. The $100 million Smart Classrooms initiative to improve electronic access to learning materials is a wonderful initiative. Of course, we have interactive whiteboards in schools today. I can remember during my teaching days having a stick of chalk. If it was a short lesson you took a small stick of chalk; if it was a long lesson you took a longer stick of chalk. We did advance to the use of OHPs. I will explain to some of my more erudite colleagues what chalk and blackboards are at some time in the future. The electronic blackboards are absolutely marvellous. Miss SIMPSON (Maroochydore—NPA) (5.09 pm): I am delighted to rise to speak on the report to the parliament of Estimates Committee C particularly as, since the estimates proceedings, I have taken on the responsibility for main roads for the state opposition. An honourable member: Well done. Miss SIMPSON: Thank you. I acknowledge and thank my colleague the member for Warrego, Howard Hobbs, for his role in this portfolio for the opposition. This is a great portfolio and it impacts on every Queenslander. It is a serious portfolio, but I want to briefly bring the lighter side of things to the parliament by sharing an incident that occurred during the great opening of the Maroochy River bridge on the Sunshine Motorway last year, which both the minister and I attended. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2385

Sunshine Coast residents fought hard for that infrastructure and we were excited to see it come on line. As the minister and I stood on the bridge on that prestigious occasion waiting for the moment when the ribbon was to be cut, a man in a fluorescent mankini flew past us. I thought that he was a very game man because the minister had a very big pair of scissors in his hand and a gleam in his eye. It was quite a variation of de Groot and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It certainly made the bridge opening, which was already a great occasion, an unforgettable occasion. I thank the minister for his attendance on that day. We are delighted to see the bridge open. What has been even better has been the fast- tracking of the upgrade of the existing bridge to allow it to take additional capacity and that project has come in ahead of schedule. When it was announced that the project was completed ahead of schedule and that the lanes were to be opened, I went out as early as possible to be one of the first to see vehicles using that road. It was a battle for the bridge and it was a great fight. Certainly I had run-ins with a predecessor of this minister about the need to build the bridge as it was the missing link on a very important arterial through the Sunshine Coast. As the bridge project comes to the point of conclusion, I acknowledge the workers who have done a great job. There are further works to be completed such as the Pacific Paradise upgrade and interchanges, as well as works back to Maroochydore Road which are still underway, but which will all be greatly welcomed by the community. Another issue that is still a point of great contention for residents in Queensland is the Centenary Highway. Under the government this very congested road has suffered another bungle with planning studies into promised transit and bus lanes already delayed by two years and the announcement that studies are still to take place. The government has now proposed the possibility of a toll for low- occupancy vehicles travelling on what is a free motorway. In September 2005 in parliament then Minister for Transport Paul Lucas stated— Additionally, $250 million has been provided for the construction of bus priority and transit lanes on the Centenary Highway from the Ipswich Motorway to Toowong, with planning to start next year. This month, more than three years later, Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt announced that the study had finally begun. In 2005 when the plan was first announced the Centenary Highway already looked like a parking lot and in 2008 things are only looking worse. Under Premier Beattie and now Premier Bligh, this government has failed to commence the study in a timely way and it has allowed the congestion to build, and the people will have to pay for that broken promise. What happened to the $250 million that Minister Lucas promised in 2005? Now that there are no current real allocations for the construction of that road, again people are asking when the road will be built and how much it will cost. When will they see it come on line to relieve the congestion? As this road is currently toll free it is a major concern that it has now been mooted that motorists may be forced to pay tolls on the road as the Bligh government continues to struggle with its blowouts in costs on infrastructure projects. The 2005 plan proposed to have the transit and bus lanes completed by 2026. We raised concerns that that was too far out anyway. Now there is no time frame to clearly identify when the works will be underway. In 2005 we argued that the work was urgent and needed to be brought forward. South-east Queenslanders just want their roads fixed, but the Bligh government has proven once again that it is unable to deliver essential functions of government on time and on budget. For Queensland to deal with its ongoing growth, it must have timely infrastructure. It needs government to execute those plans in a cost-effective and strategic way so that Queenslanders can keep the lifestyle and the economy that they so treasure. Mr CRIPPS (Hinchinbrook—NPA) (5.14 pm): I rise to contribute to the debate on Estimates Committee C. In relation to the Education portfolio, I wish to canvass the issue of the rollout of the prep year and the need for full-time teacher aides in prep classrooms that was discussed by the committee. At the commencement of semester 1 this year in my electorate of Hinchinbrook, two schools experienced difficulties in relation to staffing numbers and enrolments after the day 8 cut-off policy. Rollingstone State School and Feluga State School experienced difficulties after the day 8 cut-off for different reasons; Rollingstone because it fell just under the threshold to retain its existing number of teachers and Feluga because it had only just met the threshold to attract an additional teacher. The loss of the third teacher at Rollingstone State School saw the student body consolidated into two classes, a prep to year 3 class with 20 students and a year 4 to year 7 class of 24 students. In the first instance, those are high numbers in a primary school classroom. Furthermore, the years 4 to 7 teacher is also the school principal who has extra duties and responsibilities to discharge in that capacity. There are significant age and maturity differences between prep students and year 3 students. I am concerned about the how those changes have impacted on the learning environment of students at Rollingstone State School. Education Queensland initially declined the application by Feluga State School for a third teacher after enrolments increased for semester 1 2008. Enrolments increased such that Feluga had two multi- year level classes, a prep to year 3 class of 26 students and a years 4 to 7 class of 25 students. Again, those are high numbers in a primary school classroom. Again, the years 4 to 7 teacher is also the school principal, so that member of staff has extra duties and responsibilities to discharge in addition to teaching this large class. 2386 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 27 Aug 2008

As discussed during the proceedings of Estimates Committee C, there is a class size target for prep to year 3 classes of 25 students. This means the prep to year 3 class at Feluga State School exceeded the target. While I was pleased that Feluga State School’s request was subsequently agreed to, I remain concerned that Education Queensland appears quick to withdraw staff when schools fall under enrolment thresholds, but seems to require schools to maintain enrolments above thresholds for a period before providing an additional teacher when schools meet those thresholds. I think it is fair to say that there was significant disquiet surrounding the introduction of the prep year in Queensland state schools without full-time teacher aides being made available to prep teachers. I believe that with the introduction of the prep year, it is opportune for Education Queensland to reconsider its threshold staff allocation policy, particularly in smaller schools where there are numerous composite classes and the challenges of teaching multiple year levels are exacerbated by very young prep students. The prep year is modelled on a play based curriculum. This is not easily compatible with the more formalised curriculum commencing in year 1. It complicates the responsibility of teachers in multiple year level classrooms that include prep students. The teacher’s onerous task in those circumstances, despite their best efforts, will probably mean that both the prep students and the various year level students will not be learning in the best environment possible, given that two separate curriculums are being delivered simultaneously. What I would like to see ideally and in the first instance is full-time teacher aides provided for prep year classes and for multiple year level classes that include prep students. I also think that, given the introduction of the prep year and the complexities it introduces as far as supervision and the delivery of a play based curriculum is concerned, the state government and Education Queensland should seriously consider—especially if the state government is resolved not to deliver full-time teacher aides— a review of those staffing enrolment thresholds with a view to reducing them in smaller schools that regularly have multiple year level classrooms where these difficulties are no doubt exacerbated. In relation to the local government portfolio, the report of Estimates Committee C mentions that the Orion report was canvassed during the proceedings of that committee. The Orion report outlines the financial circumstances of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, which was created as a result of the amalgamation of the former Johnstone Shire and the former Cardwell Shire. I have spoken about this issue at length in the parliament and publicly. I am genuinely concerned about the future of the residents, ratepayers and communities in the Cassowary Coast region. I do not intend to go into the details of the Orion report, save to say that it outlines some very serious problems faced by the Cassowary Coast Regional Council. The Orion report does include four recommendations that propose a way forward. I know that the Cassowary Coast Regional Council officially adopted the Orion report at its meeting on 24 April 2008 and it communicated this to the minister for local government to officially respond to the report. The question is, and I pose it to the minister—I am glad he is here today—has the minister officially responded to that correspondence, does the state government support it and is it committed to the four recommendations of the Orion report? Hon. FW PITT (Mulgrave—ALP) (Minister for Main Roads and Local Government) (5.19 pm): Before commenting directly about the report of Estimates Committee C, I would like to add my thanks to the chair, the committee members and the committee secretariat for their efforts. I would also like to thank the staff from both departments who worked very hard in the lead-up to the committee hearing to prepare the briefing materials for me. Their hard work is in direct contrast to the lacklustre effort of the opposition. I take exception to a number of points made in the opposition’s generic claims in its statements of reservation—including claims that there was limited time available and that responses to questions on notice were provided less than 24 hours in advance—because they simply are not true. The opposition had several hours of direct questioning to examine my portfolio yet seemed more interested in chasing shadows, bashing unions and barking up the wrong trees. I do, however, want to take this opportunity to respond to some of the spurious claims in the shadow minister’s statement of reservation. With regard to Main Roads, the member for Warrego raised two issues—one in relation to non-discretionary funding for the department and the other related to carbon emissions produced by RoadTek. Despite the information provided at the committee hearing, the shadow minister still seems to need clarification, so I will explain it again. Motor vehicle registration revenue is the only revenue that the state receives for construction projects that has any escalation factor built in. The full amount of motor vehicle registration revenue represents both CPI growth and volume growth in terms of the number of vehicles that are actually registered, and is fully allocated to the Department of Main Roads for allocation across the road network. 27 Aug 2008 Appropriation (Parliament) Bill; Appropriation Bill 2387

In 2006-07, the actual growth in registrations was 7.98 per cent on the previous year; in 2007-08, the growth was 8.92 per cent. With regard to the 2008-09 financial year, all Queensland Treasury forward estimates for registration revenue are based on a growth rate of four per cent per annum. These allocations are subsequently adjusted for actual receipts in both the midyear review and state budget processes. With regard to the level of carbon emissions produced by RoadTek, I must point out that there is no legislative requirement as yet to measure and report on the emissions used by an organisation, and there is no ability to benchmark with industry as yet. Having said that though, RoadTek, as a good government citizen, has been proactive in the area of minimising its impact on the environment. During the past 12 months, RoadTek has commenced a monitoring process for carbon emissions that will guide any future decisions about mitigation. Our plant hire fleet is progressively moving over to low-emission, fuel-efficient plant and RoadTek is currently trialling a number of hybrid trucks and testing alternative fuel sources such as biofuels. I would now like to move on to some of the claims made in relation to the local government portfolio. In response to the shadow minister’s assertions about discussions with the union movement after the amalgamations, I can confirm that I did not meet with the LGAQ and the unions to discuss non- union representation in the enterprise bargaining process. I do, as I said at estimates, have quarterly meetings with both the unions and the LGAQ, as well as many other key stakeholders, and I will continue to do so. These meetings provide me with a valuable means of engaging with the peak bodies and staying abreast of their issues. Perhaps the opposition could learn a lesson from this approach. Moving on to the shadow minister’s reservations about the costs of amalgamation, I must reinforce one thing: I fully understand the costs to councils, just as I fully understand the massive savings that will accrue over time. Even when I used the LGAQ’s own analysis to highlight these savings, the shadow minister refused to accept the facts that were presented to him. It was disappointing to note that the department has received submissions that do not include any attempt to identify savings, even when some savings have already occurred for councils. I am not going to fall for these ambit claims and neither should the shadow minister. Having addressed these statements of reservation, I would like to highlight the benefits that this budget will bring to Queenslanders. The Bligh government is committed to building tomorrow’s Queensland today and planning for the future, and the funding allocated to my portfolio for 2008-09 is a glowing endorsement of this commitment. We are looking to the future, not the past. I commend the report to the House. In closing, I must say I find the estimates process a very fulfilling process. What it does for me as a minister is ensures that I get my head around all the detail of my portfolio, and it is a very good exercise for the public servants within my two departments. It makes them once again go back through all the actions we have taken and the decisions we have made to ensure that we are on track and serving the people of Queensland in the manner in which we do. Generally speaking I must say, even though I have reservations about the performance of the opposition, the courtesy and questioning was generally incisive. I felt we did learn something from the process. I would commend the estimates process to this and future governments. Report adopted.

Estimates Committee D

Report Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hoolihan): Order! The question is— That the report of Estimates Committee D be adopted. Mr WEIGHTMAN (Cleveland—ALP) (5.24 pm): It was an honour to chair Estimates Committee D, and I am glad I am able to speak in support of the proposed expenditures for the portfolios of Child Safety; Tourism, Regional Development and Industry; and Communities. When I reported on estimates last year I noted how the estimates process was initiated to provide the opposition with an opportunity to closely scrutinise expenditure by each and every government department. It is a measure to improve the accountability of our government. This year, I was able to appreciate once again the enormous effort that our ministers are putting in to deliver important services for Queenslanders. Estimates Committee D examined areas of our government which make a significant impact in the lives of many, many Queenslanders. I was enormously grateful for the opportunity to hear more about the work being done by Minister Keech, Minister Boyle and Minister Nelson-Carr in their portfolios. I would like to congratulate all three ministers on their work in their respective portfolios and also the public servants who continue to support their work. 2388 Motion 27 Aug 2008

I would like to thank Deborah Jeffrey for her help once again and all the other parliamentary staff who ensured the process ran so smoothly from the preparation to the execution and the post-estimates work as well. Thank you very much. I would also like to thank my parliamentary colleagues—the member for Brisbane Central, Ms Grace; the member for Burdekin, Mrs Menkens; the member for Burnett, Mr Messenger; the member for Mudgeeraba, Mrs Reilly; the member for Woodridge, Mrs Scott; and the member for Currumbin, Mrs Stuckey—for asking insightful questions and making the most of this important opportunity. In the Child Safety portfolio, I was pleased to see the expenditure of more than $26 million in building small group homes and residential care homes to make sure children under the department’s protection, no matter their circumstances, get the best help and support they need. It was also good to hear more about the department’s $15 million recruiting campaign to bring more carers into the system. I know in my electorate I will be holding an event to support this campaign early next month. Minister Keech also explained that one of the most common risk factors for abuse is parents who have been previously abused themselves, which highlights the importance of breaking the cycle of abuse very early in a child’s life. This is the reason for putting in extra funding—like the $12 million One Chance at Childhood rollout, which is focused on children aged between zero and four—to ensure that they get the best start in life by coming into the care of the department early in their lives. Minister Boyle provided some very interesting information about the Queensland government’s investment in and delivery of biofuels, and also highlighted that the Queensland government has not only increased Tourism Queensland’s base funding by $230,000 but that, combining that increase with the $4 million Queensland tourism assistance package and the $11.3 million in additional special purpose funding, the total Queensland government contribution for tourism has reached a record $53 million. A government member: How much? Mr WEIGHTMAN: $53 million. Ms Grace: How much? Mr WEIGHTMAN: I did not think the member was listening! Minister Nelson-Carr highlighted that Queensland was leading the country with our Early Years Strategy. I was pleased to hear about the four new Early Years centres which will have a strong focus on reducing stress, providing parenting advice and a range of resources for parents with growing children and, also, importantly, by offering an outlet for friendship. Those four new centres—to be built at Nerang, Caboolture, Browns Plains and Cairns by 2010 at a cost of $32 million over four years—will be a wonderful asset for those areas, and I look forward to hearing more about them as they are completed. I would like to close by encouraging members of the public to examine transcripts of the estimates committee hearings because I believe that these committees form a really important part of our system of government and its accountability. I would also like to thank my fellow committee members for their conduct on the day, and for respecting the rulings of the chair. I commend the report to the House. Debate, on motion of Mr Weightman, adjourned.

MOTION

Health System Mr McARDLE (Caloundra—Lib) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (5.29 pm): I move— That this parliament condemns the failure of the state government to improve Queensland’s once-proud health system and notes: That after 10 years in office the Labor government in 2008 is making the same promises on Queensland Health that it made on 3 June 1998, when they launched their campaign and sought a mandate to form government including: • A promise to fix the waiting lists; • A promise to complete building Queensland’s hospitals; • A promise to pay attention to baby health; and • A promise to revitalise our ambulance service. There was a time in this state’s history when Queensland residents and visitors had a reasonable expectation that if they were seriously sick or injured they could see a doctor and they would be looked after by a clinically trained nurse in one of the state’s public hospitals. But the front page of today’s Townsville Bulletin states— Two years after we were promised a new $85m wing, the Townsville Hospital is overcrowded, and it’s making us... Sick and tired. ‘Sick and tired’: those words are echoed right across this state by every Queenslander, because they are sick and tired of the rhetoric, the promises, the innuendo, the doublespeak and the spin put on it by this Labor government over the past 10 years. In this House today, questions were put to the health 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2389 minister about the 24 people in Townsville yesterday who could not get into the emergency department because they were ramped up or sitting on trolleys, about the 22 Aramac Hospital staff who were quietly told yesterday that they were being retrenched— Mr ROBERTSON: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order. That is untrue and I ask for it to be withdrawn. Mr SPEAKER: Member for Caloundra? Mr ROBERTSON: In relation to Aramac, that is untrue and I ask it to be withdrawn. Mr Copeland interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Excuse me, the member for Cunningham has nothing to do with this. There is a point of order. I ask you to desist. It is a point of order. Mr McARDLE: I withdraw. Questions were asked about the elderly Clayfield resident, Valda Flower, who had to spend 4½ hours in an ambulance being passed from hospital to hospital before being treated, about the Nambour Hospital on the Sunshine Coast on bypass yesterday with 24 patients waiting for hospitalisation, and about the public hospitals on Brisbane’s south being on capacity alert last weekend, with four cardiac emergency patients waiting more than four hours on ambulance trolleys at Logan Hospital. Incredibly, the health minister and the Premier yesterday announced yet again that they had turned the corner and we had a new health plan in the state. Amazingly, we have had the Davies report, a document of 538 pages, and the Forster report, a document of 430 pages, detailing the clinical disaster brought about by this government on the Queensland public health system, and nothing has changed. In the last decade, we have heard a series of announcements from the Beattie and Bligh governments about the population growth in Queensland, particularly in the south-east, but we have not seen an investment to match that growth by way of infrastructure being placed into the health services to remedy the problems that were enunciated in Labor’s manifesto in 1998. What did the Labor manifesto in 1998 identify? Waiting lists, preventable diseases, maternity issues and ambulance issues. On 3 June 1998, the then Leader of the Opposition, Peter Beattie, stood up and said, ‘Those are the issues we are going to tackle. We are going to deal with these issues,’ and 10 years down the track we saw the exact same issues—the exact same issues—raised again in this House yesterday morning with the promise that they are going to be fixed by this government. Yet nothing changes. Today, a litany of disasters was read into Hansard in this House and the health minister could only turn and say, ‘The population growth caused it. John Howard caused it. Somebody else caused it, but I didn’t cause it. I’ve done all that I can. My predecessors and I have dealt with it.’ Yet it is still an absolute basket case. The spin doctors have been telling the people of Queensland about the corners they have turned. Do you know what, Mr Speaker? This government has turned so many corners, it is doing circles upon itself. Unbelievably, repeated statements by this government in the past 10 years have tried to allay the fears of the people of Queensland and tell them that their health system is on track and that they will get the best possible health service. What a load of rubbish! The continuing crisis in our state’s public hospital system shows that whilst the Queensland Labor Party has been good at the political script it has been poor in government action, and very sick Queenslanders are suffering. It is a case of the same issues made worse because of poor management and serial neglect. Ten years on, the proportion and scale of the problems in the Queensland public health system have escalated. This is why the Bligh government is talking about—wait for it—waiting lists, preventable diseases, maternity issues and ambulance issues. Mr Springborg: Have we heard this before? Mr McARDLE: We heard this in 1998. Mr Springborg: Did we? Mr McARDLE: We heard this, and then opposition leader Peter Beattie, with one hand on his heart and one on the Bible, said he was going to solve these problems. He is no longer here, of course; he is over in the United States. Mr Springborg: He was going to resign if he didn’t fix it. Mr McARDLE: He said he would resign if they were not fixed. Mr SPEAKER: We could do without the little ‘sir echoes’ on this side that we can hear. You are repetitive as well in what you are saying. Mr McARDLE: Mr Speaker, thank you very much. Mr SPEAKER: You repeated exactly what was said behind you. 2390 Motion 27 Aug 2008

