Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

TUESDAY, 24 AUGUST 1982

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

394 24 August 1982 Papers

TUESDAY, 24 AUGUST 1982

Mr SPEAKER (Hon. S. J. MuUer, Fassifern) read prayers and took the chair at 11 a.m.

TOOWOOMBA SHOWGROUNDS BILL Assent reported by Mr Speaker.

PAPERS The following papers were laid on the table:— Proclamations under— Essential Services Act 1979 Forestry Act 1959-1981 Forestry Act 1959-1982 Orders in Council under— Electricity Act 1976-1980 Forestry Act 1959-1981 Forestry Act 1959-1982 Stock Routes and Rural Lands Protection Act 1944-1981 Barrier Fences Act 1954-1978 Regulations under the Land Act 1962-1981 Commhtee of Subordmate Legislation 24 August 1982 395

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Electricity Supply During 38-hour Working Week Dispute Hon. I. J. GIBBS (Albert—Minister for Mines and Energy) (11.4 a.m.): I am concemed at unnecessary losses being suffered by sections of the pubUc because of what I ,see as very misleading reports of a so-called "general strike" in our State. My concern relates directly to the effect on electricity supplies. It is a fact that Queensland has not suffered any major power supply problems since last we^, although there has been isolated industrial action within the industry which has had direct effects on supply to certain limited areas. I understand from telephone caUs to my office yesterday that there were at least some employers who continued with stand-downs of staff yesterday because of the expectation that they would be without power. This impression had been created by union leaders saying publicly that power workers would support a general strike and subsequent media reports that a general strike decision had been taken. This meant ordinary workers were deprived of a day's pay for no good reason. I reiterate that there has been no major disruption to Queensland's power supplies since last week, and, unless there is some significant change to the current industrial situation, none is expected.

COMMITTEE OF SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION Mr POWELL (Isis): I move— "(1) That this House do appoint a committee to be called the Committee of Subordinate Legislation.

(2) That the committee shall consist of seven members.

(3) That the committee consist of Messrs Fouras, Hooper, Jennings, Prentice, Scassola, Simpson and the mover.

(4) That h shall be the duty of the committee to consider all regulations, rules, by-laws, ordinances. Orders in Council or proclamations (hereinafter referred to as "the regulations") which under any Act are required to be laid on the table of this House, and which are subject to disaUowance by resolution. If the regulations are made whilst the House is sitting, the committee shall consider the regulations before the end of the period during which any motion for disallowance of those regulations may be moved in the House. If the regulations are made whilst the House is not sitting the committee shaU consider the regulations as soon as conveniently may be after the making thereof.

(5) The committee shall, with respect to the regulations, consider— (a) whether the regulations are in accord with the general objects, of the Act pursuant to which they are made; (b) whether the regulations trespass unduly on rights previously established by law; (c) whether the regulations contain matter which in the opinion of the committee should properly be dealt with in an Act of Parliament; (d) whether for any special reason the form or purport of the regulations calls for elucidation; (e) whether the regulations unduly make rights dependent upon administrative and not upon judicial decisions. 396 24 August 1982 Leave to Move Motion Without Notice

(6) If the committee is of the opinion that any of the regulations ought to be disallowed— (a) it shall report that opinion and the grounds thereof to the House before the end of the period during which any motion for disallowance of those regulations may be moved in the House; (b) if the House is not sitting, h may report its opinion and the grounds thereof to the authority by which the regulations were made. (7) If the committee is of the opinion that any other matter relating to any of the regulations should be brought to the notice of the House, it may report that opinion and matter to the House. (8) A report of the committee shall be presented to the House in writing by a member of the committee nominated for that purpose by the committee. (9) The permanent head of the relevant department shall forthwhh upon any regulation, which is required to be tabled in ParUament, being approved by the Governor in Council, forward sufficient copies to the Clerk of the Pariiament for the use of the members of the committee. (10) The committee shall have power to send for persons, papers and records, provided that a Minister or members of the Public Service shall not be obliged to provide information, oral or written, which has been— (a) certified by a Crown Law Officer to be information which, if it were sought in a court, would be a proper matter in respect of which to claim Crown privilege; or (b) certified by the responsible Minister, with the approval of the Ministers of the Crown in Cabinet assembled, to be against the public interest to disclose. (11) The committee shall have power to act and, subject to paragraph (10), to send for persons, papers and records and to examine witnesses whether the House is sitting or not. (12) The proceedings of the committee shall, except wherein otherwise ordered, be regulated by the Standing Orders and Rules of the Legislative Assembly relating to select committees." Motion agreed to.

LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION WITHOUT NOTICE Mr YEWDALE (Rockhampton North): I seek leave to move that so much of Standing Orders that is necessary be suspended to allow me to move for the repeal of the Essential Services Act 1979. Mr BJELKE-PETERSEN: I rise to a point of order. Is the honourable member in order in raising this at this point of time? Mr SPEAKER: I presume so. Under General Business the member is permitted to rise. Question put; and the House divided—

Ayes, 25 Blake Jones Vaughan Bums Kruger Warburton Casey Mackenroth Wilson D'Arcy McLean Wright Davis Milliner Yewdale Eaton Prest Fouras Shaw Tellers: Gibbs, R. J. Smkh Hansen Hooper Underwood Scott Pethions 24 August 1982 397

Noes. 45 Akers Innes Prentice Bertoni Jennings Randell Bjelke-Petersen Katter Row Booth Kaus Scassola Borbidge Knox Scott-Young Doumany Kyburz Simpson Edwards Lane Sullivan FitzGerald Lee Tenni Frawley Lester Turner Gibbs, I, J. Lickiss Wharton Glasson Lockwood White Goleby Menzel Greenwood Miller Gunn Moore Tellers: Hartwig Nelson Gygar Hewitt Powell Neal Resolved in the negative.

PROPOSED NOTICE OF MOTION Mr YEWDALE (Rockhampton North) having given notice of a motion— Mr SPEAKER: Order! I cannot accept that notice of motion. It is very similar to the motion for which leave was sought a few moments ago. when the honourable member said— "I seek leave to move that so much of Standing Orders that is necessary be suspended to allow me to move for the repeal of the Essential Services Act 1979." The motion of which the honourable member has given notice covers exactly the same subject-matter. My ruling is that the subject of this motion has already been submitted to the House and has been rejected by the House. Therefore. I cannot accept it.

Mr CASEY: I rise to a point of order. The honourable member sought leave to move a motion for the suspension of Standing Orders. Quite clearly, that was necessary because the Opposition does not have the numbers in this House. At the time of seeking leave to move a motion it is necessary to indicate to the House the purpose for which leave is sought for the suspension of Standing Orders. A perusal of "Hansard" will reveal that when motions Jiave been moved by the Opposition it has been its practice to seek leave for the suspensibn of Standing Orders. I would suggest that the matter before you is a notice of motion. 1 would also suggest, Mr Speaker, that if you accept the notice of motion of the honourable member for Rockhampton North, which would have to be called "Formal" or "Not formal" tomorrow, you could examine the situation in the Ught of what I have said and rule accordingly tomorrow morning.

Mr SPEAKER: I have made a firm decision that, regardless of the comments and explanation given by the Leader of the Opposition, the purpose of the proposed notice of motion is basically the same. I have given a ruling and I stand firmly by it.

Mr GREENWOOD: I rise to a point of order. Mr Speaker, it is within your rights to reconsider any decision that you make at any time. If you come to the conclusion that you are wrong, you are entitled to change your mling.

PETITIONS The Clerk announced the receipt of the foUowing petitions—

State Service Superannuation Scheme From Mrs Nelson (502 signatories) praying that the ParUament of Queensland will remove all discrimination from the State Service Superannuation Scheme. 398 24 August 1982 Questions Upon Notice

Penalties for Cmelty to Animals From Mr Scassola (36 signatories) praying that the Pariiament of Queensland will increase the penalties for cruelty to animals. Petitions received.

QUESTIONS UPON NOTICE Questions submitted on notice by members were answered as follows:—

1. Influenza Epidemic Mr Innes asked the Minister for Health— With reference to the current influenza epidemic— (1) What is the type or types of influenza involved? (2) What is the extent of the epidemic, in particular (a) how many people of what age group have been hospitalized" by the epidemic (b) how many people of what age groupjs have died from influenza in the current epidemic? (3) Are there any preventative or palliative measures that can be taken or precautions that should be observed?

Answer:— (1) In recent weeks, cases of influenza due to both influenza A and influenza B viruses have occurred in Queensland. Some cases of bacterial infection due to mycoplasma pneumonia, which can complicate influenza, have also occurred. (2)- (a) There is a significant outbreak of influenza in many centres in Queensland. Last week the influenza virus was isolated from 11 of 31 children iU at a Brisbane school, which was investigated by my department. (b) One recent death has occurred due to viral myocarditis with another under investigation. This is a possible complication of influenza. Both were in persons under 25 years of age. (3) The present influenza is due to strains which are included in the Ciraimonwealth Serum Laboratories' influenza vaccine. The use of the vaccine is recommended par­ ticularly in persons who are at increased risk from infections of the lower respiratory tract because of pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart disease, chest disorders, kidney disease, diabetes, anaemia and conditions that compromise the immune mechanism. Persons aged 65 years and over also have some increased risk. Persons who contract influenza should have adequate rest and, if necessary, seek medical advice.

2. Increase in Sugar Production Mr Row asked the Minister for Primary Industries— What was the outcome of his recent talks with the Commonwealth Govemment in which he expressed concem about any development of new sugar-cane-growing areas for the production of crystal sugar in Australia beyond the present limitations vrithin the existing sugar industry where the present price and costs of production difficulties prevail?

Answer:— The Premier and I have made several representations to the Commonwealth Gov­ ernment on this matter over recent months. The Honourable the Premier recently led a deputation of industry leaders to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister again stressing the current problems of the sugar industry in Queensland as well as Queensland's present concern with proposed developments on the Ord. The Commonwealth Government is now very much aware of the concerns of the existing industry with any expansion of the Australiani industry at this time. Questions Upon Notice 24 August 1982 399

I can assure the honourable member for Hinchinbrook that this Govemment wiU continue to point out to the Western AustraUan and Federal Governments that the sugar industry development on the Ord can proceed at the present time only at a very si^iificant cost to the Queensland and New South Wales sugar industries. In fact, whilst Western Australia is looking at setting up a new sugar industry both Queensland and New South Wales are looking at an expensive debt reconstmction program and p>rice-support measures to assist the already established industry.

3. Home Consumption Price for Sugar Mr Muntz asked the Minister for Primary Industries— With reference to the intolerable situation created by the inadequancy of the price-adjustment formula for the Australian home consumption price for sugar, because of which the industry received approximately one-half of CPI cost increases in 1980 and 1981— What action is currently being taken by the Government to rectify this price loss and approve the quantum being sought?

Answer:— Officers of the Commonwealth and State Governments, along with representatives of sugar industry organisations, have been reviewing the domestic pricing arrangements for sugar over the past months. FoUowing this review, the joint sugar industry associations, in conjunction with officers of the Sugar Board and my department, have completed a submission which I have now forwarded to the Commonwealth Minister for Primary Industry, the Honourable Peter Nixon. This submission requests an immediate interim price increase based on the shortfall below CPI movements over the three years of the present agreement as weU as an early investigation into the sugar industry with a view to establishing a new base price and pjrice adjustment mechanism for incorporation in a new agreement. I fully support the moves for an immediate interim price increase as a matter of urgency to provide some reUef to cane growers who have been seriously disadvantaged under the present price adjustment formula.

4. Establishment of Sugar Industry, Ord River Mr Muntz asked the Minister for Primary Industries— (1) Does he recall the assertions of the West Australian Primary Industries Minister, Mr Old, that the Ord River Scheme was developed as a "national asset"? (2) Does he regard this scheme as a national liability or disaster? (3) What action has been taken by the Government to object, in the strongest terms, to the irresponsible attitude of the West Australian Govemment to estabUsh a crystal sugar industry on the Ord River, whether by local or foreign interests? (4) Will he continue to point out to the West Australian and Federal Governments the devasating effects that such an industry will have on the existing Australian sugar industry established by more than 50 years of hard-won technology and unique marketing arrangements and the effects that it would have on the economy of Queensland?

Answer:— (1 to 4) At the recent Australian Agricultural Council meeting held in New Zealand, I once again took the opportunity to reinforce the Queensland Govemment's opposition to any expansion in the Australian sugar industry at this time. In response to my opposition to expansion, the Western Australian Minister for Agriculture, Mr Dick Old, advised that his Govemment would proceed with the setting up of a sugar industry on the Ord regardless of Queensland's views. Meanwhile, whilst I was in New Zealand the Honourable the Premier led a deputation of industry leaders to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister once again stressing the current problems of the sugar industry in the Queensland as well as Queensland's concern with the proposed development on the Ord at thU time. 400 24 August 1982 Questions Without Notice

I can assure the honourable member for Whitsunday that this Govemment will continue to point out to the Western Australian and Federal Govemments that sugar industry development on the Ord can oidy proceed at the present time at a very significant cost to the Queensland and New South Wales sugar industries. In fact, whilst Western Australia is looking at setting up a new sugar industry, both Queensland and New South Wales are looking at an expensive debt reconstruction program and price-support measures designed to assist the already established industry.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE 38-Hour Working Week Mr CASEY: In directing a question to the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, I refer to his claims that, as Treasurer of this State, he would be required to find an additional $135m from the taxpayers of Queensland, or, as he put it, $234 a year from each family, to introduce a 38-hour working week for the remaining Crown blue-collar employees. I ask: As that amount represents approximately 20 per cent of the total State taxation last financial year, and as we are talking of only a 5 per cent reduction in working hours for less than half of the total employees of the State Government, wiU he table in the House a copy of his calculations of the cost of the proposed shorter working week for blue-collar Government employees, along the same lines as the promise that he made to the trade unions approximately two weeks ago and with which he has never complied?

Dr EDWARDS: At no stage did we promise that we would give information to the trade union movement in that regard. We indicated to the trade union movement the basis on which the figure was calculated. For the honourable member to suggest that the figure relates only to blue-collar workers shows his ignorance of my statement. My statement clearly related to Crown employees who would receive a flow-on from the particular decision, should the Government make it. It included nurses in hospitals, prison workers and policemen in this State. The total cost was not related to what has been suggested by some of the Leader of the Opposition's colleagues with whom he is closely identified at the moment, and I was very pleased to see that identification. The cost of $135m to the Government is based on two calculations. The first is that a two-hour reduction in work is the equivalent of a five per cent increase in costs. We recognise that that is a rough estimate of the overaU effect. The second is that on formulae provided by private industries of the increased cost they have had to meet as a result of the shorter working week—and they should be experts because they have incurred this cost for some 12 months—the Government was able to calculate a figure ranging between $130m and $135m. It is not for us to justify our position; it is for the trade union movement to find where it stands on the matter. The offset offered by the trade union movement amounts at the very most to $4.5m. That is where the comparison lies. Mr Warburton: Table the information. Dr EDWARDS: I wiU not table it. I have clearly stated the basis for it. I would be very happy to talk to the honourable member for Sandgate about it. Obvously he cannot count. He can be identified as much as he likes wih Hughie Hamilton and his colleagues at the Trades Hall. The people of Queensland have quite clearly supported the Government's stand. Every member of the Opposhion is closely identified with Hughie HamiUon and his colleagues at the Trades Hall. Mr CASEY: My other questions are without notice to the Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, who unfortunately has left the Chamber. I ask whether the Premier is aware whether he wiU be returning during question-time. Government Members: Yes. Mr CASEY: I will wait until he returns.

Implications of 38-hour Working Week for Government Employees Mr SCASSOLA: I ask the Deputy Premier and Treasurer: What would be the implications of the granting of a 38-hour week to employees in Govemment sewices generaUy and, in particular, to hosphal and medical services? (Questions Whhout Notice 24 August 1982 401

Dr EDWARDS: As I have already indicated, the cost to the Government of the implementation of a 38-hour week—nobody other than the Opposition, of whom nobody takes notice on economic matters at any time, has doubted these figures—is $135m for Govemment employees. However, nobody has commented on the flow-on to other industry. Let me tum to the health field, to which the honourable member for Mt Gravatt directed attention. If the 38-hour week were to flow on to nurses and other employees in the private hospital system, costs would escalate. Again, it would be the people in the community who would suffer. They would have to pay for increased medical costs, which would be reflected in higher medical benefit fund charges. The problem, then, is not an isolated one. It is superimposed on the wider economic troubles presently faced by the community. The Government has repeatedly made its poshion clear: because of the economic climate and the effect of flow-ons to other fields such as those referred to by the honourable member for Mt Gravatt, the Govemment does not believe that this is the time to consider a shorter working week. Mr Vaughan: A whUe ago you were telling us how well off we are. Dr EDWARDS: I am interested to hear the honourable member for Nudgee say that. I am delighted that he acknowledges that this is a responsible Government. It is weU known that what Mr Wran did in New South Wales just a few weeks ago, by giving in on a 38-hour week, has caused the Public Service unions in that State to caU a pubUc meeting within the next day or so protesting against the 4 000 public servants Mr Bjelke-Petersen interjected, Dr EDWARDS: The Premier happens to have a copy of it beside him. The heading of the advertisement inserted by that State's PubUc Service association is, "Fight the Cuts". Mr Vaughan: Take a picture of it. Dr EDWARDS: I know the members of the Opposition are very sensitive about this; if I were in their position, I would be, too. A price always has to be paid, which is the problem presently faced by the Government in relation to the economy. Of course it would be easy for the Government to give in to these demands and requests, but a price has to be paid. The flow-on in private industry would be quite significant and, as the honourable member suggests, would have a big impact upon hospital services, especially in the private sector.

Voluntary Services of Striking Workers Mr SCASSOLA: I ask the Minister for Transport: Is he aware that many railway workers who are on strike at the unions' direction have volunteered their services to assist patients and staff in hospitals? What conclusions are to be drawn from that assistance by those people to the incapacitated and the ill? Mr LANE: I thank the honourable member for the question because it is time that the people of Queensland were told of the more humane actions of some strikers. I do not speak of the union bosses or the party functionaries who are the spokesmen for the Labor movement these days; I speak of the rank-and-file unionists. No matter how much the union bosses may coerce and threaten, pockets of unionists throughout the State, while they have been on strike in accordance with the directions of their union bosses, have been working as unpaid volunteers in hospitals as wardsmen and in other capacities. I am very proud of the large numbers of railwaymen who have performed these services, and I hope they will continue.

Secretarial Duties, Bodies Corporate Mr SCASSOLA: I ask the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General: Is he aware of the additional duties imposed upon secretaries under the Building Units and Group Titles Act because they are obliged to call an annual general meeting? If that is the case, what does he intend to do about it? 402 24 August 1982 Questions Without Notice

Mr DOUMANY: I am aware of the extra duties and the onus that have been placed on secretaries of bodies corporate in Queensland as a result of the new legislation. However, a good reason for that is the high proportion of non-resident proprietors who have been attracted to this popular tourist State. However, under section 41 of the Act an exemption is available to the smaller blocks which brings the duties of a secretary very much in Une with the provisions of the Act prior to its amendment a couple of years ago. As the honourable member knows, my department is presently reviewing the legislation. Next month four seminars are to be conducted throughout Queensland—in the North, in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast—at which the duties of secretaries will be canvassed. I know that many suggestions have been put forward in an effort to streamline those duties. I am sure that the review will bring about an improvement in the Act. 38-hour Working Week Dispute Mr CASEY: I will now ask my question without notice of the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations. I refer to the revocation of the orders issued under the Essential Services Act 1979 during the current industrial dispute. As that revocation allows the Minister to carry out his function under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, what efforts has he made to bring the parties in the current industrial dispute in Queensland to the negotiating table to settle this major industrial crisis?

Sir WILLIAM KNOX: An interesting point is that the use of the provisions of the Essential Services Act brought the parties to the Industrial ConciUation and Arbitration Commission. The provisions of that Act state that within a certain time the commission must take a certain line of action, and as a result of that the parties were brought to the conference table last week. As a result of the discussions that occurred on Thursday and Friday Mr Fouras: You would not accept the commissioner's decision.

Sir WILLIAM KNOX: If the honourable member wUl hold his fire, he will learn. The commissioner who was appointed under the terms of that legislation had meetings with the parties on two days. On Friday he requested the Government representatives to have the Government consider withdrawing the suspensions under the Railways Act and revoking the orders under the Essential Services Act, That request went to Cabinet on Friday night, and as a result the suspensions under the Railways Act were lifted and the orders under the Essential Services Act were revoked straight away, and there was a report back to the commissioner that night that that had been done. The Government has played its part in trying to reduce the tension surrounding this issue, and has done so at the request of the Industrial Commission. The commission can still hear any matters relating to this problem. But while this was going on the unions did the very opyposite. They interpreted that action as weakness on the part of the Government. They did not tell their members the truth, that there had been a request by the Industrial Commission and the Government had responded appropriately and responsibly. The trade union leaders went out and inched workers to go on strike, as did a number of members of the Opposition. They told unionists exactiy the opposite of what we were trying to achieve through the Industrial Commission. So a great deal has been done through the normal channels of industrial relations in this State. But for the ALP trying to make political mUeage out of the strike and certain trade union leaders linking up with them—including the gentleman whose photograph appears in today's newspaper who is now dictating the terms and telUng Opposition members how to jump—this matter would have been resolved last Saturday morning.

38-hour Working Week Dispute Mr CASEY: My final question to the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations comes back to the point that I made in the previous question, which the Minister has not answered. Under the powers that the Minister has always had under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, that is, to take certain action and get certain people to the negotiating table, and particulariy in view of the fact that there have been Questions Without Notice 24 August 1982 403 confficting statements from the Premier, who says that there is no way in the world that there will be any negotiations, and the Deputy Premier, who is reported in the newspapers this morning as saying that he is prepared to enter negotiations Dr Edwards: That is not what I said.

Mr CASEY: Is the Deputy Premier saying that he is not prepared to enter into negotiations? V '^'Dr Edwards interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! This is not a debate; this is question-time. Mr CASEY: I will rephrase the question. As the responsible Minister, does he stand with the Premier or with the Deputy Premier on this issue, or is he trying to get the parties around the negotiating table to solve the problem for the benefit of all Queenslanders?

Sir WILLIAM KNOX: Members on this side of the House are becoming very depressed about the attitude of the Leader of the Opposition, who spends most of his time making speeches instead of asking questions. The situation is very plain. The Government has made a decision. It was not an individual decision by any one Minister or the Premier. The Premier is the spokesman on behalf of the Government, and he has spoken quite correctiy about the decision made by the Govemment. The shuation is that a number of people in this State are on strike at the moment over issues that do not exist. There are 980000 people in employment in this State, of whom considerably fewer than 80 000 have chosen to go on strike. As from midday today, that number will be even fewer because of decisions made in the last hour for many thousands of people to go back to work. If the Leader of the Opposhion was a genuine leader of Her Majesty's Opposition and a responsible member of this Parliament, he and his colleagues, instead of inciting people to go on strike, as they have done in the last 48 hours, if they wanted to contribute to the peace and harmony of this State and if they had any intention of contributing to the welfare of the people of this State in an endeavour to look after their jobs, would have been encouraging people to go back to work. That is their responsibility. They can rest assured that the Government wUl look after its responsibiUties.

Illegal Fitting of Accessories to Motor Vehicles Mr WRIGHT: In asking the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations this question, I refer to a request that I made to him in relation to the problems confronting people in the automotive after-market industry in Queensland, in particular those in the manufacturing, retailing and servicing areas in which the rather ridiculous practice exists that products the use of which is illegal can be retailed legally. I refer the Minister to the repre­ sentations that I made and ask what policies has the Government to overcome these problems to ensure that insurance companies cannot deny claims made by persons who have fitted accessories to their vehicles or had them modified and later been involved in accidents? Will the Minister now meet with the people in the industry to try to resolve the situation? Sir WILLIAM KNOX: It seems to me that the honourable member for Rockhampton has contracted the disease from which his leader is suffering and is making statements instead of asking questions. The Australian Design Rules and the Australian Motor Vehicles Standards Committee are set up by aU the States to deal with the standards of vehicles and the parts that go on to vehicles. The rules are promulgated from time to time as a result of consultation between the leaders of industry and the various registering authorities. Sometimes the lead time is six months and, on occasions, it is some years before the rules are actually implemented. As a result, a number of parts are on the market in Australia that, if used correctly, are legitimate in themselves, as is the use to which they are put. If they are not used correctly, use of the particular part is illegal. When used on vehicles on which they are not supposed to be fitted, the vehicles involved are not registered or the owners are asked to have alterations made to make them registrable or to make them conform to the registration that they have; 404 24 August 1982 Questions Without Notice

Therefore, some confusion does arise, particularly among retailers who do not bother to inform themselves of the mles that govem spare parts. Sometimes unconsciously, sometimes deliberately, they misrepresent a part to the consummg pubUc. Very often members of the consuming pubUc are misled into believing that, because the retailer can legitimately sell a part, it is legitimate to attach it to a vehicle. The Government has introduced education campaigns and wiU continue to do so. Recently legislation was introduced to provide that notices be displayed in spare parts outlets to warn people that, simply because parts are being sold, they are not necessarily legitimate for attachment to vehicles. I counsel the honourable member, when dealing with individual retailers on this issue, to ask them whether they have discussed the matter with the associations to which they belong. Mr Wright: And the manufacturers. Sir WILLIAM KNOX: And the manufacturers, because the manufacturers, the whole­ salers and the retailers in the motor vehicle industry have representatives on the committees that are estabUshed nationally to investigate this problem. The AustraUan Design Rules for motor vehicles and the safety committees have private enterprise representatives on them to advise them. A number of specialist committees are looking into these matters. I suggest to the honourable member that he should not short-circuit the system or lead people to believe that the system can be short-circuited by cutting across those rules and the agreements that have been made between the States. The correct course of action for these people to take is to go through their own trade associations.

Power Operators' Incomes and Conditions Mr PRENTICE: I ask the Minister for Mines and Energy— (1) What was the average rate of pay for power operators before the reduction in their hours, and what is it now? (2) How much overtime was worked before the reduction and how much is worked now? (3) How many new jobs have resuUed from the reduction in hours? (4) What is the cost? Mr I. J. GIBBS: In answer to that question— Op>position Members interjected.

Mr I. J. GIBBS: The Opposition may laugh. The honourable member for Toowong gave me notice of this question and I have the answer in detail. I shaU read it from a prepared statement. (1) Before 1 October 1980 the average wage was approximately $500 a week. Following 1 October 1981 the average was approximately $720 a week. This includes the normal cost-of-living increases from 1 October 1980 to 1 October 1981. (2) The overtime worked was 5.2 hours a week before the reduction in hours and 1.8 hours a week following the reduction. (3) About 60 operators. (4) Approximately $43,000 a week.

Mr PRENTICE: I might mention that I gave the Minister notice of that question.

Excise Duty on Diesel Fuel Mr PRENTICE: I ask the Minister for Transport: Is he aware that the recent Federal Budget imposed an excise duty of 5.15c a litre on diesel fuel, irrespective of its end use, and Ic a litre levy to be used in the establishment of the Australian Bi-centenary Road Development Fund? What does this mean in terms of additional cost to the railways? How much diesel fuel does the Railway Department use? What does it cost? Questions Whhout Notice 24 August 1982 405

Mr LANE: I am well aware of the impost in the Federal Budget, It came as a great shock to me and to the Treasurer, Dr Edwards. In fact, I made urgent inquiries at Mr Howard's office to check whether there would be any exemption from the excise for a State utiUty such as railways and whether it was reasonable that railways should be taxed to upgrade roads used by rail's commercial competitors. I was told that foUowing the Federal Budget the Railway Department would have to pay the full 6.15c a litre extra. I am sure that honourable members would appreciate what those added costs mean and just how ridiculous it is that the Railway Department should be taxed on its fuel in order to provide money for roads. Last financial year Queensland Rail paid $46m for 180 ML of diesel fuel. I understand that prior to that announcement the anticipated and budgeted cost of fuel in the coming year was in excess of $50m. Although provision no doubt will be made in the Budget for diesel purchases, I am incensed that the extra charges apply to an essential service like rail. There is, hopefully, a brighter side. I have repeatedly pressed at Federal-State Transport Ministers conferences for a Commonwealth commitment to the principle of main-line electrification as an energy saver. That was given to me at several conferences. Now we want the money. We have the coal in the ground from which to generate power. We have electric locomotive manufacturers round the world poised and waiting for an opportunity to tender for the supyply of electric locomotives for our railway system. Topsline technology has been ap>plied to the design of units most suitable for our gauge and heavy hauls, such as coal. The Railway Department is virtually ready to move once Commonwealth funding is clarified. We plan main-line electrification and electrification from coal mines to ports. Let me give an example. It would cost about $274m to electrify the Blackwater- Gladstone-Brisbane railway line but the liquid fuel saving which would result is staggering. A Blackwater-Gladstone electrified line would save 47.1 ML of diesel fuel a year and 68 ML would be saved on the Goonyella-Hay Point line. Mr YEWDALE: I rise to a point of order. The Minister is abusing the privilege of the House. He has been reading his answer for the last five minutes. Mr SPEAKER: Order! A question has been asked without notice. The Minister may use any method he likes to reply to the question.

Mr LANE: The member for Rockhampton North is obviously not interested in the future of rail development in the Rockhampton and Central Queensland area. He should be supporting the comments I have made. We have also re-evaluated Emerald-Gladstone and Newlands-Abbot Point lines, and we put the total fuel saving at 150 ML a year. I sincerely trust that the Federal Government will take note of these savings and do a little giving, instead of taking, for a change.