Mr McARDLE: As at 1 July 2008, there were 34,703 sick Queenslanders on waiting lists in this state. The latest Australian hospital statistics show that there has been a net loss of 455 public hospital beds in the last decade. When the Beattie government first came to power, Queensland’s population was 3.5 million and there were 10,809 public hospital beds. Queensland’s population is now 4.1 million and there are just 10,354 public hospital beds, according to the Australian hospital statistics. Mr Robertson: They’re wrong. Mr McARDLE: They are wrong? Mr Robertson: They’re wrong. Mr McARDLE: They are wrong. That is right, the Australian hospital statistics are wrong. I wonder where they got the doctored figures from. It would not be Queensland Health, would it? They probably made them up. They made them up; they did not get them from Queensland Health! It defies belief that, despite a decade of positive media releases from the Beattie and Bligh governments about unprecedented population growth, there has been a lack of any planning, a lack of investment in the public health system and appallingly bad management. This Labor government has delivered a crisis in the state’s public health system and it did not happen overnight, but this Labor government would have us believe that the latest health plan, rehashed time and time again, will somehow paper over its track record in public health. Historically, of course, a series of the Beattie and Bligh governments’ newest grand plans to turn the corner on a crisis have been followed by a very expensive taxpayer funded advertising campaign. I wonder if we will see that after yesterday’s announcement. Do members think we might see more public dollars spent advertising to the people of Queensland that we have turned the corner again— Mr Springborg: Another glossy brochure. Mr McARDLE: Another glossy brochure, I take the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition. Will we see more millions of dollars spent on the spin campaign, as opposed to spending money and providing resources to the hospital system? This Labor government would simply have us believe that its latest health plan will somehow deal with the issues that in the past 10 years it has not been able to cope with, let alone understand. The Bligh government continues to deal with this public crisis by simply using more taxpayer money for expensive feel-good advertisements. Having said this, it will be a hard argument for Premier Beattie—I beg your pardon, Premier Bligh; the government may wish Mr Beattie was back, by the way—to sustain that a significant amount of taxpayers’ money should be spent on a self-indulgent public health advertising campaign that will try to differentiate herself from her former boss and mentor, especially if the new plan announced this week is the same old one that is being rehashed. I wonder if the announcement yesterday is really to say to the people of Queensland that Premier Bligh is different from Premier Beattie, even though she sat around the cabinet table for how many years and was involved in the process of not making decisions and not taking action. Is that what this is all about? To distance herself from the former Premier and make herself look good on a spin basis? It is strange that a new health plan was announced by the Bligh government in parliament yesterday—a new health plan that will apparently place great value in public hospitals and health services whilst at the same time the litany of disasters across this state continues unabated. I have now been informed that the Nambour Hospital was again on bypass today with 22 patients. Mrs MENKENS (Burdekin—NPA) (5.39 pm): I second the motion moved by the shadow minister for health to condemn the failure of the state government to improve Queensland’s once-proud health system. My constituents of Burdekin have to travel to Townsville for most medical procedures. I must put on record the wonderful service and treatment that they get at that hospital. I must commend the staff at the hospital as I have heard nothing but good reports about the treatment there. However, the number of beds at that hospital has long been a bone of contention. It was well known that when the new hospital was built it was not big enough. The state government obviously had not planned properly for the area’s rapidly growing population. The minister is spruiking that there will be an extra 100 beds provided at the hospital, but what are the people of the Townsville district supposed to do until 2011 when those beds arrive? By that time the population of Townsville will have increased as well so that when the hospital gets its much-touted 100 beds it will need at least another hundred just to keep up with the demand. Page 2 of the Townsville Bulletin today contains a report about the Townsville City Council approving a 1,300-lot housing estate at Mount Low. Add to that Stockland’s North Shore development, which is expected to house up to 15,000 people when complete; the state government’s own plan to release 3,000 blocks of land at the Bohle; and also the Rocky Springs development in my electorate, which is to house about 45,000 people. The city is growing rapidly and the hospital is struggling now. 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2391

AMA north Queensland spokesman, Dr Sam Baker, warned in the Townsville Bulletin on 24 July that Townsville would not cope with a disaster due to the chronic lack of beds at the hospital. The article sates— Townsville was in crisis with the private Mater Hospital also regularly at full capacity. ‘In a disaster we wouldn’t be able to cope,’ Dr Baker said. ‘Hospitals are not supposed to run at 100 per cent capacity ... they should be running at no more than 85 per cent. In today’s Bulletin Dr Baker said that the hospital staff were being pushed to their limits and that the situation was ‘a never-ending saga’. This situation is a never-ending saga because there have never been enough beds in Townsville to service the public. The Townsville Hospital provides the bulk of public health services for north Queensland and its nearest referral hospital is Royal Brisbane Hospital. It takes patients from a wide section of north Queensland—Mackay to Cairns. It is a major regional hospital and cannot cope with the numbers that are presenting there now. This is an outrageous state of affairs and the buck stops with this Labor government. Patients sent to the Townsville Hospital for treatment may be turned away or sent to another hospital, such as Ayr or Ingham, to help deal with overcrowding, but these temporary arrangements can no longer be used. Those feeder hospitals and outer health facilities are full. Yesterday there was nowhere to go to house these patients and the hospital resorted to using ambulances as beds. Just a few months ago the head of the Townsville emergency department spoke out. He told of the bed shortage and warned that patients would be left in ambulances due to a lack of beds. When a loyal public servant speaks out it speaks volumes. Imagine the chaos if there was a major incident when the ambulances were being used at the hospital. How many people have to die before the state government gets out of the planning stage and takes action on this issue? What would the Bligh government do then? Blame the hardworking staff of the hospital instead of its own lack of vision and lack of action? Would some major disaster have to occur before its eyes are opened to the fact that Townsville Hospital is being shortsheeted when it comes to available beds? The Townsville Labor MPs spun the line in the Townsville Bulletin today that it was the winter flu that had clogged up the system. As the hospital spokesman said, the issues currently being experienced are a symptom of a much bigger problem. Saying sorry is not going to fix the problems and those three Labor Townsville MPs should be putting pressure on their government to get the situation fixed. But are they? No. They think that apologising to the long-suffering people of the Townsville Health Service District will help. Apologies do not help, but action and funding a bigger hospital will. This issue is not going to go away when the flu season finishes. The Townsville Hospital and its staff will continue to be stretched to the limit as the region’s population continues to grow at a significant rate. How can staff adequately service the needs of their patients when they are increasingly faced with a lack of basic resources such as beds? North Queensland’s mining resources fill the coffers of the government and those funds should be flowing back into our inadequate infrastructure such as the Townsville Hospital and also roads, but that is another debate. Honourable members should cast their minds back 10 years. Team Beattie was promising to move on hospital waiting lists, promising to complete the program to rebuild Queensland hospitals, promising to revitalise Queensland’s Ambulance Service, promising the world to Queensland residents if they voted for Labor. They did; they voted for Labor and 10 years on Team Bligh is still promising to move on waiting lists, to rebuild our hospitals and to revitalise the QAS. Labor has had 10 years to deliver on these promises. Hon. S ROBERTSON (Stretton—ALP) (Minister for Health) (5.44 pm): I move the following amendment— That all the words after “Parliament” are deleted and the following words are inserted: “notes that— 1. over the last 10 years the nature of our health system, including ambulance services, has fundamentally changed to meet the needs of a growing, ageing and geographically diverse population, and 2. the Queensland government is meeting these challenges through a $10 billion Health Action Plan which has laid the foundation for a better public health system and has set a new target to make Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people by working to: • expand our health services to meet the needs of a growing population; • stem the devastating tide of preventable disease; • give mothers and babies the best start; • improve mental health care; and • reduce the gap for rural communities and all Indigenous Queenslanders. Consider these headlines: ‘Beds to be lost—hospital memo’, ‘Hospital staff crisis feared as acclaimed doctor joins ex’, ‘Hospital specialist crisis’, ‘Funds shortfall forces cut in psychiatric beds’, ‘Nurses rally as dispute widens’, ‘Union warns of nurses crisis’, ‘Low-priority patients “may not be 2392 Motion 27 Aug 2008 treated”’ and—it goes on—‘Federal axe hangs over hospitals’, ‘Minister warns of health cuts after cash slash’ and ‘Minister denies cash crisis for hospital’. Are they headlines from today? No. They are headlines from when the coalition was last in power and the member for Toowoomba South was health minister. Yet the leader of the LNP declared just last week that Mike Horan was Queensland’s best health minister. If that is the best they can do, then God help Queensland if they ever get back into power. We should consider this statistic alone: there are now 1,100 fewer patients on Queensland’s elective surgery waiting lists in 2008 than there were in 1998 when we came to power, despite a population increase of 750,000. That is how bad it was when the coalition was last in power. They are the facts that it does not want to admit. The fact is that when it was last in power Health was an absolute disaster. We have this nonsense about the number of beds being slashed. I am sorry, the statistics that are available and which are continually updated on the Queensland Health web site under ‘Our Performance’ show that the last time the coalition was in power there were 10,063 beds, 7,597 of them being in acute care. Now there are 10,383 and there has been a significant increase of acute care beds to 8,256. They are the facts in relation to bed numbers throughout the state. It is a shame that the member for Burdekin has gone, because what absolute rot she was speaking. There she was saying that there are not enough beds going into Townsville, yet what was her party’s commitment at the last election? To build 100 beds that would be open within two to 2½ years of the last election. If that mob had been elected to office, Townsville would still not have had one extra bed to meet the needs of the growing population. What was our record? Twenty-two extra beds in the first year, 11 beds currently underway and we are getting on with the next lot of 78 beds. But under the coalition there was not one extra bed. That was its election commitment that I tabled this morning. Mr McArdle interjected. Mr ROBERTSON: I know the member opposite has been caught out. I know he is embarrassed, but if we compare the commitments with which the coalition went to the election in 2006 with ours pound for pound, we beat it in every part of the state in terms of delivering extra beds on time and earlier to meet the needs of our growing population. Mr McArdle interjected. Mr ROBERTSON: I am happy to continue with the debate. Where? The Sunshine Coast? Where? The Gold Coast? Cairns—how many beds was it promising in Cairns? Was it zero? I think it may well have been. How many beds did it promise on the Sunshine Coast compared with our commitment? It was way under. The Gold Coast? It was not even close to what we delivered. The children’s hospital? It was not even costed. Everywhere we go in this state we will see that the Labor government is delivering more beds and more staff than was ever committed to by the coalition opposite. If it had won the last election we would be in free fall in terms of health services in this state. I am happy to continue the debate. Those opposite should bring out the policies that they took to the last election. If they bring out their costings I am happy to go city by city through this state and embarrass them on each occasion that they underfunded, that they underplanned and that they underdelivered in terms of the beds that we need today to meet the increasing needs of our population. The facts speak for themselves as we saw in Aramac today. Mr HOOLIHAN (Keppel—ALP) (5.49 pm): In rising to second the amendment moved by the Minister for Health I ask the question: what sort of black hole do members of the opposition live in? First of all, we have the member for Caloundra telling us that we have been around so many corners that we have gone full circle. It is a fairly well-known fact in mathematics that circles do not have corners in any event. Mr Springborg: A square, then. How’s that? Mr HOOLIHAN: Then we have the talking heads. Sometimes we sit here and listen to the comments made in the background and we wonder who is the ventriloquist and who is the dummy. Let me deal with what the Minister for Health has just dealt with. In 1998, which is the time the member for Caloundra would have us deal with, when we came off such a low starting point—and I notice the member for Toowoomba South— Mr Horan interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Member for Toowoomba South, if you are going to interject do it from your seat. Mr HOOLIHAN: He is leaving in embarrassment. When one starts from such a low point it is very hard to bring things up to scratch immediately. 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2393

Let me deal with a couple of the things that were raised by the member for Caloundra. There was the promise to revitalise the Ambulance Service. The Labor government will be condemned for that. When we hear from the Minister for Emergency Services we will hear that at that stage the Ambulance Service was funded purely and simply by donations and partly by the state government. We now have the community ambulance cover. An opposition member interjected. Mr HOOLIHAN: I do not need a ventriloquist, thank you. We now have the community ambulance cover which adequately covers the Ambulance Service. On that point, during the time of my predecessor, who was a member of the National Party government, the Ambulance Service did not even have an ambulance station at Emu Park. Under the program that we have that ambulance station was opened at the end of October 2006 and is currently providing great service to the people of my region. It has happened in so many other places. The Ambulance Service has been revitalised because there is sufficient funding. Mr Elmes: You should talk to the ambos. Mr HOOLIHAN: I will take that interjection. I do speak to the ambos. I know exactly what happens. Those opposite listen to clowns and they end up in the middle of a circus. That is what usually happens. I will even buy a red nose for the opposition. We are here to debate whether or not anything that has been done by the Labor government should be condemned. Let us look at building Queensland hospitals, which was also suggested. During my predecessor’s reign there was no mention of an upgrade of the hospital in Yeppoon. Currently, $77 million is going into Rockhampton. We have a new hospital being built. There is also the $22½ million health precinct which was delayed purely and simply by the actions of their candidate in 2006 and the local council. It did not suit them to have a new hospital. The National Party candidate did not want a new hospital. They will have you believe they did. Mr Springborg interjected. Mr HOOLIHAN: The member for Southern Downs was not in the photo; the member for Callide was in it. Mr Springborg interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is the third interjection using exactly the same words. I refer to repetition which I talked about this morning, Leader of the Opposition. Mr Springborg interjected. Mr SPEAKER: You said it three times. Mr HOOLIHAN: We have heard that since 1998 the population of Queensland has increased and yet all of those items that the Labor government promised then have been delivered. There are new hospitals on the drawing board now. I point out to my noisy friend from Noosa that there is a hospital going up there. There is a new hospital going up on the Gold Coast. These were not produced during any National Party reign because during the reign of the member for Toowoomba South there was a director-general of health—Dr Stable—who was ordered to lose $100 million out of the budget because they were not allowed to spend it. That should be to their eternal shame. I support the amendment which I have seconded. I would encourage every person in this House, including those sensible and knowledgeable people on the opposition side, to vote in favour of the amended motion. Mr DEMPSEY (Bundaberg—NPA) (5.54 pm): It is a great pleasure to be here this evening and hear the health minister speak about keeping promises, and particularly election promises. When the Bundaberg Base Hospital crisis was at its height an election was in the air. Former Premier Peter Beattie made a promise to the people of Bundaberg. It is incumbent on this state government to deliver that promise. He stated— There is no community more deserving of improved health services. The people of Bundaberg deserve all the improvements in health care we can offer. A re-elected state government will begin work immediately to add 30 beds at the Bundaberg Hospital ... by early 2008. Three years and several government scandals later Bundaberg has again been forgotten by this Labor government. Instead of 30 new beds and enough staff to care for Bundaberg patients we have long waiting lists, a lack of services and an ever-growing file of patient complaints. Instead of the best healthcare service this government can offer, Bundaberg’s proud and hardworking staff have been left abandoned by Queensland Health to struggle and provide the best health care possible. When I talk to these dedicated workers the consistent comment from them is that Queensland Health just does not listen to the people on the ground. I would encourage the minister to start listening to the workers and not his bureaucrats here in Brisbane. 2394 Motion 27 Aug 2008

Since the hospital scandal of 2005, to counter low staff morale and to protect the Bundaberg Base Hospital’s reputation Queensland Health leapt into action. What did it do? Doctors of spin, not medicine, were consulted and immediate changes were made. The Bundaberg Base Hospital was renamed. The Bundaberg Hospital, as it is now known, is yet to see its upgrade completed. It is yet to see the full $41 million from the state government to pay for this upgrade. We have seen plans dragged out on a number of occasions. In the March 2008 quarter Bundaberg’s waiting list for elective surgery nearly doubled in size as the local health system struggled to keep up. In 2005, when the Queensland Health budget was $5.35 billion, just over 34,000 patients were waiting for surgery. Now, with an $8.35 billion Health budget, our waiting lists have blown out to more than 36,000 patients. After nearly 20 years of this Labor government in Queensland we face the same problems that we faced 10 years ago. When the Beattie-Bligh government was first formed 10 years ago there were 10,809 public hospital beds for 3.5 million Queenslanders. A decade later there are only 10,354 public hospital beds for an increased population of approximately 4.1 million people. When I ask why there are not enough hospital beds for patients this government blames the increase in population. A growing, ageing and uniquely decentralised population will see hospital admissions double in the next 13 years. The health minister told parliament yesterday that patient admissions are set to double but this state government is closing hospitals and amalgamating health districts. The health minister and the Treasurer should talk with each other because at a regional meeting in Wide Bay the Treasurer stated that Wide Bay will need approximately 55,000 new residences by 2026 to keep up with population growth. I ask: what has happened to future planning? If this state government continues to wait until it has a critical mass and enough patients to even consider building a hospital then we will continue to have a health crisis. As the people of Bundaberg and the Beattie-Bligh government have discovered, building an extra 30 beds is easier to say than it is to do. When asked in the House today about increasing doctor numbers the health minister said words to the effect that he has no idea. This response does not inspire faith in the health system. When we consider the way this state government has let down the people of Bundaberg, when we consider the lack of support our doctors receive, when we consider the shameful way Wide Bay Health Service District Manager Pattie Hudson has been rewarded for rebuilding the Bundaberg Hospital it is no surprise that the state government fails to attract doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to Bundaberg and other parts of this great state. Queensland Health talks about a philosophy of caring, respecting and integrity, and I will give the House a good example of this being spin without substance—that is, when we see Queensland Health present awards to hardworking Bundaberg health staff and say how proud it is of their success and then five days later the whole system is scrapped without consultation! For the sum of $5 million in a multibillion-dollar budget, Bundaberg’s health system has lost local control of its hospital. The decision to abandon the Wide Bay health district flies in the face of the Davies and Forster inquiries which recommended the establishment of local health areas to strengthen local decision making. Time expired. Ms BARRY (Aspley—ALP) (5.59 pm): I rise to support the amendment moved by the minister and to talk a little bit about a policy that I have heard with respect to the Liberal National Party’s new shadow health spokesperson. I want to bring to the attention of the House and in particular to nurses what a devastating effect the election of the old/new Liberal National Party would have not only on the profession of nursing but more importantly the negative effect its election would have on patient care. It was with horror yesterday that I heard the shadow health spokesperson in his first speech to the House announce that his party would consider abandoning current nurse university education. Whilst there is little detail available on this plan—that is typical of the LNP—it is clear to me that after many years of struggle nurses are now facing an unprecedented attack on university based nurse education by those who would seek to be seen as the next alternative state government. Unfortunately, it has become a populist strategy to universally condemn university nurse training as producing nurses who do not want to get their hands dirty and to romanticise the outcomes and compassion of the hospital-trained nurse. Nurses today and nurses in the past know that neither of those positions is true. I know this to be so, having been a hospital-trained nurse myself and a charge nurse who has worked with many nurses of both training bases. Nurses long ago quite rightly won the battle for university training because it is the right way to train a nurse. The facts are that in order to care and function as a nurse today the undergraduate nursing student must be across the science before they start to care for patients. Whilst we all want to be cared for by a compassionate and caring nursing workforce, it is a crime to suggest that current nurse training does not produce caring nurses or indeed that the old hospital system training ever only produced kind nurses. More importantly, this kind of misnomer implied in the LNP’s views reinforces the fear that many nurses have that their important work remains unrecognised for the professional work that it is and that there is a continued view that nursing is hand-holding women’s work. For a party that 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2395 sees itself as an alternative government, to be so ignorant is lazy at its best and misogynistic at its worst. No-one—no-one—is suggesting that teachers or police abandon their university training. We understand that they need a high level of education as well as good mentoring on the job by experienced workers. To suggest that nurses are less deserving of a high level of education is a disgrace. The very first health policy to be rolled out by the LNP is nothing more than a slap in the face for the hard work of nurses who have undertaken modern nurse training—a training that produces not only compassionate nurses but the ones who have the necessary academic base to care for today’s patients. The LNP stands condemned for its ignorance of the modern nursing profession and reintroducing a ‘practice on the patient’ approach to nurse training. Today nurses’ work is rapidly evolving in a complex healthcare system. Whether they work in intensive or coronary care, operating theatres, aged care or primary health care, they must be well educated in the areas of anatomy, physiology and psychology. Nurses must understand the law and ethical decision making, to name just a few of the current courses that are studied by university trained nurses. In contrast to the ignorance of the needs of the modern nurse demonstrated by the LNP, the Bligh government is committed to extending the role of nurses and recognises the education level required by nurses today. The creation of the nurse practitioner role and the provision of scholarships to nurses to undertake a masters degree in nursing in order to fulfil this role is part of our acknowledgement of how important tertiary education is to the nurse. We have provided Queensland Health nurses with professional development funding entitlements every year to ensure that they are able to keep up to date with modern nursing practice and research. We support a chief nursing officer position who is the nursing workforce’s direct link to the minister and the director-general. In fact, we are the only party that has a nursing policy that indeed reflects the aspirations of the modern nurse. The Bligh government acknowledges that clinical education and training is the key foundation of a quality health system. The Minister for Health commissioned a special task force that identified opportunities and, as a result, there is clear strategic direction for clinical education and training of enrolled nurses, undergraduate registered nurses, midwives, and refresher and re-entry nurses across Queensland. In 2008 we are working with eight universities and seven TAFE colleges to increase capacity and to introduce scholarships for midwifery students and Indigenous cadetships—all of which would be gone under the Liberal National Party nursing policy. While the opposition is nostalgically hankering for a bygone era in health care, this government is getting on with the job of making sure our nurses get the best possible university and practical training to equip them to meet the healthcare needs of Queensland. Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (6.05 pm): It is my pleasure to rise to support the motion moved by the honourable member for Caloundra. I note that 10 years after these promises were made—and I am going to go through them individually—today the health minister demonstrated that he thinks that to do something you just have to have a ‘promise-athon’. Those opposite had a ‘promise- athon’ back in 1998 when they had four promises, and the health minister stood in here today and said, ‘We promised more than you. That’s why we win.’ That is what he said today—‘Our promises beat your promises’—and yet now we look back and we see that 10 years ago that is exactly what they were doing. All they did was promise—a promise to fix the waiting lists. Let us look at the June quarter public hospital performance report just released a month ago, because it shows that there are over 34,000 people on the waiting lists. When the Premier and the health minister went out to speak about that, they wanted to show that there had been more operations done in the last quarter. They neglected to mention that nearly 5,000 of those operations had to be done by private hospitals under the Surgery Connect program. It was then pointed out to them that it was the most urgent surgery that should be done within 30 days and it had actually blown out from the same quarter last year by nearly 40 per cent—that is, people who are waiting longer than they should for 30- day surgery. They were stunned about that, but they had not talked about promising to fix that, at least not when they had gone to that press conference! What about the promise to complete building Queensland hospitals? I clearly remember being here in early 2006 when the Queensland Children’s Hospital was recommended by a team that looked into the Prince Charles cardiac system. The health minister stood there and said—it is in the Hansard— that there are no plans. How could he promise this hospital when there are no plans for it in the forward infrastructure plan, the 20-year regional infrastructure plan? Therefore he was not committed to building that hospital until an election came along and suddenly the Premier was able to announce a children’s hospital. He also did not say that when his government promised to complete building the hospitals it would actually close some, like today’s announcement that Aramac is going to be closed. Going back to the promise to fix the waiting lists, what Labor obviously means when it fixes them is that it is going to fix them in such a way that we do not know about everything that is on the waiting lists like the specialist outpatient waiting lists. We only found out about the 140,000 last year, which has now blown out to about 150,000 plus the more than 100,000 people waiting to get on the waiting list. That is called fixing the waiting lists according to the ‘promise-athon’ given by the health minister. 2396 Motion 27 Aug 2008

What about the promise to pay attention to baby health in 1998? Why do I have people contacting my office saying that if they have more than one baby then they cannot access these services if they have problems with their baby crying and they do not know how to deal with those things. If they have more than one baby, it is almost impossible to access those services. People are accessing private services trying to get these services and they are going to private pharmacies where there are maternity nurses giving advice to mothers. That was that promise. The promise was to pay attention to baby health. The promise was to pay attention to it, but instead the government thinks, ‘We’ll note that it’s happening but we won’t do anything about it. And if you need some rural obstetrics and gynaecology and you’re not in Charleville, Logan or Ipswich’, as announced last Sunday by the Premier, ‘then you’re not going to get services because we’ll probably take away the services anyway.’ Finally, there was a promise to revitalise our Ambulance Service. That was obviously code for a new tax, because that is exactly what happened. The Ambulance Service has been revitalised but it came in with a tax that is applied unfairly, more than once for many people. They are the words that we saw from Labor, and it obviously worked out a program in 1998 to just keep making more promises. Even the amendment to the motion from the health minister says that the government is going to improve mental health care. Given that the Premier and the health minister make a virtue of the fact that we are still spending 80 per cent of the national average on mental health care and there is no prospect of getting to the national average, that should be an indictment on a minister who comes in here and says that he is committed to improving and promising to improve mental health care when we only have to look at the facts to see what is actually happening. What about the Gold Coast? Today the minister said in this place about the Gold Coast— Why we cannot get enough doctors working there I have no idea. The health minister has given up. Today he promised that he would do more about health, yet he has no idea. I will tell the minister why doctors, nurses or allied health professionals do not want to work on the Gold Coast. The doctors say to me, ‘Because it gives us 10 per cent of our income and 90 per cent of our grief.’ The bureaucracy makes it impossible for them to work as efficiently as they want to. The minister promised that Gold Coasters would have two oncologists full-time. We have now lost one of those and patients are having to go to Brisbane. There are people who are leaving the coast because they have young people who need leukaemia treatment. These people are forced to move because they cannot, with two children, go to Brisbane every day and maintain normal lives. These are the promises of the Labor government. Mrs REILLY (Mudgeeraba—ALP) (6.10 pm): I am pleased to support the government’s amendment to the motion, because I have seen the results of our $10 billion Health Action Plan firsthand and I know that we are delivering on our promises. Just last week I spent much of two full days at the Gold Coast Hospital with my mum, some of that sitting with her in the A&E and some in the ward, and I can attest to the first-rate quality care that she received. As always, the A&E was a busy place and my mum was one of many senior citizens who made up the bulk of admissions. This is what I could see around the A&E—older people who were suffering the after-effects of a debilitating chest cold as she was, fearing something worse, and many still suffering from the winter flu. My mum was moved to a ward as soon as a bed became available. But even while she was in the A&E—and this is very important because there is a lot of talk that you cannot get a bed—my mum was not lying on the floor; she was lying in a bed in the A&E with a curtain around her, with doctors and nurses coming in and out of that area. I was sitting there while my mum had blood tests and ECGs—she was on a heart monitor—and they monitored how much water she drank. They did not leave her alone— so much so that she became cranky and said she wanted to get off the bed to go to the toilet and they would not let her. The staff were so careful and so cautious. Whilst my mum she was there she was visited by a social worker who speaks to all the older patients and who also spoke to me to ascertain the level of care that she might need in her home. This comprehensive, compassionate and professional level of care continued in the ward, where I could observe the same provision of care to all patients. As for the Ambulance Service, within 10 minutes of calling my mum was being attended to by paramedics. She was in the A&E under the care of senior doctors within 30 minutes of picking up the phone from the start. This is my story, but it mirrors the stories that I am hearing from constituents right across the Gold Coast over the past 12 months. People still stop me to talk to me about health, but it is to ask me whom to write to so that they can send thankyou cards or flowers to the staff thanking them for their care and compassion and for their professional service. These people detail to me how quickly and professionally they were dealt with. Now people stop me to tell me about their positive experience. Recently, about 60 people attended a joint state and federal government community forum that I held in Mudgeeraba. Not one question about health was asked. The forum went for three hours. The only written question that inquired about hospitals was asking specifically about the expansion program. 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2397

We are building a new 750-bed hospital at Parklands. It will be a university teaching and research hospital and it is due for completion in 2012. Next to that will be another 400-bed private hospital. We are expanding Robina Hospital to a 364-bed tertiary facility. That work will start this year for completion in 2010. The full set of plans for the $1.55 billion hospital was released to the public last week and is on show now so that people can see what we are building. The state government’s $2 billion investment in Gold Coast health is already delivering now, and has delivered more beds and more staff. We have the busiest accident and emergency units in the country, including the A&E that opened almost a year ago now at Robina Hospital. This $42 million emergency department and 10-bed ICU have had over 28,500 patients. It is projected that up to 30,000 patients will access the service in the first year and there is further capacity after that. Much of the pressure on our A&Es, as everyone knows, is due to the lack of GPs, and especially GPs operating 24-hour bulk-billing services. As a parent of young children I know that, and I talk to the other mums. Recently, I helped a local GP who was trying to recruit an extra doctor. He came to me because he has opened a practice that can take two doctors, but he could not find an Australian doctor to work with him. So he was applying for an overseas trained GP. He told me, as an overseas trained GP himself, that he turns away 12 patients a day because he physically cannot fit them in. That is 12 people a day who come to him and to whom he says, ‘I cannot fit you in.’ He said, ‘Do you know where they go? They go straight to the A&E at Robina Hospital.’ So what are we doing now in the face of that phenomenal demand? We are spending $75 million in 2008-09 on both capital and operating costs—an increase of over 17 per cent from the $380 million in operating costs in 2007-08. We have already provided 20 extra beds at Southport Hospital, a 14-chair renal dialysis unit at Southport Hospital and an extended renal unit at Robina Hospital, which was opened last year. We have relocated 20 palliative care beds from Robina Hospital to the Pacific Private Hospital to allow an extra 19 acute mental health beds to open at Robina Hospital. We have purchased the Lifecare Carrara facility for $11.35 million. That will provide an extra 63 beds when that facility opens in October to relieve the pressure on acute beds at the Gold Coast and Robina hospitals. The government is also subleasing the Allamanda Surgicentre for five years. This morning surgery started there with the first general anaesthetic orthopaedic surgery with a visiting EMO anaesthetist. That centre will be performing ophthalmology, general surgery and much, much more. Mr HORAN (Toowoomba South—NPA) (6.15 pm): The Goss government was thrown out because of the absolute mess that it brought to health care and the hospitals of this state. One of the real problems the Goss government brought in was the massive regional health authorities—14 of them around the state. They just drowned this state in bureaucracy—cars, meetings, seminars, whiteboards and all the rest of it is that is typical of socialist Labor governments. Now we are going back to the same. We now have these massive regions that have been put together under the name of health districts. It is the old socialist system of making things big, centralised and controlled—just like the government is doing to local government in this state. What else would we expect under a left-wing socialist Premier of this state? Can members imagine Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Gympie linked with the Sunshine Coast? There is no local ownership and there is no proper local government involved in the management of their hospitals as this government goes back to that big system that is based on the regional health authorities. In my own area of Toowoomba, the government has expanded the Toowoomba district health service to take in the southern downs and the northern downs. Now, that health service district has been expanded to take in Ipswich, West Moreton and the South Burnett. Once again, there is no system of district management—of local decisions, of local pride, of local ownership. It is back to the big, centralised systems of Labor. It will fail, because the health service district will grow and grow and all the local decision making and pride will go out of the health system. The mess that we took over from the Goss government had to be rectified immediately. It meant putting in place Surgery on Time and doing 13,000 more operations in two years than had been done in the two years before. It meant revamping and almost doubling the capital works program and starting around about 120 little projects ranging from the construction of the Alpha nurses quarters to the royal Brisbane hospital and everything else in between and all the different campuses. It meant putting in place a 10-year mental health plan. It meant having 90 per cent targets for immunisation and breast screening. It meant meeting with all the medical colleges and putting in place more training places for specialists at the hospitals. But, importantly, it meant developing a new culture in which people wanted to work as part of Queensland Health. People wanted to be in that team. They wanted to have the pride, because we, as a Liberal and National government, cared about them. We did not try to drive them out, like the member for Surfers Paradise has talked about. We provided a culture in which people were welcomed. They were part of a team and it was not a big, bureaucratic team; it was based on districts whereby Toowoomba managed Toowoomba, Bundaberg looked after Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast looked after the Sunshine Coast and Ipswich looked after Ipswich. Those areas were not all heaped together into this great big bureaucratic pyramid that we see today. 2398 Motion 27 Aug 2008

What is the result of all of this? We have heard from other speakers about the promises, the weasel words, the spin and all the rest of it. But we now see the end result in real figures. As mentioned this morning, there were 24 people on bypass at Nambour Hospital and there were 24 people waiting for beds at the Townsville Hospital. There were cardiac patients on trolleys waiting for beds at Logan Hospital. This government has mismanaged the economy to the extent that we are drowning in $65 billion of debt that will still be here in two years time. The current interest payment for the state on that debt is over $10 million a day, seven days a week. That mess has been created by this mob through their inefficient financial management of this state. That is the situation they have given us. It is no wonder there is not the correct amount of money to spend on building hospitals, training more nurses or getting the doctors and staff in there to carry out the front-line services. But no, they turn to another list of promises, another lot of bureaucracy, another system where they build up a huge pyramid—about 11 of them around the state. That will just drive away all the pride and management that we have had. I know of a case in Toowoomba where this has happened. In Toowoomba there is a four-year waiting list to get your eyes done, and it just goes on. It is always four years. An 88-year-old was sent to Redcliffe for an eye operation. He had to stay up all night, was picked up at 4.30 in the morning and driven to Redcliffe, where he was operated upon at 5.30 in the afternoon. His wife spent all night sitting in a chair at his bedside. Why can’t an 88-year-old get an eye operation in Toowoomba? If the government wanted to contract private surgeons, four eye surgeons work privately in Toowoomba. The system that we have is inefficient and it is not only 88-year-olds who suffer from the government’s mismanagement, its debt and the bureaucracy that it is building, which will destroy the health system in Queensland. The Goss government was thrown out because it mismanaged health and that is what will happen to this government at the end of this year or early next year. The Labor government will be thrown out again. Hon. N ROBERTS (Nudgee—ALP) (Minister for Emergency Services) (6.20 pm): I rise to speak in favour of the amendment moved by the Minister for Health. At the outset I thank the member for Surfers Paradise for his comments, as he agreed and acknowledged that the Queensland Ambulance Service has been revitalised since Labor came to power. Queensland Health and, indeed, the Queensland Ambulance Service operate in an environment of increasing and unprecedented levels of demand. Emergency calls on the Queensland Ambulance Service are rising at a rate of around 10 per cent per annum, primarily due to a growing and ageing population, but also due to an increase in chronic disease. Those growth rates are around five times the population growth. I note that the member for Surfers Paradise is back in the chamber. I inform him of my comments thanking him for acknowledging in his speech that the Queensland Ambulance Service has been revitalised under Labor. I thank him for putting that on the record. Tonight the opposition motion asserts that the government has not revitalised the Queensland Ambulance Service. Coming from a policy-free Liberal and National Party, that is a bit rich. Any suggestion that the Queensland Ambulance Service has not made significant advancements over the past 10 years is an insult to the hardworking operational and non-operational staff of the service. This morning I indicated that the opposition is a policy-free zone when it comes to the Ambulance Service and, indeed, the Department of Emergency Services. I highlighted an opportunity recently given to the member for Mirani on northern Queensland radio. An open-ended question gave the member the opportunity to highlight what the Liberal National Party policies were in terms of the Ambulance Service. What did we get? Absolutely zero! He said nothing at all positive about the opposition’s future plans for the service. The opposition spokesperson for emergency services continually denigrates the performance of our hardworking paramedics. Every time an issue arises he calls for an inquiry. He continually seeks to undermine public confidence in a very good Ambulance Service. As we on this side of the House will continue to highlight, the opposition has an opinion on everything and a solution for nothing. Let us take a quick look at the record of the Liberals and Nationals, particularly in relation to the recruitment of ambulance officers. In its last year in government, the coalition recruited the equivalent of one additional ambulance officer every 10 days. Under the record funding that has been provided by the Bligh government and the former Beattie government, we are now recruiting around one officer every one and a half days. Since 1998 the Labor government has recruited around 1,300 additional ambulance officers, replaced, refurbished or established over 150 new ambulance stations, purchased over 1,100 new ambulance vehicles, and introduced a range of new technology including mobile data terminals, portable communications, radios, electronic ambulance report forms and a new computer aided dispatch system. As I said in the House this morning, I am convinced that the Ambulance Service is heading in the right direction as a result of 10 years of good policy, strong policy direction and increased funding. 27 Aug 2008 Motion 2399

Last financial year the Queensland Ambulance Service provided more than 870,000 responses. On average, that was about one response every 35 seconds. It is worth repeating the performance of the Ambulance Service in terms of response times, because they are a good indicator of how we are performing particularly against other states, which I will mention in a moment. In 2006-07 response times against the national benchmarks of the 50th and 90th percentile were 8.2 and 16.5 minutes respectively. In 2007-08 response times were 8.3 minutes and 16.7 minutes respectively, representing a marginal six-second and 12-second difference over the previous year, despite an increase of more than 50,000 additional code 1 and code 2 emergency cases. Queensland Ambulance Service response time compared very favourably with our nearest neighbour, New South Wales. For the same 50th and 90th percentile, New South Wales recorded 9.6 minutes and 19.7 minutes respectively—well in excess of the performance levels of the Queensland Ambulance Service. One of the key outcomes of the ambulance audit last year was a focus on front-line service delivery. The audit identified around $12 million in savings, which will be redirected towards front-line service delivery. That included funding for 100 of the additional 250 ambulance officers we are putting into the field this year. That is on top of the 255 ambulance officers who were funded and recruited in last year’s budget, representing the biggest single increase in ambulance officers in the service’s history. Mr SPEAKER: Honourable members, the question is that the motion be agreed to since which it has been proposed that the question be amended by omitting all words after ‘parliament’ and inserting the words contained in the amendment. Mr COPELAND: I rise to a point of order. I refer to standing order 91(b), which states— A question having been proposed, may be amended by: ...