38-hour Working Week Dispute Mr PRENTICE: I ask the Treasurer: Is he aware of the cost of the introduction of a 38-hour week? What is the value of the trade-offs or offsets offered by the trade union movement, and what does that say for the attitude of the Trades and Labor Council's negotiating committee in this matter? Dr EDWARDS: As I indicated earlier in reply to another question, the estimated cost of the introduction of a 38-hour week is in the vicinity of $135m a year. That includes those people who would reduce to a 38-hour week whhin the Govemment services who are working more than 38 hours at the present time. The estimated cost of the trade-offs offered by the unions is, at the very most, $4.5m. The Govemment's poshion has been made very clear. It wiU not conduct discussions on this matter whilst the men are on strike. That position has been made clear publicly on a number of occasions. If the workers have another package to place before the Government upon their return to work, that will be considered. The Govemment does not negotiate with people who are on strike. 406 Address in Reply

Mrs KYBURZ havmg given notice of a question^.

Mr LANE: I am happy to give that information now.

Mrs KYBURZ: As some honourable members have not had an opportunity to ask a question for two weeks, I am putting it on notice.

Housing Industry Interest Rates Mr MACKENROTH: In asking a question of the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, I refer to the Govemment's new home purchase scheme and, in particular, to the interest subsidy scheme. I ask: Can he advise me on what basis the market interest rate was set at 14i per cent? Was this figure recommended by the Queensland Housing Commission?

Dr EDWARDS: The decision on interest rates in th& housing industry was made by Cabinet so that they would be at a level simUar to that ap>plying in building societies.

Union Tactics During 38-hour Working Week Dispute Mr JENNINGS: I ask the Premier: Is he aware that some union leaders are using blatant standover tactics and threatening their members that they wiU be severely fined if they do not succumb to irresponsible coercion, brute force and intimidation by some of these union leaders and their stooges, which is about nothing more or less than working an extra 12 minutes every moming and 12 minutes every aftranoon 5 days a week? If he is aware of that situation, and bearing in mind that the workers have not been allowed to have a secret vote, will he inform the House what action hie would take if he was threatened with such a fine?

Mr BJELKE-PETERSEN: I would urge any of those men who have been threatened— and very many have been threatened and fined—^not to pay their fines. The Government is having a very good look at this matter at the moment. I repeat that my advice to them is: don't pay the fines. At 12 noon. In accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 17, the House proceeded with Government business.

ADDRESS IN REPLY Resumption of Debate—Third and Fourth Allotted Days Debate resumed from 17 August (see p. 246) on Mr Randell's motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply. Mr D'ARCY (Woodridge) (12 noon): The chaos that has developed m Queensland over the past two weeks deserves an airing in the Parliament mainly because of the Government's handling of the dispute. It has escalated out of control because of the way in which it has been handled by the Premier and the Deputy Premier. Mr Moore: It's a fizzer. Mr D'ARCY: It has not been a fizzer for the Government. Government members cannot get the Premier and Deputy Premier to agree. The Deputy Premier is desperately trying to get himself off the hook. The statements that he is issuing express a point of view that conflicts with that of the Premier. The Deputy Premier is saying, "Perhaps we will negotiate. Our door is always open." The Premier, on the other hand, says, "There will be no negotiations." AU the way through, it has been the Government that has escalated the dispute. One of the most interesting sidelights of the dispute is the rechristening of the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Sir William Knox, as "Sir William the Silent" One wonders where he has been during this dispute. He is leaving the House now. It is obvious that he wiped his hands of it very early in the piece. We saw his predecessor as Minister in charge of industrial relations, Fred Campbell, overruled by Address in Reply 24 August 1982 407 the Premier and do exactly the same thing. He was unable to handle the portfoUo while the Premier was looking over his shoulder making the decisions. The Premier took the Essential Services Act out of his arena. Mr Davis interjected. Mr D'ARCY: Is it tonight that Sir WUliam intends to chair the Solidarity meeting? It is difficult to understand the Government's stand on issues such as this—the Govemment is putting the workers down and keeping them down—when Sir WilUam supports trade- unionists from another country in their action against a regime that can be said to be very similar to the one in Queensland. This morning we heard an amazing answer from the Deputy Premier and Treasurer (Dr Edwards) on the cost of a 38-hour week. The Government has been piously examining the matter and churning out figures—the basis for which he refuses to give to the people of Queensland or to table in the Parliament. Parliament is no longer the master of this State's destiny. Although the ParUament is elected by the people, the fact is that it is the Cabinet and the Premier who are directing this and every other dispute in this State. It is a shame that direction is given in such a way. The answer given by the Deputy Premier to the Parliament this morning—the place where he should outline the problems involved in a 38-hour week and the economic decisions being made by him and the Premier—was that a 38-hour week would cost every single Queensland family $234 a year in extra State charges and taxes. The Premier and Deputy Premier said it will cost Queensland an additional $135m. They have not substantiated those figures. I might say that in the same breath the Treasurer said that it will require an additional 1 000 or 1 200 jobs. The Premier said there will be a loss of 2 000 jobs. That shows how united they are. They say the first thing that comes into their heads. No wonder the people of Queensland are confused about the dispute. No wonder the people involved in the dispute find it difficult to follow the reasoning of the Government—to foUow the reasoning of the Premier and Deputy Premier, who are handling the dispute. The answer by the Deputy Premier this morning was one of the most ridiculous that we have ever had in this place. Although he would not supply the figures, he made it plain that the Govemment's blue-collar workers were virtually being asked to provide the trade-offs to offset the flow-ons to the rest of the community. That is what he said in his answer this morning, and that is where his fictitious figures come from. We are all aware that the workers at Tarong got the flow-on just a few weeks ago. In other words, he is asking a handful of Govemment workers presently on a 40-hour week to supply the total trade-offs for the State. Evidently that is how he arrived at these fictitious figures. Economic considerations have not formed part of the dispute; they are the last peg on which the Government has tried to hang its hat. The dispute was prolonged and escalated by the actions of the Premier. Obviously the unions were forced into their current position by the suspension of 4 000 workers and the appUcation of the Essential Services Act. This moming the Opposition gave notice of a motion to have the Essential Services Act revoked and notice should appear on the Business Paper. It is a fact that that legislation wUl never again be used in Queensland; no Govemment, not even one led by the Premier, would be game to use it again. The pressure on the Premier, the Government and the Deputy Premier has come from the people of the State, from its own back bench and from within the Cabinet. The acrobatics of the Minister for Transport have been absolutely amazing. This moming he entered the House prepared to answer Dorothy Dix questions, but at the railway yards he said to the men, "Look, it is the Premier's fauU, it is not my fault. You are all very nice fellows. It is not my fault at all; I do not want the dispute." I have heard that he has even told them that, if it were up to him, he would give them a 38-hour week. Mr LANE: I rise to a point of order. The remarks of the honourable member are not only dishonest but also objectionable. I ask him to withdraw them forthvrith, Mr SPEAKER: Order! I suggest to the member for Woodridge that he withdraw those comments. The Minister denies that there is any tmth in them. 408 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Mr D'ARCY: I am pleased to hear that and I wiU withdraw the remarks. His denial that he intended to give the workers a 38-hour week pleases me. In effect, the Minister has admitted that the dispute is not the Premier's fault alone, that he the Minister is just as responsible as any other member of the Cabinet and personally supports every measure taken by the Government. I am sure the railway workeis, the people in the Transport Department and the people of Queensland wiU be very pleased to hear that. The fact is that R. T. Edwards & Sons, a company of which the Deputy Premier (Dr Edwards) is still a director and shareholder, caved in to a 38-hour week from 1 July 1982, and the workers had not even asked for it. One wonders at the acrobatics of the Government, The dispute got out of hand because of the actions of the Government, the Cabinet and, of course, the Premier, Last week the Ministers were deserting the Premier as quickly as they would a sinking ship. This week, because they think the dispute has changed direction, they have come alongside again. However, Ministers realise that these sorts of things cannot continue. The Essential Services Act must be revoked. If principles of unionism are attacked, there wiU be an adverse reaction. This moming I was interested to hear the Premier, the Deputy Premier and Ministers say that Labor members attended rallies. We were proud to do so. Other political parties were invited to those raUies, but not one member of the National or Liberal Parties attended. In fact, in Ipswich the Deputy Premier ran away from the rally. He scurried down a hole. Mr Underwood: He was invited three times. Mr D'ARCY: Yes, by his own constituents, so that he could put forward the Government's point of view. But he did not have the gumption to show up. The ALP sup)ports a 38-hour week in Queensland. In view of the economic figures that the Govemment has produced, I wonder why it does not support it. The ALP attended the rallies because it is ready to talk. It has an open-door policy towards the business community and the 'union movement. When the State again has a Labor administration that will be readily seen; it will speak to people and not tum away with provocative statements and confrontation ^s is done by the Govemment, From the beginning the dispute was made a poUtical one by the Govemment, with such stupid and provocative statements from the Premier and the Deputy Premier as, "Whether they Uke it or not, they can cringe and crawl," The Govemment promised a 38-hour week. The understanding was there. Govemment members might be able to say that it is not in writing, but the Govemment conducted negotiations and the understanding was there. For the good of aU Queenslanders this dispute must end. Mr Underwood: Edwards will soak up the glory of solving the dispute. Mr D'ARCY: Of course. It must be said that the members of the media in this State are pretty good acrobats, because when it comes to anything said by the Premier or the Deputy Premier, that generally makes the headlines. It is no wonder that they have such a high profile. Dr Edwards soaked up the glory of solving the original dispute by accepting the principle of a 38-hour week; it was Cabinet which turned turtle as soon as the Premier came back into the dispute. Mr Lee: That's not true, you know. Mr D'ARCY: Of course it is, and we can prove it. Everyone in the House knows h; everyone in Queensland knows it and even the members of the media know it. The point is that this dispute must be solved. Everybody in Queensland is suffering. Every member of the Opposition beUeves that a solution must be found. The solution is more constructive action on the part of the Govemment. The Govemment must take the problem to arbitration without the strings that it normally attaches to the solution of dispjutes of this type, Mr Davis: The unions have already compromised on 38 hours instead of 35 hours. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 409

Mr D'ARCY: That is right. The unions have already made a tremendous compromise and agreed to 38 hours a week instead of 35. The secretary of the Trades and Labor CouncU, Mr Whitby, told me that the compromise on trade-offs with the Government had reached the stage that the unions had caved in to the Government more than they had whh any individual private employer in the State. I now want to change the subject and deal with the Federal Budget, which is obviously an election Budget. It is a fact that at last the Fraser Government has admitted to seven years of economic policy failures. For seven years it has pursued a policy that is now seen to be a complete failure. As the editorial in "The Australian Financial Review" put it— "The Government has clearly admitted that it has no idea what to do about the severe recession into which Australia is sUding, so it is resorting to providing sweeteners and minor shock absorbers for some income groupw and for swinging voters." The headlines predict more bluntly, "Handouts but no aid for economy", and "Standby for the depression—a poUtical Budget" "The Australian Financial Review" stated— "The Budget overall is not a credible exercise and can only be understood as a preparation for an election campaign." The econonuc writers of "The Age" and "The Canberra Times" echo those sentiments. "The Courier-MaU" said that it was a Budget of hope. The only thing that the Gpvemment is hoping for is that the electors can be distracted from the appallingly gloomy prospects for the economy. The cartoon in "The Australian" depucted the position very weU—an aeroplane being flown by Fraser and serviced by Howard falling apart in the sky. That is the state of the Federal economy at the moment. On the Govemment's own admission, there wUl be no growth in the economy. On the Treasurer's best version of our economic prospects there wiU be no growth in non-farm product over the year, and at worst there will be a decline. The Govemment admits that unemployment will increase to 395 000 in 1982-83 compared with an average last financial year of 320 000. On Treasury estimates we will be lucky to see an unemployment rate under 10 per cent by the end of the financial year, and I believe that a higher rate is a distinct possibility—it is 8 per cent already. Inflation is expected to get worse, rising from the present 10.7 per cent to 11 or 12 per cent. Interest rates will remain high with continued tight money control, even though this has no impact on inflation. The fact is that the reduction of inflation was the major bulwark of Eraser's policy when he came to power, but this has not been achieved. His policies have failed. It is interesting to note that Fraser and his colleagues have followed that political gum, Milton Friedman. I think that when he came to AustraUa the people showed Fraser and those who follow his conservative economic philosophies how they objected totally to the stupid views of Friedman put forward on television. This country is virtually being run according to Milton Friedman's economic policies, and that is a tragedy. In fact, the Treasurer said on a television show following the introduction of the Budget, "We are prepared to wait for an intemational recovery; we are not prepared to do anything about it." The Government has admitted failure on all economic fronts. It should be remembered that in 1975 it was Fraser who promised work for aU who wanted to work. Now the Premier admits that Australians wiU be lucky to keep their jobs. He said, "If you have a job, hold on to it." It should be remembered that Fraser said that he would bring inflation under control. Honourable members will recall that the Prime Minister said that he would reduce interest rates. Instead, the economic policies of the Federal Liberal-National Country Party Govern­ ment have thrown this country into the worst recession since the Great Depression. The Prime Minister is well aware that worse is still to come. Mr Kruger: It is quhe the reverse of what they said.

Mr D'ARCY: It is completely the reverse. If that had happened under a Labor Government, the dogs would be barking and the hounds would be yelping. The economic gurus and giants of Australia are completely ignoring the total failures of the Federal Govern­ ment's economic policies. 410 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

The sweeteners in the Budget took the form of tax cuts for the middle-income I^OUDS who, largely, are the swmging voters. The direct income tax appears superficially attractive The tax-free threshold has been lifted from $4,000 to $4,995. The standard rate of tax has been cut from 32 per cent to 30 per cent. The top end of the standard rate, on which a tax of 46 per cent aixplied, has been lifted from $17,854 to $19,500. As Mr Risstrom of the Taxpayers' Association commented, these measures amount only to tax indexation. Real incomes have remained stable. The people have not gained anything through the tax cuts In fact, they have slipped further behind, thanks to the mechanism of fiscal drag whereby inflation pushes incomes into the higher tax brackets. Although the Federal Govemment appears to have given tax handouts, it has increased indirect taxes sharply. All categories of sales tax have been increased by 2^ per cent and hand tools, construction equipment and manchester have been added to the list. Sale's tax revenue will increase to $3,629 million—an increase of 27.1 per cent. Mr Lee interjected,

Mr D'ARCY: I know that the honourable member does not wish to hear these facts. A little while ago we leamt why he was sacked from the Ministry. The fact is that he has not a clue about the economic situation of the nation. The Treasurer, his leader, the man against whom he is continually plotting, has not a clue, either. Excise revenue will increase to $3,434 million—an increase of 21 per cent. Revenue from sales tax and excise will total $7,000 million. Beer excise, which hurts the ordinary worker, has been increased by 8 per cent to 66c a litre. Excise has increased to such an extent that the Australian price is virtually double that of the price in the United States. Mrs Kyburz: So what!

Mr D'ARCY: Beer-drinking is a relaxation for some people, even though the honourable member chooses to be un-Australian in her attitude. Mrs Kyburz interjected. Mr D'ARCY: I know that the honourable member could not care less. Mrs Kyburz: We should not be encouraging drunkenness.

Mr D'ARCY: It is a rip-off. The Queensland Govemment is encouraging drunkenness. Tobacco excise has increased by 20 per cent. The off-the-road exemption for fuel has been abolished. The situation relative to diesel fuel absolutely amazes me. In 1973, when Mr Whitlam merely attempted to deal with the country price fuel parity, we heard the greatst ever hue and cry. Where are the Booths now, in relation to this Federal Budget that will directly affect the farmers by 5c a litre? Where has the honourable member for Warwick been? Mr Booth: It will be rebated; you know that. Mr D'ARCY: In other words, the honourable member intends to find another tax concession, another tax rip)-off. Mr Booth: You cannot have it both ways.

Mr D'ARCY: It is a disadvantage. In other words, the honourable member for Warwick will find a way to ensure that the farmers are protected. Mr Hooper interjected. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Miller): Order! The honourable member for Archerfield is interjecting from other than his usual seat.

Mr D'ARCY: This is a serious matter. The Federal Government has imposed a sur­ charge of Ic a litre on fuel which will rise to 2c next year. The oil companies have already organised it. Fuel prices increased not by Ic but by 2c. When a Queensland motorist puUs up at a petrol pump, he finds that fuel that was retailing recently at 34c a litre costs bm 40.9c a litre. It is all very well to say that one cent is for the Govemment and another cent is for the oil companies, but what is happening to the rest of the rip-off? Address in Reply 24 August 1982 411

The oil companies say that they have abolished the cheaper fuel. A complete inquiry should be held into oil company pricing policies. The Queensland Govemment is quite (capable of holding such an inquiry, but it has taken no action. It is frightened to take action ^gainst the Premier's multinational mates. The surcharge will increase significantly the costs Confronting country people and will certainly add to inflation. The fuel tax that has been imposed to gain revenue for road improvements was proposed at the last Loan Council meeting. It was proposed by the Queensland Premier. At least he was consistent. He took the kudos for suggesting a fuel tax for road improve­ ments. But then, following the introduction of the Budget, he deplored the tax. So he is consistent in being inconsistent. He is the most inconsistent person ever to enter this House. Perhapw he will see fit to enlighten the House on his stand. No doubt it wUl be like his voting performance in the division following the debate on the proposed amendments to Standing Orders, when he managed to boost the Liberal numbers. A new tax has been imposed on cheque accounts. The Treasurer has made some wild statements about tax avoidance and what the Government intends to do about it. There is StUl no concrete evidence of what the Government will do. Perhaps after the Costigan report is tabled in Federal Parliament today. Government members will cringe a little more. On balance, the Federal Government's indirect taxation means that the real after-tax income for the lower and middle income earners wiU remain unchanged and the new income tax rates wiU mean that families in Australia will be worse off. The Federal Govemment is robbing Peter to pay Paul. The Budget crumbs are nice, but they do not add up to much. Home owners will enjoy a rebate on interest above 10 per cent on mortgages. That represents between $2 and $8 a week on mortgages amounting to $30,000. The Government did not point out that over the past year its interest rate policy already forced up repayments on loans of that size by $30 a week. Again "The Australian Financial Review" analyses the position quite well. It points out that the distribution of wealth will be primarily from the higher income earners to the middle income earners rather than to the low income earners. It points out also that the redistribution provided in the Budget does not add up to a great deal in total. Once the recession begins to bite more deeply the hand-outs in the Budget could be discontinued. A worsening economic situation wUI dictate the probable retraction of these hand-outs next year. All the Budget does is to provide temporary shock absorbers for the most versatile sector of the electorate, that is, the middle income swinging voter with the mortgage. I predict that, following the election for which Mr Fraser obviously had this Budget introduced—and the Costigan report will have some bearing on it—^the tax hand-outs will disap>pear. They will be slowly aboUshed by the dishonest Federal Government, as has happened in the past. It has always robbed Peter to pay Paul. Remember its promises. One was the continuance of tax indexation. Another was about Medibank. The Budget has left Australia without an economic policy. It has guaranteed that the social and economic cost of the recession will not be shared equitably but will be con­ centrated on the unemployed. It is a political Budget; it is an election Budget. It does nothing for Australia; it does nothing for Queensland. It is an admission of seven years of failure by the Fraser Government, and that its economic policies have been an abysmal failure. Let me raise a matter that Govemment members, even the honourable member for Windsor, should be able to understand. Whitlam went out of office in 1974. Of course, we often hear Government members crowing about that. At that time the Australian dollar compared favourably with any other currency. To my knowledge, this point has not been put succinctly in any Austrahan Parliament. In 1974 the Australian dollar was worth 4.5 Deutschmarks. Today it is worth 2.3 Deutschmarks. Government members will say that Fraser has devalued the Australian dollar. He was in power only five minutes and he devalued the Australian dollar by 27.5 per cent. In 1974 the Australian dollar was worth $US1.25. Fraser organised his second devaluation and the Australian dollar was worth $US1.17. It is now worth $US0.97 and it is still falling. According to Sir William MoMahon, if anyone could believe him, the Australian dollar should be devalued another 5 per cent. The information I have received from economic experts is that the real value of the Australian dollar is $US0.85. It is an absolute disaster. What we want to know is what it means. We have high interest rates. In real terms it means that Australia 412 24 August 1982 Address in Reply has been sold out by Fraser. He has sold everyone's property down the drain. It is worth less on the international market. A person might say, "What does that mean to me? It does not mean anything." Ask a New Zealander what that means! The New Zealand dollar was devalued even further under a Tory Government. It means that every property in Australia is worth less. It means that every Australian dollar is worth less on world currency markets. The Prime Minister sold out the Australian economy. Interest rates in the United States are falling. Although the American money market fluctuates greatly, tomorrow the prime rate is expected to be 12 per cent. I do not expect that trend to continue. Because of Eraser's actions on devaluation, that will have no effect on the Australian economy. The farmers smile and say, "We can sell our product. We can obtain more money for our product because we can sell it at a devalued rate." The fact is that they are not selling their produce. Although there has been a fall in the Australian dollar, Australia's exports have not increased significantly. Interest rates are rising in Australia. The flow of speculative money into Australia is forcing the average house buyer to pay higher interest rates. He is virtually paying olf Eraser's loan. The Premier and the Deputy Premier are always making trips to Japan. The Treasurer must have a second home in Japan. He has made more trip>s to Japan than Dame Nellie Melba made to Europe. Every time he returns to Australia he says, "I have obtained another loan." He has obtained another loan all right! Mr Underwood: In hock deeper.

Mr D'ARCY: In hock deeper, and much worse. Following his last trip he said, "The loan is in Japanese yen." That loan was obtained at 8 per cent interest. What wiU that interest rate be by the time the loan is repaid? Imagine what the repayments would be if in 1974 Australia borrowed Deutschmarks for 10 years at an exchange rate of 4.5 Deutschmarks to the Australian dollar and was now faced with the present exchange rate of 2.3 Deutschmarks to the dollar. What is the real interest rate? It is 100 per cent. Has the Treasurer taken any safeguards against currency devaluation? What has he done with Queensland's money? Perhaps he could pay the workers for a 38-hour week without any problem at all if he had not borrowed that huge amount of money in the wrong currency, or if he had hedged against inflation and the change in currency values. One must wonder what happened to those businessmen who obtained loans in foreign currency. Every day advertisements appear in the Press stating, "Borrow in foreign currency." If businessmen follow the example set by the Federal and State Governments, they will be paying between 50 and 60 per cent interest on their loans. The Government has told us that overseas tourists will receive more for their dollar in Australia. What has happened to the Australian tourist who travels overseas? What has hapjpened to his dollar? One must wonder "what the Commonwealth and State Governmwits have done towards maintaining the standard of living in Australia. The standard of living in Australia has not remained static; in fact, in real terms it has fallen. Cabinet Ministers travel overseas at the drop of a hat. Members who have traveUed to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and other countries would know that in the last decade the standard of living in those countries has improved tenfold. The standard of living in Japan is well ahead of that in Australia. Today, in areas such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the standard of living is much higher. The Government would have us beUeve that with our high gross national product and exploitation of our resources our standard of living has increased appreciably. However, it has not. In real terms it has fallen. The reason for that fall is poor fiscal policies and bad economic management by the Government. One must wonder how the Federal Budget will affect the Queensland Government. I will refer to individual departments during the Budget debate. I would ask the Treasurer; What has been the cost to the Queensland Government of the massive indirect taxes, such as stamp duty on cheques, imposed by the Federal Government? Address in Reply 24 August 1982 413

In my speech on the Appropriation Bill I referred to the latest figures from the Grants Commission. I wish the Treasurer were in the Chamber so that he could be enlightened on some of the economic problems that confront us. He shows an abysmal lack of knowledge of them. The Australian Statistician clearly showed that Queensland was following the same economic trend as the rest of Australia, albeit with some lag. I did not follow the easy path that the Treasurer foUowed of quoting statistics that were directly a result of population growth, that is, statistics such as motor vehicle registrations and growth in retail sales. Although these statistics show favourable trends, they are largely insignificant as economic factors for the statistics presented were not per caprita ones—it is as simple as that—and therefore were not an indication of an improved standard of living for Queenslanders. That goes to the point that I have made, which is that there is not an improved standard of living for Queenslanders. The figures that I quoted related directly to the well-being and standard of Uving of Queenslanders. The worsening rate of inflation, the rising unemployment level over the past year, increasing interest rates, the falling level of housing approvals and the drop in loan approvals from financial institutions clearly show that Queensland is following the same trend as the rest of Australia. It is not isolated, and the main economic indicators clearly show that. The Govemment was so concerned about those figures from the Grants Commis­ sion and the Australian Bureau of Statistics that it got the honourable member for Sherwood—I am disappointed that he is not in the Cliamber—to say that the figures that I quoted were invented. He must be one of the most insincere members in the Parliament. Mr Herbert, who was the honourable member's predecessor in this Parliament, used to refer to the pensioners in his electorate. Now it appears from what the member for Sherwood says that only lawyers and business people live in the electorate of Sherwood. One must ask: What has hap>pened to aU the pensioners in that electorate? The honourable member obviously believes in his ovm publicity. If he believes that my figures were invented, he should make representations to the Grants Commission and the Australian Statistician who, I am sure, would be interested in his comments. All that the member for Sherwood did in his speech was display an abysmal ignorance of economics. He followed the lead of the Treasurer who has proved his total incompetency in understanding economic trends, such as interest rates. I should add that the honourable member is privately sabotaging the Treasurer. Because the figures on imemployment, inflation, housing approvals, cost of housing, etc., were not favourable to the Government, he childishly said that they were made up. He clearly did not understand the other arguments. One of the important points that I made concerned the Queensland mining sector, which is vital to Queensland. However, the Government is faiUng in this area too. I referred to the latest value added figures for the mining industry published by the AustraUan Bureau of Statistics. For the information of the honourable member for Sherwood, value added figures are the most important statistics. They indicate the retum to AustraUa from a particular industry or sector. Value added statistics are used to estimate the gross domestic product, which, in turn, is a measure of our national income and overall standard of living. Value-of-production figures cannot be used because they involve the problem of double counting, and they must not be confused with value added statistics. The member for Sherwood was clearly confused about them in his speech.

Value added statistics clearly show a significant decline in the Queensland mining sector. From 1979-80 to 1980^81, the value added statistics for the (^eensland mining sector declined from $1.51 biUion to $1.44 billion. That decline compares very unfavourably with that of all other States, and, despite the assertion of the honourable member for Sherwood that comparative figures were not available, they were released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics last June. There was an increase in the value added statistics for the mining sector in all other States. It may interest honourable members to note that the value added statistics for the Victorian mining sector are larger than those for Queensland. For the same years 1979-80 to 1980-81, the value added statistics for the Victorian sector increased from $1.09 billion to $1.5 billion. There was also an increase of over $100m in the value added statistics for 414 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

the mining sector in New South Wales. I never said, as the member for Sherwood asserted, that New South Wales has a larger mining industry than Queensland. I said that the figures for New South Wales and Victoria rose while Queensland's declined. The reasons for that decline should be most worrying for (Queensland. I believe that the basic reason is that Queensland's mineral production is largely unprocessed in this State, whereas production in New South Wales and Victoria involves much greater secondary processing and job-creation programs. As for the absurd and stupid suggestions by the honourable member for Sherwood that people are coming here ^because of our housing prices—he should have a look at the latest figures for average house prices in the various States. He says that the average price of a house here is between $50,000 and $60,000. We should not rejoice about that when we remember that a person on the average wage is eligible for a loan of no more than $35,000. Even the average house is being placed well out of the reach of the average wage earner. The only other statement of the honourable member for Sherwood that I shall bother to correct is that the State now has a reservoir of skilled tradesmen. What a load of rubbish! The State certainly has a reservoir of unemployed; but even in these times there is a general shortage of skilled people. He commented on the old Parliament House building. The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations has admitted quite freely that he has had to sack the tradesmen who were retrained in other skills. The fact is that those tradesmen have not been able to get jobs. One of the reasons is the faUure of the smaU "1" Liberals, whom the member for Sherwood seems to lead in this Parliament, to bring forward the legislation on historical buildings that was so readUy promised at the time of the Bellevue's demise. The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations (Sir William Knox) frequently bemoans the shortage of skiUed labour and is constantly pubUshing his projections on the shortage that Queensland can expect. He must disagree with his colleague from Sherwood. Given that scenario, it is appalling that Queensland is not adoptmg a manpower poUcy that will fill the gap. Training colleges for the hospyitaUty industry have been deferred indefinitely, the apprenticeship system has almost completely broken down and the Department of Works is in a chaotic state and apypears to have no policy or direction. Government cut-backs in local govemment subsidies have thrown thousands out of work in that area of the economy. I will leave the State Budget and my comments on what I believe should occur in the State to a later time. In the last few minutes available to me I would like to speak about some of the problems in my electorate of Woodridge. Mr Lee: It's about time. Mr D'ARCY: I know that the member for Yeronga did not enjoy the comments I had to make. They were true and hit home. Wait until he has to hear my comments on the State Budget, which wUl be even more biting. Woodridge probably has more new schools that any other area. Some of the schools that service my electorate are in the electorates of Salisbury and Fassifern. 1 bemoan the fact that the schools established some years ago, such as Slacks Creek, Springwood Central and Harrisfield, do not have the facilities supplied to new schools. Certainly, there are plenty of new schools in my electorate. Another new one is presently being buUt. Mr Lee: You are lucky. Mr D'ARCY: The Government should upgrade the older schools, and I feel that u 1. o"°Vn ™e™bers WiU agree witii me. Insufficient money is being spent on schools • V. \l- -"J ^^^"^ ^^°- '^^^" standard has fallen weU below that of others. I appeal to the Minister to give serious consideration to the problems occurring at the older schools. ihe real problem is that children in those schools are receiving lower priority because of this Government's policy. f •>

.i.PfL.T^"^'°",-^^? !^^ 3°°'} ^°^ ^^^"S ^°"« ^y some of the Catholic schools in my Sr S ' P^^t"="Ja^^y the large, overcrowded Woodridge Convent, which is nin by :»ister Francis. The school has run out of grounds. Its problems are greater than one Address in Reply 24 August 1982 415 could believe. It has virtually no chance of expansion. The school has done a tremendous amount for the area and has a great staff spirit. In fact, it is one of the few schools that put pen to paper when a call was made for a new Queensland song, and came up with a great new song for Queensland Day. I would like to hear it played more widely. Once again I bemoan the fact that by 1985 we wUl see an extension of the South East Freeway only as far as Springwood. The Kingston Road extensions are progressing too slowly. The railway overpass in Wembley Road should be completed. It is tragic that that has not been done. I could speak for hours about housing, which is the biggest single problem in my electorate. The welfare housing provided by the Queensland Housing Commission is abysmal. The waiting-Ust is a disgrace. The situation is completely out of control. At the present time I have hundreds and hundreds of names on my own local, private waiting-list. Just before I came into the House this moming I received a telephone call about a woman and six children who are living in a caravan on the side of a road, with no facilities whatsoever. She is a deserted wife with a severe health problem. In spite of aU that, the Minister has put her on a B priority! We have been promised a police station. I was informed recently that the Daisy Hill PoUce Station is not programmed until 1986-87. I have been told that the driving Ucence centre, which the member for Salisbury continues to announce, wiU not be commenced until 1984. The honourable member has already announced it five times. I am a bit concemed about her timing. Interest rates for private housing and mortgages have increased out of aU proportion. I appeal to institutions that hold mortgages to give mortgagers full statements of changes in interest rates. (Time expired.)

Mr BOOTH (Warwick) (12.40 p.m.): First, I pledge my loyalty and that of my constituents to Her Majesty the Queen. However, I wish to say something about the current industrial dispute, particularly in view of the comments of the member for Woodridge, who claimed that suspensions are the cause of the present dispute. The cause is the claim for a shorter working week. Quite obviously, some members on the Opposition benches have taken every opportunity to try to escalate and spread the dispute. Yesterday the member for Woodridge appeared at the forum alongside Hugh Hamilton. Mr Hamilton makes no bones about the fact that he is a Communist and has said as much in the media; in fact, he is using the present industrial dispute to promote Communism. > "Get rid of the rotten system" is the slogan that has been adopted by the Opposition and Mr Hugh Hamilton. I inform the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that it is the rotten system that provides the jobs; it is the same rotten system that has developed Queensland and Australia; it is the same rotten system that many people were prepared to fight for not very long ago; and it is the same rotten system that wUl continue to provide development, the freedom of private enterprise and the personal freedom so dearly loved by the people of this State. I intend to speak about my own electorate, but I wish to say a Uttle more on this matter because the Govemment must take a stand here and now and say that it wants Queensland to develop and that it wants the men to go back to work so that negotiations can commence. There is no need for provocative statements. The things said by Mr Hamilton and featured on the front pages of this morning's newspapers can only worsen the dispute. I am surprised that someone who claims to be the Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition should appear in the same forum and defend the same things as Mr Hamilton. I am sure that the people of Queensland were surprised to see that, too. The easiest action for any Government to take would be to give in to demands for a shorter working week. The Government could simply say, "We wiU let you be the rulers and the leaders and grant you a shorter working week." But we should analyse the effects of such a decision. In the first instance it would lead to increases in railway 416 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

passenger fares and freights. Just think what freight increases would do to the grain industry throughout the State! Just think what they would do to anyone Uving any distance from the coastline! Quite rightly, the member for FUnders often speaks about the cost of Uving in towns such as Hughenden and in places further west and in the South-west. Mr Underwood: Are you going to vote for $110 or $75?

Mr BOOTH: I will vote according to my conscience. Mr Underwood: Which way is that? Mr BOOTH: At the moment, I am not interested in that. I wiU vote as my conscience dictates. I suggest to the honourable member that if he began to do that, it would be a big improvement. I was discussing the shorter working week and its cost. The flow-ons vrill not be confined to the rail system but will spread into the retail industry. So the ordinary housewife and the pensioner, and even the member for Ipswich West, wUl have to pay an extra 7, 8 or 9 per cent. That wUl make it a pretty hollow victory for the unions, particularly when the pensioner finds that his pension will not go as far as it used to go. Those are the points that the Govermnent had to take into account, and that is the reason why the Govemment has stood firm. It has stood firm not to be provocative but because it believed that it had to do so if we are to survive in the present economic climate. The flow-ons could continue for a considerable period. It is very difficult for anyone to come up with exact figures on what the shorter working week wiU cost, but U is certain that whatever the cost Queenslanders will find it very difficult to bear. Mr Lee: They say $l40m. Mr BOOTH: I understand that is so, and some of the estimates take account only of the immediate cost increases. What happens when the flow-on spreads to the retail industry and aU other industries has also to be taken into consideration. As far as I am concerned. Opposition members have pulled a real boner in appearing on a platform with Mr Hamilton. I believe that in the next couple of days the strike will collapse because the workers of Queensland wUl not be associated with Mr HamiUon. I do not beUeve that he has the support of the working people of this State, and for that reason I believe that the strikers wUl cave in. I now want to say something about my electorate, which is, unfortunately, almost completely drought-stricken. The drought will make economic conditions for primary producers, pastoralists and other people associated with the land much worse than those they would normally encounter at this time of the year. At present I estimate that only 10 per cent of the normal quantity of grain has been planted, and even that part of the crop that is above ground is very poor. We could find ourselves with almost a complete wipeout of the crop. I realise that that comment could apjply to a large section of Queensland grain-growing areas. Unfortunately, it applies even more particularly in my own electorate. A better system of drought declaration should be introduced. At present it is in the hands of officers of the Department of Primary Industries, and although I guess they are as good as anyone to be able to make a declaration, it is always difficult to obtain such a declaration. I hope that most of the shires in the electorate of Warwick will soon be declared drought-stricken. The pastoral industry will be hard hit Mr Hooper: What about the workers?

Mr BOOTH: The workers will not fare too well, either. If people on the land find the going hard because of drought, it will not be too good for the workers. Mr Hooper: Drought is recurrent, though; it comes in cycles.

Mr BOOTH: Drought is recurrent, but I am not sure that it comes in cycles. Not only is the grain industry particularly hard hit at present, the pastoral and dairying industries also are seriously affected. Mr Lee: The 38-hour week wouldn't help, would it? Address in Reply 24 August 1982 417

Mr BOOTH: It will make the situation worse. Even the member for Archerfield should know that, but he does not seem to be able to grasp it. Mr Hooper: I am trying hard, though.

Mr BOOTH: All right. The dairying industry will be even worse hit because with present high costs generally and escalating fodder costs it will be particularly difficult to maintain production. We can only hope for a good faU of rain. There has never been a drought that a good fall of rain has not ended, and we are hoping for unexpected rain to end the present drought. However, all the forecasters say that none is expected at the moment. Of course, accurate long-range forecasting is particularly difficult. I now turn to the area of greatest concern in my electorate, that is, communications and roads. Roads are important in any electorate. Mr Hooper: The Cunningham Highway is not tco bad.

Mr BOOTH: It is improving. I hope that it continues to improve. Constmction on the Cunningham Highway is continuing this year. Whereas formerly highway construction was carried out by the Main Roads Department, next year, because of instructions from the Federal authorities, it will be done under private contract. The idea is to get more competition. I do not dispute that, but I am a Uttle concerned about traffic getting through while the road is under construction. The Main Roads Department seems to be able to keep delays to a minimum. If lengthy delays occur under the tendering system many troubles wUl be caused. I only hope that a provision to keep delays to a minimum is included in all contracts. The new Main Roads policy on cattle underpasses worries me. The underpasses that have been constructed in my electorate seem to be adequate. However, it has been announced that, in future, the cost of underpasses will be met by the property owners. I emphasise that the properties were there long before the highway was constructed. The cost of constructing the underpasses should be subsidised by the Department of Main Roads, if it does not bear the fuU cost. Mr Hooper: The property owner is getting the benefit.

Mr BOOTH: The roads were there before it was decided to build a highway. Mr Hooper: That is a chicken-and-egg situation.

Mr BOOTH: It may be, but I beUeve that my approach is the right one. I am satisfied that the work carried out in my electorate on road-works has been reasonable. A few nuisance situations have been cleared up, but the link between Pratten and Leyburn is still missing. It is to be constructed in the current financial year, and it will be a useful tourist road. People going to Leyburn will be able to travel via Carrara and return by way of Pratten. The new road will be of great benefit to the local people. Between Killarney and Warwick, there has always been a problem with bridges going underwater during floods. Three new bridges have been mooted—one at Yangan, one at Emu Vale and the other at Tannymorel. The Yangan and Tannymorel bridges are complete, but the ap>proaches are not. The Emu Vale bridge is still on the drawing board but it is to be completed, I hope, next year. If the Emu Vale bridge is not completed that will nullify many of the benefits flowing from the Tannymorel and Yangan bridges because people will be unable to get through at flood-time. I hope that the Emu Vale bridge wUl be completed this year, or by mid-1983. Mr Hooper: What about the road going out to the Heads?

Mr BOOTH: It is in fairly good condition. Mr Hooper: No, it's not,

Mr BOOTH: The one further on is not. I am aware of that. The one to the FaUs is in excellent condition. It cost a lot of money. 418 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Quite often we are presented with startling figures about the ageing of the population which is a worry in every electorate. I sometimes doubt the correctness of the figures I read' A nursing home is under construction at the Warwick Hospital. I hope that it will be sufficient to meet the needs. However, I do not think that it wUl be. There has been good co-operation between the Federal Government, the State Govemment and many charitable organisations, so the electorate is far better off than it used to be in regard to nursing homes. The Federal nursing home, "Akoormak", has had inmates for about 3 or 4 months. The overall situation is not as bad as it used to be. Governments will have to look more closely at the ageing population problem. A good deal of money has been spent but more will have to be spent. The problem wiU become greater because the number of taxpayers is decreasing. The problem wiU not be solved by walking away from it. It must be faced up to. Senior citizens' buildings have been erected in Warwick and Allora, and one is under construction in Kilarney. I hope that it can be buUt by 1983. As has been stated by previous speakers, nearly everyone in Queensland has some problem with housing. One of the reasons is the influx of people from southern States. Housing is at a premium in Warwick and KUlamey, probably because they are border towns. I should like more pensioner units to be provided. More thought should be given to two-bedroom units because of the large number of single parents who have one or two children. Mr Hooper: That is the best point you have made.

Mr BOOTH: I make many good points. Single parents with chUdren could be accommodated in those units untU they can get back into society. The pensioner units have been a success. Many people claim that they are too small. It must be admitted that they play a great part. They have provided reason­ able accommodation for people who were living in inferior or substandard accommodation in their declining years. As I said, more thought must be given to providing two-bedroom units because of the number of deserted wives who have children. They must be settled somewhere until they get back into the work-force permanently. I am happy that tenders have been let for the monolith construction in Stage II of the Leslie Dam. I have argued, and will continue to argue, that the cheapest additional water that can be provided from the Condamine River wiU come from the completion of the Leslie Dam. I hope that the tender for the construction of the gates can be let in 1983 so that the scheme can be completed. Nothing wUl be achieved by waiting any longer. We could enjoy good rains following the dry period and, unless the necessary work is done, the dam will not be able to store the water. It would not be in the best interests of the people who draw water from that dam to let the water run down to the sea. Not long ago I recommended damming the smaller creeks. Year after year huge quantities of water are wasted. That water could be impounded in small creeks and put to good use. [Sitting suspended from 1 to 2.15 p.m.] Mr BOOTH: Before the recess for lunch I was speaking about the possibility of implementing smaller water-conservation schemes instead of accepting the idea that only major schemes will succeed. There is a better chance of smaller schemes and minor schemes succeeding than the gigantic schemes with which we seem to be obsessed. A multimiUion dollar scheme provides a more glamorous concept than the constmction of a weir or a diversion that costs between $lm and $2m. If smaller areas of water are impounded, there is a better chance of calculating how much water can be used by the farmers and how much can be sold. Each year there is a better chance of using the water that is impounded. As a result, viable schemes can be implemented. Swan Creek, Emu Creek, Maryvale Creek and other creeks should be resurveyed to assess the possibility of viable water-conservation schemes being established. Between 70 and 80 farms are located in some of the areas through which those creeks pass. It should be possible to implement in those areas schemes that are more viable than some of the larger schemes that run out of water during dry periods. That suggestion should be investigated. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 419

If the Qarence River diversion ever involves my electorate, it wiU be necessary to reach an agreement with the Govemment of New South Wales. That is never easy to do. It niust be cost-provident and costed to see whether it can survive. The present costing carried out by the New South Wales authority suggests that it may be difficult to make the Clarence River diversion scheme viable. Because of the high cost of that scheme, smaller schemes should be implemented in Queensland unless a very good agreement could be reached with the New South Wales Government. In the past, agreements have been made relative to other rivers. At the moment, it does not appear likely that the Clarence River diversion will eventuate in my Ufetime. The Warwick area has been well served in the field of education. I am not trying to knock people associated with education. Although more faciUties are needed, we are reasonably happy. It has been proven that a TAFE college is needed in Warwick, and education authorities agree that such colleges should be located in populated areas if they are to succeed. It is difficult for people to improve their education if they are required to travel great distances to take part in that education.

A TAFE coUege has been mooted for Warwick. I hope that land for the coUege wUI be purchased in the near future so that it will be available when it is needed. The construction of a TAFE college in Warwick has a high priority, and I hope that it wiU be commenced soon. The manual arts block at the State high school is not up to the standard that one would expect in this day and age. Fortunately, tenders for the construction of a new block were called last Saturday. It appears that the work on that block will commence shortly. I am reasonably happy with education in the Warwick area, although I would like to see a TAFE coUege established there as soon as possible. Warwick, like many other country centres, has to be thankful for the special education faciUties that have been provided. The Government has pursued a poUcy of providing special education facilities in country areas. Previously, parents had to travel to large centres to obtain special education for their children, but it is now available in smaller towns. The Government's policy in that regard is paying off and is appreciated by all. A speech therapist is stationed in the special education unit of Warwick. Initially, she was able to give a great service to the people in the Warwick area, but now she has to travel to other areas and does not spend as much time in Warwick as she did previously. I hope that the speech therapist will be confined to the Warwick area and not have to travel to other areas. A lot of time is wasted in travelling, and that reduces the teaching time.

The Hermitage Research Station is situated in my area. It has achieved a proud record over the years. However, I wish to raise a number of points today that concern that research station. Some years ago oats used to be bred in Queensland, but recently they have tended to be imported from the United States of Ainerica and then trialed in Queensland. This practice does not work too badly. However, I would like to see much greater research into oats in Queensland and also the trialing of oats irom overseas. I would like to see oat trials carried out at the Hermitage Research Station so that new varieties of oats can be developed.

Over the years that I have been associated with agriculture I have found that it does not matter how good the variety of oats, wheat or barley is, it soon runs out. That comment does not apply quite as much to sorghum. The Hermitage Research Station is doing quhe well with its barley, wheat and sorghum programs. A new variety of barley has been introduced for the present season and no doubt that will be a great help. Oats are still the best crop to grow in the grazing situation, but unless more research is carried out to find new varieties, the position will be reached where the varieties of oats will run out and there will be nothing to replace them.

During the years that I have been a member of this Parliament I have tried to get more research done into dryland pastures. The inland areas of Queensland lack a dryland pasture. If we explored the position overseas we might find a pasture that is better than the one that we grow at present. Very often there are only natural grasses, and I do not 420 24 August 1982 Address in Reply think that they are good enough. I am not knocking the work that has been done to improve tropical pastures and coastal pastures, but I honestly believe that we are not doing enough research into dryland pastures. Mr Kmger: You are quite right. The coastal area does not go too deeply, and we need some expansion in the dryland areas. Mr BOOTH: We certainly do. The Hermhage Research Station is an excellent place to carry out some research into and triaUng of dryland pastures. Extensive trials have to be carried out on seeds from other parts of the world. Recently, I referred to the rationalisation of meatworks m Queensland, A scheme was submitted by the "Big Six". I am told that six or seven schemes are floating around at present. I repeat what I said previously: we should aUow the normal economic processes to take effect. The scheme put forward by the "Big Six" frightens me. It proposed com­ pensation based on the number of head processed in a day. I think the basis was $2m for 100 head. Therefore, a reduction in throughput of 500 head would resuU in compensation of $10m. Nothing was said about the valuation of the works. In effect, $10m compensation could be paid out on a property worth only $500,000. We should be very careful about such schemes. Why should such compensation be paid to inefficient operators of meatworks? It may be that the smaller meatworks have been able to get the upper hand of the larger meatworks. That proves that the "get big or get out" idea is not always right and that the smaller operators who maintained their works and carried out their costing, buying and marketing efficiently were able to survive. The other aspect of the "Big Six" scheme that worries me is the $4.75 levy. That was to be paid ostensibly by the processor, but in fact would have to come out of the producer's pocket. How could the processor get the money other than by taking it out of the producer's pocket? The cattleman would in effect be paying for his own destruction. If rationalisation were carried out to that extent, instead of 9, 10 or 16 buyers—whatever we were accustomed to—^sitting on the rail at a sale, the producer would find only one or two. No longer would there be competition. We would have to seU direct to the works. That may or may not be a good thing. However, I urge caution. For the life of me, I cannot see why we should be carried away with the idea that the closure of works in Queensland will correct the position. There is no guarantee of that in the southem part of Queensland. After compensation was paid for the closure of a works in South-east Queensland, across the border in New South Wales a new one could open up or an old one could be refurbished. The same killing capacity would remain, except that some of it was across the border. We should be very careful about such an idea. In fact, we should leave it alone altogether. I urge the Queensland Meat Industry Organisation and Marketing Authority to have very little to do with it. It has been argued that the authority has merely called meetings to consider it. It may have rushed in too quickly. I urge caution, too. on the scheme put forward by Sir WUliam Gunn. On first consideration, one is inclined to think that it is a great scheme. He says that if he can get a given amount of money—a huge amount—he would be able to return money to the producers. There is no guarantee that producers would ever receive their money back. Although I am prepared to agree with him in some respects about the overseas marketing of our meat—perhaps we could do a little more if the Government were able to oversee the marketing of our commodity overseas—I do not accept that the ideas he puts forward in his plan for the action to be taken inside Queensland are the end-all. We should be very careful of them. After all. people make mistakes; Sir William Gunn can make mistakes. We should think carefully before vi^e make any moves. Mr Eaton: They made a very poor job of overseeing the beef export trade to Amenca.

Mr BOOTH: I think there should be greater overseeing, not less. I am prepared to go along with Sir WilUam Gunn's plan for overseeing our exports, but I am not prepareo to go along with his suggestions about our intemal marketing. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 421

As the time I am allowed has almost expired. I turn to dairying, an industry which is still of great importance in my electorate. I continue to be disappointed about the spread of quota milk. For the Ufe of me, I cannot understand why the people entrusted whh that responsibility cannot find ways of spreading the quotas a little more equitably. Mr Lee: Less restriction?

Mr BOOTH: I sup)pose it is restricted at the moment, I do not know that there is any way to avoid quotas because producers need a guarantee to be able to produce a set quantity of milk. The producers in my electorate expect that 44 per cent of their miUc will be sold as liquid milk whereas some producers closer to the coast sell approximately 78 per cent of their product in that form. So I am not very happy about that. Towards the end of his speech the member for Woodridge implied that primary producers were not playing their part in the export trade. Production per farmer in Australia is the highest in the world. They are certainly playing their part. I can assure honourable members opposite that they are not working only a 38-hour week, but they are not complaining about that. Their exports help the country with its balance of payments. Opposition Members interjected.

Mr BOOTH: The farm community is not complaining about the lack of a 38-hour week. The Opposition is not promoting the idea of a 38-hour week; its supporters are quite happy to work 40 hours a week but they want two hours' overtime. They want more money for less work. That is why Opposition members were on the fomm with Hugh Hamilton and company. Opposition Members interjected. Mr Lee: They do not like the truth, do they?

Mr BOOTH: No. I rose to defend farmers against the implication that they were not playing their part, Mr Shaw: He did not say that. You made that up.

Mr BOOTH: The member for Woodridge said that overseas exports had not increased. The farmers of this country have always produced well. Because of their high level of production, they can prove their point without exports increasing. Mr Shaw: He was speaking about Australia's balance of payments.

Mr BOOTH: The balance of payments can be influenced by seasonal conditions. Nevertheless, where would Australia's balance of payments be without primary production? The Deputy Leader of the Opposition did not want to give any credit in that regard, but I take the opportunity to do so. During my speech I have endeavoured to cover some of the matters concerning my electorate and also to answer some of the questions about the present industrial dispute. The member for Woodridge impUed that primary producers had not played their part but I have refuted that suggestion, and I add that they wUl continue to play their part and that the electorate of Warwick wiU continue to provide a great opportunity for primary production for years to come.

Mr ROW (Hinchinbrook) (2.33 p.m.): I join this debate by congratulating the mover and the seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply. At the same time I express my loyalty to the throne and confidence in the Westminster system of government,

Mr Vaughan: It must be a great thing,

Mr ROW: It is. 422 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

It is from this weU disciplined and democratic system that the greatest communitv of countries that the world has ever known has grown. In spite of pressures from other phUosophies, such as those frequently espoused by my colleagues opposite-^— Mr Lee: They want the Hughie Hamilton system!

Mr ROW: Yes. Even though they are now independent, many free world nations that grew up under the Union Jack, if I can use that expression, continue to use that system of govenunent. Although there are those, even in this Chamber, who seek to denigrate the sovereign system, they hypocritically and cowardly enjoy the benefits, the protection and the privUeges of a Westminster Parliament. That is something that should be resented by every responsible member of this House. Some members hide behind the cloak d parliamentary privilege given under a Westminster system and then denigrate the entire institution, including decent members who have to wear the reputation created for them. Such members show no real respect for the parliamentary institution. Members who under the cloak of democracy and the privUege of Parliament espouse subversive doctrines deserve the greatest condemnation. They live in a coward's castle, have no respect for their colleagues and do great harm to the entire cause. Thank God they are in the minority! That is why they are usually in opposition in Parhaments; minorities created by their own hand. That is why the natural laws of retribution will continue to act against them. In his Speech, His ExceUency the Governor mentioned many incentives of this Gov­ ernment and paid a fitting tribute to the high status of Queensland as the leading develop­ ment State in this Commonwealth. Although at present obvious difficulties are threatening the security of trade and commerce in Australia, Queensland, through the foresight and solidarity of the longest-standing coalition Government in the history of State Governments in Australia, must still emerge as the leading State of the nation. His Excellency referred to the Commonwealth Games to be held here in Brisbane next month, and to the royal visit in honour of that event. I offer my congratulations to the Commonwealth Games Foundation and the city of Brisbane authorities who have gone to so much effort in readiness for the occasion. It has been a commendable effort, and those of us who reside in country electorates, though probably away from the city most of the time, are not unaware of the benefits that wiU flow to Queensland from the exercise of hosting the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. I look forward, as I am sure do the majority of my colleagues in Parliament and our constituents, to the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and her evergreen husband. Prince PhiUip, the • Duke of Edinburgh. If ever a man carries the responsibility of his position in upholding aU of those fine traditions of the sovereign system in a true democracy, it is he, and the free world admires him for it. Earlier this year I was honoured, whilst attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar in London, to be invited with other members of our delegation to a reception at Marlborough House, which was under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen. Her Majesty very graciously and thoughtfully spoke with me personally about her impending visit to Queensland, and I was proud to assure her of our pleasure at the prospect of her and her husband's visit. I now pray that the Commonwealth Games and the royal visit will not be marred by any senseless, irresponsible. un-Australian disturbances such as that which has been threatened by some activists using as a ploy the Aboriginal land rights issue. In my long years in public life I have never witnessed a more politically abused and media-orchestrated issue than that which has been built up around the indigenous people of Australia. I am ashamed and dismayed at the lack of honesty of its perpetrators I am weU aware of the social problems that are experienced by Aborigines. I make H quite clear that I have great sympathy for them and. for that matter, for any other socially deprived group of people in this country. But I cannot tolerate or forgive deliberate, calculated manipulation and misrepresentation such as that in which Aborigines are in a chess game of subversive politics that is condoned and espoused by the party that is represented by the Opposhion in this Chamber. Mr Hansen: You hurt me when you say that.

Mr ROW: Yes, and I should. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 423

Such political philosophies emanate mainly from a certain new, elitist class of pweudo- academics who bludge around the university campuses and, indeed, even in our high schools. Press clubs and other vulnerable places in this country representing nothing but evil. Not only are these parasites using Aborigines in their filthy manipulation, but also they are subjecting decent young Australians from all walks of Ufe to their pressures. They are making inroads into schools and community life. Only last week we saw an example of this when, for the first time in the history of this State, high school teachers picketed the schools and waved red and white placards That was absolutely disgraceful. It reduced the profession of teaching to the very lowest level of denigration. I am sorry for the decent teachers who turned up at work. When I said that these parasites were making inroads into community life, I meant that they were indoctrinating receptive and imaginative young minds and bodies with secular humanism and disrespect for decent standards, law and order. They are the advocates of free love, immorality, dmg abuse, disregard for parental authority and all the rotten easy to do things that are capable of bringing society to its knees. Is it any wonder that parents with decent family values are in a dilemma about education? Is it any wonder that parents fear any changes in our Education Act which they think might Umit their choice of schools, when they can pick up the Queensland Teachers Journal and read the cynical, provocative and derogatory utterances that come from the lipw and pens of the Schuntners, Rocketts and their ilk? Is it any wonder that private schools are having difficulty in coping with enrolments and accommodation pressures? I feel sorry for the decent pupils, principals and teachers in our State schools who have to live with the ratbags who run the Teachers Union and who are subject to their subversive and recalcitrant pressures. I sympathise with our Education Minister and his officers. Mr Vaughan: I feel sorry for him. too.

Mr ROW: Yes, but for a different reason. I repeat that I feel sorry for our Education Minister and his officers who are trying to ensure that an acceptable and assessable standard is established throughout the State and the private school system so that some compatability exists within the whole system. That is what the Education Act and Another Act Amendment BUI is designed to do, not to curtail freedom of choice as some people seem to think. Mr Vaughan: That is what a lot of people seem to think.

Mr ROW: Yes, and they are wrong. It is designed to place control over radicals and recalcitrants who seem determined to wreck the system. If there are some nebulous impUcations in the Bill the relevant clauses can be redrafted. Some people are overreacting to it at present. I now refer to some of the initiatives mentioned in His Excellency's Opening Speech that emphasise the continuing industrial developments in Queensland which are being sponsored by this Government. In spite of current difficulties applying to commercial viability in some industries and projects and in spite of current industrial unrest over working hours and union pressures, Queensland wiU continue to have the best prospects for developers and for migrants from other States and other places, owing to the firm hand that this Government is endeavouring to place on costs. I commend the Premier, his Ministers and the workers who have withstood the union pressures over the past few days in the current industrial dispute. It is, of course, unfortunate that a dangerous recession has hit some industries, especially those experifencing marketing reversals in competition with low-cost competitors. UntU the trade unions, indeed all Australians, industrial experts and spokesmen for all areas of industry reaUse that a conciUatory movement to lower costs of production and to engender a spirit of mutual responsibUity and national effort is forthcoming, these difficulties are likely to continue, _^ Job redundancy in many industries is due solely to revenue falling below the cost of production, and no Government can be expected to subsidise production beyond the ability of the commumty to pay, especiaUy if the goods produced locaUy are not up 424 24 August 1982 Address in Reply to world standard because of the high cost of quality control. One of the biggest factors in the industrial situation in this country is that our goods do not compete with foreign goods. Even though we have a high import duty on foreign goods, they are still being bought because of the extra community effort put into their production, which we do not seem to have. The finger of scorn is being pointed in many directions. Only tolerance in the extreme between the producer, the consumer, industry, labour and the pohcy-makers will bring about any worthwhile resolution. The hard words and get-tough policies which have been the theme of our present industrial unrest cannot set the pattern for any progress in the future. Those countries vrith industrial discipline and lower cost of production will walk all over Australia if AustraUans do not soon settle down. I say that with a great deal of sincerity. His Excellency referred to the mining and mineral-processing companies weathering the effects of the international recession. This is another area in which we have cause for concern. The recent imposition of quotas in the tin-mining industry has caused serious problems in that industry. My electorate has numerous small, independent, tin and wolfram miners who, under the presently adopted quota system, will be virtually wiped out unless some alternative activities can be provided or a better quota system devised. Unless quotas can be provided within the existing quota stmcture—and that is doubtful at the moment—they wUl be forced to diversify or go out of existence. Unfortunately, large areas of the State's mining fields are locked up by authorities to prospect which have been granted to companies and syndicates, many of whom do no mining at all and never intend to, unless the price of minerals really suits them. No doubt some of these syndicates are quite happy to show losses as a tax dodge.