(b) omitting certain words in order to insert or add other words... The proposed amendment deletes all the words and proposes to insert completely new words in clear contravention of standing order 91(b). Mr Speaker, in the past you have ruled that this has become practice. However, regardless of former Speakers’ rulings allowing it to become practice, clearly it is in contravention of standing orders. I ask you to rule that that amendment be ruled out of order and uphold the standing orders of the parliament. Speaker’s Ruling, Amendments to Motions Mr SPEAKER: I say to the member for Cunningham that my interpretation and the longstanding practice in this House is no different from what has been proposed with the government amendment tonight. In the original motion resolution we clearly have ‘That this Parliament condemns’ et cetera. The amendment is, ‘That all the words after “Parliament”’—so there are three words remaining—‘are deleted and the following words are inserted...’ That has been the practice not only under Labor governments but also under coalition governments. That is the longstanding practice. Therefore, I rule that the amendment is in order. Mr COPELAND: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on a further point of order, if I may. I respect that decision and I agree that it has been the practice in the past to do so. Mr Speaker, I ask that you apply the standing orders in the way that they are written and intended, which in my view would clearly rule that amendment out of order. Further, in any organisation anywhere, an amendment that directly negatives a motion is ruled out of order. The parliament is the only place that that is allowed. Mr Speaker, I think you could put your mark on this parliament and apply the standing orders as they are intended. Mr SPEAKER: First of all, this has been the custom and the practice over many decades. The member is a member of the Standing Orders Committee and he could put this to that committee. I indicate to the member for Cunningham that as he is the Leader of Opposition Business in the House and a member of the Standing Orders Committee, I would be quite happy to consider this around the Standing Orders Committee table and have some notice in that regard. I think it is rather audacious for you to get up tonight in a willy-nilly fashion and ask me to rule when Speaker Turner, the last coalition Speaker, ruled in the same way. It is a good attempt and a reasonable one. However, it is not out of order in terms of the standing orders and the custom and practice. I have ruled against that twice now. Therefore, I ask you to perhaps put that to the Standing Orders Committee for consideration. I am ruling in the way that I have tonight. I take on board all the arguments you have put to me, and I am ruling quite consistently in that way. Division: Question put—That the amendment be agreed to. AYES, 54—Attwood, Barry, Bligh, Bombolas, Choi, Croft, Darling, English, Fenlon, Fraser, Grace, Gray, Hayward, Hinchliffe, Hoolihan, Jarratt, Jones, Keech, Kiernan, Lavarch, Lawlor, Lee, McNamara, Mickel, Miller, Moorhead, Mulherin, Nelson-Carr, Nolan, O’Brien, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Purcell, Reeves, Reilly, Roberts, Robertson, Scott, Shine, Smith, Spence, Stone, Struthers, Sullivan, van Litsenburg, Wallace, Weightman, Welford, Wells, Wendt, Wettenhall, Wilson. Tellers: Male, Finn 2400 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

NOES, 29—Copeland, Cripps, Cunningham, Dempsey, Dickson, Flegg, Foley, Gibson, Hobbs, Hopper, Horan, Johnson, Knuth, Langbroek, Lee Long, Lingard, McArdle, Menkens, Messenger, Nicholls, Pratt, Seeney, Simpson, Springborg, Stevens, Stuckey, Wellington. Tellers: Elmes, Rickuss Resolved in the affirmative. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I advise honourable members that for further divisions on this matter the bells will ring for two minutes. Division: Question put—That the motion, as amended, be agreed to. AYES, 53—Attwood, Barry, Bligh, Bombolas, Choi, Croft, Darling, English, Fenlon, Fraser, Grace, Gray, Hayward, Hinchliffe, Hoolihan, Jarratt, Jones, Keech, Kiernan, Lavarch, Lawlor, Lee, Mickel, Miller, Moorhead, Mulherin, Nelson-Carr, Nolan, O’Brien, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Purcell, Reeves, Reilly, Roberts, Robertson, Scott, Shine, Smith, Spence, Stone, Struthers, Sullivan, van Litsenburg, Wallace, Weightman, Welford, Wells, Wendt, Wettenhall, Wilson. Tellers: Male, Finn NOES, 29—Copeland, Cripps, Cunningham, Dempsey, Dickson, Flegg, Foley, Gibson, Hobbs, Hopper, Horan, Johnson, Knuth, Langbroek, Lee Long, Lingard, McArdle, Menkens, Messenger, Nicholls, Pratt, Seeney, Simpson, Springborg, Stevens, Stuckey, Wellington. Tellers: Elmes, Rickuss Resolved in the affirmative. Motion, as agreed— That this Parliament notes that— 1. over the last 10 years the nature of our health system, including ambulance services, has fundamentally changed to meet the needs of a growing, ageing and geographically diverse population, and 2. the Queensland government is meeting these challenges through a $10 billion Health Action Plan which has laid the foundation for a better public health system and has set a new target to make Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people by working to: • expand our health services to meet the needs of a growing population; • stem the devastating tide of preventable disease; • give mothers and babies the best start; • improve mental health care; and • reduce the gap for rural communities and all Indigenous Queenslanders. Sitting suspended from 6.41 pm to 7.40 pm.

CRIMINAL CODE AND OTHER ACTS (GRAFFITI CLEAN-UP) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading Resumed from 27 February (see p. 427), on motion of Mr McArdle— That the bill be now read a second time. Hon. KG SHINE (Toowoomba North—ALP) (Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Premier in Western Queensland) (7.40 pm): The member for Caloundra, the previous shadow Attorney-General, Mr McArdle, introduced the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill as a private member’s bill on 27 February this year. This bill aims to amend the Criminal Code, the Summary Offences Act 2005 and the Regulatory Offences Act 1985 to make community service clean-up orders for all graffiti offences compulsory for all offenders, in addition to any other penalty issued by the courts. The government opposes the bill for a number of reasons. Firstly, current Queensland legislation contains strong penalties for graffiti offences, including the ability to order community service. While the maximum penalty for graffiti offences under the code and the Summary Offences Act is imprisonment, the court has a wide range of other sentencing options available to it, including community service orders. The courts already have a capacity to make clean-up orders in addition to any other sentence imposed. The difference between the existing law and the bill is that currently courts can determine on a case-by-case basis whether a clean-up order is a suitable punishment or an additional punishment for a particular offender. Secondly, mandating community service orders is inconsistent with the legislative requirements of sections 101 and 106 of the Penalties and Sentences Act and will lead to these orders being breached. Section 101 of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 provides that a court can only make a community service order for an offender if it is satisfied that the offender is a suitable person to perform community service. Section 106 of the Penalties and Sentences Act requires the offender to agree to the making of the order and to agree to comply with it. If the offender does not agree, the order cannot be made. There are a number of very good reasons for requiring the offender to be a suitable person to perform community service and to consent to the order before it is made. For example, the offender may be suffering from an illness or disability which renders him or her incapable of complying with the order. In some cases such orders may be impractical where the complainant, most likely the property owner, 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2401 does not want the offender attending the property offence location or where the graffiti has been cleaned up by the time of sentence. Mandating a clean-up order in these circumstances will simply result in the order being breached and the offender back before the courts at more cost to the community. The sentencing magistrate or judge is the appropriate person to determine the appropriate sentence after considering all of the facts of a particular case including the offender’s circumstances. This includes consideration of whether a community service order is appropriate in a particular case. For repeat offenders and those who cause significant property damage, imprisonment may be the only appropriate sentence option because of the great cost to taxpayers through their offending. Requiring a court to impose community service as well as imprisonment may result in the period of imprisonment being less than it otherwise would be to avoid issues of double punishment. The explanatory notes for the bill state that the replacement of the word ‘may’ with ‘must’ in the sections can ‘leave no doubt that all persons sentenced for a graffiti offence will be sentenced to some form of community service’. While this may well be the intention of the proposed amendment, when read as a whole this is not the case in relation to section 17 of the Summary Offences Act and section 7 of the Regulatory Offences Act. This is because these sections will now read that the court must, whether or not it imposes any other penalty for the offence, order the offender to (a) perform community service or (b) pay compensation to any person. By keeping the word ‘or’ in the sections, the court is still able to exercise discretion as to whether or not to order community service or to pay compensation for a person sentenced for graffiti offences under these sections. Therefore, the discretion remains for a court to make orders to clean up graffiti. In August 2003, the parliamentary graffiti task force, which comprised members of all political parties represented in the Queensland parliament, released its report Law and water: an holistic approach to graffiti reduction and prevention. This report included a number of recommendations for the reduction and prevention of graffiti but ultimately concluded that the current laws on graffiti are adequate. The chair of the task force, the Hon. Linda Lavarch MP, noted there is little evidence that harsh laws of themselves are an effective strategy to combat graffiti. Instead, this government has developed a number of other initiatives to address the problem of graffiti. For example, in January 2006 the then minister for transport and main roads established the joint government graffiti management committee, comprising all relevant state agencies and the Brisbane City Council, with Queensland Transport as lead agency. The committee’s work has included a review of the current management programs in Queensland and a workshop with key stakeholders to determine a strategic framework and development of a draft whole-of-government graffiti management policy. The draft policy is underpinned by the Queensland Crime Prevention Strategy—Building Safer Communities and provides a comprehensive set of strategies to achieve graffiti reduction in Queensland over an initial three-year period. It is expected that the policy will be in place before the end of 2008. In 2006 the minister also signed a memorandum of understanding with a number of key asset holders, including Australia Post, Energex and Telstra, in the Brisbane City area to provide a framework for the organisations to work collaboratively to minimise graffiti in Brisbane. The Queensland Police Service also uses a number of strategies to combat graffiti offences in the community, including gathering intelligence in various police districts which is then used to initiate intelligence driven patrols targeting identified problem areas. The QPS QPRIME system provides an information-sharing database of graffiti tags and offences. Queensland Rail has developed initiatives designed to reduce graffiti across the Citytrain network. These include the rapid removal of graffiti, camera surveillance, public awareness campaigns, a tag registry used to retain photographic evidence of graffiti and the introduction of a security information management system that has been instrumental in managing graffiti response across the Citytrain network. Finally, on 15 May 2008 the government introduced the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill 2008 to allow authorised government and council officers to remove graffiti that is in a public place or readily visible from a public place. This bill was passed last night and addresses the impact of graffiti upon our community. For all of these reasons the government does not support this bill. Mr STEVENS (Robina—Lib) (7.48 pm): I am disappointed to particularly hear, and I am sure his constituents in Toowoomba North would also be disappointed to hear, that the member for Toowoomba North has joined the bleeding heart brigade in terms of getting rid of graffiti in Toowoomba North. I am sure that the good folk there would not like to see these repeat offenders get a slap on the wrist and have no punitive measures whatsoever. I cannot believe that the honourable member will be out there telling his constituents that he went soft on graffiti offenders. Mr Shine: That’s the last time I’ll drive you home from Skilled Stadium. Mr STEVENS: I won’t tell them, member for Toowoomba North. I will leave it up to the good folk themselves to find out. I rise to speak on the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008. From the outset, I would like to congratulate the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the shadow minister for health and member for Caloundra, for his forward thinking in coming up with a solution to try to 2402 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008 prevent and deter graffiti offenders. The objectives of the bill are to amend the Criminal Code, the Summary Offences Act and the Regulatory Offences Act to ensure that graffiti offenders will be required to undergo a compulsory community service clean-up order to remove graffiti in the community. I am amazed that anyone can argue with that, member for Toowoomba North. When I was the mayor of the Gold Coast, and I go back a couple of years now, I was involved in the council support to have graffiti removed in the region. The council funded a community group of volunteers to remove the graffiti from all areas around the Gold Coast community. That is how important it was down there. These people volunteered and did it in their own time. Shawna McGillivray was the lady concerned. She did a great job with the support of the council with materials. That was the degree of dissatisfaction there was about graffiti in the beautiful Gold Coast community. The Gold Coast City Council has developed that further and has a policy of rapid removal of graffiti, where offensive graffiti is removed within 24 hours. That rapid removal is costing the ratepayers of the Gold Coast in excess of half a million dollars every year. These are the same people that our bleeding hearts over there would like to go soft on and see reoffending at every opportunity. The Gold Coast City Council also provides free graffiti removal kits for residents to remove the graffiti themselves. This is a great initiative of the Gold Coast City Council but it looks at the issue after the offence has been committed. That is the important piece, because we just keep going over and over and these people keep coming back and back to reoffend again. This bill will ensure that offenders found guilty of a graffiti related offence must be ordered to complete some form of community service. We are not throwing them in jail; it is community service. We know that potential offenders are in tagging groups. Those of us who are aware of what graffiti is about know that they have tags and that they are showing off to their friends, that they are separating their own community. The great thing about this bill is that once it is known in the community that offenders will have to do some serious community service and remove graffiti et cetera if they are caught—and the word will get out very quickly—potential offenders will think twice about reoffending. In 2005-06, 600 offenders were found guilty of graffiti offences. In 2006-07, there were 743 offenders found guilty of this crime. Obviously it is rising under that so-called regime of slapping them on the wrist which the member for Toowoomba North has just recommended is the way to go to fix this graffiti problem. As the member for Caloundra said in his speech, graffiti costs the community across Australia millions of dollars. According to Victoria’s graffiti management web site, it costs up to $300 million a year to clean up communities across Australia. Graffiti is very offensive and is usually placed in the most prominent position to make the most impact with the message the offenders are trying to get across. In this private member’s bill, clauses 2 and 3 amend the Criminal Code where punishment in special cases applies in relation to an offence ‘whether the offence was committed before or after the commencement of this subsection’. Clauses 4 and 5 amend section 7 of the Regulatory Offences Act 1985—and that section is about unauthorised damage to property—by referring to the fact that the property is in a public place and the destruction is caused by spraying, writing, drawing, scratching or etching of the property. If this is the situation, the court must order the offender to perform community service—for example, by removing the graffiti—or pay compensation to the person. Graffiti—which can be inscriptions, slogans or drawings which are scratched, scribbled or drawn, often crudely, on a wall or other public surface—can be very offensive and it often conveys a political or controversial message or statement. We have all seen it on buses, bus stations, trains or buildings— anywhere public that will get the message across to as many people as possible. Graffiti has been around since the ancient times. I can remember seeing some graffiti on the walls in Pompeii which indicated some of the activities that were carried on in the bordellos in Pompeii. That graffiti is still there today—only they did not send offenders out to perform community service back then. I think they burnt them, as a matter of fact, to finish their graffiti efforts. We have moved on from there. In the 1980s, the art of graffiti was moved from the streets to the art world, but the problem is that defacing public amenities, buildings et cetera should not be mixed up with the art world’s interpretation of graffiti. We must never forget that art is art and it is not supposed to be a form of propaganda. Graffiti can be and is offensive because of where it is displayed and what public structure it has defaced. This affects the community we live in and has a negative impact on the aesthetic environment around us. Throughout the world, graffiti offences are usually treated as a minor nuisance crime, with varying penalties associated with the offence. This is where the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has got it right—by making the offenders responsible for their actions. Currently, it is very difficult for the police to enforce. If the police have a budget, which they all do, and they have to spend a lot of time, a lot of hours, catching a graffiti offender and then putting them through the courts, only to have them summarily given a slap on the wrist, the police find it very frustrating. They also find it hard to justify spending their very minute financial resources on catching these minor offenders, particularly when they are put straight back out on the streets and are virtually handed the spray can to go back and reoffend that same night. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2403

Until there are punitive deterrents in place, no amount of preventive measures—such as the old trick of banning the sale of cans to minors, which does not really work because they get them from dad’s garage anyway—will ever be enough. Trying to cure the problem rather than getting to the heart of the problem will never be enough. There has to be a severe deterrent imposed through the courts to stop these graffiti merchants going out and plying their trade without fear of serious retribution. In fact, when they have been through the court process, they come out and laugh with their mates about what little punishment they have received. That is another badge of honour for them to go out and start tagging in the community again. Just the other day, I drove down Slatyer Avenue on the Gold Coast and a graffiti artist had run along and graffitied every private house down the whole street. It was then left up to the community or the individuals themselves to go out and spend money to look after some person’s problem child. Until the message gets through that this is a serious offence in our community, that it is breaking the law we have in this community to protect our quality of life, our aesthetics and our rights on our own property in many cases, and until the message gets through that we have to do something in a punitive manner to prevent these larrikins and these kids—because I do not think there are too many adults involved—then we are going to waste millions of dollars of the community’s money chasing these kids for no purpose when they are going to immediately reoffend. We cannot blame the police on the matter because their frustration at the judiciary in relation to the imposts— Time expired. Mr CRIPPS (Hinchinbrook—NPA) (7.58 pm): I rise to make a contribution to the debate on the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill. In doing so, I commend the member for Caloundra for his initiative in introducing this bill into the parliament, which prompted the state Labor government to reflect on its own lack of action in respect of the serious issue of graffiti in many communities across Queensland. Yesterday this parliament considered the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill introduced by the government two months after the opposition introduced this bill. Yesterday the government elevated its bill from eighth under ‘Government Business’ on the Notice Paper to second to ensure that it would be debated before the opposition’s bill, which was due to be debated tonight. The state government is obviously embarrassed that the opposition has acted first to draw this matter to the attention of the House and acted opportunistically to try to secure some political mileage. I am pleased that the opposition has prompted some action from the state Labor government on the issue of graffiti. Although a similar government bill was debated yesterday, debate on this bill is important because the opposition bill moves much more explicitly towards providing for strong sanctions on and ramifications for perpetrators who deface public and private property with graffiti as an effective deterrent to this type of behaviour. Previous amendments to the Criminal Code have introduced a provision that allows for the ordering of community service at the discretion of the court for graffiti offences. The objective of the bill is to amend the Criminal Code, Summary Offences Act and Regulatory Offences Act to make community service clean-up orders for all graffiti offences compulsory for all offenders in addition to any other penalty issued by the courts—and that is the critical difference between this bill and the government’s bill, the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill, that was passed yesterday. The opposition’s bill being debated today is a fair dinkum bill and is focused on holding graffiti offenders to account. Graffiti in Queensland accounts for millions of dollars in damage to public and private property each year. This bill seeks to ensure that a person guilty of a graffiti offence is made to contribute to cleaning up graffiti in the community. Clause 3 of the bill outlines how this will be done via amendment. That clause amends section 469 of the Criminal Code by removing the word ‘may’ and inserting the word ‘must’ to leave no doubt that all persons sentenced for a graffiti offence under this section will be sentenced to some form of community service. When terms of imprisonment are imposed it will be expected that the community service will still need to be undertaken at the completion of the term of imprisonment. Clause 6 of the bill inserts provisions that would see even minor graffiti offenders ordered to undertake community service. All graffiti offenders found guilty will be dealt with in the same way. This ensures that all graffiti offenders participate in some form of community service, making it clear that just because the offence is relatively minor the crime of vandalism will not be tolerated under the provisions of this bill. During the debate on this bill and the debate on the government’s bill yesterday many members from urban electorates spoke about the impact of graffiti on the urban landscape and in many ways presupposed that the problem of graffiti is predominantly an urban problem. Graffiti is a problem that affects all communities, both urban and regional and rural, and sadly it affects both the built environment and the natural environment. I will give an example of a particularly regrettable instance of graffiti vandalism. Earlier this year in my electorate of Hinchinbrook graffiti vandals defaced the stone boulders at the Little Crystal Creek swimming hole within the Paluma Range National Park between Townsville and Ingham. This beautiful and popular swimming area was disgracefully vandalised on several boulders adjacent to swimming holes. The graffiti had to be subsequently cleaned off by Queensland 2404 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

Parks and Wildlife Service rangers who had any number of better things to do than scrub graffiti off stone boulders. The stone boulders and landscape at Little Crystal Creek have been magnificently shaped by thousands of years of flowing water running off the adjacent Paluma Range. As the offences took place in a national park, the offenders were in breach of the Nature Conservation Act. This bill proposes changes to the current legislation that will draw a line in the sand as far as the treatment of graffiti as an offence is concerned. These changes propose to make provisions in the legislation to ensure these vandals are held to account and are required to remove the graffiti that they so callously and indifferently leave on public and private property in many areas of Queensland. The opposition has brought forward a proposition that addresses an issue of real concern to many communities throughout Queensland. The opposition believes that the sanctions on and ramifications for perpetrators of graffiti vandalism need to be more serious to be an effective deterrent against this unacceptable behaviour. The state Labor government should support this initiative to shake graffiti vandals out of their complacency and disregard for the law, which is evident given the ongoing problem of graffiti vandalism in this state. Mrs LD LAVARCH (Kurwongbah—ALP) (8.03 pm): I say to the member for Hinchinbrook that the only people who should be embarrassed are the members of the opposition. The member for Cunningham is so embarrassed he has turned red. This is the most confusing, bewildering and befuddled bill that has ever come before the House. Members opposite are arguing on one hand that the objective of this bill is to ensure that all persons guilty of graffiti will contribute to the community by having a mandatory clean-up order. However, the sections in the bill say no such thing. I know the member for Cunningham, as a former member of the Queensland Graffiti Taskforce, is also embarrassed that he has inherited this piece of nonsense for which he has to argue before the House tonight. If the member for Cunningham or members of the opposition—and 36 members of this parliament formed the Graffiti Taskforce in 2002. Mrs Sullivan: Bipartisan. Mrs LAVARCH: It was bipartisan. I think the member for Cunningham was the deputy chair. He took over from the Leader of the Opposition. He had his opportunity to make this a recommendation in the law and water report—nowhere near it. Actually he accepted the provisions and he accepted the advice from the authorities—the experts—that community clean-up orders were not used very often because they were only appropriate in very limited circumstances. The magistrates preferred to make community orders and leave it to the Department of Corrective Services to organise how that community service order would be carried out and sometimes, yes, it did include cleaning up graffiti. Yesterday we debated the government’s bill, which now allows local authorities to have graffiti cleaned off private property, which was a recommendation of the task force. We welcome that that has now been introduced and passed in this House and that it received bipartisan support. Looking at the question of the community clean-up orders, one of the very reasons we did not pursue further measures in relation to the current law was that everyone on the task force accepted that rapid removal was the best weapon against the proliferation of graffiti. I have heard it out of the mouths of every member of the opposition who spoke on the government’s bill yesterday; they were extolling the virtues of rapid removal. What happens to the community service order? What happens if the courts do mandate a community service order? What happens if they impose a community service order that says the offender has to clean up the graffiti? Firstly, if the community in question has a rapid removal service the graffiti is not going to be there. The member for Robina was extolling the virtues of the Gold Coast City Council, which has a 24-hour rapid removal program on the Gold Coast. Our courts are good, but a person is not going to be charged and get their order before the court and be back out to clean up that piece of graffiti within 24 hours. Mr Hinchliffe: They wouldn’t even be that good under the shadow Attorney-General, would they? Mrs LAVARCH: No, not at all. Of course, the court could make a community clean-up order to clean up any graffiti. Until yesterday there was no power to clean up graffiti if it was on private property. In the member’s example of Slatyer Avenue and the fences being tagged, there was no capacity for authorities to order that that be cleaned up. The other difficulty is that a mandatory community clean-up order may well be government sanctioned harm to some people. Every member of the Graffiti Taskforce became aficionados of all things graffiti and what chemicals you need to remove the graffiti. If there is a juvenile—and the information to the task force was that a lot of that scribbling and tagging is done by young teenagers under the age of 15—are members opposite seriously saying that the court has to mandate a community service order that requires a 12- or 13-year-old to be using toxic chemicals without any workplace health and safety— Opposition members interjected. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2405

Mrs LAVARCH: Nikko pen does not come off with water. If those opposite are seriously going to argue for mandatory orders regardless of the age of the person, the antecedents, the circumstances of the graffiti and what the graffiti is then they will end up with circumstances where they will harm people. We will have 14- or 15-year-olds without any training put in charge of chemicals. The other difficulty with mandatory orders is who is it that carries out the rapid removal? Who is it that does the clean-up in our communities? It is our community groups. If the court orders a community service order then a service or an organisation would have to be prepared to take on that offender and have them carry out the requirements of that order. There is not the capacity in every place in this state to be able to supervise a community service order. What those opposite are proposing is that a court impose a penalty that is impossible to carry out. What they are mandating here is futility in a lot of communities. It is a nonsense. The discretion of the court is what is required. That is what happens now. What the Attorney said is that we learnt a lot about the subculture of graffiti. Graffiti—the scribbles, the tags—come from the hip-hop culture which arose in New York in the 1960s. Part of that culture is the badge of honour that a person has when their tag is up in public places for as long as possible. That is why rapid removal works. The other badge of honour is the very fact that it is illegal. They actually have credibility in their subculture if they are charged and especially if they are jailed. Queensland has the harshest penalties in the world. An opposition member: It is still not working. Mrs LAVARCH: What does that tell us? It tells us that harsh penalties do not deter. It tells us that it does not matter what community we are in; the subculture is persistent. One matter was brought to our attention. The person’s tag was Venz. He tagged along the rail lines out to Ipswich. When Venz got five to seven years jail do members know what happened? We saw the greatest proliferation of graffiti we had even seen on the western corridor. Do members know what the graffiti said? It said ‘Free Venz’. There is no one solution to graffiti. If we learnt anything, we learnt that we need a holistic and multilayered approach. It is a combination of the legal system, the community, government, the authorities and business all working together to remove graffiti quickly and come up with programs. They use environmental designs to help in this regard. That is why we have bougainvilleas in front of our noise barriers. Technology is such that we can paint the noise barriers and the public services so that spray paint does not stick to it. That is why we banned the sale of spray-paint cans to under 17-year- olds. Time expired. Mr ELMES (Noosa—Lib) (8.14 pm): I rise tonight to speak in the debate on the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008. I have just listened to the greatest piece of left- wing claptrap I have heard in the two years that I have been in this parliament. I cannot believe the way those on the opposite side of this parliament are carrying on about something that the rest of society seems to consider is a very serious issue in their communities. Those on the other side have an excuse which does nothing more than back up the airy-fairy piece of legislation that was passed in this parliament last night. We were asked for our support, which we gave, because I suppose anything is better than nothing. Tonight we are trying to put some teeth into something that this society considers very important. We have excuses coming forth from those opposite for these poor darlings who have spent half the night putting tags on walls with paint. We do not dare let them go anywhere near the material that will take the paint off the walls they just tagged! I really do not understand where this is coming from. Let us go back to the piece of legislation that was passed last night. This was the piece of legislation that talked about graffiti removal officers. This piece of legislation was so good that we had state graffiti officers and local government graffiti officers. Did it anywhere say how many graffiti officers there were going to be? Nowhere in the bill did it say that. If we look at the end of the bill and the financial implications of the bill we find there is zero financial implication. This was a piece of legislation that passed and probably got a headline in some western newspaper today because they were absolutely desperate for some other news to put in. For the good of the legislation that is where it finished and that is where it should finish. What we are doing tonight is putting before this parliament an excellent piece of legislation. I am here to tell members that every single, solitary Queenslander, with the exception of probably the people on the other side of this parliament, really wants to see this bill passed. They want something done about what is a serious community problem. The whole point of imposing a penalty for the commission of a crime is having to pay for committing the crime. Whether that is by way of some sort of financial penalty or some form of incarceration, it does not matter. More to the point, what we are talking about tonight is making sure that these little darlings actually start cleaning up the areas that they have spoilt. 2406 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

I take the point that we do need to have some form of rapid removal. Offenders do not have to remove the bits that they have done. Let us get them to work on bits and pieces that they have not done. When they are out in suburbia cleaning down and painting walls, let their mates go walking down the street and have a bit of a go at them. ‘There’s little Johnny, look what he has had to do. He was smart in school when he was putting the tags on the walls everywhere, but now he is out there and has to pay for what he has done in his community.’ It is easy to quote figures and so forth but I had a look at a couple of reports. If the Attorney would like me to, I am prepared to pass these reports on or table them. He might find them interesting reading. There was a report in 2000 from the University of Lausanne that suggested that community service was more likely to reduce rates of reoffending and delinquency when compared to other sentencing options. My favourite one is from the United Kingdom—the Pathfinder program. The UK Home Office reported that of the offenders that underwent community service orders 15 per cent experienced an improvement in their employment status, 76 per cent said that community service made them less likely to offend and 84 per cent did not reoffend. I am more than happy to give the Attorney the report so he can have a good look at it. The Queensland way of dealing with young kids under the age of 17 is to slap them on the wrist, slap them on the wrist, slap them on the wrist until at the very end the worst they have is a sore wrist. Unless there is some very serious offence that is perpetrated there is little or no chance that one of these people is likely to get anywhere near a court. If they are between 17 and 23 there is not much more likelihood that they will get before a court. Society is demanding that offenders who graffiti their tags on the walls of public buildings or wherever it happens should be made to clean up the mess that they or their mates have created. As I said, those aged 18 to 23 get a bit of a slap on the wrist; those under the age of 17 get very little punishment at all. I was talking to an ex-policeman today and he said something along the lines that if he knew what he knew now when he was younger than 17 he would be retired now as a millionaire because he would know the sorts of offences that young people could get away with and not have anything come back to bite them on the you know where. Society is demanding that the courts get serious about juvenile offences, in particular about graffiti offences. If they do not, then society is demanding that we as a parliament look at this issue and legislate to create laws that will actually reflect community standards. I ask the members who sit opposite me to give some thought to that tonight. I am talking about community standards, not their left- wing claptrap standards. This is about community standards—the mums and dads who, when they wake up in the morning, find buildings and public buildings in their street graffitied. When they go down the street the rubbish bins have been graffitied, the sides of walls have been graffitied and the schools have been graffitied. What do we do? We slap them on the wrist, tell them to go home and guess what they are doing the next night? They have been to get their spray paint and they are out there doing it again. I came across an interesting report when I was doing research for last night’s bill. In the middle of this year a hardware store on the Sunshine Coast had a serious break and enter. Did those who committed that offence go after the power tools or the garden furniture? No, they did not. What they went after was 500 to 600 cans of spray paint, some $7,000 in retail value of spray paint. That has been put to good use by young people on the schools, the busways, the bus stations and so forth in our community, making sure that their tags go up knowing full well that there is absolutely no consequence to their actions. Queenslanders really hope that this parliament will look seriously at the bill that is before the House tonight. I really hope from my point of view and the view of the constituents that I represent in Noosa that members opposite look at the bill and look at what their community and the society of Queensland really want them to do, and that is to get serious to ensure that we do not continue with a situation where graffiti and the consequences of it go on and there are no consequences for the young people who commit it. Ms STRUTHERS (Algester—ALP) (8.22 pm): Damage from graffiti is costly, it is unsightly, it causes a lot of annoyance and it can leave the impression that a community is unsafe. So we on this side of the House do take it seriously. We have some of the toughest penalties in the whole of this nation to deal with graffiti offenders—some of the toughest penalties in all of the nation. There is no doubt that we deal with graffiti in a very tough and strong way. The nonsense that we are hearing from the other side of the House that we are somehow soft on graffiti offenders is just that—absolute nonsense! One only needs to look at the penalties—five years and seven years, depending on the nature of the offence. That is not light on. That is not giving someone a slap on the wrist. The courts are putting through hundreds of offenders every year and the police clear-up rate is quite high relative to other offences at 35 per cent. We are serious about this issue. The police have been given instructions to deal with these people very seriously. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2407

One of the issues that I have with the opposition’s proposals in this bill—and I must concede that it is coming from a position of goodwill on this; it wants to do something serious about graffiti, so I accept that—with regard to law and order issues under Mr McArdle as the shadow Attorney-General in his former role is that he was a bit of a cowboy lawyer. We cannot have these mandatory sentencing arrangements that we impose on courts. There are very fundamental principles around the way our courts operate and there has to be discretion. If kids cannot be supervised in Longreach to do community service orders, the courts cannot order that. There may be no community conferencing facility in a certain community, and I know in communities like Ipswich and others where our Deputy Speaker resides there are some great programs for young people to make them face their victims. Some of those programs are proving to be the most effective—that is, getting young people to actually front up to the people they victimise and then dealing with their offence in that way. That humiliation and shame can sometimes be more effective than any financial or other penalty. There has to be horses for courses. There has to be a range of penalties and discretion has to remain with our judiciary. The problem with our colleagues on the other side of the House is that on these sorts of issues they are black and white, on these sorts of issues they are cowboy lawyers, on these sorts of issues they think the answers are simple. I simply want to say tonight that I really commend the Neighbourhood Watch groups and others in my area. They are working hard on a range of strategies to deal with issues like graffiti. Perhaps five or six years ago many of them might have been pretty much into a black-and-white position, but they have seen through that. There was a meeting at my office a few years ago to set up our own clean-up graffiti trailer. Bill Stoddart from Stoddart sheet metal manufacturing provided a donation towards that trailer. We really got a good group going. The problem was having a consistent volunteer roster to go and do these clean-up jobs. Consequently, the council has upped the ante on its clean-up programs. As other speakers have said in this debate tonight, rapid removal is one of the most effective ways of dealing with graffiti. There has to be a range of responses. We have to continue having our community art projects. We have to continue to have our juvenile justice responses, and in those responses we need a full range of penalties. We also need to continue the youth programs and other things that are helping us deal with kids who have gone off the tracks. There is no point locking people away and not providing support. Sadly, though, those on the other side seem to think, ‘Lock ’em up and don’t give them any kind of support or rehabilitation. Give them the toughest penalties.’ All of those answers seem simplistic, and they are. They do not actually work. I simply want to say that I accept the reasoning of those opposite. They want to try to get tough on graffiti—I understand that—through this bill, but they are going about it in the wrong way. I do not mean to be patronising about that. I simply think that they are going about it in the wrong way and I urge them to reconsider their black-and-white approach to these sorts of issues and other issues. Mr NICHOLLS (Clayfield—Lib) (8.26 pm): I am pleased to support the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill. I think it is fair to say that graffiti, as many speakers have said tonight and yesterday, in our local neighbourhoods and throughout various areas of the state is a serious problem, and the comments made by members in this parliament over the last two days are proof of that. But being concerned about a problem is one thing; doing something about it to solve the problem is completely another thing, and what we are seeing here tonight is a lack of willingness on the part of government members to actually do something serious to deal with the impact of graffiti in our suburbs, in our neighbourhoods and across our state. I have heard a number of the bleeding hearts on the other side talk about the need for counselling, the need for judicial discretion in sentencing and all of those sorts of things as we have moved through the debate here tonight. But not once have I heard people say, ‘What about the people whose property is being graffitied? What about the victims of this senseless and mindless vandalism? What about their rights? What about the time and effort they spend on their property making sure it is presentable, on upholding community standards? What about the time and effort they put into their community to make sure that they provide a presentable and a decent place to live?’ Those of us who are out there in the community would find that little annoys people more than graffiti. It is one of the greatest sources of community anger that one comes across when they are out and about, and little does more to annoy people than the wanton and indiscriminate vandalism of private property by graffiti vandals. In my own electorate the railway cutting at Eagle Junction is a prime graffiti target. It is always and consistently hit up by graffiti vandals all the way through to the back of the Eagle Junction Railway Station, as are all of the shops that back on to that railway station. No matter how often the owners clean up their shops—and they do it diligently and they do it regularly and they spend a lot of money doing it—the graffiti gets back up there in a matter of weeks. Kindergartens, schools, town halls, parks, house fences, natural assets—all are considered fair game by thoughtless vandals whose only aim is to see that their tag is seen by others of the same ilk. Yesterday we debated the need for legislation to authorise government and council officers to remove graffiti that is in, or visible from, a public place. We also debated legislation that saw the introduction of antigraffiti laws in relation to the sale of spray paint to people under the age of 18. 2408 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