Unless the State Department of Mines is prepared to make further amendments to the mining regulations to liberalise the smaU miners' prospecting opportunities, a valuable element of local population will be lost to many electorates. I have written to the Minister for Mines about this matter and I eagerly await his advice. The sugar industry is one of the best organised and most self-disciplined and regulated industries in existence. Because of low overseas prices and high local costs of production it is feeling the pinch. The present price for sugar-cane paid to the grower is almost at cost of production. In fact, it is below cost of production in many of the wetter areas in which the sugar content of the cane plant is low owing to various factors, such as low photosynthesis due to sunlight problems in the wet and poor drainage. The sugar industry is now seeking debt reconstruction. In many areas the possibUity of a Commonw^lth loan for that purpose is quite likely. This year many secondary industries associated with the sugar industry found it necessary to make labour retrenchments. How that industry can possibly absorb any more costs is beyond my imagination. Some people believe that the AustraUan sugar industry has been unduly selfish in opposing a proposal to grow cane for crystal sugar production in the Ord River irrigation area in Western AustraUa. With a party of parliamentary colleagues 1 visited the area. 1 am certain that there wiU be no disagreement with the contention that to add another 5 or 6 per cent to Australia's present sugar production quota is courting disaster. There is simply no market available for any increase at present. Any expansion in sugar production in Australia in the past decade was usually just sufficient to mamtain the viability of existing production units in the light of inflation and technical demands which are frequently made upon the industry for product improvement. I am afraid that those matters are not very widely understood outside the sugar industry. It would be a great shame to see a great and responsible industry go down because of outside pressures. 1 a™ sure it will not, but I wish that the industry's ramifications and self-discipline were belter appreciated by those persons who do not understand the industry. The difficulties in relation to water resources and water management faced by 'he sugar industry cause me a great deal of concern. Australia is an arid continent. iBecause o that, the thinking about water resources tends to be oriented towards conservation. It f not my mtention to dispute the need for or to criticise the good work already carried out in that respect in Queensland by the Water Resources Commission and by those persons m have the responsibility of overseeing water conservation projects, nor do I dispute need to provide water to those areas west of the Great Dividing Range which are Address in Reply 24 August 1982 425 viable and which remain low in population because of poor water resources. However, I hark back to the Ord River scheme, which is the biggest water reservoir in Australia and one of the largest agricultural water reticulation systems to be built in Australia. For 25 or 30 years, despite the provision of the water, the scheme has been idle because no population growth has taken place in the area. Certain precautions should be taken. A few moments ago the member for Warwick said that smaller schemes were more viable than the larger schemes that lie idle for many years. Mr Vaughan: Do you suggest that we let the Burdekin scheme lie idle for years?

Mr ROW: I have not said that the Burdekin scheme should lie idle. Mr Vaughan: It is a big scheme.

Mr ROW: Yes, and it is committed. Mr Vaughan: So is the Ord.

Mr ROW: Yes, but I am saying that the Burdekin scheme will not end up providing millions of gallons of water for no-one. The city of Townsville is situated near the Burdekin scheme and will be able to use the water. The Burdekin scheme is being constructed after certain industrial development has taken place in the area. The Ord scheme was constructed in the bush where there were no people. There are still no more than 3 000 people in that area now. When people refer to grandiose schemes such as those embraced in the early Bradfield proposal—that proposal is again being advanced as being feasible; but it is no good getting carried away with something that will not be feasible—they should keep their feet on the ground and act in all honesty and accept certain practical limitations. Where plans involve the diversion of coastal rivers away from their deltas, some changes to those delta aquifers will be inevitable. Possibly that will be detrimental to the existing established areas of population and industry, and I say that advisedly. When proper drainage and flood mitigation is finally carried out in the coastal plains in the north of this State, the aquifers will drop. In years of dry summers, supple­ mentary irrigation might be needed. In fact, many decades ago the former Queensland Department of Irrigation and Water Supply put down many bores in some of the delta areas in North Queensland to test the aquifers, and those bores are still there and still available to be used for that purpose. That department showed a great deal of foresight. Paradoxically, perhaps, the northern Queensland wet belt is a case in point. Thought should be given to the regulation and dispersal of water in addition to conservation. Mr Scott: Who wrote this for you?

Mr ROW: Who does the honourable member think wrote it? Mr Scott: You are having difficulty with the words.

Mr ROW: I do not read my own writing very well. On more than one occasion the original Bradfield scheme, involving the diversion of the Herbert and Burdekin Rivers, has been commented upon adversely by leading engineering authorities. In particular, a former Co-ordinator-General of Public Works in Queensland, the late Sir John Kemp, who was an engineer of great eminence, wisdom and experience commented adversely upon it. Another well recognised and qualified practical engineer, R. D. Gallop, who spent his working lifetime in Northern Queensland, described the Bradfield scheme as a "pipe-dream" Although the development of the full potential of the northern rivers is a desirable project, particularly where it involves hydroelectricity, I would be very cautious about diversion schemes at present. I advocate the construction of adequate flood mitigation and drainage schemes in the deltas of these rivers. Flood mitigation will not be aff'ected by damming the rivers on the tablelands, because most of the flood rains along the north coast of Queensland fall in the delta areas of the rivers. The position is completely the reverse of what is usually the case with flood mitigation by damming. 19778—16 426 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Limhation of funding will decree that the best possible use should be made of the money available both now and in the foreseeable future. It does not seem that Common­ wealth money will be forthcoming to any great extent, particularly considering the money being spent on the Burdekin scheme and other schemes, such as the Bundaberg scheme, that have been committed and not completed. Therefore, priority should be given to the active investigation of drainage and water management schemes in the coastal delta regions of the northern rivers. That is where Queensland's immediate future commitments should be, in water management in North Queensland. What I have said about the avaUabiUty of funding being a very real problem has been proved to be correct. I refer to a media release from my Federal colleague, the member for Herbert (Mr Gordon Dean), who the other day said that he was upset with his own Government— "A Government Backbencher has criticised the Commonwealth for its failure to make adequate allocations under the National Water Resources Programme. This programme began in the 1978-79 financial year and is due to finish in the 1983-84 financial year. Under it the Commonwealth was to provide $200 miUion for water resource projects in Australia. A condition of grants is that Commonwealth funds are to be matched dollar for doUar by the States, which means that total funds under the programme were to come to $4(X) million. Mr Dean said: 'By 30 June last, the Commonwealth provided a total of $111 million under the prograiTime. If allocations had been spread equally over the 5 years, then by that date 'il20 million should have been allocated.' 'What worries me is that with only 2 years left under the programme, the annual allocations wiU have to be much bigger than they have been over the past 3 years and the question arises whether the Commonwealth wiU find the money.'" I agree. It is an important matter. There is some short-sightedness in the Commonwealth's allocation of national water scheme projects to Queensland. A computer analysis of loss of production in the Macknade sugar miU area in my electorate as a result of the interrelated effects of poor drainage shows that on last year's sugar prices the annual returns for that mUl area's production are down by $10.8m. When that loss is combined with the losses experienced in the other wet-belt sugar areas, the result is astronomical. It would be an interesting exercise for those with the capacity—for instance, the Australian Bureau of Statistics—to assess the loss in direct taxation to the Commonwealth Treasury. Such cumulative losses wUl certainly far exceed any contribution that the Commonwealth might have made towards drainage and flood mitigation programs which are being initiated now by local communities and subsidised by the Queensland Water Resources Commission. They are not receiving adequate backing frrm the Commonwealth. It astounds me that the (Commonwealth's bureaucracy does not jj/rovide the capacity for co-operation to the extent necessary for reaUy significant progress. In tecent years the Commonwealth has seen fit under its National Water Resources Program to grant a 40 per cent subsidy on drainage in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. That is a scheme almost equal in size to that which Queensland would like to see in its wet belt; yet Queensland's community drainage schemes are lucky to attract half the subsidy given to New South Wales. Indeed, they are very fortunate to get approval at all. When one considers the size of the subsidy paid to our neighbouring State for a scheme covering the same type of disability. One wonders whether it is because the Deputy Prime Minister lives in that area. What I have said about the National Water Resources Program assumes some prominence in the context of circumstances presently applying in North Queensland. I can only hope that Queensland's Commissioner for Water Resources is fully aware of the necessity for some action. One hopes that he does not disagree with the necessity for such programs to proceed. I tmst that through our Minister for Water Resources and Aboriginal and Island Affairs, as weU as through our Minister for Primary Industries, adequate representations will be made to the Commonwealth Government for the inclusion cf such developmental schemes, particularly in the wet belt of this State. Not for one moment do I wish to deny any of the resources to the dry areas of the State, but I believe in balanced development and a balanced economy. The only way to achieve that is by a more equitable distribution of the funds available to the areas that need them. Address in Re^y 24 August 1982 427

Mr EATON (Mourilyan) (3.5 p.m.): As other honourable members have done, I too pledge my loyalty and that of my constituents to the Crown. Although the Opposition may disagree with the course that Queensland is presently taking, my constituents look forward to a great future in this State. Various industries in the Mourilyan electorate suffer a number of serious problems. One of the most serious affects the future of the tin industry. Hundreds of people who were employed in that industry are now unable to make a Uving. The industry's product cannot be sold and, because small miners are involved, a quota system has had to be established. My colleagues the members for Cook (Mr Scott) and Nudgee (Mr Vaughan) and I undertook a tour of the area 18 months age and foresaw the problems that have now arisen. After discussions with those involved in the tin-mining industry the three of us combined to present a submission to both the Federal and State Ministers to point out the problems facing the industry. We did not speak to just one section of the industry, we spoke to the miners themselves, those who worked for the miners and the company managers and directors. As I say, our submission was based on the information supplied by those people. That submission was presented on 22 July 1981 and the same points were again made on 18 July 1982. So the Federal Government cannot say that it did not have warning of the future problems facing that industry. Three elected State members had spoken with people involved in all facets of the tin-mining industry and very clearly pointed out to the Federal Government the problems that were faced. On two occasions the Federal Government flew two officers of the Department of Trade and Resources from Canberra to Queensland to try to solve the serious problems. I was in attendance at only one of those meetings, and I know that the miners were very disappointed at the lack of knowledge of those officers. They simply could not answer all the questions that were asked. The miners did not expect the officers to know all the answers but they could not answer the majority of questions. The officers simply did not realise that the tin industry was in such a bad state. How could they possibly claim that after being warned 12 months previously? I have no sympathy whatever for the State and Federal Governments, because, even though the submission was from members of the Opposition, they should have at least paid the industry the courtesy of trying to monitor the problem so that if they found that the submission was on the right track the departments could have taken over and helped to steer the industry clear of the disaster that it now faces. North Queensland produces 98 per cent of the tin produced in the State. Until July 1981 two dredges operated at Mt Garnet, but at that time one of them was closed and approximately 40 workers were paid off. Exactly 12 months after, in July 1982, the second dredge was closed down and 43 workers and 10 apprentices were retrenched. A Cairns engineering workshop employed eight of those apprentices, but the other two still have not been able to continue their apprenticeships. The industry is important to Queensland as a whole and it is particularly important to the communities throughout the North. So the Government will have to accept a little more responsibility than it has in the past and try to do something about the problem. It has had a detrimental effect on the community. The 1981 report of the Department of Mines shows that roughly $1.5m a month has ceased to flow into the tin-mining communities of Far North Queensland. As I said, the small miners can produce tin but not sell it because the quota that has been introduced is only 56 per cent of last year's quota. Other miners got out of the industry to try to enlarge their plant and get ready to go back into the industry on a slightly larger scale than previously, but because they were absent for a 12-month period they either were not allocated a quota or were allocated a very small quota based on the 1981 figure. So a lot of problems have to be sorted out yet. I know that the State Government is a bit of a buck passer on the issue of assistance to miners—it says it is a Federal matter, and I agree that it does come under the authority of the Department of Trade and Resources—^but Queensland miners receive less assistance than miners in any other State. Queensland miners receive $11 a week whereas in other States miners receive close to the unemployment benefit, although I admit that in some other States this assistance is paid for only a limited period. At present miners in the North are unable to obtain social security payments because they have a claim or a lease. Although some have managed to win a little tin they are unable to sell it. If the State Government would come to the party and pay them assistance 428 24 August 1982 Address in Reply of $50 or $60 a week, even if only for a short period, th^ would at least be able to tucker themselves and their famUies. Miners cannot meet their commitments for diesel engines to pump water, end loaders and other machmery that has been bought in the hope that the industry will not only survive but expand. That has been one of the causes of the present disastrous position. I have here a newspaper article dated 23 July 1982 headUned "Quota for tin miners" which states— "As a result of a recent meeting in Canberra, the tin quota for small miners has been increased by 100 tonnes. Member for Leichhardt and Minister for Science and Technology, Mr David Thomson said this week. Small tin miners have been re-defined as producers of 10 tonnes and less, instead of the 25 tonne limit that appUed previously." The Minister then announced that there was to be a 56-tonne quota for the small tin miner. That might appear to be a significant increase, but some miners in the area could produce that amount themselves, so when it is spread over hundreds of miners over a 3-month period it is not much at all. I have here another article of 24 July 1982 headed "Tin industry pnit at risk by quota" It was written by Mr Ken Day, a man who was involved in the tin industry but who has since dispxwed of all his plant and got out of the industry. He made some disparaging remarks about the efforts put into solving the problems of the industry by politicians. The article stated— "The Federal Government's new tin quota system could lead to the destruction of the Far Northern tin industry, the managing director of Territory Mining Pty Ltd and a committee member of the North Queensland Independent Tin Producers Association (NQITPA). Mr Ken Day, said in Cairns yesterday. Mr Day said his company, which employed 30 people at its Tate River mine south of Chillagoe, had been informed by the Federal Department of Trade and Resources of its new quota of 43 tonnes for the quarter from July 1. This represented only 7 per cent of his company's production last year. The Govemment had indicated the quota this time would be about 70 per cent of production compared with the previous quota of about 85 per cent, he said. 'We can't even pay the tea-lady on that, he said.'" That is a pretty good summation of the problems of the tin industry today. It is the poor relation of the mining industry in Queensland Mr HARTWIG: I rise to a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I draw your attention to the state of the House. (Quomm formed.) Mr EATON: I could devote aU of my time to speaking about the tin industry, but I will conclude on that subject by quoting from an article that appeared in "The Cairns Post" on 18 August 1982. A statement attributed to the president of the North Queensland Tin Producers Association was in these terms— "Economic chaos has been forecast for tin miners and dependent cities and towns unless an Australian tin stockpile is forthcoming." One suggestion that has been made is that we try to get the State and Federal Governments to introduce a stockpiling system similar to that in vogue for other industries. The Federal Government at all levels has refused to move in that direction. While the National Party conference was being held in Brisbane, a group of National party members and others conferred with the Minister for Trade and Resources (Mr Anthony). He told them that it was just not on because of the problems in rural industry; that if he helped the tin industry he would be called on to make money available to various other industries that are now in trouble. After that meeting was held, the miners were not informed of the outcome. That was a despicable act, having in mind that, supposedly, members are elected to represent people in all sections of industry. While dealing wUh the education system, I will not speak about the shortage of specialist and other teachers to which I have referred on other occasions and which the Ministers do not seem to like. At all times in the House I have tried to avoid being Address in Reply 24 August 1982 429 monotonous by quoting statistics. However, I have achieved very few results by acting in that way. Today, I intend to cite figures and quote from letters to emphasise the point that I have been trying to make for a long time about the education system in North Queensland. Including high schools and primary schools, there are 28 schools in my electorate. The majority of them are in the wet coastal belt. At the MourUyan school, the Government did a good job by providing a toilet block and a shelter shed. However, because the shelter shed is out in the open, the children have to hurry through the rain to get to it. When water flows through the sheHer shed and rain drives through the weather sides, they cannot use it. I have asked the Government to cover the walls on the weather sides to make the shed suitable for the purpxwe for which it was built. For many years, a problem has existed at the Innisfail State High School. To illustrate the point clearly, I wiU read a letter from the Bureau of Meteorology, Depart­ ment of Science, setting out the rainfall for the last eight years at Innisfail. In 1974, 14 ft 9 ins of rain feU, so it was a fairly dry year. In 1975, 21 ft 5 ins of rain feU and there were 204 wet days. These factors have to be taken into consideration. In another fairly dry year, 4 798 mm or 15 ft 9 ins of rain fell. In 1977, 25 ft 4 ms or 7729 mm of rain feU on 179 wet days. There are other rainfalls of 24 ft and 21 ft with the number of wet days being 189 and 172. Whenever a request is made to the Minister, the Education Department or the Works Department, those figures are not believed. I have put them into "Hansard" in the hope that something can be done for the North. My coUeague the honourable member for Muigrave has received the same sort of letters from the Innisfail High School as I have received, because the children of many of his constituents attend that school. He is as concemed as I am about getting these problems remedied. After being contacted by the p. and c. association, I carried out an inspection. I found that masonite had been used as the outside covering of some of the waUs. Fancy doing that in such a wet location! Somebody in the Works Department is not doing his job 'propeily and the Minister should find out who he is. That sort of thing should not be done in Inntefail, with its rainfall record. At the moment, Innisfail is the wettest town in Australia. In some years Babinda and Tully have heavier rainfalls but, certainly, those two towns and Innisfail have the highest rainfall in Australia. When members representing that area approach the Govemment with a request, they are met with laughter when they mention the rainfall figures. If we said the rainfall was a quarter of what it actually was, we might receive a better hearmg.

Mr Frawley: How long has the school been like that?

Mr EATON: About eight years. I should like to read into "Hansard" a small portion of a letter I received from the president of the p. and c. association. He said— "Please Mr Eaton do something. That library is a disgrace for a State High School. Thank you." This is the type of problem that members have to face. The p. and c. and the parents are very irate. I shall read another letter into "Hansard" so that the people in that area can see that I am doing something for them at a parliamentary level. The letter reads— "I write to you following the offer of one Demountable Classroom Block for Innisfail State High School. As President of the Parents and Citizens' Association of Innisfail State High School, I wish to protest at this stop-gap measure on the following grounds:— 1. Student Health. We are now, in Innisfail, in our fourth week of constant rain, and this is the middle of the dry season. Influenza in the school is of almost epidemic proportions; this is constantiy aggravated by classes in demountable buUdings being subjected to the elements at every change of period. This is because demount- ables cannot be connected by covered walkaways to the main school buildings." 430 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Every time the children have to go to another class, they have to go out in the rain. That is why I gave the rainfall figures. Whenever an inspection is made, it is made when the weather is good. The letter continues— "2. Current Demountable Classrooms. We currently have, at Innisfail High School, two Demountable Blocks (containing four classrooms). These four classes are in constant use; students using them are getting wet at each change of lesson. We certainly do not want any more of these buildings which are totally unsuited to our climatic conditions. 3. Present urgent needs. These are two buildings (of a permanent nature) of which we are in desperate need. These are currently Top Priority on the proposed Department of Works Listing. We fear this Demountable may be being offered in lieu of either or both of these buildings. These buildings are a Library Block and a Manual Arts Block. As soon as these are constructed, five classrooms for general purposes will become available thus alleviating our inadequate classroom situation. We fear the offer of the Demount­ able Block may have been seen to be the answer to our needs. We include a list of the Queensland State High Schools in the range of 715-1000 students. Innisfail is one of only three schools without a free standing Library Block. Our need is truly desperate; we have been on a short list for at least five years, for many of us this has been the whole time our children have been at the High School. All persons who have seen our situation are aware of its unsatisfactory nature: a $20,000 Demountable Classroom Block is unsuited to our needs; we desperately need a Library Block and a Manual Arts Block." It is time that the Government took the necessary action. The Government should give priority to those people who live in the wettest parts of Australia. However, the Government has not taken that fact into consideration. The letter continues— "Priorities 1. Separate Library Block 2. Separate Manual Arts Block 3. Shelter for Students 4. Upgrade Present Library to an Art Area 5. Upgrade A8 to GLA 6. C4 & C5 to revert to GLA use 7. Separate Administration Block 8. Upgrade Principals & Deputy Principal's office areas to Home Economics rooms 9. Upgrade Senior Mistress' office to a Staff Room 10. Conversion of General office and Health Room to Computer Rooms 11. Health Room Grossly Inadequate 12. Teacher-Aide Space 13. Withdrawal Rooms for Remedial Program (in New Library)." Government members and I have inspected the facilities that are available. When a Minister next visits the North, a deputation and inspection of the Innisfail High School can be arranged and he can then make his own decision and not be dependent upon information that is put into the too-hard or wait-a-while basket. Mr Kruger: He should make his visit during the wet season. Mr EATON: The member for Murrumba is quite right. I seek leave to incorporate in "Hansard" a letter to the editor of "The North Queensland Register" from Sir Joseph McAvoy. (Leave granted.) Address in Reply 24 August 1982 431

Sir Joseph replies— The following letter was written by Sir Joseph McAvoy, a member of the Queensland Cane Growers Council for 30 years and chairman of the organisation for 10 years, in reply to a recent statement by Sir Robert Sparkes published in the Cairns Post. Sir—in defence it is necessary that I respond to the published statement of Sir Robert Sparkes, Queensland State President of the National Party of Australia, arising out of James Guthrie's article concerning my long association with the sugar industry, which appeared in "The Cairns Post" on April 26, 1982. Although Mr Guthrie's article may contain some minor inaccuracies relating to his interview with me on April 6, those parts of it to which Sir Robert Sparkes takes exception properly reflect my views on the matter of sugar millowners' influence in the National Party. These views do not arise from mere conjecture, but are based on my experience in the sugar industry. Sir Robert, in his letter, tries to take me to task in relation to a particular paragraph appearing in Mr Guthrie's article, which reports me as stating sugar mill interests 'have too much influence in the upper ranks of the National Party' by stating that such a proposition is completely untrue. To enable your readers to test the truth or otherwise of my statement, I need only refer briefly to the circumstances surrounding the introduction of proposed amendments to the 'Sugar Acquisition Act'. At a special meeting of the Queensland Cane Growers Council held on April 29, 1982, it was resolved that if power was needed for expenditure on raw sugar quality research by the Sugar Board then such power should be conditional upon such expenditure receiving the prior agreement of the council and the council also requested to be given the opportunity to comment on any amending bill before it was enacted. The text of this resolution was conveyed to the Minister for Primary Industries. The council's concern relating to the proposed amendment to the 'Sugar Acquisition Act' arises from the fact that the initial proposal would have given the Sugar Board an almost unfettered power to spend what is, in the main part, growers' money without the council being given any right to protect growers' interests to ensure that moneys were not spent wrongfully or for the benefit of certain sectional sugar industry interests. The council's stance on this matter resulted in a response by Sugar Industry Employer Groups of which Sir Robert is apparently unaware. The Minister for Primary Industries was subjected to a series of deputations from such groups, the outstanding one of which was publicly on show on May 19, prior to the opening of the second annual conference of the Co-operative Sugar Millers Association. There, Minister Ahern was surrounded by Mr Ron Camm, chairman of the Sugar Board, Mr Roy Deicke, chairman of the Proprietary Sugar Millers Association, Mr Don Watson, president of the Australian Sugar Producers Association and Mr Jordan Rigby, chairman of the Co-operative Sugar Millers' Association. Subsequent to this, Mr Ahern announced to the Queensland Cane Growers Council on May 24, that he had sought and obtained approval from Cabinet to introduce certain legislation to amend the Sugar Acquisition Act. No details of the amending legislation were provided to the council at the time of the Minister's announcement and Mr Eric White, the deputy chairman of the Sugar Board, subsequently advised the council meeting that no details of the proposed changes to the Act would be made available to the council until the amending bill was introduced into Parliament. So much for concern with growers' views on how their money should be spent, particularly in t"his year of low incomes and high costs and interest rates! It is to Minister Ahern's credit that when Sugar Board representatives sought to have legislation rushed through Parliament in its May sittings, the council's objections to this course of action were well received by him, and he refused to be stampeded into acceding to the employer groups' demands made in support of the Sugar Board's request. 432 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

However, it appears that Mr Ahern has since been put under considerable pressure by these groupjs with the results indicated above. Although Sir Robert maintains there is no sugar industry empk>yer group influence in National Party affairs or its poUcy regarding the sugar industry, he can hardly claim to be unaware of the following circumstances: (a) The last three appointments to positions on the Sugar Board were received by National Party members. Mr Harry Bonanno was appointed as a member of the Sugar Board in defiance of a Ust of suitable prospective appointees submitted to the Govemment by the councU. Mr Bonanno had previously stood as a candidate for the party. Mr Ron Camm, a former National Party Minister, was appointed as chairman of the Sugar Board. Mr Eric White, previously a secretary to Mr Vic Sullivan, a National Party Minister, was appointed as deputy chairman of the Sugar Board. (b) The managing director of Bundaberg Sugar Company (of which Sir Robert Proctor is chairman of directors) is the president of the Proprietary Sugar Millers Association, a vice president of the Australian Sugar Producers Association and chairman of the board of directors of the Sugar Research Institute, all of which have, over recent years, combined in policy objectives which are under­ mining the viabUity of the majority of canegrowers in Queensland. (c) CSR Limited, one of the largest companies in Australia, is a member of both the Proprietary Sugar Millers Association and the Australian Sugar Producers Association, whUe at the same time it is the Queensland Govemment's agent, appointed on terms never disclosed to the growers' organisation, for the sale of all sugar acquired by the Government, which is the whole of Queensland's sugar production. (d) The industry consultative processes of the Sugar Board are unsatisfactory for Queensland canegrowers, involving, as they do, the following representation: (i) The four Sugar Board members and the secretary, none of who have been appointed upon the recommendation of the councU. (ii) Four CSR Limited advisers (numbers vary). (iU) Two representatives from the Proprietary Sugar MiUers Association, (iv) Two representatives from the Australian Sugar Producers Association, (v) Two representatives from the Cooperative Sugar MUlers Association, (vi) Four representatives from the New South Wales Sugar Milling Co-operative and Growers, (vii) Two representatives of the Queensland Cane Growers Council. (e) Amongst the matters upxm which policy is discussed and views put forward at these 'consultative' meetings are included: (i) Bulk handling installation at ports. (ii) Sugar pooling arrangements. (iii) The Intemational Sugar Agreement. (iv) Marketing of sugar. (v) The Commonwealth Sugar Agreement and the domestic price of sugar. (vi) Expansion of the sugar industry. (vii) Research and sugar quality matters. (viii) Amendment of the Sugar Acquisition Act. The proposition that Queensland canegrowers should have only two voices out of 20 when such matters of policy are deUberated, had only to be stated to establish its miller-influence, particularly when one considers that any decision which is based on industry consensus must result in the growers bearing the far major part of the financial burden imposed. (f) a further example of the sugar industry employer group's influence with the National Party and therefore with the Govemment is provided with reference to what happened recently in industry affairs. In^ 1980, CSR Limited presented a marketing paper proposal to the effect that expansion of production potential would be 'prudent'. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 433

CSR Limited was wearing its 'Govemment's agent's' hat at the time but its proposal was quickly followed up by a request from the Proprietary Sugar Millers Association that the Minister refer the proposal to the Central Sugar C^ne Prices Board. A similar request from the Australian Sugar Producers Association was delivered to the Minister a few days later. Despite the fact that the Queensland Cane Growers C!ouncU made no such request, Mr Sullivan, then the Minister for Primary Industries, requested the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board to inquire into the necessity, scope and manner of expanding the potential to produce additional sugar. To say that the result of the inquiry was a foregone conclusion is to understate the realities of the situation prevaiUng at the time, particularly as the action of the Minister in referring the matter to the Central Board after Uttle or no consultation with the growing sector of the industry clearly indicated a Government haste to accede to industry employer group pressure. A ministerial reference amounts to a direction, effectively circumventing Section 42 of 'The Regulation of Sugar Cane Prices Act'. If the above instances of the use of sugar industry employer group influence to the disadvantage of Queensland canegrowers are unknown to Sir Robert Sparkes, one can only assume that his earlier published denial of the exertion of such influence was based solely upon a desire to present to canegrowers an image of his party's activities in sugar matters which would be acceptable to growers as a voting body. If Sir Robert was, when he wrote, aware of these circumstances, one is forced to conclude that his statements are simply another manifestation of the party's hand being guided in sugar matters by the employer groups. Either case is a cause for deep grower dissatisfaction. Sir Robert must be aware that when the Government acquires all sugar produced in Queensland under the Sugar Acquisition Act it acquires the produce of a crop in which the growers hold a two-thirds equity. The Act empowers the government to 'cause such sugar to be refined or treated, prepared or manufactured as may be necessary' and to pay over the proceeds of the sale of the sugar after deducting proper costs. For every $3 wasted, mis-spent or transferred illegally (as appears to have been the case) the canegrowers of Queensland bear the loss of $2 of those $3. For every $3 spent in furthering the undertakings of the miU-owing section of the industry where the mill owners ought properly to have paid from their own resources, the mill owners receive $3 worth of assets or services while the growers, without representation, are forced to contribute two of those dollars and to receive nothing in return. Sir Robert, if he has any acquaintance with the sugar industry apart from viewing it as a bloc vote of growers to be paid lip service at election time, must have taken the trouble to make himself aware that the whole business of the Sugar Board seeking to have the Sugar Acquisition Act amended as an attempted cover up for the Sugar Board's part in expended moneys for purposes not authorised by the Act, in a manner which was, and is, an abuse of the rights of growers to receive fair compense for their crops. In saying this, I accept full responsibiUty for discharging my duty to growers to make them aware of what has been proposed as an amendment to the Sugar Acquisition Act, and to record publicly my objection to any amendment of the Act. Should anything akin to the originaUy proposed amendment become law, it will permit the Government, through its own appointed men on the Sugar Board, to con­ tinue to appropriate the canegrowers' rightful share of sugar proceeds to finance research, of doubtful benefit to Queensland growers, by the Sugar Research Institute and will provide for the subsidising of interest payments on loans taken by certain sugar mills. The Sugar Acquisition Act of 1915 has remained in its original form for 67 years. It is indigenous to the sugar industry in Queensland and provides the corner stone of stability in the industry. 434 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

It is, together with the Regulation of Sugar Cane Prices Act, the safeguard of growers' equity in the industry. The two Acts, complementing the other, are as vital and essential to the well-being of today's growers as they ever were, and any attempt to modify their main principles may be regarded as an act of legislative theft from growers. Mr Ahern said, in his advice to the council on May 24, 1982: 'Various financial arrangements would need to be made to facilitate the changes envisaged and the financial provisions of the Act would be adjusted accordingly' This provides final proof of the extent of the pressure applied to the Minister and the purpose of it, if any further proof were needed. It is the Minister's obligation, in the- defence of each and every canegrower of Queensland, to tell the Sugar Board and all those who seek to undermine the principles of the Act to 'get back on the rails' and to announce his intentions on the matter clearly, before any further stepK are taken to deprive growers of their just income. The individual grower alone has the right to determine how the proceeds of his crop shall be disposed of. Neither the Minister nor the Queensland Cane Growers Council have the right to agree to amend the Act which results in taking away part of any grower's income. The above threat could only have come about with a Government reliant on and biased towards multi-nationals and the big corporations, and while canegrowers join milling groups and political parties hoping thereby for individual gain.