It is now time to acknowledge the need for serious deterrents to graffiti. We need to take the next step—a step that this government, with its soft-on-crime attitude, is unwilling to take. This bill takes a step towards acknowledging just how serious a crime graffiti is and the effect it has on our community. A number of people have spoken about the broken windows concept that was first put forward some years ago by two criminologists in the Atlantic Monthly magazine. That theory is that one broken window in a building will soon lead to many, which will have a dramatic effect on the overall community. This bill takes into consideration that concept when making offenders responsible for fixing those broken windows, that is, the graffiti. A little bit of graffiti leads to a lot more graffiti unless it is cleaned up. The problem with the current legislation is that although graffiti is a community crime, there are no provisions requiring an offender to give back to the community they have vandalised by way of compulsory community service. It makes sense for offenders who choose to vandalise property to also spend time cleaning up the community and witnessing the results of their actions. There is no better way of learning the consequence of your actions than by being involved in the clean-up of them. In Victoria, this theory is already being put into practice as part of the Community Correctional Services Graffiti Removal Program. The program encourages offenders to take pride in their community through the clean-up of graffiti and was expanded in July last year. It now has 14 purpose-built graffiti removal trailers, increasing the availability of clean-up crews to the 26 program partners, including 18 local councils. Between November 2005 and July this year, the program has seen the clean-up of almost 320,000 square metres of graffiti, which equates to the size of over 1,200 tennis courts, and has seen around 8,500 offenders spend more than 110,000 hours cleaning up in their local communities. When we consider that the cost of cleaning up graffiti in our communities is estimated to be around $100 million every year, the utilisation of graffiti offenders to help clean up the mess is not only a wise but also an economical choice. In Brisbane, the city council, under the guidance of Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, has made the clean-up of graffiti one of its top priorities. I am pleased to see that the mayor announced in his recent budget an increase in the number of graffiti removal teams. When the Lord Mayor was first elected in 2004, the number of teams was just four under Labor and was woefully underresourced. That team was immediately increased to five, then seven and is now 10, with the total cost of funding having increased to $1.5 million a year—a boost of over $350,000 in the last year alone. In my own electorate of Clayfield the graffiti removal teams play an important role in maintaining the local community by keeping it graffiti free. But even with the increase in funding and the additional teams being made available, keeping up with the graffiti backlog is proving to be a herculean task. This legislation would greatly assist the Brisbane City Council, so far as it applies to my electorate, as well as many other local councils to keep our communities graffiti free. Unlike Labor’s soft-on-graffiti program, which was passed here yesterday—which was effectively a cost-shifting bill that was designed to put the cost of clean-up onto council ratepayers—this bill effectively provides for clean-up by the offender. Earlier this evening I heard the member for Kurwongbah talk about the speed of clean-up. I think the member for Algester and a number of other members also mentioned it in this place. There is no doubt that the speed of removal is an effective way of deterring follow-up vandalism by these vandals. But, in fact, the rapid removal program under the MOUs signed between various state government bodies—whether that be Queensland Rail or Energex—is rapid removal from high-visibility areas. It is not rapid removal from every fence and every asset that has been attacked by graffiti. One really has to ask: is the member for Kurwongbah saying that there is not such a backlog of graffiti that there would not be an enormous amount of work to be done by these offenders being sent out to clean up? Is there not an enormous amount of graffiti on private property that needs to be cleaned up by these offenders? The member for Kurwongbah went on to talk about chemicals that might be used by these offenders in cleaning up. I have news for the member for Kurwongbah: for over five years now chemicals have not been used in a number of products that are used to remove graffiti. Non-toxic processes are used in the clean-up kits that remove graffiti. One wonders why we would be worried about the offenders being harmed by chemicals when they go around spraying one of the most highly dangerous chemicals—paint mixed with hydrocarbons—from a distance of about three feet away. Are they not going to be at least inhaling those chemicals when they go out? ‘Hang on a second, I’m going to spray this wall with paint, but don’t let me use a chemical cleaner to clean it off again. Oh, no, it might have some carcinogenic sort of impact that will destroy my future life and earning capacity.’ What complete and utter nonsense. I heard the member for Algester say that we have a ‘lock ’em up’ mentality. It is quite the opposite. We do not want to lock them up; we want them to get out and clean it up. We want them to get out there and exercise some elbow grease, do some hard work and scrape it off the walls. We do not want them sitting around being mollycoddled as to whether the artistic merit of their program is worth them getting a secondary spray can, which is what our friends on the other side would be having us do. They would be wanting them to go out to a training school to do it on an agreed canvas somewhere and paint it up. We want offenders to go out and pay the price by cleaning it up. It is what every responsible parent does with their kids. If they make the mistake, if they make the mess, they clean up after themselves. It is a fundamental tenet of the way we go about our business: clean up after your own 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2409 mess. What is happening here is our colleagues on the government side are saying, ‘No, don’t worry about that. It’s not your responsibility. We’ll get the ratepayers to pick up the tab. In fact, if it is on private property, we can’t even go there, anyway, to remove it.’ Between 2006 and 2007, 743 offenders were found guilty of graffiti offences. If they were each sentenced to a minimum of 40 hours community service, that would total nearly 30,000 hours of graffiti removal at a minimum cost to Queensland taxpayers. This bill should be supported. Time expired. Mrs STUCKEY (Currumbin—Lib) (8.37 pm): I rise to speak in support of the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill, which was introduced by the honourable member for Caloundra when he was then the shadow Attorney-General and shadow minister for justice. This bill seeks to make all people convicted of graffiti offences held responsible for their actions by making community service clean-up orders compulsory for them in addition to any other penalties issued by the courts. I am privileged to represent the beautiful electorate of Currumbin, located on the southern Gold Coast. As I have informed the House on many occasions, the Currumbin electorate encompasses the best the natural world has to offer: mountains, valleys and rainforests forming a spectacular backdrop to our world-famous beaches and surf. The residents of Currumbin have a strong sense of community value. They are passionate about protecting their area from inappropriate development and antisocial lawless behaviour. Whilst my electorate does not suffer as badly from graffiti as some others in urban areas, the ire of locals is certainly raised when graffiti rears its ugly head in their midst. Graffiti is a scourge that not only creates unfavourable impressions of the area but also negatively impacts on local residents as it lowers property values, makes people feel unsafe and encourages other types of crime if it is not adequately addressed. Each year in Queensland millions of dollars is spent on repairing the damage graffiti does to public and private property. In the past two financial years, Queensland has seen an increase in the number of graffiti offences committed, resulting in a strong need to ensure that offenders are held responsible and accountable for the damage they have done. In response to question on notice No. 1467, the Attorney-General revealed that in 2005-06, 600 offenders were found guilty of a graffiti offence, rising to 743 in 2006-07. Recently, the minister for police cited that 5,546 incidents of graffiti were reported from July to December 2007, with a clear-up rate of 44 per cent. This equates to over 30 offences being committed each day with less than half of them being cleaned up. I note with interest that yet again the state government has attempted to follow in the footsteps of the opposition, introducing legislation in parliament on 15 May this year to broaden the scope for the removal of graffiti in the community. Whilst in this instance I support giving local councils greater jurisdiction to remove unsightly graffiti from public places, the government needs to do more to support councils with this clean-up effort. The Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill that was debated yesterday in this House was a somewhat limp-wristed piece of legislation that did not go far enough. If this is the Premier’s and police minister’s idea of ensuring that the fight against graffiti crime is effective, it shows how the Labor government is reluctant to get tough on this offensive scrawl that adorns countless surfaces, creating eyesores for many people. If this government was really serious about cleaning up our community and taking a tough stance on graffiti, it would support this bill which provides a workable solution to removing graffiti whilst educating the perpetrators. The introduction of compulsory community clean-up orders will allow offenders to gain first-hand experience not only of the damage they cause but also the amount of work that goes into cleaning it up. However, the scope of community service clean-up orders is not just limited to graffiti clean-up. It also extends to other forms of community service such as the cleaning up of rubbish in parks and on the roadside. I commend the work of the Palm Beach Community Consultative Committee which completed a graffiti audit in my electorate a few months ago. The committee consisted mainly of volunteer local residents who, together with Dale Jackson, appraised the Gold Coast Highway and the M1, noting down the exact locations of graffiti tags. This audit identified 60 tags in our community’s main thoroughfares, which were reported to the Gold Coast City Council’s graffiti hotline so that they could be removed. Community consultative committees are a healthy initiative and I am pleased to have helped instigate the reformation of the Palm Beach charter several years ago. They are a partnership that builds a sturdy link between police and communities, which allows the sharing of information in a cooperative way that benefits the local area. As an advocate of thorough community consultation regarding issues that directly affect southern Gold Coast citizens, I am heartened to see the positive outcomes that communities can achieve when they work together. The bill before the House tonight is a good example of that. I encourage all local residents to become involved in this initiative and to become actively involved in keeping our area beautiful. If people notice a graffiti tag, I urge them to report it to the Gold Coast City Council’s free graffiti hotline so it can be cleaned up quickly. Likewise, if anyone sees 2410 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008 someone committing this crime, or any other for that matter, I encourage them to contact the police straightaway. The community needs to continue to take ownership and responsibility for protecting our local area to ensure that it remains pleasant, enjoyable and, more importantly, safe for all. General support for the introduction of compulsory community service clean-up orders is apparent in the response to a local issues survey I sent out to the whole Currumbin electorate. Over 3,000 people, representing 10 per cent of the entire electorate, responded and an overwhelming number of individuals indicated that their top priorities were law and order issues. On countless occasions graffiti and hooning were listed as creating not only visual pollution but also noise disruption and an erosion of the lifestyle so many people in my electorate fight hard to preserve. I take this opportunity to extend our community’s gratitude for the stirling efforts of Senior Sergeant Mark Johnston of Coolangatta and Senior Sergeant Chris Ahearn of Palm Beach who are using the intelligence gathered through the exercise of my surveys to crack down on offenders in identified trouble spots. Also deserving of acknowledgement for their significant endeavours are Tony Unicomb and Kurt Foessel from the Elanora police beat. Those dedicated officers have mounted a successful crackdown on school truancy and youth vandalism. Experienced community workers tell me that this legislation will make vandals more responsible for their actions. However, they also believe that a long period of tolerance by communities—perhaps better explained as a feeling of helplessness—has further complicated the problem. Undoubtedly these petty crime offenders would require adequate supervision due to the training and occupational health and safety concerns involved in working as a clean-up detail, for instance, working near roads and using ladders. However, it was agreed that if young offenders were to become involved in the removal of graffiti it would be very worthwhile to explore ways to do just that. The introduction of compulsory community service orders will significantly deter pointless acts of petty crime such as graffiti and will greatly benefit the community by assisting in the cleaning up and repairing of the damage caused by vandals at a smaller cost than hiring contractors to do the job. Most importantly though, as we have heard from other members of the opposition who are seriously committed to fighting the crime against graffiti, it will make vandals take responsibility for their actions and teach them to take pride in their community and local area, and discourage future vandalism. Perpetrators of graffiti deserve tougher deterrents to stop them from defacing and ruining property that belongs to others, whether privately or publicly owned. The message I am receiving loud and clear from my electorate is that people have had enough of vandals creating havoc and spoiling our public facades and personal property, and they want tougher sentences put in place. Residents are sick and tired of the lacklustre performance of this tired Bligh Labor government which, with its massive majority, time and time again votes down sound and responsible legislation put forward by the opposition—legislation that would make our neighbourhoods safer. I commend the bill to the House. Mrs MILLER (Bundamba—ALP) (8.45 pm): On 27 February 2008 the member for Caloundra, Mr Mark McArdle, introduced the bill as a private member’s bill. The explanatory notes to the bill state that the purpose of the bill is to amend the Criminal Code, the Summary Offences Act 2005 and the Regulatory Offences Act 1985 to make community service clean-up orders for all graffiti offences compulsory for all offenders, in addition to any other penalty issued by the courts. In Queensland, graffiti is a crime and carries a maximum penalty of five years, increasing to seven years for graffiti featuring obscene or indecent representations, or where the property in question is part of an educational institution. The applicable maximum penalties in other jurisdictions range from two months in Tasmania and two years in Victoria to 10 years for a general indictable offence of wilful damage in Western Australia. All Australian jurisdictions empower a court to order community service as part of the sentence. No jurisdiction has a similar provision to this bill, mandating the imposition of community service orders on all graffiti offenders in all circumstances. Mandatory sentencing is dressed up as something else by changing the word ‘may’ to ‘must’ in section 469 of the Criminal Code, which now has the provision for a court to order community service at the court’s discretion. I have a fundamental objection to mandatory sentencing because I believe absolutely in the separation of powers, which gives the courts—the judiciary—the power to make decisions based on the information provided to them in relation to each and every case. As we know, each case is different. However, we know that the opposition does not believe in or respect this pillar of the Westminster system as it is constantly trying to remove judicial discretion in sentencing in some vain hope that by making all criminals equal we can make all crime equal, thereby making it unattractive and somehow it will magically disappear. I believe this is a very simplistic and naive approach to crime prevention, and law and order. In my view what the opposition is trying to do this evening is dangerously populist and ill-conceived. In my view it is also impractical and impossible to implement. In 2001, the parliament formed the parliamentary graffiti task force, which was chaired by the member for Kurwongbah. That committee released its report entitled Law and order—An holistic approach to graffiti reduction and prevention. The report concluded that the current laws are adequate. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2411

In my view the offences already contained in the Criminal Code, the Summary Offences Act and the Regulatory Offences Act provide a sufficient legislative framework to enable law enforcement officers to tackle the people who are caught committing graffiti offences. Under the Criminal Code wilful damage is an indictable offence punishable by five years imprisonment. Prior to 1997 the maximum penalty was only two years imprisonment. Graffiti also constitutes a special case of wilful damage under the code where the property is in or visible from a public place and the destruction or damage is caused by spraying, writing, drawing, marking or otherwise applying paint or another marking substance, or by scratching or etching. The maximum penalty for this offence is also five years imprisonment, increasing to seven years for graffiti featuring obscene or indecent representations. If the property in question is part of a school, an educational centre or a college or other educational institution, the offender commits a crime and is liable to seven years imprisonment. If the property in question is part of a railway or any work connected with a railway, the offender is liable to a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment. While the maximum penalty for wilful damage offences under the code is imprisonment, any court that sentences an offender for graffiti offences can choose from a number of sentencing options, and this includes community service. The code expressly provides that the court may order the offender to perform community service, in addition to any other penalty. Under section 17(1) of the Summary Offences Act it is an offence to be in possession of a graffiti instrument—for example, an aerosol spray can—that has been used for graffiti or is reasonably suspected of being used for graffiti or is reasonably suspected of being about to be used for graffiti. The act also provides that the court may order the offender to perform community service—for example, by removing graffiti from property—or to pay compensation to any person. So it is in there. New provisions were inserted into the act in 2006 to prohibit the sale of spray cans to minors. This has caused a significant reduction in the number of graffiti offences. Under the Regulatory Offences Act, an offender is guilty of a regulatory offence if they wilfully destroy or damage another’s property without their consent, resulting in a loss of $250 or less. The court may also order an offender to pay the costs of compensating any person injured by the offence by way of fine. The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act gives police power to stop, detain and search people and vehicles, and includes powers to search for graffiti items. In addition, the offence of possession of a graffiti instrument is what is known as a ‘declared offence’ for the purposes of the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act. That section allows police to question a person they reasonably suspect has committed that offence and, if not satisfied that the explanation given is reasonable, to commence proceedings against the person for that offence. The Transport Infrastructure (Busway) Regulation 2002 provides that a person must not wilfully damage or deface a busway or busway transport infrastructure. The maximum penalty is $3,000. The Transport Infrastructure (Rail) Regulation 2006 provides that a person must not wilfully damage or deface or put graffiti on a railway or rolling stock. As this clearly indicates, there is no deficiency in the law as it pertains to the legislative framework that allows offenders to be prosecuted. Where improvements were made last night is in the provision of the best-known method of deterring graffiti—and that is, as we all know, rapid removal. The bill last night empowered the state and local government officers to remove the graffiti quickly after it is in place, thereby reducing the appeal for graffiti artists, as they like to be known. Mr Gray: They’re no artists. Mrs MILLER: No, they are definitely not artists. Now, allow me to contrast our reasonable and practical laws with the offering of the opposition. The imposition of a community service order as a mandatory requirement for a sentencing judge or magistrate in all offences of graffiti or graffiti related offences has many drawbacks. The court cannot take into account whether the person is suitable to undertake a community service order, nor whether they consent to such an order being made. To make a community service order compulsory for someone who does not want to do it, or someone who has been convicted in the past of serious violent offences, in my view makes a mockery of the system. In addition, there may be cases of serious damage caused by graffiti and the offender has extensive criminal history such that the court would be considering a term of imprisonment. The explanatory notes expressly provide that when terms of imprisonment are imposed the community service will be undertaken at the completion of the term of imprisonment. This in effect means that the court will be forced to impose double punishment on a graffiti offender who is sentenced to a term of imprisonment. The practical effect of this will be to deter courts from imposing imprisonment as a penalty in the case of very serious offences because they would be reluctant to force a person to complete a community service order after completing a term of imprisonment. Mandatory sentences are not the best option for courts, in my view. Judges and magistrates are in the best position to determine what penalty should be imposed, after hearing all of the evidence and weighing up the interests of the victim and the interests of the wider community with the interests of the defendant. 2412 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

Besides the flaws in the underlying policy of this legislation, there are flaws in its operation. Insofar as the Summary Offences Act and the Regulatory Offences Act are concerned, the bill fails to achieve its objective. By merely changing the word ‘may’ to ‘must’, the new provision would not require a court to impose a community service order. Time expired. Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—Lib) (8.55 pm): It is my pleasure to rise to speak to the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008, which follows on from yesterday’s Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill. When I saw a press release from the honourable the Premier on 28 April, I thought it was about this legislation and not the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill that we debated yesterday. As I said, it was released on 28 April and I note that this legislation was introduced on 27 February 2008. The headline of the press release was ‘State government moves to stamp out graffiti’. So most people would think that this must be to do with actually trying to stamp it out, not just clean it off which is what we debated yesterday. It was a press release about the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill that we debated yesterday. The Premier said in her press release— It may be art if it is done on a proper canvas but if it is sprayed on buildings and other property without permission it is simply vandalism. It is illegal and we are going to crackdown on this unacceptable behaviour. Does that sound like it has to do with graffiti removal powers or does that sound like it is something to do with a graffiti clean-up? It does not seem like you are cracking down on unacceptable behaviour if you are getting someone else to clean it off, which is what the legislation that we passed yesterday was about. The Premier said, ‘Our laws are already tough but we are about to get tougher.’ It strikes me that this is all about the government once again making a promise that it was going to do something about graffiti. By having a press release entitled ‘State government moves to stamp out graffiti’ and bringing in a bill that is called the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill, the government is able to say, as it has said about health, as we discussed earlier today, ‘We have done something about stamping out graffiti.’ But of course we can see from what we debated yesterday that stamping out graffiti is not going to happen by getting someone else to clean it off. That is the specious nature of this press release. It makes out that stamping out graffiti is going to happen because of the bill that we passed yesterday. I note that the Premier said that prison would remain the ultimate for repeat offenders. She said in the press release— We already have the toughest anti-graffiti laws in Australia resulting in up to seven years imprisonment if the graffiti is obscene or indecent or the property affected is an educational institution. I read that a couple of months ago and thought this had to do with really getting tough on graffiti artists—or purveyors of graffiti, not artists. Clearly it was not to do with this graffiti clean-up amendment bill, which is perfectly reasonable legislation. I want to go through some of the issues I mentioned yesterday to do with the spike of graffiti that is occurring across the Gold Coast in my constituency. Call-outs have gone from 6,000 in 2004-05 to 11,000 in 2007-08. I think our council now spends $1.2 million on graffiti. I note that the councils have asked, as has Queensland Rail, for the ability to go on to properties to clean off graffiti, but we think there should be more of a deterrent. We think there would clearly be a deterrent effect for potential offenders if they realised they would have to clean off graffiti after the imposition of a community service order. After I saw some of the graffiti on the Isle of Capri recently, my electorate officer presented me with a card that is printed by the council called ‘Graffiti: Let’s get it together’. It has on it the graffiti hotline on the Gold Coast and an email address—[email protected]. A lot of householders do not know about this, so now when I see some houses that have been tagged, I stop and drop in and give them a card and tell them that they can call the council and hopefully get it removed. It is very frustrating for householders. As we discussed yesterday in the legislation, people are not aware of who is supposed to do it, who might be doing it, and who is responsible for cleaning it off. This legislation clearly is all about getting tougher on the perpetrators of this crime and saying that it is not acceptable. It is obvious that if these people who do it understand that they will be made to clean it off they will pass that message on to other people. We will never get the message through to everyone. There are those other aspects of the act and the penalties that can be applied to them that the honourable member for Bundamba just mentioned, but clearly some people do not get the message. As I said, this is very good legislation. I note that many of the members have commented about the number of people who have been found guilty of graffiti offences. There were 600 vandals found guilty in 2005-06 and 743 vandals found guilty in 2006-07; of those, only 190 and 244 convictions were recorded for the respective periods. We note that the number of people found guilty has significantly increased in the last five years and that the stain is clearly out of control, as mentioned in the second reading speech by the former shadow Attorney-General. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2413