Mr EATON: North Queensland has experienced years of plenty. I have referred to the tin industry. I turn now to the sugar industry. After Christmas, when cane growers know how much they will receive for their cane, they will see a gap between what they will receive and what they owe the bank. 1983 will be a disastrous year for many cane growers. 1982 has been a very hard year for cane farmers. Once the crop is harvested and the returns are known, a great deal of disappointment wiU be felt in the industry. Many people have worked hard for a number of years. The stage is being reached at which solid action must be taken. In the mid-70s over $20m was borrowed from the Federal Government. I can see something similar happening next year; however, a larger amount of money will be needed to supjport the sugar industry because of bad decisions by the Govemment in the last few years. The letter that has just been incorporated shows that the last expansion scheme should never have taken place. It was a manipulation by certain areas of the sugar industry. Most people can read for themselves how it was used as a vote catcher and to every advantage except to the advantage of the sugar farmer. Mr Kmger: For their coalition colleagues down here.

Mr EATON: Yes. No move has been made to change the Sugar Acquisition Act, which has stood the test of time for 64 years. However, it has to be looked at now. It is like the feUow who has 15 sausages for breakfast; it is not untU he eats the 15th one that he says that they are not much good. This is what has happened in the sugar industry. Everything has been taken out of the sugar industry and now people are finding that the Act needs altering. Another matter that is creating many problems in my electorate is the availability of finance under the new home-ownership scheme. I want to give this matter a good belt. Generally, I try to help everybody who comes into my office, and the officers in the various departments can verify that. On many occasions I ring them to get the correct information. People are being asked to pay 15 per cent interest on a loan of $45,000. It is shocking to ask a wage earner to pay that rate of interest. Even a man on a good salary would find it hard to meet the repayments. After 24 months, a man would owe $46,094 on his loan. Middle-aged people who have saved for years to buy their own home find that if the home costs more than $30,000 it cannot be financed through the Queensland Housmg Commission. That is a disgrace. That applies even when people are prepared to pay the difference between $30,000 and, say, $35,000. I draw this matter to the attention of the Government because it wiU defeat the purpose for which the scheme was introduced. It wiU prevent people from ever owning their own home. Young people who are trying to pay off a home have to be sure that their jobs are secure, and not Address in Reply 24 August 1982 435 many people today can say that their jobs will be secure in four or five years. That is why I referred to the fact that, after repaying a loan for 24 months, people wiU owe more than they originaUy borrowed. I now touch on the fishing industry, which also has encountered quite a lot of trouble in North Queensland. The Government claimed that it would try to help people establish co-operatives and would get the fishing industry back on its feet. Because the price being asked for the Queensland Fish Board's premises in Cairns was too high, the fishermen formed a co-operative and bought some land. They are miming a very successful co-operative, but they fear that the Government wiU estabUsh its own Queensland Fish Board depot and compete against the fishermen's co-operative. A similar situation exists in Innisfail, except that the Queensland Fish Board owns the depot that the co-operative rents. The maximum possible rent is being charged for this depot. That is unfair. The Govemment could have allowed the co-operative to rent the depot for six months at a very cheap rent. The Government was prepared to allow the depot to lie idle for two years and earn no income from it. Yet immediately after the co-operative commenced operations, the Government charged an exorbitant rent of hundreds of dollars a week for the depot. Mr Kmger: They claim to help these people. Mr EATON: That is right. In Cairns, nine repossessed fishing boats were auctioned. Bids were received for two of them but they did not reach the reserve. No bids were received for the other seven boats. The finance companies are now seUing the mortgages that they hold over the homes of those fishermen. They can get $20,000 or $30,000 for those homes, but they cannot get that money for the fishing boats. Mr Scott: Is that the way Mrs Kippin helped the fishing industry? Mr EATON: Yes. Mr Blake: And is still helping it. Mr EATON: She gives the fishermen a hand now and again. I deal now with the effect on local authorities of Government cut-backs. My electorate takes in three local authorities: a small section of the CardweU Shire to the south, most of which is in the electorate of Hinchinbrook; a fairly large part of the Johnstone Shire; and all of the Herberton Shire on the Tablelands, which covers an area of 3 500 square miles but has only 3 600 rate-payers. A letter that I received recently stated— "With reference to my recent discussions with you regarding loss in subsidies, for the 1981-82 year, CouncU would have lost about $2984.00 subsidy on capital road works and $3420.00 on water supply subsidy, due to both works not being completed by 30th June last." I point out that Herberton still rations its water supply. The Government will not come to the party in helping to finance a satisfactory water scheme. Because of its greater population over a smaller area, the Johnstone Shire does not face problems similar to those faced by shires to the west, although it does have a few problems. However, the cut-back in subsidies and grants to local authorities had an effect on that council, which wrote to me as follows— "My CouncU has resolved to give full support to representations being made to The Deputy Premier & Treasurer, Hon. L. R. Edwards, M.B. BS. M.L.A., proposing restoration of Local Authority Subsidies, which had been^ reduced by the State Government effectively from the financial year 1981/82..." I have also received telegrams from the CardweU Shire and from the TownsviUe City Council. Somethmg must be done, particularly in view of the lack of employment opportunities in those areas. When the work-forces are curtailed, the people displaced have nowhere else to go. If funds were available, people could do a job that is not only necessary for the area at the moment but also bound up with its future development. Shires are large employers of labour and usuaUy have a good relationship whh their workers. I would hate to see that broken down, and I sincerely hope that at some future time the Govemment will increase the subsidies to a level above that which applied when the cut-backs were effected. 436 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Mr LESTER (Peak Downs) (3.37 p.m.): On behalf of the people of the Peak Downs electorate. I reaffirm allegiance to the Queen. It is sad that, at the outset of my speech in the Address-in-Reply debate, I should have to mention the passing of Hughie O'Donnell. the former member for the area that I represent. There is no need for me to repeat what I said about that good man on the motion of condolence. However, I beUeve that it is necessary to make brief mention of him in this speech. In addition to all that I said during the motion of condolence, I simply say that he was one of most decent men that I had the pleasure of knowing. There has been continuous expansion in the Central Highlands area of Queensland. Actually, it is one of the few country areas in Australia that is still basically viable. The reason, of course, is that its economy is widely based. If there is a downturn in one of the industries, usually the other industries carry the weight. When one travels round Australia, one sees areas depending on one, two or perhaps three industries to support them. In times of drought or economic difficulty, those areas flounder economically. The Central Highlands area has coal, gems, grain, cotton, tourism and cattle, and latterly the field of further education has been developed. Several new coal­ mines have been commissioned in the area. In the town in which I live, the Blair Athol coal-mine has a good future because the Electric Power Development Company of Japan, which is a power-generating authority and a partner in the deal, wUl be very much interested in what happens at Blair Athol. Because the company buying the coal is a partner in the venture and needs this high-grade steaming coal to produce electricity for the populace of Japan, the security of Blair Athol is very much assured. The Curragh coal-mine is similarly placed. Not only does it have steaming coal, it also has coking coal and has orders from the electricity generating board. The Riverside coal project is based on the town of Moranbah and has contracts to supply other parts of the world. Last but not least in the expansion of the coal industry in the electorate is the new coal-mine of Oaky Creek, which wiU have Tieri as its service town. I cannot help thinking that it is a terrible pity that the town of Tieri was not linked with Middlemount to form one town rather than two separate towns, which places a considerable strain on the provision of services. The two towns will have to be viable in their own right. In future I hope that, if two mining companies cannot agree on such a matter in their early negotiations, the Government will step in, bang their heads together and ensure that common sense prevails so that the services of one town are utilised. That the two towns of Middlemount and Tieri are separate entities of similar size is a tragedy for the taxpayer. There is no doubt that both of them wiU be good towns. Now that Middlemount is in its final stages, one hears many wonderful things about h; but I wonder how much better it and Tieri would have been had they become one town. Mr Hartwig interjected.

Mr LESTER: That is an area name. In the same vein Moranbah was named after the Aboriginal word for the swamps in the area. Many of us find it difficult to establish the origin of some of the names in the area. Usually some historical significance is found in the name. When the town of Moranbah was being estabUshed there was a very strong move to name it Apollo City, as its constmction coincided with Armstrong's landing on the moon. I could not have thought of a worse name. At that time I was a member of the Belyando Shire Council and was on the planning committee for the town of Moranbah. Whereas most counciUors thought that because a big American company, backed very heavily by Utah, was involved and that it coincided with the landing on the moon, the name Apollo City was very good, I took the whole lot of them on and kicked up all hell over the proposed use of such a stupid name. Common sense prevailed and the name Moranbah was derived from the Aboriginal history of the area. That has proved to be a sensible approach. You win some, you lose some! In the initial stages Houston Oil and Minerals was involved with the development of Oaky Creek but that company stopped in mid stream and now Oaky Creek Development, through MIM Holdings, has taken over the project. A few difficulties have arisen over the provision of services to Tieri. A new school has been allocated for the commencement of the 1983 school year, but other people and I are stiU battUng for the provision of Address in Reply 24 August 1982 437 basic heahh services, a police station and the many Government services that wiU be needed. Certainly some compromise has been reached and makeshift arrangements have been made, but the Government has to be more positive than that and get on with the job. It is necessary that the Minister for Health should fully understand the problems that have to be overcome in providing health services for people in a town like Tieri. I wUl never go along with the idea that medical services should be centralised in one large town. Emerald is 104 km from Tieri, and even though the inhabitants face the usual problems of mumps, measles, snake bite, babies being born, children scalding themselves and so on, some Brisbane people, and even a few in country towns, are stupid enough to think that all health services should be centralised in Emerald or Clermont. Mr Hartwig: People could die on the way. Mr LESTER: Yes, people could die in transit. At a recent Rotary meeting I heard a lot about on-the-spot services for people who suffer heart attacks and so on, and this made me wonder about the new idea that basic medical services should not be provided locally. I believe that basic medical services should be provided locally so that people can be treated and then transported to a large hospital. The new idea of providing medical services only in large towns might work with specialist services but I cannot see why a mother about to give birth or a child who has been scalded has to be rushed to Rockhampton, Emerald or Dysart. It is nonsense, and a downright stupid idea. Mr Vaughan: Whose fault is it? Mr LESTER: The honourable member is not in a position to comment because the New South Wales Government, through its bureaucrats, has instituted exactly the same sort of scheme. Mr Vaughan: We are in Queensland. Whose fault is it in Queensland? Mr LESTER: I am trying to make a point about the health services provided for Queensland. I am not trying to be political. If the honourable member wants to get political we can talk about what is happening in New South Wales and the new concepts of health service in Victoria. I have decided that for once I will leave politics out of my speech and just get on with the job of trying to help the people. Mr Vaughan: In other words, you are going to talk about it and do nothing about it. Mr LESTER: The fact that I have raised the issue here is proof that I am doing something about it; the fact that I have written probably 25 letters about it is proof that I am doing something about it; the fact that I have made no fewer than 14 phone calls on the matter is proof that I am doing something about it, and in addition I have led one deputation to the Minister for Health and in the near future will lead another one to the Premier. That is proof that I am trying to do something about the problem, and my constituents appreciate that. Tieri also needs a police station. When I discovered that Capella and Tieri were short of police I spoke to senior officers in the Police Department and pointed out the chronic need for more police in the area. I realised there was a shortage when the wife of the police sergeant in Capella and the Catholic priest had to attend an accident because the sergeant was attending another accident. As a result of my representations senior poUce officers in Rockhampton got a bullet from Brisbane about the shortage at Capella, but the fact is that the cause of the problem lies in Brisbane because insufficient police have been allocated to the central region. That type of buck passing is not the way to improve the position, and I am disappointed with the senior officers who said, "Lester is complaining. Get up there and do something about it, or else." If insufficient policemen are allocated to Central Queensland those stationed there cannot work miracles. I informed the poUce personnel planning division that we live in the bush, that we are expanding and that we should get the services we need. I am pleased to inform ParUament that progress has been made and that more policemen and police cars are being provided. I do not know why I usually end up in an all-in brawl, literally a punch-up, to get sontething done. I do not include in that statement schooling and other Govemment activhies that seeni to be progressing in the area. I do not often refer to Ministers but. 438 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

on this occasion, I must say that the Minister for Works and Housing is abreast of what is going on. When I make representations to him I get a "Yes" or a "No", and an explanation why something can or cannot be done. Such a response is greatly appreciated by all honourable members. Mr Vaughan: Would you say he was better than the Minister in charge of police?

Mr LESTER: I wUI not say anything about that. The member for Nudgee holds many shadow portfohos; he is the only Labor member in the House to hear this very important oration from the member for Peak Downs. Mr Vaughan: You have driven everybody else out.

Mr LESTER: I do not think that is so. I am pleased to note that a number of Govem­ ment Ministers have entered the House since I started to speak. That demonstrates their interest in a better deal for the electors of Peak Downs. I should point out that the independent member for Callide is present. Continuing expansion is taking place in the" Central Highlands. The grain industry has not been lucky vrith rainfall, but I am grateful that coal-mining has meant that many new railway lines have been built in the Central Highlands area. For instance, a railway line has been buUt from Tolmies to Gregory and a railway line wiU connect Blair Athol, through the rich KUcummin grain-growing area to the coast. These lines, and other planned railway lines, will mean that grain can be taken to Mackay rather than make the much longer trip to Gladstone. Grain is the in crop at the moment. Most properties seem to be moving away from cattle production to grain growing. Although that is good for employment I am concerned about too much grain being grown in the fringe areas. The same fear was expressed when the great push north started in South AustraUa many years ago. Anyone who travels on the Indian Pacific through the northern pmrts of South AustraUa sees enormous devastation. Much of the fringe grain-growing area is literaUy desert. The top soil has been blown away. That is one reason why so many grain farmers are coming to our area. We should be careful about this trend to grain growing. Everything is wonderful when there is plenty of rain, but with droughts, hot summers and winds, erosion starts and before long the top soil is gone. It is excellent that three Ministers are to visit the gemfields in the near future. Mr Frawley: Don't let the Press get onto that. They wiU be reported as fossicking and they will be in trouble. The Press will fly up there in a heUcopter.

Mr LESTER: The people on the gemfields are stiU talking about the honourable member's visit. They thought he was a very refined gentleman. I do not know whether it was that they did not know the honourable member but he and the honourable member for Barron River gave me a good deal of help when they visited there. It is very necessary that there be an overaU policy for the gemfields that is basically acceptable to all sections of the community in that area, such as the graziers, the machinery miners, the smaU miners and the tourists. There has been talk about it for a long time; but whenever anybody from a poUtical party has gone there to try to sort out the problem, he has ended up with egg on his face. At least I am prepared to have a go. Since I became the member for the area, the situation on the gemfields has become very much more rational and sensible because I have tried to get the groups together. I have had meetings with them and I have got them working together m an effort to come up with an overall policy that will help to overcome the problem. A problem must not be run away from; it must be faced. That is what I have tried to do, and the people there are grateful. I am a Uttle concerned about the supposed decline in the worid demand for coal. Less steel is being used these days in the manufacture of motor cars, and ships are now being built with more aluminium and less steel. The "Sheffield" and other ships that were sunk during the Falklands war contained a good deal of aluminium, and it simply melted. In earlier days, ships were made of steel and were far safer. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 439

Recently I visited a panel-beating shop and looked at a Laser motor car. I am not having a go at the company that manufactures Lasers; my wife drives one. I must confess that I am frightened of her driving any distance in it because its steel is as thin as paper. I do not know how anybody would survive a head-on collision in a Laser or similar car. Mr Vaughan: You asked questions about this. Mr LESTER: I did. I was trying to get something done about it. Mr Vaughan interjected. Mr LESTER: I wiU pursue the matter. It is not a matter of getting a satisfactory answer but of persuading the car manufacturers to use heavier steel so that their cars can stand up to colUsions and fewer people are killed. Mr Vaughan: Weren't you told that it was just as strong? Mr LESTER: No. The modern motor car might be easier to steer and drive and might be less likely to be involved in an accident, but that is not the end of it. If a person is involved in an accident, he must have some protection. The steel used in Volvos, which are renowned for their safety features, is fairly strong. There is no way in the world that a person can be safe in a car that is not built strongly. Mr MiUiner: Have you had any feedback from the Ford Motor Company? Mr LESTER: They have not answered my letter. Frankly, I do not think that the big motor car manufacturers care about the public. Their advertisements show crashes and their results; but, as I said, they do not care about the ordinary member of the public. I am sure, too, that the ordinary member of the public does not care. It is very clear that when most of us enter a motor car we do not think seriously about the consequences if we drive too fast or dangerously. It is only when we coUectively realise that motor cars are not safe that something can be done. The manufacturer wiU say that it costs more money to build a safer motor car. All sorts of stories are advanced as to why it is not feasible to buUd a cheaper motor car. I cannot see why modern motor cars should not have a strong chassis and strong roof supports. Many a driver has become a paraplegic as a result of an accident in which his motor car rolls over, the roof flattens and his neck is broken. Mr Vaughan: Do you reckon that a Volvo is the answer? Mr LESTER: Not everyone can afford a Volvo. The point I am making is that the average motor car should be made stronger at a reduced cost. It is a fact of life that not everyone can afford a Volvo. Society must address itself to the fact that the average car driven by the average citizen is not safe. Motor cars could be made much safer at very little cost. Many modem-day motor cars contain plastic. If a motor car is involved in an accident, the plastic explodes on impact. It is like driving into half a dozen beer bottles; once an explosion occurs, there is no resistance. However, metal will not explode; it merely cmmples. If a plastic bumper-bar explodes, there is no resistance for six inches. That is a subject on which I could talk for a long time. It was necessary to raise it today. I was pleased to hear sensible interjections from the Opposition. It has highlighted a point that is necessary to make in the interests of the safety of all Australians. The cotton industry in my area is progressing. It has experienced some difficulties. A new variety of cotton has been introduced into the Emerald area. The cotton growers are experiencing some difficulties in adjusting to the new variety. As a result, the yields are lower. The average cotton grower in Emerald is reasonably happy with his progress. The Minister for Primary Industries has visited the area. I have discussed with him ways of aUeviating the problems confronting the growers. Reference has already been made to water conservation. If responsible people cannot agree on what to do with the water resources in the North, steps should be taken to connect them aU to the Fairbaim Dam. Water is the asset that we must foster wherever 440 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

we can. The Fairbaim Dam was constmcted in 1972 at a cost of $20m. At the time it was said that the expenditure on that dam was a waste of money. People made comments that it was built for a few graziers. It was caUed all sorts of names, such as Foley's Folly, after a former Labor member, and other stupid names. The dam supplies water to 90-odd cotton farms. It supplies water to the town of Emerald and to many coal-mines in Central Queensland. The Federal Government is reaping benefits of about $60m a year from industries that are supplied whh water from that dam. The lesson we have learned is that the dam has paid for itself over and over again and has made the town of Emerald and district one of the nicest areas in inland Australia. We should apply our minds to all areas of water conservation. Although it costs a great deal of money to build dams, the longer construction is left the more it will cost. Whenever construction is started, people will make money as a result of it. The cost of the dams will be recouped by way of taxation paid by the industries that use the water. We do not seem to be getting this thinking across to Governments. We put a tremendous amount of effort into trying to get money allocated for the Fairbaim Dam. Governments seemed to think that we were a bunch of hicks who did not know what money was all about; yet we have given a lead that many other AustraUans would like to foUow. Mr Hartwig: There should be a Minister in Central Queensland. Mr LESTER: Yes, and we are working on that. We are trying, with some success, to foster the tourist industry in Central Queensland. Now that roads are improving, many tourists in groups and in charter buses are visiting the Central Highlands. They are able to visit the Carnarvon Gorge, the Rannes Fort in Springsure and the Fairbaim Dam and see the cotton and sunflowers growing around Emerald. They are also able to inspect coal-mines in my electorate or in the electorate of the member for Mirani. People in the city might think it is funny that people like to inspect coal-mines, but very few people realise that the body structure of a drag-Une is as high as a four- storey building and that the boom is as high as a 10-storey building—^half the height of the Parliamentary Annexe. Even the inside of a drag-line is about as high as this Chamber and roughly the same size. Mr Randell interjected. Mr LESTER: The honourable member for Mirani has raised a very good point. Many tourists travel along the coast road in a hire vehicle. They then return home by air. That does not make a lot of sense to me. They would be far better off travelling to Caims by air and then travelling by road from Cairns to Charters Towers to Clermont and then branching off through Dysart or Moranbah to the Mackay/Whitsunday area. If they wished, they could branch off at Clermont and travel through Dysart and Middle- mount to Rockhampton and Yeppcon and see all of the sights that I have just mentioned. I would chaUenge any honourable member to look at photographs of beaches at Miami in Florida, Hawaii, Acapulco, the Riviera and the Gold Coast and correctly identify the location of each of the beaches. In other words, I am saydng that, basically, coastUnes throughout the world are very similar but inland areas throughout the world are not. The inland of New Zealand or of Western Australia is different from the inland of Queensland. Many people are beginning to get the message that there is a lot to be seen in the inland. They are traveUing farther west to the Longreach area. I have had the pleasure of driving between Adavale and BlackaU and seeing the beautiful summer flowers in the Listowel VaUey. Air Queensland is doing much to promote tourism in my area with hs Gooney Bird flights, and tourism in that area can be expanded. International flights land in Townsville and Brisbane. Many tourists arriving in TownsvUle do not know where to go—whether to go to Caims or somewhere else. We have to become organised as tourist operators and make sure that people travel around, either by buses or hire cars. There is no point just flying over a country that one is visiting. My wife and I recently had a short trip to New Zealand. To get an idea of the terrain we made sure that where possible we did not fly over it. There is not much to be seen from the air. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 441

Mr Vaughan: Did you hire a car?

Mr LESTER: No. I do enough driving as it is. I went by bus. I never stop driving in my electorate. It is good to get away from it occasionally. I shall now comment on the cattle industry, which seems to be battling at the moment. We have problems with our markets. I wonder whether all this has to be. I cannot help thinking that cattle prices are controlled by merchant bankers, who seem to be able to manipulate prices, such as the price of gold, with the push of a button. Mr MiUiner: That's private enterprise.

Mr LESTER: It is. However, as I pointed out earlier, many of those who were in the cattle industry are now moving into grain. Many of them have never been better off. That is the way private enterprise works. Under a socialist system, freedom of choice is not available. How many people in one facet of business, on finding that it is not profitable, have changed the direction of the business and then found that they have never been better off? How many of us as ordinary people have started off on one line, been disappointed because it has not worked out, changed to something else and then done very well? That is what private enterprise and freedom of choice are all about. I have always stood for that principle. It is one I have used through life. Life for me has not always been easy. I have had my ups and downs over the years, too. However, we keep smiling, we think ahead and we usually make it.

The big announcement for the Central Highlands, which is to be made through the media tonight, is the establishment of a college of technical and further education in Emerald. A branch will be set up at Blackwater. It is not to be called the Emerald college. Under no circumstances am I to be allowed to refer to it as that. It is a college for the Central Highlands. Mr Milliner: What did you want to call it? The Vince Lester College?

Mr LESTER: No. I have just explained—and I give the member for Everton credit for usually listening—that it will be called the Central Highlands College of. Technical and Further Education. Mr Frawley: He is not one of the brighter fellows of the Labor Party, but he's a nice chap.

Mr LESTER: Yes. I think he was off the track that time. Mr Frawley: He's learning. Give him a few more years and he'll be good at this job.

Mr LESTER: Yes. He might be able to attend the Central Highlands college and learn something. Whenever such a project is announced—its estimated cost is over $7m, but it will probably be closer to $10m by the time it is finished—there is always concern as to its location. I have had representations from every part of my electorate—and, indeed, from outside it—as to where it should go. The Central Highlands has been very lucky to have a college allocated to it. There has been competition from other parts of the State. We have secured it because of the need that has been established in that area. If the various towns start arguing about where it should be put instead of thinking about the area as a whole, we could well lose the college to somewhere else. It is far better that people in Blackwater travel by bus to Emerald, that people in Clermont travel by bus to Emerald, that people in Capella travel by bus to Emerald and that people in Moranbah and other areas travel by bus to Emerald than for all of them to have to travel 500 miles to Brisbane and be accommodated here for two or three weeks for training. I am quite sure that a suitable bus service wUl be operated.

From the point of view of administration of the Central Highlands, in some ways it would be desirable if one large city was established and everything radiated from it. That would mean the establishment of one massive base hospital and a TAFE college and that nobody would have to travel a great distance. 442 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Anyone who lives in the bush has to cope with the fact that a number of towns are spread over a large area, that only one city can have such facilities, and that therefore it has to become the centre. But I am pleased that a branch of the TAFE coUege will be established at Blackwater in order to help the people in that expanding and very progressive town. The establishment of this facility is a highlight of my parliamentary career because I battled for this college or a university of some sort for a long, long time. When I was a candidate at my first election, in 1972, and I stood against the late Hughie O'Donnell, part of my electoral platform was the establishment of such a college. People said, "Vince, you are mad. You are thinking too far ahead." Not more than 10 years have passed, and the announcement of its construction has been made. Everybody should heed the lesson from that and look ahead, because, more often than not, what may appear to be an impossible dream for the future becomes, because times change, not only a reality but also a right. I am still greatly concerned about the lack of specialist health services in country areas. The people of my electorate are very honoured and pleased that the Governor (Sir James Ramsay), on a recent visit to the gemfields, announced that the Flying Doctor, of which he is patron, will visit the gemfields on a regular basis. That did not come about by good luck or even, to be quite honest, by good work by the member for Peak Downs, who tried very hard. Had it not been for the people themselves, through the Lions Qub and other helpers, who buUt a community hall out of the old post office and took up a great cry for this service, the area still would have been without the service. That is also a very good lesson. People have to get off their tails and instead of crying about the lack of some facility do somethmg about it. My electors were able to say, "We put this hall here. Let us use it."

Mr MENZEL (Muigrave) (4.18 p.m.): First of aU, I pledge my loyalty and that of my constituents to the Queen. We are indeed privileged to live in a democracy such as this and can count our lucky stars. I prefer living in this type of a democracy to living in the one that Hugh Hamilton and others are trying to create. Much has been said about the role that water resources should play, especially on the coastal plains of Far North Queensland. In past years flood mitigation and drainage have been almost totally neglected in the area. No doubt as a whole the State is regarded as a dry one, so that over the years our attention has been drawn more to irrigation. I do not wish to draw anything away from the need for irrigation, but the areas I represent have a great need for flood mitigation and drainage. The cost of the flood problem to both the State and the sugar industry is becoming greater and greater. Some people in the sugar industry have estimated that in the area between Townsville and Mossman in some years the industry loses up to $33m from flooding and bad drainage. That is a substantial loss for one year. Some people who probably do not understand the problem have said that sugar-cane should not be grown in swamps and similar areas. It might be hard to believe, but for perhaps 50 years cane has been grown in a large number of the areas that are now suffering. The land has been cleared and the rivers have then silted up. It is not the fault of the farmers; it is the result of the development that has taken place. Nevertheless, the growers and the sugar-millers have biult up the infrastructure, and it would be wrong to let it all go down the drain year after year.

It is a serious problem that must be tackled. Over the years, the Govemment has spent nothing on flood mitigation in those areas. There have been investigati(Mis, but that is not enough. There is a real need for positive action. The river improvement tmsts have done an excellent job Mr Davis: Hasn't the area that you represent been represented by a member of the National Party for the last 24 years?

Mr MENZEL: That is tme, and the former member did an exceUent job. Mr Davis: He couldn't have done an exceUent job; he has done nothing about flood mitigation. Address m Reply 24 August 1982 443

Mr MENZEL: If the honourable member had listened to what I said, he would know that the problem in the river systems has graduaUy been getting worse because of continued development. The area has had good representation. Development in the sugar mdustry and associated industries has caused the problem. It has not existed for long; it has occurred gradually as the area has developed. The honourable member might be opposed to development, but I am not. I am all for progress, and if development is to t^e place the necessary infrastmcture must be provided.

To return to the subject of river improvement trusts—I see that once again money has been provided for the trusts for the current financial year. However, that is reaUy only a drop in the bucket when one considers what needs to be done. River improvement trusts really provide only a band-aid solution after flooding by restoring banks and so on. They do nothing about problems that exist further downstream. Far too much of the burden has been placed on individual land-owners, who are expected to restore river- banks after flooding even though the damage is really not their fault but probably has been caused by water being pushed downstream faster than normal. A farmer is expected to make a large contribution to a river improvement trust to restore banks even though he did not cause the problem in the first place. He suffers because of a problem upstream.

Recently a Babinda grower was transferred to the Burdekin area. I was informed that once he was transferred a drain on his property would be straightened and diverted to the Russell River so that other land-owners would get some relief. There are five cane-growers in the vicinity who are suffering badly from the effects of the drain and other problems that have occurred over the years. Unfortunately, the remaining growers seem to have been forgotten by the Water Resources Commission. The AustraUan Sugar Producers Association and the Cane Growers Council made a big fuss about the one grower out of six who was transferred to the Burdekin and wUl be O.K. But what about the other _ growers? The recent rain in Far North Queensland has flooded their farms. A large drain has been built, and I am all for it, but it has increased the flow rate and caused the flooding of other properties. The Water Resources Commission seemsto think that it has solved the problem by transferring this one grower, but I beUeved at the time that it was a mistake and that there were other ways to tackle the problem. I hope that the Water Resources Commission solves the problem before the coming slack season. People will be in serious trouble if it continues because it is affecting production in the Babinda area. Although farmers have been in production for many years, they may well be forced to walk off their properties. It is wrong that cane farmers should be sorely affected by these problems. I support the Government's stand against shorter working hours. The sugar industry made a mistake when it agreed to shorter working hours, and many people in the industry regret what they did. The rank-and-file employees did not get the true picture of what would happen if shorter working hours were granted. I understand that the agreement was based on an extra cost of no more than 1 per cent, but most sugar areas estimate that it will cost at least 6 per cent. I have never seen the sugar industry so desperately short of funds. It has been down on its knees since last year and, at present, there seems to be no hope of improvement. For some unknown reason the sugar industry leaders, of whom I am very critical, granted a 38-hour week one year, and a 36-hour week the following year. That was the niost ridiculous action ever taken by the sugar industry, especiaUy in times of depressed prices when cane fanners are walking off their farms. The heavy demands are being made on the Government for carry-on finance and rural reconstruction. The industry should adopt a responsible attitude and immediately approach both the State and Federal Governments for a loan to back up No. 1 pool psrice to at least $250 a tonne, which, in my opinion, is not high enough. It is rumoured in the industry that No. 1 pool price will be about $200, and certainly not more than $220 a tonne. Irrespective of his c.c.s. results, no cane farmer can operate on that basis. Every cane farmer in the industry will go backwards at that price. Because it takes a long time to get through all the red tape, the sugar industry should make an immediate approach. The proper channels have to be used when such a serious step is taken. By the same token, industry leaders should not hesitate to seek support from the State and Federal Governments. 444 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Recently, the Commonwealth Government announced that it would give $10m to help restore Lebanon after the different factions tried to destroy the dty of Beirut. While we are trying to do the right thing, the Federal Government is prepared to waste $10m, and I say "waste" advisedly. I have every sympathy for the people of Lebanon, but charity should begin at home. Many people in the sugar industry are suffering. Many employees will suffer from a long slack season and many farmers, if not all, will suffer a long, lean slack season. Farmers to whom I have spoken are having difficulty in paying their fertiliser and fuel bills. They can carry on during the season when there is a continuing cash flow but, in the slack season, cash advances are slower because the growers are not sending cane to the mUls for crushing. It is true that expenses are lower in the slack season. Many growers carried over huge debts from last year. I am not speaking only about Babinda, because cane growers right throughout the State are in financial straits. The situation is 10 times worse this year than it was last year. Every business or farming interest has a break-even point and at present sugar growers are operating well below it. Another fact that fortifies my statement that the sugar industry is in a bad way is that Versatile Toft and Massey-Ferguson are laying people off. I understand that Versatile Toft looks like shutting down completely. Those companies are laying off hundreds of employees because money is not available for the farmers to replace harvesters and tractors. It is high time that something was done to assist them. I have a few critical comments to make about the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. I admit that it has a role to play. Perhapw a similar body could be set up. Mr Hooper: Would you broaden its base?

Mr MENZEL: I would not broaden its base. I would reduce it. One of its functions is to control the sale price of cane farms. Very few sales would be made at the price set by that board. Mr Davis: Do you approve of the way the Queensland Government has sold out the sugar industry by supporting the Ord River scheme?

Mr MENZEL: The honourable member does not know what he is talking about. The Queensland Government has not sold out the Queensland sugar industry. Mr Davis: You will admit that it did earUer on and it is now trying to back out?

Mr MENZEL: If the honourable member will give me time I wiU answer him. There are people in the Queensland sugar industry who have sold the industry down the drain. They have been kidding to the people in the Ord River scheme for too long. Mr Davis: Who are they?

Mr MENZEL: I will not name them. If the honourable member knew anything about the sugar industry he would know better than to ask such a question. It is about time he did a little research. I would say that some Opposition members know who I am speaking about. I am sure that the honourable member does. Some people in the Queensland industry have sold it down the drain. They kidded to the industry. They gave farmers on the Ord the technology to grow the cane and they lent them the services of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations. I have been to the Ord River area and I know that the farmers there have been shown a lot by Queensland. Things have gone so far that we cannot stop them now. I would say that members of the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board know that very few cane farms in Queensland are sold at the ceiling price set by the board. Mr Blake: You say they are black-marketed, in other words?

Mr MENZEL: The honourable member can use whatever term he likes. I a^ certain that some money passes under the table in the purchase of beach blocks something else. I suggest that the board should either enforce the law, which it is supposeo Address in Reply 24 August 1982 445 to do, or say that it wUl no longer have any control over the price of farms. The board's effect is minimal anyway. Its actions only increase the cost to growers who are buying and selling. A cane farm should be sold and bought at the price the buyer agrees on. The board does not restrict.the price of cane farms at all. If anything, it bumps up the price of cane farms. The agents who seU cane farms say, "The Central Sugar Cane Prices Board fixes the price at $100 a tonne of peak." That is what everyone works on, and the price keeps mcreasing. That is a bad thing. If people worked out the cost on a piece of paper, a more sensible approach would be adopted towards the price of cane farms. Mr Davis: What would you suggest the price of cane should be at the present time?

Mr MENZEL: If I was receiving $30 a tonne for my cane, I would probably be satisfied. However, I will be flat out receiving $14 or $15 a tonne. Mr Davis: But you are still a very rich man, aren't you?

Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question is irrelevant.

Mr MENZEL: The grower and miller representatives on the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board should be changed. They should be totally independent people who are not tied to either the Queensland Cane Growers Council or to CSR. I am not in any way denegrating individuals, but at present it is a well-known fact within the industry, with which I have been associated for a long time, that the growers' representative on the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board carries out the wishes of the Queensland Cane Growers Ctouncil and that the millers' representative carries out the wishes of CSR. That is wrong. The Government should take stepK to ensure that the growers' representative and the millers' representative are adequately paid so that they are not tied to any one body and are able to make an independent assessment. Anyone who has been connected with the various board hearings would know that those persons find it very hard to make an independent decision. The only independent person is the judge. People then say, "He has the casting vote." That is wrong. More people should be making the decision. Why have a board comprised of a number of members if they are not free to make their own decision? I do not believe that that has been happening. That must be changed. I am pleased that the Minister for Primary Industries is in the Chamber. I am concerned about the representatives of the Department of Primary Industries on the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. About a year ago I read a report to the effect—^I think it was Mr Peter Hamilton Mr Hooper: Why can't you get off sugar and get on to something else?

Mr MENZEL: I wHl get on to something else in a minute, and I might get on to the honourable member if he is not careful. Sugar plays a very important role in the Muigrave electorate. Mr Hamilton said that all future expansion should perhaps be centred in the Burdekin area. They might not be his exact words, but that is what he meant. That was an unfortunate comment because I feel that he really did not know what he was talking about. He should not have made that comment. Mr Ahern: There is no intention by the Government to interfere with the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. Mr Davis: We in the sugar growing areas are concerned about CSR still being our overseas representative! What are your views on that?

Mr MENZEL: CSR does an excellent job in marketing. I do not think that anyone, including the member for Brisbane Central, would be any more skUled or have the know-how to do the job, especially in the difficult times that are currently facing the industry. Although there has been a great deal of talk over the years that some other body should replace it. no-one has come up with a suggestion as to what would be better. 446 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

I am not suggesting that any one body would be better. CSR is highly competent and skilled in its work. It is looking after its own interests. If its interests were on the same plane as the interests of the growers, the growers would be looked after very weU. Reference has been made to smaller class sizes. I have spoken to many teachers, and I hold the view that we have a long way to go in the reduction of class sizes. More class­ rooms are needed in many schools throughout the State. I will be very disappointed if the Treasurer, in his Budget, places emphasis on reducing class sizes and not on providing more class-rooms. I fully support what the member for Mourilyan said about the Innisfail High School. It needs more class-rooms, libraries Mr Miller: And specialist teachers.

Mr MENZEL: Yes. That should be done before consideration is given to reducing class sizes. The question of class sizes has been turned into a political football. I intend to adopt a more responsible attitude than the Queensland Teachers Union has adopted and suggest that, first, children should be accommodated in more reasonable class-rooms. Some teachers settle in an area of the State and want to remain there for the rest of their working lives, and the department tends to allow them to do so. That is wrong. AU teachers should be subject to regular transfer, not just at a time when promotion is in the air. Some teachers want to spend some time in the better areas of the State but they cannot get a transfer to those areas because other teachers are entrenched there for some reason or another. When a transfer is suggested to them, they say, "1 bought my house and I am entitled to stop in this place for life." As I say, that is wrong. All teachers should be treated equally. Teachers, policemen and public servants should be prepared to accept transfer from time to time. That is p>art of their job. The majority of teachers want more class-rooms rather than smaUer class sizes. Many young men and women in my electorate wish to become farmers, and the Government should provide assistance to enable them to establish themselves on farms. It was difficult 10 or 15 years ago to get people to go on to the land; in fact, people were moving to the cities in droves. Now, some people reaUse that city life is not all that it is supposed to be. Mr Moore: You have to earn a Uving somewhere.

Mr MENZEL: Yes. We should be encouraging people to remain on the land or to move on to the land. There are many beautiful farms on the Atherton Tableland, and I hope that the Government does not establish any more national parks in the area. There are too many national parks now. I hope that the so-called conservationists read my speech and, in pjarticular, this part of it. They want aU land to be made a national park. The funny thing about conservationists is that they all drive cars, burn up petrol and live on the sides of hills—at Bayview Heights, for example. Mr Row: And eat crayfish.

Mr MENZEL: Yes. They want everything their way. They are hypocrites. It rains frequently, and sometimes very heavily, on the Atherton Tableland. Dairy farmers, particularly in the Topjaz and Butcher's Creek areas in the vicinity of Mt Bartle Frere, experience some of the highest rainfall in Australia. Whether it is wet or dry, milk trucks use the roads in that area and do a great deal of damage to them. They are sometimes slippery and dangerous when the school buses use them. I appeal to the Government to spend greater funds on our roads—and in that area in particular—in an effort to alleviate the problems. They are not just ordinary roads, but are subject to high rainfall and constant use. The fact that children use them is an added circumstance that should be taken into consideration. I pay tribute to the Government for its continuing expenditure on the Palmerston Highway. It is most important that that highway maintain its high priority for funds and that it be completed as soon as possible. It is an asset not only to the people of North Queensland but also to tourists. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 447

I hope that the Department of Education commences work on a new Atherton primary school as scon as possible. I would like to see provision for it in the coming Budget. The existing primary school is overcrowded. Something needs to be done urgently about providing a new school. The shire council has co-operated over the years to help obtain a site for a new school in Atherton. A beautiful site is available. I thank the Minister for Education for the new science block at the Atherton High School. It is a much-needed facUity and is greatly appreciated by the people in the district. Mention was made earUer about the need in northern areas, because of the weather, for more covered walkways and playgrounds. If the children get wet soon after arriving at school in the morning, they are wet and cold all day. It is a serious problem, although one that is probably not experienced in the drier parts of the State. Perhaps it is overlooked to some extent. I know that the Government has done much in some areas, but more ought to be done to cover walkways and playgrounds. The aUowance for the upkeep of grounds in smaller country schools in my area of Far North Queensland should be increased. There is no comparison between them and those in the drier, western parts of our State. In view of the fast rate at which grass grows in "the wet coastal regions, more funds should be allocated for the upkeep of the schoolgrounds in those areas. Mr Tenni: We need at least three times the amount.

Mr MENZEL: I agree with that. I am concemed about the number of police in North Queensland. Brawls and fights are continuing in Babinda. They have broken out on two Saturdays in a row. I have spoken to the poUce about the matter. Unfortunately, the poUce strength in Babinda has been reduced by two, and I am extremely disappointed about that. Mr Tenni: Mr Hooper recommended it.

Mr MENZEL: I cannot believe that is so. I would be disappointed if it were. Small police stations have enough problems without reductions in staff. I have had submissions by various groups in my electorate that one and two-man poUce stations should be given a secretary to man the stations, aUowing police out on the beat. If the phone is manned at all times by a secretary, the police could be alerted on the two-way radio in times of emergency. It would be of tremendous assistance if police could be relieved of much of their paperwork. They could then give better protection to the citizens of North Queensland.

Mr McLEAN (BuUmba) (4.50 p.m.): It gives me great pleasure to enter the debate and put forward my opinions of the Govemment's performance. I have listened to Government member after Government member speak of the wonderful achievements of the Govemment of this State, to such an extent that I was beginning to feel that they lived in a different world from the one with which I come in contact each day. Mr Akers: You are reading that speech.

Mr McLEAN: I am reading part of it. I have notes, just as some other members had. Mr Akers: But that was written before you heard the other speeches.

Mr McLEAN: The honourable member for Pine Rivers wiU have his chance later. If he listens, he may learn something. Government member after Government member has claimed the glory of the Govemment's great performance, congratulated himself, begun with the same spiel and then veered off and admitted that things are not so good after aU. But, of course, that is not the fault of this Government; if there are problems they are aU caused by the terrible Federal Government that we suffer. National Party members have obviously tried to put a smoke-screen over the performance of an old, tired, sick and pathetic Govemment. Speeches from Liberal Party members have desperately tried to justify 448 24 August 1982 Address in Reply their weak, frustrated and lap>-dog performances in this old, tired Govemment. Ahnost every Government member has tried to blame the Federal Govemment for every ill that exists in Queensland. Mr Tenni interjected. Mr McLEAN: My speech is obviously touching a raw nerve. We have heard about the Federal Government, which has made cut-backs in so many areas, promised so much and deUvered so Uttle, and mistaxed, mismanaged and Ued to the people of Queensland. We have heard all of these arguments put by member after member. But what we have not heard is that the Federal Government is run by the Liberal and National Parties, the same parties that run this State. Once again we have seen the age- old confidence trick of this tired, incompetent and particularly bad Tory Government criticising its blood brothers in Canberra and trying to get out from under by passing the buck. I now turn to an analysis of the Liberal and National Parties at both State and Federal levels. They have the same poUcies, the same thoughts, the same anti-worker feelings, and exactly the same types of members. They have complete control over the Treasury benches in Queensland and Canberra. How many times have we heard in this House Government members go back to the era of the Whitlam Govemment and point out very thoroughly that the ALP poUcies were the problem? Quite conveniently, that argument is now forgotten and the same National and Liberal Party members blame Fraser and his Government, not the overall policies of both their parties. Mr Kmger: Things are worse, at that.

Mr McLEAN: That is for sure. One could quite easily be forgiven for believing that they belong to another party and have no say in the disastrous policies of the Federal Government. I would have thought, as would any sane, thinking person, that the policies that they are implementing, which are so disastrous for Australia, are the policies decided in the convention rooms of their parties. Let us try to be honest. The Federal policies that are not working, that are proving, after some seven years, to be inadequate, incompetent and deceitful, are the same policies that the National-Liberal Govemment is inflicting on the people of Queensland. The efforts of this Government are proving to be just as useless to the vast majority of workers in this State as are the pathetic efforts of their blood-brothers in Canbena. The fact is that the Government has failed the great majority of Queenslanders in very many areas. The Queensland Government has been in power for too long and the rot has set in. The old and tired Cabinet is made up of National Party incompetents and yes-men and a Liberal Party representation of weak-kneed crawlers. The Government has about it a strong smell of decay. The ever-present conflict, the regular scandals, the chaos, confusion and mismanagement on a scale never previously seen in the State are constant signs that the Government is crumbling. All honourable members will recaU the 1981 report of the State Auditor-General, which contains more than 20 allegations of financial mismanagement, iUegal loans, share deals, departmental losses, bad debts, crime and irregularities and discrepancies involving miUions of dollars. I wUl touch on just a few. We have a $158. Im loss on State railway operations, an increase of $15.5m over the previous year, representing 32.7 per cent of operational income. The deficit is four times higher than in 1972-73, and it has lifted total losses in the past eight years to $863.6m. We have seen a $100,000 loan without security over 15 years at 1 per cent interest for the last 10 years for the constmction of a flameless incineration plant at the Cannon Hill abattoir. The plant was found to be unsuitable and has since been dismantled for sale. The Queensland Meat Industry and Marketing Authority has the responsibility to report annuaUy to State ParUament, but it has not done so since 1978. Share investments worth $14.6m in Evans Deakin Industries Limited and Walkers Limited were approved by Cabinet, but they were unauthorised according to Mr Peel. The cost of frozen meals in South-east Queensland hospitals and institutions Address in Reply 24 August 1982 449 was underestimated by $lm or 33 per cent through faUure to include depreciation of certain construction costs. Ten per cent of safety inspections of construction projects and 33 per cent of motor vehicle inspections were not performed because of insufficient staff. There have been Government revenue losses because of the failure of companies to lodge annual returns and pay statutory fees. There have been land rent debts worth ahnost $800,000, some dating back several years. There is a $267.52m unliquidated liabiUty in the Police Superannuation Fund, a rise of $137.5m in three years. We have seen overrecruitment of the Police Force by 126 without the prior approval of Cabinet and the transfer of unforeseen expenditure of $716,869 into 1981-82 appropriations. We have heard of a $1.2m net loss by the Agricultural Bank and a sum of $1.7m owed to the Queensland Water Resources Commission, of which $210,382 has been outstanding for more than a year. They are just some of the anomalies. Almost daUy we see instances of complete incompetence by weak Ministers; we see an ever-worsening performance by a back bench which is worried only about the next Cabinet appointment and we see a tired old Premier with his one-man-band approach and his do-it-my-way-or-else style of govemment. That is not good enough for the people of Queensland. We have heard the Premier time and time again threaten Ministers with a blatant and quite improper exercise of individual power. No one man should be allowed to impose his wUl on a Clabinet of Ministers. No parliamentary system can survive such a dictatorial style. Mr Bjelke-Petersen has brought the parliamentary system in Queensland into question, and most certainly into disrepute. Parliament in this State is a farce, and Cabinet in this State is a disgrace. The Liberal Party quite obviously has the answer, but its members have proved that they cannot stand up for themselves, and so they must shoulder much of the blame. Mr Hooper: As a responsible member of this Parhament, did you reaUy accept the explanation of the Minister for Water Resources and Aboriginal and Island Affairs and the Minister for Commerce and Industry about their trip to the Torres Strait islands?

Mr McLEAN: I thought it was typical of Government Ministers. Mr Hooper: Do you think they told Ues? Mr Prest: Untmths, anyway.

Mr McLEAN: Untruths, anyway. Liberal Party^ members faU into Une on every occasion that they have the chance to make the necessary changes. The Liberal Party in this State has lost all credibUity. We see the Liberal Party leader and Deputy Premier playing the role of a figure-head who jumps when he is told to by the Premier, with his only question probably being, "How high?" We see a Cabinet which cannot make a decision by itself or, on the rare occasion it has the hide to do so, has that decision reversed publicly by the Premier when and however he likes. I repeat that the performance of this tired old Govemment is not good enough for the people of Queensland; they deserve much better. Let us look at the results of some of the decisions and poUcies of this Govemment. Probably the most important at the moment, and certainly the first that comes to mind, is the drastic industrial relations situation. We are now seeing the resuUs of the Premier's atthude towards the trade union movement and industrial relations. Let us look at the shuation of the State Govemment's blue-coUar employees' claim for a shorter working week, and what has developed. Here we have a dispute that could cripple Queensland, yet it is predominantly a dispute between the Premier and the unions, one that is unnecessary and unwarranted. It is a dispute that has been caused and accelerated by this confrontationist, anti-worker, anti-union Premier. We have seen in full flight the disgraceful arrogance of the Premier and his complete disregard for the people of Queensland so that he can satisfy his in-buih, blind hatred of unions, a hatred so strong that any common sense he may have had has been completely lost. His blind hatred, coupled with his arrogant disregard for the consequences of the dispute wiU cost Queensland and Queenslanders millions of dollars, without mentioning the suffering and misery of so many thousands of famiUes. This unnecessary and unwarranted suffering will be caused by the confrontationist attitude of this man whh a fanatical Right-wing obsession and hatred of workers and organised labour. 450 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

The whole shuation was created by the Premier, backed and supported eventually by his frightened yes-men in Cabinet. This man is prepared to put conflict and hatred before common sense and consultation, to the point where Queensland will be brought to its knees, I wiU outline some of the actions taken and statements made by the Premier during this conflict. The statements back up my criticism of this man's sincerity relative to solving the problem. Firstiy, there was the declaration of a state of emergency under the very provocative Essential Services Act. All honourable members know that this unworkable, vicious legislation provides for the deregistration of unions, fines on unions and union officials of up to 550,000, the gaoling of union officials and strike-breakers, and civU action by businesses against unions. Dr Lockwood: What's wrong with that?

Mr McLEAN: That's good? That is what I would expect from members on the Govern­ ment side of the House. The Premier then made statements such as, "I don't care if the railways close down. They can shut for ever so far as I am concerned." That is a great statement coming from a man supposedly trying to heal a dispute! Mr Jones: A leader!

Mr McLEAN: Yes, a leader! The Premier also said, "We promised them something new every day and that's what they'll get." and, "The longer they go the deeper they'll get into a mess." Those statements were made after the Premier had ordered the suspension of over 3 000 railway workers. They were made after the unions had acted in a very responsible, restrained way by shortening their proposed 48-hour stoppage to a 24-hour stoppage. The decision to suspend the workers was an extremely damaging and provocative one that is very difficult to understand if the Government really wanted to solve the problem. It is quite obvious that the solving of the dispute was far from the mind of the Premier. He inflamed the situation deliberately, and intentionally stirred more trouble by his action. Queensland is in chaos because of his blind hatred of unions and his inflexibility. While the Premier satisfies his personal ego, the people of Queensland suffer. Surely on the Government side of the House there is someone who has the brains to see the very desperate situation we are in, someone who can act to ensure that the whole dispute is handled correctly. It must be taken out of the hands of the Premier and handled by some person or persons who are responsible and who will show some degree of common sense. The introduction of a shorter working week on an industry basis is inevitable and desirable. The same realism must apply, eventually, to voluntary early retirement. On looking at the shorter working week issue, we see that the State Government public servants have enjoyed a 36i-hour week—now with flexitime—since 1947. Some 35 years later, another group of workers is asking for the same entitlement. Surely 35 years is more than a fair waiting-time, and it is not an unreasonable request. But not according to the Premier. He has decided to oppose not only the request, but also to make some of the most provocative statements possible to stir up as much trouble as possible. I congratulate the unions, their officials and the workers concerned on their very restrained, responsible actions leading up to this dispute. They have been forced to take the action they have taken. They have had little alternative in the light of the Government's provocative stand. I guarantee the Premier that the workers will win this battle; they will win because they have right on their side. The Premier has tried, and is still trying, to destroy a basic right that has beconie part of the living standards and way of life in Australia, that is, the right of workers to withhold their labour. He and his Government will find that the power and determination of workers wrongly done by will be much more than has been anticipated. The Government and the Address m Reply 24 August 1982 451

Premier are not the first to attempt to break that power. It has been attempted many times over the years. The workers have not been beaten yet in the long term, and I assure the Premier that they will not be beaten on this occasion. The time has come for the Premier to learn that workers can be pushed only so far and wUl not accept the treatment that is presently being dished out to them in the area of industrial relations. The time is well overdue when a sensible industrial relations policy must be implemented m this State, a policy designed to guarantee the right of all Queens­ landers to full and secure employment, a safe and healthy environment and freedom from discrimination in the work-place. In times when the challenge of changing technology requires adjustment, the priority of Government industrial strategy must be to reduce community tensions. This can be done by the development of a co-operative, compatible climate. This approach has been adopted in many countries, and the countries having the most success are those that accepted the fact that workers must have a say and do have an important role to play in industry, not only through their labour but also by being part of the decision-making on matters that affect their employment. Again and again over recent years in Queensland, confrontation has divided com­ munities that should have more in common than differences. This senseless confrontation in industrial matters must be replaced with a consensus through conciliation and consultation. The Government has the answer to these problems. The unworkable and unwarranted Essential Services Act must be repealed. It is a hateful and provocative law of a trade- union-hating Government. Industrial peace cannot exist when there are threats such as those contained in that law. We constantiy hear the Premier attacking the unions over industrial disputes. We constantiy hear him state that industrial disputes are causing most of the problems in our economy. He is constantly heard attacking unions for attempting to gain full and secure employment, adequate standards of living and a safe and healthy work-place. But has he ever given figures on industrial accidents and occupational diseases? Does he or any other Government member give the true figures on a comparison between time lost through industrial stoppages and time lost for other reasons? No! The statistics show that at least three times more days are lost each year in Queensland from industrial accidents and occupational diseases than through industrial stoppages. In some years the figure rises to five timesmore . Do we hear of the Government setting up inquiries into problems such as those which cost the State so much more than the favourite hobby-horse, which is strikes? No! The Government's small expenditure on an investigation into the causes of accidents and research into occupational diseases indicates its attitude to the welfare and well-being of workers. It reflects the tme thoughts and alliances of this particularly bad Tory Govemment in this area. The Premier is determined to break the trade unions and he has most obviously become obsessed with that objective. The Government is supporting him and by so doing is helping to create a very undesirable situation. I shall now tpuch on a matter that I tried to raise the other day when a Government member claimed that it had nothing to do with the argument. It deals with an area in which I have worked and in which I was affected by non-coverage by unions. On many occasions I personally came into contact whh the results of exploitation of workers. I refer to the years I spent as a union official on the waterfront. In my capacity I came in contact with hundreds of overseas seamen and personally fought for the right of those seamen to decent wages and an acceptable standard of living. A Government Member interjected.

Mr McLEAN: I want to say something about this matter for the benefit of one Government member. I have acted on behalf of the International Transport Workers Federation and have been associated with the Seamens Union. I have seen instances of the full implications of non-union coverage. I have seen cases of the exploitation of labour that were so bad that even my superconservative opponents on the Government side should sit up and take notice. 452 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Dr Lockwood: That happened because the union reps sat in the bar drinking and let it happen. Mr McLEAN: What rubbish! The honourable member will learn something if he listens. I have seen ships enter Brisbane and other ports flying flags of convenience. Mr Moore: If you delivered your speech instead of reading the damn thing, it would be more interesting. Mr McLEAN: In view of the speeches made by the honourable member for Windsor, I doubt very much whether that is so. The ships were flying flags of convenience and were owned by multimillionaire shipovmers. The shipw came into the ports in a disgraceful condition. They were infested with rats and lice. Mr Prest: Were they doctors and real estate agents?

Mr McLEAN: Possibly. I have seen ships come into port with crews' food so rotten that it would be impossible to eat. Some crews have not eaten a decent meal in weeks because they have not been supplied with one. I have seen unbeUevable living quarters in which there was no room to move. The cabins were overcrowded. Clean sheets and bedding have not been supplied for weeks or months. Hot water was not available on some ships. Some crews have not been paid for months. Lifeboats have been unseaworthy. On some ships no provisions were on board in case of accidents. I have seen crews from underprivileged countries who were frightened and threatened. On one occasion I was caUed out in conjunction with a Seamens Union delegate to a Greek ship concerning a wages complaint. When we arrived on the ship we found a frightened Pakistani crew who would not speak because they were terrified. EventuaUy we discovered that there were grounds for complaint. The crew were signing two pay sheets and receiving no wages. They had been underpaid for 12 months; they had not been paid for five months. For the last two weeks at sea they had no food but rice. There was an inadequate supply of food before that. There was sickness on the ship and no treatment available. On the same ship a crew member with a broken arm was being made to work in the engine-room. The crew had been bashed by an officer. There was undermanning of the ship and the crew were working long hours. Members of the crew had been on the ship for two years with no chance of getting home. On the same ship there were unseaworthy lifeboats that were unstocked with provisions. Upon checking the back pay owing to the crew, we obtained $110,000 that was owing to them. I am talking about some very nice people! Four years ago I visited the ITF headquarters in London and saw the fuU implications of the work being done by that organisation. The millions of doUars that are pending in claims against the same unscrupulous shipowners by the ITF proved to me beyond doubt the virtual necessity of unions. Those shipowners are nothing more than slave traders using the labour of underprivUeged and disadvantaged people. Look at the type of people who are involved. The shipyping magnates are the very people one reads about in the international papers because of their playboy activities- people like Onassis, who can afford to pay $600,000 for a diamond ring for his wife but cannot afford to feed or to pay wages to his crew. I realise that detailing the exploits of those Greek shipping parasites seems far from the situation in Queensland. However, I am convinced that, given the chance, quite a few Government members, including the Premier, would quite wUlingly do the same thing to workers. At a time such as now with economic turmoil and uncertainty, it is ever so important that Governments seem to be stable, particularly in the industrial relations area. In times of economic disarray the most far-reaching damage can be done not only in industry Address in Reply 24 August 1982 453 but to the smooth mnning of the whole work-force. It has been proved many times in history that the type of tactics being used by the Premier will not work and that workers wUl not accept standover tactics. When the backlash comes, it wiU be far greater than the short-term victories that the Premier so proudly boasts about. The promotion of good industrial relations is fundamental to any program to improve living standards and workmg conditions. Unless workers receive a share of production, chaos must eventuate. Australia is fast becoming the luckless country of thousands of people, be they pensioners, unemployed or workers on or below the average wage.

Daily, more and more Australians are slipping into poverty. The policies of the National-Liberal Parties are making a society of superrich and a larger section of superpoor. An ever-increasing number of people, particularly the young, are being excluded from receiving a reasonable and fair share of the nation's development. We see very obvious instances of wealthy Australians and large Australian and overseas companies paying little or no tax and being subsidised through the taxation paid by middle and low income earners and pension and other social security recipients.

In AustraUa, the lucky country, more than 1.5 million people are living below the poverty fine, and Queensland has more than its share of that number. As I see it, the most penalised are the 16-17-year-old unemployed who are living away from home. An article in the "Telegraph" of 20 August 1982 contained some frightening facts. It stated that 42 per cent of aU admissions to the Salvation Army's Brisbane hostel for men and women are under 18 years of age. It also stated that one-third of those who stay at the St Vincent de Paul shelters for homeless men are under 25 years of age and one-sixth are under 18 years of age. A single unemployed person under 18 years of age receives $36 from the Commonwealth Government. On 1 November, after eight years at that level the benefit will rise to $40 a week. How can a young single person survive in this city or in any other chy on that amount?

Fraser has proved beyond doubt that he cannot handle the economy of Australia. After five or six years of his mismanagement, this country is in the greatest mess of all time. We have aU heard that the Whitlam Govemment was a bad manager of the economy because it tried to do too much. What can be said about the present Federal Government? It has done nothing. It has failed badly in its one and only objective, which was to reduce inflation. It told us not to worry about unemployment because it was fighting inflation first. It has been doing that for the last seven years and we see no improvement in inflation, but we most certainly have seen the effects of unemployment.