As many other members have said, we think this is reasonable legislation. If the government is serious about doing something to stamp out graffiti, as the honourable Premier said on 28 April 2008, let us do something and send the message to these people that they cannot do it and that they will be penalised in the way mentioned by this bill if they do it. I encourage members opposite to support it. Mrs MENKENS (Burdekin—NPA) (9.01 pm): I am very happy to speak to this private member’s bill before the House this evening. As we have heard, the objective of the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008 is to make the vandals who spray graffiti on public and private properties clean it up. The cost of graffiti to individuals, the community and society as a whole is enormous. Let us face it, if these people do the crime they should clean up the grime. I have listened to quite a few different arguments and speeches tonight that have left me somewhat perplexed. I listened to the member for Algester outline the very strong legislation that we currently have in Queensland. We have jail offences and goodness knows what else for these graffiti offenders, but at the end of the day it is not working. Face the facts: what we are doing at the moment is not working. However, I am still perplexed at which is the toughest punishment—a five-year jail term or making a vandal clean up his mess. I thought the five-year jail term was a heck of a lot harder and probably has a lot worse effects on that young person’s personality than just making him get in there and clean up the mess. I also listened to the member for Kurwongbah’s earnest discussions and I know she brought up some very good points. But as for the fact that a 15-year-old might have to handle some chemicals, for heaven’s sake, we will give him some rubber gloves or whatever he has to wear to stay away from the chemicals. I have never heard such ridiculous nonsense in all my life. If a young offender is out there offending, he or she needs disciplining. This is a serious offence, it is a deliberate offence and it is an aggressive offence that is impacting on other people’s property and they have to be given the clear message that this is not acceptable behaviour. We heard all of those comments during the debate on the government’s bill yesterday, yet tonight we are suddenly hearing the opposite because this happens to be a private member’s bill. These are ridiculous political games that are being played. The cost of graffiti crime is passed on to the community through higher service costs, higher insurance premiums and higher council rates. On top of that, we have the cost of cleaning up and surface and paint repair work. We now have new legislation that has been brought in where we also have the cost of graffiti officers. So there is a huge cost and it is all coming from taxpayer funds. In drafting the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill, the LNP listened to the growing concerns of Queenslanders who have had enough. People out there have had enough of having their properties vandalised and their neighbourhoods infected by this out-of-control urban stain. The government saw that the LNP supported its bill yesterday, although we said very strongly that we do not believe it has gone far enough. There is a message out there that our community wants this criminal activity stopped. Graffiti costs hardworking Queenslanders a lot of money and is an eyesore on the urban landscape. I listened this evening to several members who come from the cities and the large areas, such as the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. We are aware that in all of those large cities these types of activities tend to be a bit more prevalent in the centre of the city, but this crime is happening right across Queensland. Smaller country towns are being afflicted with this blight as well. Any town that has public and private property exposed to the elements is a target for these vandals. You can go right out in the bush—way out in the middle of nowhere—and there will be signposts covered in graffiti. It is really a most appalling crime. In my travels through the Burdekin electorate, I often see tags on the side of buildings, private property, road signs and residents’ fences. As I said, it is a blight on the community because it gives the illusion that there is a criminal element in that area when there may not be, but the illusion is there because of the graffiti. More importantly, when elderly folk wake up in the morning and find graffiti across their fence, it can be one of the most frightening things they can go through because they feel they are being targeted. Who knows what is behind that particular graffiti—it may just be simple vandalism, as it were—but it engenders a huge amount of fear amongst elderly people and it is just not acceptable that they do not feel secure. In drafting this bill, the LNP examined Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria to see what was occurring in other Australian jurisdictions with regard to graffiti clean-up action. We also looked at what some local governments are doing. Ipswich and the Gold Coast are two areas where there appears to be a major graffiti problem. We have all heard what the Mayor of Ipswich has said. He certainly seems to share the LNP’s disdain for graffiti. Councillor Paul Pisasale said last year— Graffiti affects the whole community at the hip pocket as the cost of cleaning up the mess is paid for by every ratepayer... I am also calling on magistrates to treat the crime of graffiti as serious and hand down sentences that will send a clear message that the community has had enough. 2414 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

I have not discussed this issue personally with the Ipswich mayor, but I have no doubt that this particular legislation does target this aspect of the Ipswich City Council’s appeal for a tougher line on these offenders. Those of us who have brought up children, who have brought up a family, know that discipline is what counts. For heaven’s sake, if they make the mess, we all know the answer: we make them clean it up. The Penalties and Sentences Act states in regard to community service orders that the number of hours stated in the order must not be fewer than 40 and not more than 240 and that the work must be performed within one year from the making of the order or another time allowed by the court. Clearly, this private member’s bill could save Queenslanders the cost of 29,720 hours—that is, 40 hours for each of the 743 offenders—of graffiti removal that would otherwise be performed by their local council or state government agencies. The 2008 Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services showed that Queensland Community Corrections paid just $8 per day per offender to supervise offenders in the community. However, while there would be an opportunity cost in establishing a mandatory graffiti clean-up regime for convicted vandals, the cost implications for community service orders specifically targeting graffiti clean-up are immaterial. It is certainly a heck of a lot cheaper than putting these offenders in jail. On several occasions we as the opposition have tried to gain details from Attorneys-General, both past and present, of the number of graffiti criminals who have been placed on community service orders under the current sentencing regime. We have been denied those numbers, with the Attorney- General claiming it was too onerous a task. The truth is that those orders are just not being enforced. Therefore there is a need to ensure they will be enforced, and this bill goes some way to address that. According to the former police minister, Mr McGrady, a pilot program established in Mackay in 2001 reportedly saved that town’s council $40,000 in graffiti removal costs. In that program offenders on community service orders were drafted into what was called the ‘graffiti busters’ and would clean up the town’s graffiti as part of their work order. This sort of program would be a benefit to all towns, big and small. We the LNP believe that criminals should clean up graffiti to prevent innocent people footing the bill. As I said before, if they do the crime then they should clean up the grime. I fully support the amendments contained in the graffiti clean-up bill and I urge members to vote in favour of it. Ms van LITSENBURG (Redcliffe—ALP) (9.11 pm): I rise to oppose the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008. The objective of the bill is to amend the Criminal Code, Summary Offences Act and Regulatory Offences Act to make community service clean-up orders for all graffiti offences compulsory for all offenders in addition to any other penalty issued by the courts. Graffiti is a terrible phenomenon in our society which causes millions of dollars worth of damage every year. No-one on this side of the House disputes that. What is disputed, however, is the premise that making mandatory community service orders that impose graffiti clean-up is the best way of tackling this problem. Under the Criminal Code the offence of wilful damage to property carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Graffiti also constitutes a special case of wilful damage where a property is in or is visible from a public place, and the penalty is increased to a maximum seven years imprisonment where the graffiti features obscene or indecent representations. Where the property damaged by graffiti is a school or other educational facility, the maximum penalty is also seven years imprisonment. Whilst the maximum penalty is imprisonment, the code expressly provides that a court can make a community service order. Under the Summary Offences Act, possession of an instrument which has been used or is reasonably suspected of having been used or is reasonably suspected of being about to be used for graffiti purposes constitutes an offence. The penalty for this offence is one year’s imprisonment, or 20 penalty units—$1,500. The court may, in addition to any other penalty, impose a community service order. Where the damage to property is less than $250 in value, the Regulatory Offences Act provides that this is an offence under that act, rendering an offender liable to a fine of $500. The act also provides for a court to make an order for compensation. The Penalties and Sentences Act also makes provision for a court to make a community service order for a regulatory offence, if appropriate, in the circumstances. Under the Penalties and Sentences Act there are a number of requirements before a court will impose a community service order. The court can only make such an order if satisfied that the offender is a suitable person for the order and the offender must consent to the order being made. To impose such an order on a person without their consent is likely to lead them to breaching the order. But, more importantly, making a community service order for a person who is not considered suitable by probation and parole officers is counterproductive and may even be dangerous. Many people on community service orders are supervised by volunteers in community groups or by people working in charitable institutions and not-for-profit organisations. Sometimes a person just is not physically capable of performing a community service graffiti clean-up order because of illness, physical disability, impairment or even mental incapacity. 27 Aug 2008 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2415

Mandatory sentencing of any description fails to take into account the particular characteristics of the offender as well as the offence. For very serious graffiti offences where imprisonment is an option, under this amendment the court must, in addition to the term of imprisonment, impose a community service graffiti clean-up order. This has the effect of imposing double punishment for the offence. Once the offender has served their period of incarceration and is released, they will then be subject to a further community service order. Courts will be reluctant to impose imprisonment for those very serious offences because of this possibility. Rapid removal of graffiti is one of the most effective prevention tools. Research conducted in the US by Beswick and Garrett of Graffiti Prevention Systems shows that removal within 24 to 48 hours results in nearly a zero rate of recurrence. Waiting for someone performing community service to come and remove the graffiti will lead to more graffiti in the area. People with graffiti on their property would have to be prepared to allow a person performing community service to remove the graffiti. Without training, they may be more likely to create further damage to the property in the removal. Most importantly, however, this amendment, like previous proposals put forward by the opposition as a private member’s bill, just will not have the desired effect. Remember last year when the member for Burnett introduced the Criminal Code (Assaults Against Police and Others) Amendment Bill? It purported to extend the offence of serious assault under the Criminal Code to cover assaults on fire and ambulance officers, but it was fundamentally flawed. It amended the provision relating to a prisoner who assaults a working corrective services officer to include references to ambulance and fire service officers. The amendment proposed would have only resulted in the provision covering a prisoner who assaults a working ambulance, corrective services or fire officer. A prisoner is the only person to whom this brilliant new provision would have applied. I do not think that particular amendment would have seen much use in practice and the ambulance officers and fire officers who were assaulted by anyone other than a prisoner would have received no greater protection. In a similar way, this proposed amendment is fundamentally flawed and would therefore fail to meet the policy objective in both the Summary Offences Act and the Regulatory Offences Act. This is because the amendment merely changes the current provision from ‘may’ to ‘must’. The new provision will then read that a court must, whether or not it imposes any other penalty for the offence, order the offender to perform community service or pay compensation to any person. But by leaving ‘or’ in the section the court still has an option to order the compensation rather than impose a community service order. This amendment is ill-considered, poorly drafted and typical of the ridiculous proposals that we have seen put before this parliament by way of private members’ bills. The sentencing judge or magistrate is in the best position to determine the appropriate sentence for an offence having regard to the facts of a particular case and the defendant’s circumstances. Graffiti offences should not be the subject of a mandatory order. They should be assessed on an individual basis in the best interests of all concerned. I oppose this bill. Mr HORAN (Toowoomba South—NPA) (9.19 pm): Madam Deputy Speaker Darling, it is appropriate that you are in the chair because I remember your predecessor, one of the stars of the Labor Party, as a back bencher standing up one day and making a speech on graffiti. He had a plan. As I remember it, I think the plan involved community service. A google of Hansard would tell us exactly what it was. It was a startling plan to stop graffiti. We have heard some unbelievable namby-pamby, bleeding-heart, woolly-headed thinking tonight from the other side. Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Darling): Order! I am not quite sure whether namby-pamby is a parliamentary term, member for Toowoomba South. Mr HORAN: I am sure it is. It is as innocent as doing somersaults in a schoolyard. I have heard some mutterings tonight about how terrible it is from Labor Party members on the back benches. They say that they are not artists but vandals. When it comes to doing something practical in terms of a deterrent those opposite are not prepared to do it. I am surprised that my colleague from Toowoomba North has gone along with this left-wing thinking. If his beloved cricket club had graffiti sprayed all over it I am sure he would like it cleaned up. I am sure all the people of Toowoomba would like it cleaned up. I have no doubt that it is the thought of people throughout Queensland that these sorts of offences against society deserve community service as punishment. If that involves cleaning up the graffiti then so be it. One aspect that I think has been missed by some on the other side is that this private member’s bill talks about the provision of community service. That can involve cleaning up. If it is a technical matter that the council has gone in and cleaned it up straight away and it is not there to be cleaned up well then they can mow some lawns or clean up some part of the city under the purview of corrective services officers. They have to be made to repay society and understand that they have a responsibility; they cannot just go and deface what belongs to the people of their town or suburb. 2416 Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 27 Aug 2008

It has often been said that for criminals who commit things like break and enters the major deterrent for them—not criminals who commit acts on the spur of the moment—is if they have a real fear in their belly that they are going to get caught and the consequences of being caught are severe. Experienced detectives will always tell people that. We have the opportunity tonight to provide a large part of that deterrent and provide what people in the community want. This passes the nod test or the barbecue test wherever one goes around the community. It is not hard for someone who has committed an offence to be sentenced to a certain amount of community service to fix that part of the community that they broke—whether they smashed something or, as in this case, they graffitied which is visually distressing to many people. It can deface a particular suburb. It can deface the clean fresh look of a business. It can deface the front fence or the front wall of someone’s house. If there is not a proper deterrent then it is not going to reduce the amount of graffiti. More importantly, for the people who undertake the graffiti, mostly young people, it is a chance for them to have time to think about what they have done and to realise that there is a consequence to what they do. They need to know that there is a community expectation that they will clean up the part of their society that they have defaced. It is no use saying that they are young and they should be excused. Everybody has to learn the consequences of their actions. It is a shame that there is almost a blind attitude on the other side that when we bring in a private member’s bill they must oppose, oppose, oppose it for no good reason. If we had a secret ballot in this place I am sure that this legislation would go through. I have no doubt about that. There would be people on the other side of the House who would want this to go through. We would soon find out those in the left wing. They would be the ones who voted against it. I have no doubt that there are members on the other side who know this is right. They know that it would clean up their electorates. They know it would be good for the young people in their electorates in terms of setting them on a better life and a productive life in the future. They know all that but they will just follow like lemmings. They are going to oppose this bill just because we have put it up. They know that they are doing the wrong thing in opposing it. Some have gone through the legal arguments. I have never heard anything so ridiculous. At times there is a need for a bit of common sense when it comes to the law. We in this House actually make the laws. People have tried to bring the separation of powers into this issue as though making laws is some transgression of the separation of powers. They talk about double punishments. It is the punishment that is going to be handed out. In many cases people do not even get time in jail. In fact, it is quite rare for them to do any time in jail. This is just a part of the penalty. It is a part of the penalty that is going to make society a better place. It will give those convicted a chance to have a salutary thought and understand that they have to give back something to the society that they took away from. We have heard all sorts of things about workplace health and safety. My goodness, are we going to stop people on prison leave from cleaning up parks in case they trip over a stone? Are we going to stop them cleaning up lantarna or doing worthwhile things that some of the work camps out west have been doing? Are we that concerned that corrective services cannot provide proper gloves or whatever is required? If those opposite are concerned about very young people doing cleaning then they can do something like pick up papers or make a simple contribution to the community that they defaced. It gives them a chance to think that they are doing something worthwhile. This is common sense, logical, fair, just legislation. It also provides a guideline that is in tune with what the community wants; a guideline to the judiciary in line with how people think. We in this House should be reflecting that. That is why we pass legislation about certain penalties and so forth. We endeavour to reflect what is fair on behalf of the victims, what is fair on behalf of the people who are affected and what is fair in terms of deterrents. That is what we are doing here tonight. I would urge those on the other side to think seriously about this because it would make their electorates far better places. It is fair justice and it is good justice. Mr WETTENHALL (Barron River—ALP) (9.27 pm): I rise to speak in the debate on the Criminal Code and Other Acts (Graffiti Clean-up) Amendment Bill 2008, a private member’s bill introduced by the member for Caloundra earlier this year. In his second reading speech the honourable member spoke about the effect of graffiti—not only the financial cost but also the social cost. This government agrees that action should be taken to reduce the amount of graffiti in Queensland. It differs with the opposition in the best way to achieve that. Combating graffiti is a complex task. Our government has in place a number of different offences which deal with graffiti and recognise the criminal aspect of this behaviour. Under the Criminal Code the offence of wilful damage contains a special case for graffiti. The penalty is increased where the graffiti is offensive in nature. The vulnerability of school property is also recognised with increased penalties for graffiti on property of schools and other educational institutions. The Summary Offences Act operates where a person is in possession of instruments used for graffiti. The Regulatory Offences Act deals with damage to property to the value of less than $250. 27 Aug 2008 Adjournment 2417

All of these offences have community service as an option for the sentencing judge or magistrate to consider when determining the appropriate penalty. However, there are a number of safeguards to ensure that this penalty is only imposed in appropriate cases. A court has first to determine whether an offender is a suitable person for a community service order, and that of course makes sense. It helps to ensure that time and resources are not wasted on imposing an order that someone is likely to breach. The added cost to the community in having people brought back before the courts on breach proceedings that could have been avoided by a suitable assessment in the first place prior to the imposition of the sentence cannot be justified or supported. The same applies to having the consent of the offender before a community service order is imposed. Last night in this House we debated the Summary Offences (Graffiti Removal Powers) Amendment Bill. In his speech the member for Gregory spoke of a private member’s bill on the Notice Paper in relation to the removal of graffiti from private and public property. I am unsure of what was intended by that. Perhaps it was his intention to introduce such a bill, or he may have been confused as to the purpose of this bill, which is not to remove graffiti from private and public property but to impose community service orders on all graffiti offenders. In any case, last night’s bill provided a legislative scheme to allow state government and council officers to remove public graffiti from any place. It does so by enabling the appointment of graffiti removal officers and authorising those officers to remove graffiti. It is well documented that the rapid removal of graffiti is the best way to prevent further offending and also increases the perception of community safety in our communities, and our legislation provides the means to do just that. In stark contrast to the ad hoc approach taken by the opposition to graffiti, the Bligh government has a whole-of-government approach that is designed to reduce graffiti by a number of measures. The Queensland graffiti management committee, led by Queensland Transport and comprising all relevant state agencies and the Brisbane City Council, has reviewed current graffiti management programs in Queensland and has developed a draft new policy which provides a comprehensive set of strategies to achieve graffiti reduction in Queensland over an initial three-year period. While the draft policy’s primary focus is on the public transport network, it also aims to reduce graffiti in all public and private places. It is anticipated that the draft policy will be implemented before the end of the year. In concluding my contribution to this debate, I want to emphasise that this is the latest in a long line of private members’ bills that have been introduced by members of the opposition that portray their lack of understanding and lack of knowledge about how our court system works. Perhaps that is why the member who introduced this bill is no longer the shadow spokesperson for justice and shadow Attorney- General and is now the shadow minister for health. Debate, on motion of Mr Wettenhall, adjourned. ADJOURNMENT Hon. KG SHINE (Toowoomba North—ALP) (Acting Leader of the House) (9.33 pm): I move— That the House do now adjourn. Forde Inquiry, Redress Scheme Mrs MENKENS (Burdekin—NPA) (9.33 pm): I refer to the redress scheme that is this government’s response to the Forde inquiry. Eligible applicants hope to receive ex gratia payments of up to $40,000. The first payment of $7,000 has been received by most applicants. I have very real concerns about the process for the second tranche of this payment. While I understand that a rigorous process must be in place to ensure that this payment specifically reaches the deserving recipients, I do not believe that the department is aware of the extraordinary depth of anxiety and distress this is causing these wonderful people. I have worked closely with three victims, and this process is causing them real anguish and suffering. I believe this would apply to many others. On the level 2 application sheet it states that applicants must provide as much information as possible to support their claims, which I cannot dispute. However, the abuse that so many of these victims experienced has had a lifelong effect on them. This process is making them relive that experience again and I am watching the detrimental effect it is having. One wonderful man that I mention suffered the most heinous physical and sexual abuse in Neerkol, but I hold him up as a shining example of success. He has a happy marriage, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which is a success in itself. But he lives with his demons at all times. I have spoken with him several times since he received his second letter and I have been appalled by the effect that having to relive these events has now had on him. This is the third time to relive these events publicly, particularly if people were part of the Forde inquiry. I put to departmental officers that this is a dehumanising process. The government may be well intentioned, but it is wrecking many of these good people. I have a copy of a letter sent to the department by another victim, who outlines their heartfelt disappointment with the redress level 2 scheme in terms of the time that they have had to wait for closure on the whole matter. They question the reason for the delay, and so do I. This is simply drawing 2418 Adjournment 27 Aug 2008 out into a bureaucratic nightmare for them. To document and produce evidence is a monstrous task for many of these victims. Many of those people who are still alive have minimal education, low literacy levels and are still frightened and wary of management. Some of the information required is a statement of impact outlining the nature and frequency of abuse. Some of these people were raped and belted countless times. As to witnesses, of course there were none! As to medical treatment, of course there was none because the abuse was never acknowledged! As to the copy of a report to the police, of course there was none because nobody believed these incidents occurred! We have to realise the incongruency of these questions to the victims. There has to be a process to identify the real victims, but I beg all members of the panel and members of the department to have a heart and appreciate how dehumanising this is and appreciate that, to this day, many of these victims still cannot admit to the world what happened to them. Do not underestimate how deep those scars are. Dayboro and Ocean View Rural Fire Brigades Mrs LD LAVARCH (Kurwongbah—ALP) (9.36 pm): Last Saturday I had the privilege of officially opening the Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade Station on behalf of the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon. Neil Roberts. Saturday marked a very special time in the history of the Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade. I also had the honour of presenting three medals to two very long-serving members of the Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade and the Ocean View Fire Brigade. Between the two members—Mr Nev Juffs of the Ocean View Rural Fire Brigade and Bill Rowe from the Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade—they represented 100 years of volunteering to protect their communities. I make special mention of both Bill Rowe and Nev Juffs here tonight. The Dayboro and District Rural Fire Brigade dates back to 1957 when Bill Rowe, a local farmer, organised a rural fire brigade in the area. However, the official documents show that the brigade was formed on 28 August 1976 and was a class 1 brigade until the year 2000, and it is currently a class 2 brigade with 70 members. The brigade members housed on their own private property the appliances and the equipment of the rural fire brigade, but the changing nature of the Dayboro district, with quite a number of farms being broken up into rural residential blocks, meant that the availability of members to house the equipment was not the same as it had been in the past. This led to the need to have their own station. This was decided back in 2000 and it took eight years to get to the official opening last Saturday. I would like to acknowledge the people who made the project possible: the brigade itself, which raised funds and worked tirelessly to build the new station—they raised $57,000; Jupiters Casino Community Benefit Fund, which gave a grant of $50,000; the former Pine Rivers shire council, which made a contribution to the new station of $10,000; and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, which donated $10,000 towards the new station. I would also like to acknowledge Alan Huggins from Moonlight Designs, who drew up the plans for the station free of charge. Dayboro is a wonderful community. Last Saturday the community came out in full force to view firsthand the station that has been long awaited and to congratulate Neville Juffs and Bill Rowe. Moggill Electorate, Pedestrian Safety Dr FLEGG (Moggill—Lib) (9.39 pm): I ask members to imagine having 10 kilometres of busy, high-speed state controlled road going through the middle of a metropolitan electorate and over the course of that 10 kilometres not one single safe pedestrian crossing—no zebra crossing, no lights, no nothing for children from four schools and elderly people in nursing homes and a retirement village. Every one of those people take their lives in their hands because for 10 kilometres of metropolitan state controlled road there is not one single crossing. Yesterday I spoke about a tragedy that occurred at Bellbowrie. There are a number of other spots in my electorate where, equally, such tragedies are waiting to happen. For years two very large primary schools in central Kenmore have battled this government to try to get a school speed zone. There are hundreds of students at each school. It is a no-brainer. Anybody with a bit of common sense can stand in that area and see that it is dangerous and something is going to happen. Yet this government does not appear to be able to see it. This is not just a problem for the Moggill electorate; we need to rethink how we deal with pedestrian safety in this state. We are attempting to deal with pedestrian safety in this state by using mathematical formulas. We do not allow communities to make a case based on the safety characteristics of the road. I know in Home Hill in north Queensland a similar case is about to go to the Anti-Discrimination Commission. Disabled people are trying to duck across the highway in Home Hill. They cannot get any common-sense decision made about a crossing. Currently, the regulation refers to more than 600 cars an hour and more than 60 pedestrians an hour. If the maths do not add up, you do not get a crossing. That is nonsense. We need safe pedestrian crossings on roads that are dangerous. 27 Aug 2008 Adjournment 2419