Mr Blake: They have tumed out the lights.

Mr McLEAN: The Federal Government has tumed out the lights in that area.

Unemployment is the most pressing problem facing Australia today. Unemployment is about emotional and intellectual poverty. Unemployment is about loneliness and boredom. Unemployment is a basic factor that breaks the very fabric of our society. Unemployment has grown over the period of the Fraser Government untU it has reached its present stage, and the future looks even grimmer. I refer to an article that ap^peared in "The Courier-MaU" on 12 July 1982. It contained a statement by the Commonwealth Minister for Industry and Commerce (Sir PhilUp Lynch). It stated— '"I have never encountered a more difficult economic environment than that which faces the world today,' Sir Phillip told the annual state conference of Chambers of Commerce and industry. He told delegates that the decline in world trade, for the first time in 20 years, was causing 'a huge burden in Australia and throughout the rest of the world'. In Clanberra, a university survey claimed that teenage girls and adult males were bearing the brunt of the recent unemployment increase. The study also said that unemployment figures for these groups would be much worse except that many have given up looking for work. The study claimed that an improvement in teenage unemployment last year really disguised a large withdrawal of teenagers from the workforce. 454 24 August 1982 Address in Rfiply

These points are made in the latest issue of the Australian Bulletin of Labor, pubUshed by the National Institute of Labor Studies at Adelaide's Flinders University." It goes on and on and cites some alarming figures. Speaker after spe;^ker on the Government side in this debate have congratulated themselves on the wonderful performance of this Government, lliey have spoken of the development that has taken place in Queensland. Every second day aU of us receive propaganda literature from this Govemment, teUing us how weU Queensland is going in so many areas. I refer to one such piece of literature that we received on 29 November 1981. There were articles by the Premier and by the president of the Queensland Con­ federation of Industry. Mr Vaughan: Boom, boom!

Mr McLEAN: Yes. There was an article by the Minister for Transport headed "The greatest freight lift in history" There was another article by the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, in which he stated— "Queensland occupies a somewhat unique position in the western world at the moment." Mr Moore: Everybody has got money.

Mr McLEAN: That is good. I am coming to that point. There is another by the Minister for Environment, Valuation and Administrative Services (BiU Hewitt)— "Resource rich Queensland is going out of this world to plan for the State's spectacular growth in the eighties." The Minister for Primary Industries (Mike Ahern) and the Minister for Northern Development and Maritime Services (Val Bird) continue in that vein. Every Minister gets a mention in this publication. One claims that the State is leading the way in creating jobs. The Minister for Health (Brian Austin) appears also. All the way through the paper a rosy picture is painted. I wonder which one of the Government members would like to explain to me an article headed "Breadline kids" that appeared in the "Telegraph" on the 9th of this month. Mr Moore: That's a lot of tripe.

Mr McLEAN: It is a fact. It shows that the sun does not shine for everyone in Queensland. Mr Moore: Parents are irresponsible if they are eating and the kids aren't.

Mr McLEAN: There are children whose parents masked with pride, cannot afford to feed them properly. The extent of the problem is just beginning to emerge. It has been highlighted by groups of mothers who have formed sandwich brigades—soup kitchens. These sandwich brigades are finding that the problem is far greater than they had expected when they began the scheme.

So on the one hand we have a 40-page hand-out boasting about the State's development; on the other hand we read that school kids have to go to a soup kitchen. Up to 30 per cent of schoolchildren in some city schools have to go to a soup khchen. I would like one of the Ministers to explain that.

Dr Lockwood: In how many of the schools in your electorate does that happen?

Mr McLEAN: There are plenty of schools. The member should check on some of them himself.

Government Members interjected. Address m Reply 24 August 1982 455

Mr McLEAN: Would Government members like me to quote from what one of their own Ministers said? Mr Moore: Yes, go ahead.

Mr McLEAN: In the "Telegraph" on the 9th of this month the following article appeared— "State Welfare Services Minister, Mr Whhe, today expressed concern at the rising number of 'breadline kids' in Brisbane. Mr White was responding to investigations by the Telegraph revealing the exist­ ence of self-help schemes in the city, launched to feed under-nourished school-children One 'sandwich brigade' on the south side is already giving free lunches, fruit and cake to 50 children a day at a church school. The program was launched after teachers noticed more and more children arriving at school without food. Some were found 'cadging' food from other students while others have even been driven to scavenging in playground garbage bins." Driven to scavenging in playground garbage bins! Beautiful, isn't it? On the one hand, we have a 40-page hand-out boasting about how wonderful this State is Mr Milliner: What do you think it cost them to produce that hand-out?

Mr McLEAN: It would cost much more than feeding the kids who do not have lunch. The article continues— "Another local state school principal told the Telegraph he would consider accepting the 'sandwich brigade's' help because 30 percent of his 1 (X)0 pupils came from homes where parents were either unemployed or unemployable. The same principal, who cannot be named because of departmental regulations, said he knew of schools with the same problem throughout the city. One state school in a neighbouring suburb has been forced to start its own daily 'breadline', using vouchers funded by the P & C. Mr Whhe said today he was concerned that unemployment or other circum­ stances were placing some famiUes in a situation where they were unable to provide their children with school lunches." Mr White, a Government Minister; Mr White, the Minister who is responsible for welfare. No answer now? Mr R. J. Gibbs: The next Leader of the Liberal Party.

Mr McLEAN: Yes, apparently. The article continues in the following vein, which reflects what I said at the beginning of my speech— "At the same time he launched an attack on the Federal Government, pointing out that family allowances—a commonwealth responsibility—had fallen 44 percent since their introduction in 1976. Mr White said he would renew his efforts to get Canberra to increase family allowances in this month's Federal Budget." Mr Underwood: That's the last we heard of him.

Mr McLEAN: Yes. As I said at the beginning of my speech, it is quhe obvious that those opposite are extremely good at passing the buck. Surely there is something wrong with a society that on the one hand contains families who cannot feed their children and on the other hand the superrich. A very apt comparison is contained in an article in the "Sunday Sun" of 14 February 1982 about the owners of a $1.5m penthouse who did not like the wallpaper. These are the superrich. On the one haiid, chUdren cannot be sent to school with meals and, on the other hand, because of the policies 456 24 August 1982 Address in Reply of the Liberal and National parties, both in the Federal and State spheres, people can pay $1.5m for a penthouse. This is an example of the different priorities of people in the community. The newspaper article states— "An air of secrecy surrounds a handful of opulent, sky-high residences that overlook the daily throb of life on Australia's holiday playground. And for good reason. They are the Gold Coast's $1 million penthouses... They paid up to $1.5 million for their sky-high retreats for a variety of reasons. One being privacy... There are a number of factors that go to make up a $1 mUlion penthouse." I particularly like the foUowing statement by the wife— "Looking over the sea gets to be a little boring... And you're too high up to recognise anyone on the beach... It's very restful. I could just spend the whole day looking at the view." She went on to say that when they bought the unit she nearly died when she saw the wallpaper and had to have it replaced and also had to throw out the furniture. She said that they bought the unit not to impress anybody but eventually to live there. So in this country there are people who can pay $1.5m for a house to live in part-time. And some families cannot adequately feed their chUdren! Surely there is something wrong with the Govemment's policies. Mr Smith: Don't forget Sir Phillip Lynch. He got his loan at 5 per cent while everyone else has to pay 15 per cent.

Mr McLEAN: Yes, that is exactly right. Surely there is something wrong with society when the superrich are able to change wallpaper and redecorate a new $1.5m unit, which is a second house. Mr Akers: What is your answer to that?

Mr McLEAN: To start with, change the tax scale. Nobody likes paying taxes, but surely the great majority of wage and salary eamers in the country are fully aware of the present inequities. Legal tax avoidance is a fact of life and the Federal Government is apparently unprepared to act to remedy the problem. A very conservative estimate of the loss through tax avoidance is $l,(KK)m a year. I do not know whether that is the true figure. It should be much higher than that because at the present time $900m is in dispute. That enormous loss of revenue must be made up by additional burdens on the average wage-earners who are in the low and middle income brackets. The Liberal-National Govern­ ment has allowed the Australian tax system to disintegrate, thus escalating the problem and creating a superpoor and a superrich. The same people continue to pay. On most occasions those with the million dollar homes pay no tax or very little tax. I have no doubt that overnight the Federal Govemment, if it was so inclined, could stop this unfair and unjust activity of tax avoidance by the fortunate by the simple application of a basic amendment to the taxation law making the present schemes illegal from a retrospective date. However, for the Government to do that would mean that it would have to stand on the toes of many of its supporters. It is so much easier for the Government to continue to bleed the little bloke, whether by direct or indirect means. The time is weU overdue for the Liberal and National parties, which must shoulder most of the blame, to have their Govemment impl^ ment a simple and fair taxation system that would ease the enormous burden that wage- earners now carry and place some of the burden on those who should rightfully carry their fair share. I conclude by saying that members of the National and Liberal Parties should hang their heads in shame. Queensland has been let down by both the State and Federal Governments. The day is near when the people of Queensland wiU speak out and the Labor Party will occupy the Treasury benches in both the Federal and State Parliaments. Then and only then will Australians and Queenslanders see the inequaUties that exist and are growing at an alarming rate dealt with in a fair and meaningful manner. (Time expired.) Address in Reply 24 August 1982 457

Mr KATTER (Flinders) (5.30 p.m.): The honourable member for BuUmba referred to the great diversity in incomes in Australia and said that the answer to that inequaUty is the rearrangement of taxation rates. I must point out to him that after some 10 or 12 years of socialist Govemment in Great Britain the Vestey family were cited as p>aying £stg60 m tax on an income of £stg600m a year. So that Government was very effective in rearranging incomes, and I venture to say that we would see the same result from a Labor Government in Australia. When mention is made of excessive tax rates at the top end of the scale, I do not think in terms of the rich. They always seem to be able to figure out some smart way of dodging taxes and avoiding going to gaol at the same time. But I do think of some very hard-working people in big income occupations, and 1 cite underground coal-miners as a classic example. They work in a dangerous occupation and overtime means a lot to them, but when their overtime is hit with tax at the rate of 70 per cent they are not particularly pleased, and they most certainly deserve every cent they eam. I gave some thought to what is the most serious and worrying issue for a member of Parliament who represents an area such as the Flinders electorate. There is no doubt in my mind that our most serious problem is the continuing loss of population- It is not only a problem for the electorate of Flinders and Queensland but a problem for the nation. At the tax zone allowance inquiry at the beginning of this year it was pointed out that only 1.5 per cent of the Australian population lived in the northem haff of the continent, excluding, of course, the narrow east coastal plain. The recent census figures indicate a loss of popnilation in every single shire in Queensland west of the Great Dividing Range. I stress that they are preliminary figures. I recently did a grab-bag of every second shire in Queensland, although I had only the 1980 census figures avaUable to me. They showed that BlackaU Shire was down 32 per cent, Barcaldine 25 per cent, Aramac 44 per cent, Winton 30 per cent and Qoncurry 12 per cent. I point out that Cloncurry then had three smaU satellite towns, aU of which, in three months' time, wiU close down, so Cloncurry's figures wiU in fact show the most dramatic faU of aU. The McKinlay Shire was down 35 per cent, Richmond 36 per cent and Flinders 28 per cent, an average population loss in those shires of 30 per cent. Opposition Members interjected. Mr KATTER: One would imagine from the noise coming from the Op)position benches that they had been in Government in recent years. I want to refer to the very excellent work done by David McSwaine of James Cook University. It indicated something which aU of us who Uve in those areas already know, simply that the population drift has resuUed from the change-over from sheep to cattle. The production of cattle requires very little manpower whereas the production of sheep requires a high labour input. But that explanation does not enable us to mn away from the problem of whether this nation intends to knuckle down and decide that people have to Uve in the areas west of the Great Dividing Range and north of the Tropic of Capricorn or simply abandon them. The problem is not only that those areas now probably have a lower population than at any time since the 1920s but also that at this very moment the population is leaving at an increasing rate. Over the last 100 years many members have referred to the yeUow peril and said that if we do not populate that country somebody else wiU. It is very interesting to see that that is actuaUy taking place now. I was absolutely staggered to hear a person associated with an organisation in TownsvUle say that there are now 850 Filipino brides in North Queensland. That is 850 in two to three years. Mr Underwood: That is shocking. Mr KATTER; It is not shocking. Many men who live there have no hope of ever marrying because women are simply not prepared to live in the harsh conditions. They can choose whether they want to Uve the rest of their Uves in loneliness or whether they want to get married. Despite aU the adverse criticism, most of the marriages that I know of have tumed out remarkably well. Over the last 100 years, many people have said in the Queensland Parliament. "If you don't settle this country, someone else wUl." That is happening at this very moment. In addition, the nation is making a decision that is very hard for people such as the members for Barron River, Muigrave or me to digest, that is, that all of North Queensland 19779^17 458 24 August 1982 Address in Reply should become national parks or Aboriginal reserves. With all respect to the Aborigines, that means no development and no population growth and, as their forebears did. they will walk off the reserves and go to the cities. In this situation, we are locking out development forever. We are walking away from these areas and creating a legal situation in which they will not be developed in the future. Mr R. J. Gibbs: Where does the yeUow perU come into it Mr KATTER: I was not talking about the yellow peril. Mr R. J. Gibbs: Yes, you did. Mr KATTER: Those are the honourable member's words; he used them. Mr R. J. Gibbs interjected. Mr KATTER: If I did use the words "yellow peril", I used them in a facetious way to demonstrate to Opposition members that if they are not prepared to settie the land, someone else wiU. Over the years, that fact has been hotly denied by the Opposition, but their contention is being proved wrong at this moment. An Opposition Member: You moved to Charters Towers yourself. Mr KATTER: I moved there because in my opinion, it was impossible politically to hold the electorate of Flinders without doing so. If I may say so, the ALP, in election after election, has held against me the fact that I am an outlander, a westerner, in the town of Charters Towers, and that really a Charters Towers man should stand for the seat of Flinders. An Opposition Member interjected. Mr KATTER: If the honourable member checks my diary to see my movements, he will learn that I spend 50 per cent of my time west of the Great Dividing Range. If a decision had to be made as to where I live, it would be decided that that is where I live. An Opposition Member interjected. Mr KATTER: I explained that I spend most of my time west of the Great Dividing Range. Many people would think, as the honourable member does, that Charters Towers is in the West. I believe that 1(X) miles west of the coast meets that requirement; Mr Underwood: Not up there. i Mr KATTER: I will explain the technicaUties to the honourable member at some time in the future. Apart from basic economic considerations, three factors miUtate greatly against people staying in the West. The first factor is the poor roads. They hamstring people who live in the West and who travel to the West or through it. Tourists and travellers are very important in doUar terms to the western towns. Roads in the West need a massive injection of funds. Unfortunately, at this stage, the Queensland Government has no aUemative but to look to consolidated revenue for addUional funds for roads. It is a foriorn, rather vain operation for us to constantiy berate the Federal Government, It wiU not spend money on western roads. To my mind, its priorities are very peculiar, but we must face reaUty and understand that funds from consolidated revenue wiU have to be used to build roads in Queensland. Funds received purely from registrations will not be sufficient to meet the ever-increasing bill. The second factor affecting the desire of people to live in the West is the cost of living, which is 25 per cent higher than the cost of living in Brisbane. Three studies were undertaken on this matter. One was done by Dr Sohn of the James Cook University. It was an excellent study. Another one was done in a reasonably professional way by the Queensland Teachers Union. The third one was undertaken by a group of wives of pubUc servants in Richmond, who took the prices of "The Courier-Mail" basket of goods and compared them with prices in Richmond and a number of other MM" westem towns. In the three studies the cost of living was 26 per cent. 25 per cent and Address in Reply 24 August 1982 459

25 per cent higher respectively. That is the average figure for Winton, JuUa Creek, Richmond, Hughenden and Cloncurry. The percentages were much higher, of course, in places such as Duchess, Dajarra, Normanton and other towns further out. One of the greatest contributors to that horrific cost of living is rail freight. It is essential that raU freight on groceries and other consumer items be kept at the absolute minimal figure. Unfortunately that is not the case. In fact the raUway subsidy is going exclusively into the carriage of people and almost exclusively to the carriage of people in the south-east comer of the State. The horrific losses in the Southem Division are offset by the profits returned by the Northern Division and the Central Division. The figure is about $lm a year. I plead with the Treasurer to consider these factors when he draws up his Budget. The Government has an outstanding promise that all new Government houses west of the Great Dividing Range in North Queensland will be provided with evaporative air- conditioning. No new Government homes have been built in my area since that announce­ ment, but I hope that when one is the Government will honour its promise to provide air-conditioning. I will not be pleased if it breaks what is, in my opinion, a very sacred promise. AUhough I represent an inland area, I cannot speak as a member of Parliament representing North Queensland, Our economy in the West is related to the sugar industry. In fact, anything of. value in North Queensland is related to it. The people in my area are very conscious of any set-backs in that industry. I was appalled when I heard the honourable member for Mirani say that a television advertisement for Vita-Brits was very derogatory of the use of sugar. When I was playing sport I took a great interest in diet. Sugar was one of the most important aspects of my diet. Young people need the energy that is derived from sugar in a way that does not come from any other foods. These people on television were berating what is a very important commodity in a well-balanced diet. I. have never heard of a single attack on sugar except its adverse effect on .teeth. So if a person regularly brushes his teeth there is no danger in using sugar. I am appalled -that, in Queensland, where so much of the economy depends on the sugar industry, anyone would act with such disregard. I endorse the strong comments of the honourable member for Mirani and caU upon the retailers in North Queensland not to stock, that product in future. Mr Moore: What product? Mr KATTER: Vita-Brits. I now wish to discuss a number of matters that concem the people who Uve far away from the big cities. The first is bull-bars. I have been told in this Chamber—I cannot say I was happy with the explanation I was given—that buU-bars are not illegal. On my reading of the Act they are illegal. While I was driving from TownsviUe to Hughenden recently I counted one dead kangaroo or wild pig every 5 km. Every one of them represented something like $1,000 damage to a car. That gives some inkling of the danger of driving along western highways without a bull-bar. Surely we would hope that risking life and limb as well as damage to vehicles by the non-provision of bull-bars would not be illegal. I ani embarrassed to say that it is illegal in Queensland to shoot snakes, even the very deadly brown and taipan snakes. I was appaUed to learn that a feUow who was bitten by a black snake and had killed it to remove the head so that the hospital, which was 120 dirt-road miles away, could identify the species for antivenene purposes was accosted by the local wildlife ranger some weeks later. He was told that he would be let off on that occasion, but if it happened again he would be prosecuted. That is the story that was given to me by the person who was bitten by the snake. I was informed that a person shot a 6-foot taipan snake. There are few things that endanger the human species quite as much as that p>articular reptile. When the child of the person who shot the snake told another child about the incident in the playground at school, he was informed, "My daddy is a wildlife ranger and he is going to put your daddy in gaoL" Although it is an exaggeration to say that his daddy would have gone to gaol, it is tme to say that he would have been convicted in Queensland. It is app)aUingly embarrassing for me to mention that. I urge the Minister to remove that ridiculous anomaly. If we 460 24 August 1982 Address in Reply told the people of Surfers Paradise that they could not kiU or remove sharks from the beaches, what would be their reaction? People in country areas are told that they are not aUowed to kill deadly brown and taipan snakes. Mr Lester: The only good snake is a dead one.

Mr KATTER: That would be a very accurate description. Worries have been expressed about the Premier's proposal that the Government will seriously look at ways and means by which we can implement the Bradfield concept. We are talking about using the high rainfall waters of the Far North and turning them onto the inland plains. The member for Nudgee laughs at that suggestion. There must have been people in the United States who laughed at the Hoover Dam and the Tennessee Valley authorities and at other projects that have been undertaken in the world. There are those who wiU laugh and scoff, those who denigrate, those who find aU sorts of criticisms and those who think positively to try to discover ways of overcoming the problems in Queensland. It is very sorrowing to hear members of the Labor Party, who so often are identified with the meatworkers of Queensland, making certain statements about the matter to which I now refer. In North Queensland every year the meatworkers lose approximately $15m when the season ends two or three months earlier than the season in the rest of Queensland which has no rain from March untU November. It is impossible to turn off fat cattle after about August or September in North Queensland. That is where mwt of AustraUa's cattle are concentrated. At this stage the North is mnning 4 miUion head of cattie. In the whole of AustraUa there are probably only 23 miUion head of cattle. The 4 miUion head of cattle from the North are for the export market. They are not for home consumption. The meatworkers are carrying the brunt of the problem in North Queensland at the moment. It is over their broken backs that there is inaction on this problem. Let me reflect upon the fact that I have heard constantly quoted and seen well- documented figures that the losses in the cane fields of North Queensland are ai>proaching $30m per year because of drainage problems. I would not for one moment put forward diversion schemes as an answer to the drainage problems in North Queensland. $30m or $40m must be spent almost immediately on drainage problems before we can look at diversion and spend any money in that area. I would not for one moment say anything different from what I have just said on the subject. However, the drainage proposals will not provide the final answer to the problems in those areas. Recently I spoke to the shire chairman of the Hinchinbrook Shire Council. J(*n Andrews. I said to him, "Would there be any dangers if we diverted water? Would that leave you short of water?" He repUed, "Far from it." I said, "I cannot really say that it wiU help your flooding problem very much because we are not taking that much water compared whh the flow of water in the river." He said. "There you are wrong. Our worst flood year ever was when it was quite dry on the coastal plain. It was water from above that caused the terrible flood that occurred in that year." He was a sugar-cane farmer in that area for many years. I would think that he would have a good working knowledge of the area. The drainage work must be done first, but that wiU still not provide the overall answer to the problems in that area. Some diversion work would go a long way towards proriding a complete answer and control of those water systems. There is a choice between the proposals of Mr Kemp and Mr Nimmo and those of Dr Bradfield. Not many people in Queensland have ever heard of Mr Kemp or Mr Nhnmo, but many people have heard of Dr Bradfield because he accomplished a couple of fairly wonderful engineering tasks. He built the Story Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I reflect upon the fact that there is a conflict of opinion between two spedalists who denigrated and criticised the Bradfield proposals, and, undoubtedly, certain aspects of me criticism were quite valid. I make no apologies for saying that there were certain mistakes in the original Bradfield proposals. I am not stating for one moment that what we wan implemented is the original Bradfield scheme. We do not want this water thrown uselessly into the Pacific Ocean; we want it utilised. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 461

Under the Kemp and Nimmo proposals, water would be run through hydroelectric turbines, which is what is proposed in stage 3 of the Burdekin scheme. It is proposed that 4000000 ML of water wUl be put through a turbine annually and thrown uselessly into the Pacific Ocean. That is a very near-sighted approach. Such an approach was adopted at Tully, where there is a hydroelectric turbine. The water was never diverted into the Herbert River and fed back to the inland plains. There are immense problems with drainage in the Tully area. I have received letters from people in the Tully area congratulating me and the members of the National Party committee who have laboured for so long and so hard on these proposals. I shall make available to anyone in this Chamber, including members of the Opposition, a copy of the revised proposals that were drawn up by Mr Stainkey. Dr Hiedecker from the University of Queensland and me. For anyone on the coastal plain who is worried. I shall quickly refer to Ingham. The river stream discharge figure at Ingham is 3 700000 ML. At Gleneagle. which is at the diversion point of the river upstream, the figure is 1 070 000 ML. If that figure of 1 070 000 ML is deducted from the figure of 3 700000 ML. it means that 2700000 ML of water is available annually in the Herbert River to water the coastal plain. I beUeve that some 2(X)000 acres of land on the coastal plain could be irrigated in the future, if it is not already under production, and that figure could be as high as 300 0(X) acres. Some seven to 10 acre-feet of water is available for every single acre of land on the coastal plain, and that does not include the annual rainfall. Taking the figures into account. I suggest that the worries of the people in the area are unfounded. If they are worried. I plead with them not to listen to me but to look at the figures and to do their homework. I now refer to one other area of concern that should be outlined. We are told that AustraUa is in a recession. I don't know when a recession actually becomes a depression. Mr Vaughan: When did it start? Mr KATTER: If my memory serves me correctly, in 1972 the level of unemployment was 0.7 per cent. Mr Whitiam got that figure up to 6 per cent, which was a rather remark­ able achievement. Mr Vaughan: And Fraser has corrected it? Mr KATTER: He has not achieved that correction, and I make no apologies for saying that. In my opinion, he, together with the British Govemment. is hooked on Milton Friedman economics. I might explain in my own crude fashion Milton Friedman's theory. It is that, if in the economy there is an annual increase in goods and services of about 4 per cent and if the money supply is increased by 4 per cent, there wiU be no inflation; if money supply is increased 14 per cent, the result is inflation of 10 per cent. That is not an unreasonable proposition. He has an article every week in the American magazine "Newsweek" Over the years, hundreds and hundreds of graphs have proved his point. A terrible misinterpretation of Friedman occurs. A classic example that I Uke to use to Ulustrate it. for obvious poUtical reasons, is that Gough Whitlam expanded the money sup>ply in AustraUa horrendously. I do not have time to go into how he did it, but let us say simply that he increased the supply of money into the AustraUan economy at a rate of 24, 25 or 30 per cent. If that money had been spent on something that had resulted in an increase in goods and services—if it had been spent on dams which increased agricultural production or on infrastmcture items which enabled us to open up a mine—that would have been fine. However, he did not spend the money in that way. He spent h in a number of social areas. He mcreased the spending on Aborigines tremendously. He introduced free universities into AustraUa, which caused a tremendous increase in spending. Mr Blake interjected. Mr KATTER: I do not want to argue whether these are desirable social objectives or not. AU I am saying is that he increased money supjply and utUised it in those ways. He did not utilise the increased money supply in areas that would have resulted in an 462 24 August 1982 Address in Reply increase in goods and services into the AustraUan market. He put the money into areas which created demand pressure in Australia and boosted inflation; so as an economist, he was an utter disaster. Mr Blake interjected.