Communities know what roads are dangerous. Year after year hundreds of parents at each of those two schools have called on this government to reduce the speed limit on the road during school hours. The government has ignored those people because the road does not meet some mathematical criteria. It is the system that is wrong; it is not parents in those schools who are wrong. We have the ludicrous situation where we have 10 kilometres of high-speed, often dual- carriageway road in metropolitan Brisbane that does not have any single safe pedestrian crossing. That is not acceptable. There are other areas on that road where tragedies are very likely to happen. We have to rethink this whole policy. Foster- and Kinship-Carers Ms BARRY (Aspley—ALP) (9.43 pm): The Bligh Labor government is committed to the protection of children in this state. It is also committed to supporting our existing foster-carers and kinship-carers in the important work they do. To this end, the Minister for Child Safety announced on Mother’s Day this year a campaign to find 500 new carers to care for our state’s vulnerable children and to ease the load on the current carers. It was with a great deal of enthusiasm that the Labor MPs on Brisbane’s north side committed to that campaign. A plan to launch a local electorate based Drive for 25, in which we sought to work with the Department of Child Safety to promote the campaign to our local communities and to find at least 25 new carers in each electorate, was commenced. We promoted the campaign extensively in the press and in our communities. We held a family fun day in the fantastic Pine Rivers Park, which was supported by many local businesses and Quest newspapers. Despite the torrential rain on the day, over 100 people turned up. I have to say that, despite the rain, we had 230 RSVPs. Mrs Keech: It was a great day. Ms BARRY: It was. I take the minister’s interjection. We all huddled under tarpaulins, but the atmosphere was fantastic, supportive and enthusiastic. We listened to current carers and the department answered questions for those people who were interested in becoming carers both full-time and part-time. I am pleased to advise the House of the results to date from the recruitment campaign in Brisbane’s north. Since the campaign was launched on Mother’s Day, there have been 491 inquires from people in the inner-northern suburbs of Brisbane who are interested in becoming foster- or kinship- carers. This number includes 148 inquiries that have been received subsequent to the commencement of the Brisbane north MP campaign and the family fun day at Strathpine. The department has invested significant time speaking with potential carers and providing information and advice to those people who have inquired. To date, 264 people have followed up their initial inquiry and have attended one of 16 information sessions. A further 75 have progressed to the training stage, of whom 28 are well into the training and 13 have commenced the final stage of assessment prior to being approved as carers. The campaign continues to generate interest, with many families seeking to help Queensland’s most vulnerable children and young people. In addition, the campaign has brought much-needed attention and affirmation to the existing foster- and kinship- carers whose efforts often go unnoticed and unappreciated. There is no more tangible way to send a message to our community that child abuse is unacceptable than to open up your home to a child in need and show them that they are valued and loved. I would like to thank my colleagues the Minister for Child Safety, Linda Lavarch, Vicky Darling, Lillian van Litsenburg, Neil Roberts, Stirling Hinchcliffe and the amazing team of the Department of Child Safety, in particular Matthew Lupi and his team, for their amazing commitment to our Drive for 25 campaigns. Male Voice Choirs Mr FOLEY (Maryborough—Ind) (9.46 pm): I rise to bring to the attention of the House the recent Channel 7 program, Battle of the Choirs, which proved once again that choirs are cool. They are the new hip music. I grew up listening to choirs. For many years my dad, Jack, sang in the Brisbane Festival Male Voice Choir, which consisted of around 60 men who had one thing in common, and that is that they love singing traditional church hymns. The sound of 60 men singing in harmony is something awesome to behold. As a child growing up, dad would routinely take us out to see things like the Scottish Festival of Male Voice Praise and the Welsh Male Voice Choir. Most people would realise that these festivals of male voice choirs operate throughout the world. The choir usually sings in local Brisbane churches, nursing homes and retirement villages. Once every two years they have a major festival of praise that includes similar choirs from places such as Bundaberg, Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong. Throughout the year the Brisbane Festival Male Voice Choir also presents smaller regional festivals at places such as Bundaberg, Lismore, Boonah and Toowoomba. 2420 Adjournment 27 Aug 2008

I am very happy to say that a couple of months ago we were able to bring the Brisbane Festival Male Voice Choir to Maryborough to hold a concert at the Powerhouse Community Centre. It was absolutely fantastic. I was the person who brought the choir there and put the thing together. I must confess to being very nervous about whether people would turn up. In fact, around 350 to 400 people turned up. It was an absolute sell-out. We did not have enough chairs. It was a program that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and we certainly want to make it a regular event in the arts calendar for Maryborough. This year, the choir will be performing in Tauranga in New Zealand and also in November at the Regal Waters retirement complex, Lodges on George at Kippa Ring and in December at The Plains Retirement Village and the Wynnum Gospel Chapel. As I said, the fond memories that I have of being with my dad, Jack, who travelled extensively with the choir, are quite a childhood memory. But I also want to pay tribute to this group of mostly retired men who, at their own expense—they do not charge anything and they pay for their own travel and their own accommodation—travel just for the love of singing the hymns. If anyone wants to get a copy of their CD, they should ask me and I will arrange to get a copy for them. If members get a chance to hear the choir in their area, it is well worth listening to.

Redcliffe Public Meeting

Ms van LITSENBURG (Redcliffe—ALP) (9.49 pm): Recently in Redcliffe I was excited to take part in an important public meeting at which all elected members, including the federal member for Petrie, myself, the member for Murrumba, the mayor and the two councillors were available for two hours to listen to issues raised by community members and to answer any questions. This was a first for Queensland. It was a concrete example of three spheres of government working together. The hall was packed, with no empty chairs and many people standing. Each elected member spoke briefly at the beginning of the event and then the questions from the public began. Because our local paper sponsored the public meeting, the editor was the emcee and a photographer and journo were also present. It was great to experience the sense of cooperation from each sphere of government. At each question the elected member responsible voluntarily took the microphone. The blame game did not get an airing. This was three spheres of government working together with the community to resolve local problems. This is the way governments should work: using the resources specific to each sphere of government to find solutions and produce the best results for their community. Cooperation between state and local governments has delivered a heated pool, a new jetty for Woody Point, streetscaping in Margate, new surfaces on the hockey fields and countless other positive outcomes for the Redcliffe community. The Bligh government also works with the Rudd federal government to deliver better transport, resources and social infrastructure for Queensland. This cooperation between the state and federal governments has also achieved shorter hospital waiting lists and a GP super clinic for Redcliffe. This is what good government is all about. With the federal Labor government and the Bligh government working cooperatively, we will produce better outcomes for Redcliffe.

Queensland Ambulance Service

Mr MALONE (Mirani—NPA) (9.51 pm): It is with pleasure that I rise to briefly speak about the wonderful people who work within the QAS system as they struggle on a daily basis to provide a high degree of service to the people of Queensland. We should be conscious of the fact that they are not being supported as well as they should be by the management of QAS. We are all aware of the communications breakdown despite the multimillion-dollar injection of funds into the ESCAD system which, unfortunately, is not reliable. Certainly it has broken down over a period. There have also been instances when red trucks have turned up to code 1s, although that does not happen on a regular basis. I table the front page of the Cairns Post, which leads with an article about a student paramedic who last Monday was left in charge of the Cardwell Ambulance Station for seven hours. Everybody knows that Cardwell is situated on the very busy Bruce Highway between Townsville and Cairns. Frequently accidents occur on that road. Frankly, for QAS management to leave a junior paramedic in charge of that station for that period is abysmal. Tabled paper: Copy of front page, Cairns Post dated 14 August 2008. For some time the opposition and I have been calling for a full and independent inquiry into the management of QAS. It is disturbing when the Queensland Ambulance Service’s far northern assistant commissioner Peter Cahill is quoted in the Cairns Post as saying that it is a longstanding practice for students to sometimes man ambulance stations alone, especially at night. I believe that it is horrifying for a senior management person from QAS to indicate that the service uses junior staff to man stations at night. I know of stations in southern Queensland that have been closed down simply because they do not have enough staff. It is time that we had an independent inquiry into QAS management. 27 Aug 2008 Adjournment 2421

Springwood Electorate, Schools Ms STONE (Springwood—ALP) (9.53 pm): A lot of work has been happening in Springwood schools. Recently I opened Springwood State High School’s $283,000 performing arts auditorium and drama rooms. This project is a great example of what can be achieved when school communities and government work together. The state government contributed $172,700, the state government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund contributed $30,000, Logan City Council contributed $50,000 and because of a fantastic effort the P&C was able to contribute $30,000 to this wonderful facility. This has certainly been a joint effort for a very valuable asset that will be used by many in our community. Springwood State High School is highly regarded in the local community for its excellence in performing arts. This facility will add to the school’s ability to support performing arts students and help develop their creativity. I must acknowledge the hard work and enthusiasm of former principal Mr Neil McDonald who brought the project together and helped to achieve the great outcome we have today. I also acknowledge the hard work of Julie Kraak and her P&C committee members who worked tirelessly, not only for this project but also for many positive outcomes for the school. I thank the drama and dance groups, school captains and hospitality students for their performances and service on the night. It was certainly enjoyed by all who attended. Since it was finished the building has been used for concerts and musicals, and for transition programs for local year 7 students to experience high school. Staff have used the facility for meetings and it has been used for community gatherings. This is a valuable asset to the Springwood community and I look forward to attending many more functions there. Last week Springwood Road State School celebrated with a mini-Olympics as I officially opened the school’s new multipurpose area. ‘The Shed’, as it is affectionately known, had been in the planning for six years and was able to be constructed after the school community raised $108,000 to fully fund and support the project. The new area is a credit to the school community which worked very hard through chocolate drives, carboot sales, discos and many other fundraising activities for this new multipurpose area. It will provide the school with a place to conduct PE lessons and hold sporting practice. It is a place to conduct quiet outdoor lessons and can even hold an Olympic ceremony. I congratulate the school’s parents association and staff who have done a tremendous job fundraising to facilitate such a useful resource for the school. Finally I acknowledge the work done by the retiring principal of Calvary Christian College, Mr Mike Millard. For the past 10½ years, Mike has served as the principal of Calvary Christian College, a prep to year twelve school of 1,320 students with campuses at Springwood and Carbrook. I thank Mike for the work he has done in the development of the school campus facilities, programs and education development for all students. I have very much enjoyed working with Mike and the school community. I certainly will miss him. Mike has been an inspirational leader to staff, board members, families and particularly students of the college. He will be missed by all. I wish Mike, his wife, Anne, and their family all the best for the future. Gold Coast City Council Mr STEVENS (Robina—Lib) (9.56 pm): I rise to speak on the debacle currently being carried out by the Gold Coast City Council in relation to a decision about the future office requirements for hundreds of Gold Coast City Council office workers. I applaud the council’s commitment to turn the current Evandale site into a cultural and entertainment precinct, which was first mooted back in 1995 after amalgamation. However, I am completely dumbfounded at its brazen attempt to spend in excess of $300 million of ratepayer funds to build a brand new edifice to house all council office workers in one building when there is a glaring demand from the Gold Coast populace to deliver a better road system and a better public transport system to halt the city’s slide into traffic gridlock. Why does the council want one big Taj Mahal to house everyone in the same building when we are now in the age of advanced information communication technology that enables us to hold video conferences, teleconferences and even speak directly to people in space? Why can’t the council just expand on its current site at Nerang and utilise other existing office space to accommodate its staffing needs? The bureaucratic-driven excuse of saving ratepayer dollars by this flawed investment strategy is akin to the bureaucratic excuse of amalgamating the Albert Shire with the Gold Coast, saying that it would save $3 million a year for ratepayers. It never eventuated! It is as silly as asking how much money we would save if we put all the state government bureaucrats across the many departments into one big building in George Street! The tragedy of this warped priority thinking is that we have a beautiful city that is bogging down with traffic jams and gridlock crawl as the council cries that we have no money to remedy the many problem situations. A $300 million commitment to roads, intersections or public transport would be far more appreciated by residents across the city than the warm and fuzzy feeling we would all receive by our council officers being ensconced in one building. 2422 Attendance 27 Aug 2008

In an era when most of the councillors have deliberately decentralised themselves into their electorates at great expense to the ratepayers, the hypothesis that centralising the white collar workers will deliver measurable savings to ratepayers is preposterous. This is the exact same economic genius that delivered a $16.9 million block of land to the ownership of ratepayers for Skilled Park at Robina when the highest valuation that could be reached, after three different valuations from the private sector, was $10.5 million. It is time for the newly elected independent Gold Coast city councillors to stand up for their constituencies against the council bureaucracy and tell the bureaucracy that, after it has fixed the traffic problems, the councillors will consider any future funding commitments in the light of the benefit and wellbeing it will bring to the residents of our great city. This absolutely flawed and ridiculous planning policy of one building cannot go on. Undulating Mrs SMITH (Burleigh—ALP) (9.59 pm): Self-expression through storytelling is an innovative project which highlights the experiences and life stories of culturally and linguistically diverse older people on the Gold Coast. Recently, I was invited to launch a new publication titled Undulating, which was written and produced on the Gold Coast. Accompanied by perceptive photographs of everyday people with extraordinary stories, the launch was a moving and heartwarming experience. The aim of the book is to highlight the achievements of migrants who have left their beloved homeland, battled for their goals and made a better life, not only for themselves but also for their children and the society in which they live. Cultural diversity is a fact of life on the Gold Coast and our community is strengthened and enriched socially, economically and culturally by this diversity. These people came to Australia seeking a better life. Some came as displaced persons following World War II having lost everything—their possessions, homes and country, and some also their families. When they arrived they lost their standing in society and their educational background. Doctors and professors became unskilled labour. Eleven men and women have shared their experiences. Some of the stories are humorous while others are quite distressing, but all have a similar thread—adoption of a new homeland and a need to feel accepted and valued. All are immensely grateful for what they have found in Australia. And each in their own way is giving back by serving the community. Mehran Vaziri is a contributor to the book. I first met Mehran at a Noe-Rooz celebration. The event to commemorate the ancient Persian new year has been celebrated on the Gold Coast since 1996. Mehran was a very proud and gracious host, and I was introduced to a culture about which I knew very little. The 1979 Iranian Revolution saw the Shah overthrown and the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Mehran noted that life after the revolution was becoming intolerable. He decided that Iran was no place to live and that he had to emigrate for the sake of his children. After years of delay and much red tape, they migrated to the Gold Coast in 1990. It was difficult at first—from lucrative management positions in Iran to no jobs in Australia. Mehran applied for 500 jobs, with very few replies. In late 1991 he was offered a temporary job with the Gold Coast City Council, and he is still employed there today. Mehran has been involved in many community organisations but most particularly with the Multicultural Communities Council. He has given willingly of his time and experience and assisted many newcomers to settle on the Gold Coast. Undulating is described as a pathway that migrants follow. The characteristics of this pathway depend upon perseverance during hardship, individual optimism and expectations. The characters in this book have tried hard to achieve their goals and make better lives in their new home. Nasrin Vaziri, Mehran’s wife, is the project manager for this publication. I understand she has spent many, many hours in an effort to present these stories in a thought-provoking but compassionate light. She is to be congratulated, as are all the contributors to this beautiful book. It should be compulsory reading for all Australians. Question put—That the House do now adjourn. Motion agreed to. The House adjourned at 10.02 pm. ATTENDANCE Attwood, Barry, Bligh, Bombolas, Choi, Copeland, Cripps, Croft, Cunningham, Darling, Dempsey, Dickson, Elmes, English, Fenlon, Finn, Flegg, Foley, Fraser, Gibson, Grace, Gray, Hayward, Hinchliffe, Hobbs, Hoolihan, Hopper, Horan, Jarratt, Johnson, Jones, Keech, Kiernan, Knuth, Langbroek, Lavarch, Lawlor, Lee Long, Lee, Lingard, Lucas, McArdle, McNamara, Male, Malone, Menkens, Messenger, Mickel, Miller, Moorhead, Mulherin, Nelson-Carr, Nicholls, Nolan, O’Brien, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Pratt, Purcell, Reeves, Reilly, Reynolds, Rickuss, Roberts, Robertson, Schwarten, Scott, Seeney, Shine, Simpson, Smith, Spence, Springborg, Stevens, Stone, Struthers, Stuckey, Sullivan, van Litsenburg, Wallace, Weightman, Welford, Wellington, Wells, Wendt, Wettenhall, Wilson