Mr KATTER: I wUl repeat what I said. They are arguably highly desirable social objectives. I am not criticising the social objectives. What I am doing is explaining the disastrous effect. Proceeding blindly with social objectives without looking at the economic effects on the community was a disastrous mistake. I am sure that Mr.Hayden agrees with me. He most certainly acknowledged that fact in his last Budget. I move on to point out the mistake being made by the British Govemment and the Australian Government. There is no doubt that the Queensland Treasury officials do not agree with what I am saying, because they are very much at loggerheads with the Federal Government over the issue. Mines are waiting to get off the ground in Central Queensland. People such as the member for Mirani (Mr Randell) and the member for Peak Downs (Mr Lester) have worked very hard to create an environment in which those mines can get off the ground. However, they cannot get off the ground, because the owners cannot gain access to the capital necessary, except by going overseas on bended knees and selling biit the farm to foreign interests. There is no reason in the world why capital should not, if necessary, simply be created, printed, or whatever expression one likes to use, for that purpose. Our own library has an excellent document on the subject printed by the Parliamentary Library of Canberra. It is hardly a radical, Right-wing, extremist publication. Every time we talk about expanding credit or creating credit, we are labelled as Right-wing extremists. I hardly think the staff of the Federal Parliamentary, Library, mainly graduates from the economics school at ANU, could be termed as Right-wing extreinists. If we create massive credit, we must create it in areas .that y^Ul reflect theraselves in the supply of goods and services into the AustraUah economy. The; mistake made by Whitlam was that he spent it in areas that did not result in an increase, in goods and services. The mistake being made by the British Governnient and the Australian Government at present is that both are refusing to create any credit at aU. Obviously, if credit is reduced to an extremely low level and tight reins are kept on the economy, the economy wiU not grow. That is the problem at the present moment. It was a problem and a conundrum faced by the AustraUan Labor Government in the 1930s. [Sitting suspended from 6 to 7.15 p.m.] Mr KATTER: I am pleased to see the honourable member for Mulfirave (Mr Menzel) in the House this evening, t am confident that the Government will achieve magnificent things in the field of drainage in the Far North, and I am sure that when the history of those schemes is written, his actions will be given a very big chapter. Before the dinner recess I was speaking about Edward Theodore, who advocated the creation of credit in Australia during the Great Depression. The Government was faced with the prospect of putting off hundreds of thousands of employees throughout Australia or obtaining more money from the British banks. Which, of course, not only refused to lend that money but also refused to reduce the rates of interest. Those honoufaWe members who read history will remember the great J. T. Lang—^in many ways, he was a great man— who argued very fervently for the reduction of the interest rates set by the British banks. Many elements of both the extreme Right and the extreme Left in Australia—J. T. Lang might well fall into either category—very strongly advocated the creation of money during that period. Unfortunately, Mr Theodore was not listened to and Australia went bri' to record unemployment rates in excess of 30 per cent. I make the political point that at that time a Labor Government was in power in Australia and the only man who had the vision to grasp the problem and to supply the answers was Edward Theodore, and he not only was thrown out of the ParUament but also was expelled from the ALP. In the, United States of America, Franklin RooseveU had been elected to office and, fortunately, his advisers were a little more enUghtened than the advisers to Australia s Labor Prime Minister. The new deal economists pushed forward the concepit of creatmg Address in Reply 24 August 1982 463

credit and irtUising that credit in major public works programs, which resulted in an increase in productivity. During the Great Depression in the United States of America, all of the Tennessee VaUey Authority projects were completed. Mr R. J. Gibbs: Is it true that in those days your father was a member of the Labor Party but later became a member of the Liberal Party and is now a member of the National Party? Next he wiU be a member of the Australian Democrats. Mr KATTER: Yes. that is correct. However, I am sure that the honourable member will recall that, in common with my father, most of the people of Queensland also changed their poUtical allegiance. Mr R. J. Gibbs: No, they did not. Mr KATTER: In country areas, they did. At one stage the Labor Party had 75 per cent of the votes from country areas; but I am very proud to say that, under the leadership of such people as my father, 75 per cent of the vote now goes to the National Party. So 50 per cent of the voting population of country areas of Queensland have changed their political aUegiance. I am very proud and pleased to say that my father is a good example of that move. The United States of America has marvellous things to show for the Great Depression. All the Tennessee Valley Authority projects, which produce in excess of 3 500 MW of electricity—at present, Queensland uses about 2 (XH) MW—were constructed at that time. In addition, the Hoover Dam, then the largest dam in the world, was constructed on the Colorado River. Australia has absolutely no accomplishments to show for the Depression. Not one major works program was undertaken in the entire country at that time, even though the unemployment rate was 30 per cent, while in the United States of America, with its more enlightened policy, only 15 per cent of the work-force was unemployed. Circumstances in AustraUa at present are very similar to those that existed here in the late 1920s. It will be very interesting to see whether the Governments of Australia make the same mistake that they made then or whether they will foUow a more enUghtened economic policy, such as that advocated by the Queensland Treasury. Let me quote no less a person than the Premier of this State when he was proposing a Bradfield approach to the resources of North Queensland. He said that the scheme could well cost $l,C(X}m, and that is what will be paid out this year in unemployment benefits., Of. course, the Premier hit the nail on the head. It is really a cold-blooded choice between paying 6 per cent of the Australian work-force unemployment benefits for not forking on the one hand and on the other borrowing money, which is creating credit, and pxiying those people to work. Mr R. J. Gibbs: You would rather shoot them, wouldn't you? Mr KATTER: It was the same enlightened sentiments as the honourable member is voicing here tonight that drove Theodore into the political wildemess and Australia into the horrific circumstances that it suffered during the Great Depression. If the honourable member stopped being so voluble and listened to what is being said on this side, we might have a'more enUghtened attitude from the ALP in the 1980s than we had from it in the 1920s. If the honourable member for Wolston listened to some of us North Queenslandeirs, as I only wish the Federal Govemment had in the 1920s and 1930s, we might also have had a more enlightened attitude Mr R. J. Gibbs interjected. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Miller): Order! The honourable member for Wolston will withdraw that word. Mr R. J. Gibbs: What word, Mr Deputy Speaker? Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The word "imbecile" Mr R. J. GIBBS: I withdraw. Mr KATTER: I am talkmg about a more enlightened attitude towards economics, but, in, addition, a cold-blooded decision must be made about whether the unemployed are |)aid not to work or money is borrowed to pjay people to work on major capital projects. 464 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

I reiterate that if the unemployed are put to work and paid money to produce something, that wUl increase the flow of goods and services into the Australian ecwiomy. I refer to major dam and hydroelectric projects. Money would be created but inflation would not be created with it. That is exactly the same scheme as outlined by men like Theodore in the 1920s. It is the same type of scheme that was put forward by Franklin Roosevelt's economic advisers and enabled America to make its giant leap forward. If we were to borrow the money and spend it, for exampxle, on implementing the revised Bradfield proposals that were put up by the National Party committee, we could look at 1 000 0(X) acres—an awful lot of land that is not being utiUsed at present- which could be tumed over to farming production of cotton, grains, sunflowers and various other crop>s. In addition to achievmg a giant leap forward for this State such a scheme would enable the generation of some 7(X) MW of peak-load electricity. It might be only 250 or 500 MW of really worthwhile electricity. Nevertheless that is a lot of pxjwer, because at present Queensland uses only a Uttie over 2 000 MW. So we are talking about bemg able to provide a full quarter, or at least a fifth, of this State's electricity needs from that particular project. Either of those aspects, either the hydro­ electric scheme or 10(X) 000 acres under cultivation, would be sufficient on economic grounds to warrant proceeding with the scheme. We have here not an uneconomic proposition, not a monstrosity such as we have seen in the past, but something that is extremely attractive economically. Not only would those objectives be achieved; the scheme would also overcome the $15m we lose every year in North Queensland because of the closure of the six major meatworks two months earUer than they should dose. In addition, the scheme would help)—^to a very small degree, because drainage work is the main answer to the problem—overcome the $30m lost annually in the cane fields between Ingham and Babinda. I repeat that we have the very cold-blooded choice of spending money to pay people not to work or spending money and paying people to do something worth whUe for their country so that even after the recession we can look back on a period of unprecedented achievement just as America was able to do at the end of the Great Depression. I reflect on the fact that America had 15 per cent of unemployment during the Depression and that we had over 30 per cent. The horrific tales depicted in American movies and novels were nothing to the tales of misery in this country. (Time expired.) Mr TENNI (Barron River) (7.26 p.m.): It is with pleasure that I enter the Address- in-Reply debate. I pay tribute to His ExceUency the Governor, Sir James Ramsay, m his dedication to his duties. Queen and country. Mr R. J. Gibbs: What's he done? Mr TENNI: I might expect such a comment from the honourable member. It is typical of what people in Queensland can expect. I pledge my loyalty and that of my constituents to Her Majesty. I do not make that pledge lightiy. I congratulate the honourable member for Mirani (Mr Randell) on moving the motion for the adoption of the Address-in-Reply. In my opinion he has contributed much to this Parliament in the short time he has represented Mirani. I also congratulate the seconder of the motion, the honourable member for Toowong (Mr Prentice). He also has contributed a great deal to Pariiament in the short period that he has been here. Mr Davis: That is four speeches in two years. Mr TENNI: He has contributed much more than has Mr Davis. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Miller): Order! The honourable member will refer to other members as honourable members. Mr TENNI: The Barron River electorate has experienced a large increase in population because of its climate and the developments in tourism and primary industry. I will now cite some interesting figures relative to the Muigrave Shire and the Caims City Council that are worth noting. In 1980-81 Cairns City Council building approvals totalled ^30. In 1981-82 they totalled 1089. In 1980-81 the Muigrave Shire gave 994 building approvals and m 1981-82 it approved 1 055. The 1976 population of 48 753 in Cairns increased to 62398 by Address in Reply 24 August 1982 465

1981. The Muigrave Shire population figures increased from 38 857 in 1976 to 39 070 in 1981. It is interesting to compare those figures with the figures for Townsville, about which we have heard so much concerning its supposed growth factor. In 1976, the Townsville district population was 88 402 and, in 1981, it had increased to 94 595. That represented a 1.4 per cent per annum increase while Cairns had a 5 per cent per annum increase. Cairns had the third largest increase in Queensland. It was beaten by the Gold Coast, with an increase of 11.6 per cent, and the Sunshine Coast with an increase of 8.6 per cent. It is obvious from the figures that the area I represent has had a tremendous growth factor. Possibly it can be attributed to the representation it is receiving. Mr R. J. Gibbs: They say in the North that none of the growth rate is due to you. Mr TENNI: They say in the North that the honourable member for Wolston is not worth Ustening to. There have been some wonderful achievements with schools in my area. A lot more achievements are required, of course. I am pleased that some new schools have been constructed in Barron River, thanks to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Works and Housing. In my time a replacement school has been provided at Yorkeys Knob, a new school has been provided at Mt MoUoy, a replacement school and a new school have been provided at Trinity Beach and a high school is under construction at Smithfield, which is not far from my electorate office. Grade 8 and 9 students will be enroUed at that school for 1983. I am hoping that a new school will be provided at Port Douglas, where tremendous growth has taken place, and another new school at Mareeba. Land has been set aside at Freshwater and Stratford. I hope that high schools will be erected on that land and that another primary school will be provided to ease the pressure on the Freshwater primary school, which is in an area of rapid growth. Mr Davis: What about the toilet blocks? Mr TENNI: They are in good order. I personally inspect all schools in my area and do not let them reach the state of some of the schools in the area represented by the honourable member. The poUce stations in my area are extremely good. However, because of the growth factor in Mareeba, a second floor is urgently needed on the 10-year-old police station to ease crowding. There is a tremendous problem in the Northern Beaches area. An acre of land is being purchased for the construction of a police station in that area. It is very close to the high school under construction. I wish to press this matter very hard because of the number of breaking and enterings and the deliberate destruction by louts of signs and trees. The permanent population of the Northern Beaches area is about 8 (XX). Another 3 (XK) people live in the permanent and mobile caravan parks. Of course, on week-ends, as it is one of the beach areas that serve Cairns and the Muigrave Shire, the population increases by 15 000 or 20 000. The area is a long way from the Caims PoUce Station. The poUce officers from that station have problems dealing with the big crowds and traffic in that area. I often wonder why it has taken so long for a poUce station to be built in the area. It is certainly not because 1 have not brought pressure to bear. Edmonton, which is some five miles away, has a population of about 1 500. It has a police station with two or three police officers stationed there. Kuranda, which has a population of 2 0(X), has two policemen. If the right thing were done by the beach areas, police stations would be provided at Machans Beach which has 1 000 people, Holloways Beach which has 3 000 people, Yorkeys Knob which has 1 500 people and Trinhy Bettch which has 2 500 people. I am not asking for stations to be provided at all of those areas; I am asking for a central poUce station situated on the block of land between Smithfield Post Office and Reed Road on the highway. It would be located centrally and could cover almost the whole of the Northern Beaches area. I hope that the message has got across loud and clear and that the Budget to be introduced on 23 September will make provision for that police station. I believe that the Minister for Works and Housing has examined the need very care­ fully and that in the near future a new double block wHl be constructed at thie Mareeba State School to alleviate the present problems there. 466 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Mossman has a very old police station and court-house complex. With the amount of land available at the front of those buildings, consideration should be given to the construction of a new police station and court-house as a matter of urgency. The construction time would not affect the working efficiency of the present station because suflicifeiit land is available. It would be possible to continue working in the present building whilst con­ struction was taking place. Extra police are needed in the Mossman, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation areas. A detective should be stationed permanently at Mossman. Another vehicle should also be provided. Because it is necessary for officers to travel to the Daintree/Cape Tribulation area in the Douglas Shire, where all the supporters of the Labor Party live, including hippies who grow marijuana, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary. It is used in an effort to make sure that those people do not continue with those practices. A second vehicle, possibly a panel van, should be provided as soon as possible, and at least one additional detective should be appointed to investigate the crimes that are being co^mmitted in that area. Last Thursday I was very pleased to attend the official opening of a Stamp Duties Office in Cairns with the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General. In the, past work connected with the Stamp Duties Office was carried out in Townsville. A tremendous burden was imposed on the people I represent who had to send solicitors to Townsville urgently to get work done in the Stamp Duties Office. Over many years my colleague the member for Muigrave has supported me greatly—•.— Mr Davis: Ray Jones has been pushing it for 10 years.

Mr TENNI: He is not even here. That is how interested he is. The next urgent matter requiring attention in the Cairns area is the construction of a Titles Office to cope with the problems that are presently being experienced. It could be located near Smithfield or somewhere in the Barron River eltctorate where more parking is available. A tremendous amount of work is carried out in the Titles Office in Townsville. Arthur Jones and his staff are wonderful people. They endeavour to do their best at all times. They are very helpful when I contact them. A Titles Office should be constmcted in Cairns because of the number of land transactions that are taking place from the south of Cairns to the Cape York Peninsula. I make a strong plea in that regard. I am disgusted with strikes of any description. I have always been of the opinion that if a person wants to strike, he should not be in that job. If he is happy with his job, his conditions and his salary, he stays there. If he is not happy with that, he should get out and find another job. He should not disrupt society generally because of his personal feelings towards his work. I have always adopted that attitude. I would not be in my present position if I did not love it. I work for more than 38 hours a Week. If a 38-hour week was brought in for me, I could not do my job because it requires 60 to 70 hours a week. Mr Menzel: The Labor members want a 38-hour week because they do not do their job.

Mr TENNI: The honourable member for Muigrave is right. If 1 did not love doing my job, I would find another one. That is the reason why I am returned at every election in a one-time Labor seat. I do the job I arh supposed to do, and 1 put in the hours necessary to do that job to the satisfaction Of aH the people I represent. Ways of countering strike action should be considered. When the power,is turned off everything is stopped. Massive unemployment is created for the strikers' mates. In each Budget, the Government should set aside a sum of money—say, $5m or JlOm- and say to the people of Queensland, "Let us overcome this situation.' We are going to make money available to you, the private home owner, to buy a Uttle lighting P™' to use when they go on strike." It should say to the sawmills, meatworks and sugar mills, "You can borrow money at a low rate of interest from this fund to'buy P'f"' to operate your works and keep aU the Uttle Labor fellows in a job.'' There is.hothmg wrong with that. In that way we would be doing what we should < do as members of Pariiament, that is, not allow a smaU group of people to create unemployment for Address in Reply 24 August 1982 467 the majority of the people. The Government should seriously consider setting aside a sum of money for that purpose. I suggest that the Treasurer should consider that very carefuUy when he is framing his Budget. Mr Menzel interjected.

Mr TENNI: Hugh HamUton is a Communist who is supported by the Labor Party in this State. Mr Moore: And by the leader of the ALP.

Mr TENNI: The leader of the ALP in this State came out in support of strikes, which absolutely disgusted me. It also disgusted the people whom I represent. That was made quite plain to me from Thursday of last week to Monday of this week. Some of the top ALP fellows in my area are resigning from the party because of this strike and the effect that it has had on the average person, and because of the cuddling by its members of the Communist Party. They are having a honeymoon together. The people of my electorate are fed up to the teeth. !'' As I said, the problems could be overcome by making finance available to enable people to provide for themselves a source of electric power. I could continue to talk about the strike all night, but I wUl only get cranky with the Opposition if I do. I have no time for people who associate with Communists. Such people belong in Russia or in Red China. I turn now to the hospitals in my area. There is a new Cairns Base Hospital. In 1975, the present Deputy Premier and Treasurer, who was then Minister for Health, inspected the Cairns Base Hospital. Since then, approval has been given for the expenditure of $24m to ui>grade that hospital. I am happy that my first approach to the then Minister for Health has resulted in work being done to the hospntal. A large number of the people in my electrate use that hosp>ital. I am concerned about the staffing at the Cairns Base Hospital, and I suggest that the Minister for Health should immediately—I mean "immediately", because the staff shortage has existed for a couple of years, although it was brought to my attention only in the last week or so—appoint additional staff to the hospital. A thorough examination has been made of the staffing and I believe that information that I have been given is correct. One orthopaedic staff surgeon, one medical registrar and two second-year resident doctors are required urgently at the Cairiis Base Hospital. I suggest that the Health Department, if it has not already approved of the appointment of that additional staff, should do so tomorrow. The Mossman Hospital is a beautiful old hospital. It is so spread out that one almost needs a motor bike to get from one end of it to the other. Additional staff are also required there. The Government should consider a proposal that I put forward years ago to tum the Mossman Hospital into an aged persons' home and constmct a new hospital in the grounds adjacent to the present hospital. The Government should not waste its resources by spending more money on the existing hospital as a hospital. It should be converted into a centre for the aged and infirm. A new, smaller complex should be constructed as a hospital, thereby reducing the number of staff as well as wear and tear on shoe leather getting from one part to another. There is a pressing need for an aged persons' home for the wonderful people of the Mossman area. I am very happy with the amount of money the Govemment has spent over the years on the constmction of roads in my area. Previously, not much money was spent on the constmction of roads and bridges. A tremendous number of bridges have been built while I have been the member. Another bridge is presently under construction. However, I do stress that if additional money can be found the Govemment should speed up the development and upgrading of the road between Kuranda and Mareeba and, for that matter, the road between the bottom of the Kuranda range on the Cairns side and the section recently completed on the Mareeba road. The Government is working on it all the time. It does two, three or four kilometres a year. It takes a long time to make any headway. If the expenditure on the road could be trebled the road would reach a satisfactory standard much more quickly to meet the demands made by the developi- nent taking place in that area. 468 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Sand extraction from the Barron River ought to be increased. I have stressed this previously. Some time ago a Barron River delta study was conducted at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars. I do not agree with all of its findings. Some were quite good, but the decision to reduce the amount of sand to be dredged from the Barron River was ridiculous. It will be proved to be totally wrong. I suggest that the removal of sand from the Barron River would result in its being a river again, instead of a silted creek. Once it had a depth of 30 feet. Now, one can walk across the mouth of the Barron River at low tide without wetting one's ankles. At high tide, one can walk across whhout wetting one's shoulders. That is not just at the mouth, either; it is lie that all the way up the river. Whoever was involved in the survey of the river was wrong and must admit to that. Mr Menzel: They were probably advised by conservationists. Mr TENNI: Probably, yes. I want to see the river dredged out, vrith sand being used for sensible building constmction. Once it is deepened, floods wUl have a tendency to take the balance of the sUt out of the riyer and into the sea and the south-easterlies- will in turn bring it back to Machans Beach and HoUoway Beach, which both have problems of erosion. Those problems wUl always exist unless the sand that is washed from those beaches is replaced. That is a pressing requirement. In the Greenbank area, the mangrove island—the northem bank—^has come right across the Bari;(m River and is now pxising a threat to the Caims airport. In a large flood it would not surprise me to see p>art of the new development for the Caims airport ending up out at sea. The sooner the mangrove outcrop east of Reddan Creek in the Barron River is removed, the sooner the airport and the residents of Machan's Beach wiU be protected. A wall of mangroves has built up. Ufting the height of water in flood- time, with the resuflt that 30 or 40 homes at Machans Beach and HoUoway Beach are. flooded. WhUe I am on the subject of rivers, I should refer to the illegal netting that continues' in my electorate. There are not sufficient inspectors to stop the practice. I suggest an all- out campaign to eradicate the problem, which is of great concem to amateur and professional fishermen alike. I turn how to sugar. I see that the comp>any making, Vita-Brits—NalHSOo—runs an advertisement on television showing an awful looking Vita-Brit, which has sugar on it, and one that does not have sugar, which looks great. The ad says how much healthier it is not to have sugar. That is a lot of rot. It is a disgusting type of ad. mbbishmg one product to seU another. Products should be sold on their merits, without mbbishing others. I would suggest that that company take a good look at itself. I suggest to the people of QueeiKland. which grows most of Australia's sugar, that no-one in this State should buy Vita-Brits. Vita-Brits should be banned. I recommend to Queenslaiulers that if they buy Vita-Brits they buy them with sugar on, which children need for energy. When people such as Nabisco deUberately mbbish a product of the oppx>sition, we should buy the opyposition's product. Mrs Nelson: You should not have sugar on them, anyway. Mr TENNI: That might be the honourable member's opinion. I represent a sug»r-cane area and I believe that sugar is good for people. Sugar-growing areas not only in the Barron River region but also throughout Australia have faced the problem of very low sugar prices. The Government should be considering giving as much assistance as possible to those farmers who can prove by a means test that they have problems. Many sugar-cane farmers, especially those with small farms,, do have problems. Australia should not become like many countries, which do not look after their primary producers and then later have to pay people to return to the land. It is very important to keep people on the land. The price of rice has dropped and the industry is undergoing some teething problems,' but hopefully the price will increase. The member for Mourilyan spoke about the tiri industry. There is no world market for tin. The Conimonwealth Govemment, through the International Tin Agreement, has purchased about $ 10m worth of tin and stockpiled' it to help .the, industry. AU other cocintries that produce tin have done likewise. Itj^ very hard to continue the purchase of something that does not'have^ a market.' Although Address in Reply 24 August 1982 469 the Commonwealth Government has done an extremely good job I condemn it for not seeiing what was to happen to the industry. The problems occurred almost overnight, at a time when the industry had been developed and expanded to cater for the lucrative markets that were then available. Now the industry has no market at aU. I do not have to elaborate on the fact that the cattle industry has problems. The weather conditions of the last month to six weeks in my area haive not helped the fishing and prawning industries which are also suffering problems. ,' On the brighter side, the Atherton Tableland area that I represent has seen the development of new crops. Tobacco, which is a wonderful crop and has created employment for many people of various races, has been a good, stable crop. The tobacco industry is worth $28ni a year to my area and I want to see it continue as it is a good industry and has, been for many years. However, some tobacco farmers are moving out of tobacco and replacing it with produce such as Bowen mangoes, which are doing extremely weU, avocadoes, macadamia nuts, lychee nuts, vegetables. Queensland blue pump)kins. which are transported aU over Australia by the tmck load, and water-melons. ...Mr .Frawley: They grow marijuana up there, too. Mr TENNI: The Labor Party has full control over the growing ,of marijuana so I c^niiot tell honourable members any more about that. There is no way in the world that tobacco growers get cash subsidies, which is the • sort of rot spoken by many people who know nothing about the industry, including some members of the House. Some sections of the media are good at presenting misleading reports on that sort of thing. The tobacco growers are entitled only to the subsidies th^tare available to most other rural industries, such as for the purchase of fertUiser. The industry receives contributions tovvards research and extensions, but otherwise it stands on, its own two feet.. I wish now to canvass some of the problems faced by school bus operators who are baring great difficulties io trying to maintain a viable business. I suggest that large bus runs should be classed as a full-time occupation as they involve four hours driving a day and many extra hours for maintenance and cleaning. The mns should be able to support a new bus every five years which, if only for the safety of the children, is important. The five-year-old buses could then be sold to the smaller operators who travel a much smaller mileage and do not operate full-time. Sporting excursions to the coast are important for children, and it is equaUy important to have good, new buses when traveUing over the ranges. School bus curators are' at. present being forced to pay either very high interest rates for the purchase of new buses or annual lease payments of, in one case, $15,000 with a $21,000 income or $18,000 with a $28,000 income, plus insurance of $3,000. Members can see that there is not even bread and butter money in a school bus operation of that nature. Something needs to be done about it. Perhapw a pool of money should be set aside by the Govemment to be made avaUable to large operators for the purchase of new buses at an interest rate of, say, 8 per cent in order to allow them to operate with adequate equipment. Because we have some representatives of the media here—apparently they are now on about a 38-hour week, too—I want to say some very strong words about the price of newspapers in North Queensland. It is a shocking situation, and we are being robbed by the newspaper industry. Let me give members some examples. In July this year the price of "The AustraUan" increased from 50 to 70c. On Saturday its price has increased from 50 to 80c. Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd, pubUshers of "The Courier-MaU" and "The Sunday Mail" employ Ansett Air Freight to freight their newspapers at a charge of 32c and 35c respectively, except on Mondays when TNT transport those publications. How then can Mr Rupert Murdoph's News Ltd justify its air freight charge per newspaper of 45c to 55c when the opposition, Queensland Newspapers, employs Mr Murdoch's 50 per cent owned airUne, Ansett, to transport Us pewspapers at a lower cost per paper than News Ltd. Let us have a look at a comparison of prices of Queensland and southern newspapers sold in Far North Queensland. Of the newspapers printed in Brisbane, "The Australian" sells for 25c in Brisbane Monday to Friday and for 70c in Far North Queensland. We in Far North Queensland are robbed! We are charged 45c for transport. On Saturday they get at us weU and tmly and charge us 80c—55c to bring it up. "The Courier-MaU" costs 25c here in Brisbane and 470 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

57c in North Queensland. "The Sunday Telegraph" costs 40c in Brisbane and 60c in North Queensland. "The Sunday Mail" costs 30c in Brisbane and 65c in Far North Queensland. Those in the newspaper industry are daylight robbers! Let us look now at the price of newspapers printed in Sydney. "The Sydney Morning Herald" costs 30c Monday to Friday m Sydney, but 75c in Far North Queensland. "The Australian Financial Review" costs 40c Monday to Friday in Sydney and 40c in Far North Queensland. That newspaper can charge the same price in Caims as Sydney so why can't the rest of the newspapers do the same thing? They are lining their pockets at the expense of the people I represent, and I will not tolerate it any longer. The "Sunday Sun" costs 35c in TownsviUe but 55c in Far North Queensland. It costs 20c to take a newspaper from Townsville to Cairns! They are having us on and we have to do something about it. "The Sunday Telegraph" is also a News Ltd publication yet it has only a 20c air freight cost added. The whole structure of costing air freighted newspapers needs to be thoroughly investigated, particularly when not only is "The Courier-Mail" cheaper than "The Australian" but it also is heavier. Let us look now at my old favourite, the Aboriginal problem. First I want to deal with a lot of boloney printed in "The Cairns Post" It is typical of the rubbish printed by that newspaper. I have here two clippings—I have found out since that the contents are a pack of Ues—dated 18 and 19 August 1982. One is headed. "NAC calls for halt to project" All lies! All the black people in the Kuranda area are happy with the develop­ ment, happy that the Govemment is to spend S440,0(X). It is almost giving them the project for nothing. I wish it would do the same for the rest of the people I represent. Let us have a look at this letter from a person who owns a cane farm. It states— "Groups of aboriginal people have been congregating on our clients'^ property and our clients' complaints include the consuming of alcohol and methylated spirits on their property and the consequent dumping of empty bottles which impedes their harvesting operations, the sexual activities of these people on our clients' property as well as the foul language, brawling and so forth. Many times each year our clients are forced to collect and dispose of numerous bags of empty bottles from their farm. The last clean-up operation took place on Friday last the 21st instant and was completed at 5 p.m. Some 76 bags of empty stubbie bottles, 125 empty wine flagons, 1 dozen empty methylated spirit bottle and numerous Coca-Cola cans were removed. By Monday morning the 24th instant further bottles had to be removed to enable harvesting operations to proceed. Another problem which arises is the stench and health menace caused by these people defecating in the area where the bottles are thrown. In addition to this, several patches of fully grown cane have often been destroyed where humpies have been set up on our clients' property." That is typical of what we have to put up with in Far North Queensland. When I hear of such things I think of what we. as taxpayers, are paying to coloured people through the Federal Government. White Australians are being discriminated against. Let me tell the House what is paid to Aborigines under 21 years of age attending a secondary school. A student living at home receives $484 a year -$11 a week—when he is in Years 11 and 12. and $338 a year—$7.70 a week—when he is in Years 8, 9 and 10. Mr Frawley: They wouldn't do that.

Mr TENNI: These are facts and figures that can be proved. The allowance is paid to the mother or student's guardian over 44 weeks in the year A boarding allowance of $24.20 a week is paid if a student is living in a private home, and $33 a week is paid to a hostel if a student lives there. Up to $1,760 a year is paid to boarding schools for students. A book allowance and a clothing aUowance of $360 a yfar is paid to Aboriginal students in Years 11 and 12, and a $300 a year allowance is paid to students in Years 8, 9 and 10. Personal pocket-money—and the Labor Party supports this-of $3 a week is paid to Aboriginal students in Years 11 and 12. and an allowance of $1,50 8 week is paid to students in Years 8, 9 and 10. Personal pocket-money is paid to students living away from home—$4 a week for those in Years 11 and 12. and $2.50 a week for those in Years 8, 9 and 10. White children receive nothing. All fees for sports, library and Address in Reply 24 August 1982 471 examinations are paid at Government schools, and all fees are paid at non-Government schools. Four return trips home each year are paid for if a student is living away from home. Additional coaching outside school, plus music, dancing, and art, are all paid for. After leaving secondary school, students are paid a study grant in the form of a living allowance of $62.98 a week for those over 18 years of age, with an additional $5.25 a week if unmarried, and $51.98 a week is paid to students under 18. Dependents' allowances are paid in the sum of $42.70 a week for a wife and $10 a week for each child. All textbooks and equipment are paid for. Establishment allowances are paid to a maximum of $150, plus $40 for a wife and $30 for each child. A clothing allowance of $60 is paid, with three retum fares home each year. A married man with one child would receive $115.68 a week plus all tuition, books and equipment. It is ah absolute disgrace to think that we have to tolerate such things. Charles Perkins was given $55m under the Commonwealth Budget. He owns more land in Australia than any other Australian. By the time he spends that $55m, Charles Perkins will control more land than any other Australian. In 1980, 47 acres of land in my electorate was bought for a sportsground. It has not been used. Until recently no rates had been paid. In all, $5,200 was owing in rate arrears. After I applied a little pressure and said that I was going to make much of it—I am doing that now—$3,500 was paid off the $5,200 that was owing. The rates for 18 months are still overdue. The other ratepayers in my electorate are subsidising that land. It is owned by the Aboriginal Land Fund Commission, which has a postal address of P.O. Box 332, Woden, ACT. The commission does not pay its way although all that money—$55m—has been handed to it. I am sick and tired of it. If we do not talk about equality for all people and about all Australians having the same rights and privileges, there is something wrong with us. We might as weU let the Japs take this country. Our people fought to protect this country. We are letting the Aborigines take it and we are letting the unions run it. A letter that one of the raUway union members received commenced, "Dear Brother", and concluded with the words, "Yours fraternally". It contained aU the threats in the world. He has been fined $75, which he will not be paying because I told him not to. The Queensland Teachers Union wrote to those of its members who went to school and taught when they were told not to, pointing out that one of the requirements was—• "The defiant member be requested to provide a written apology to the General Secretary." The letter contained some absolutely terrible comments. I lay it on the table. Whereupon the honourable member laid the letter on the table. (Time expired.)

Mr VAUGHAN (Nudgee) (8.6 p.m.): I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in the Address-in-Reply debate on behalf of the people of the Nudgee electorate, as the Governor's Opening Speech contains a number of matters about which they are extremely concerned. At the outset let me say that, although the people whom I represent in this House are loyal Queenslanders, they also want it to be known that they are loyal Australians. "AustraUan" seems to he a dirty word in this Chamber, particularly on the Government side. Many people have expressed their deep concern to me about statements made by Govemment members, particulary the Premier, which create the impression that Queensland is not part of AustraUa. It is felt that, ahhough this parochial attitude may, in the eyes and minds pf some people in this State, be considered to be good politics, in the long term it may be detrimental to us. I am not aware that other States adopt towards Queensland the same ^ttiitude as we adopt towards them. If we continue to set ourselves apart, as we are doing, we may find ourselves really isolated from the rest of Australia,

It IS one thing to be proud of our State and to promote it. However, I was sickened at the Press reports of what the Premier said when he was in Japan recently. I refer 472 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

to an article that appeared in "The Courier-Mail" on Thursday, 10 June, this year. The statement was made when the Premier was in Japan on his "Enterprise Queensland" campaign. He said— ' "The point is Australia has been getting a rather bad name for industrial problems and high costs so we are over here saying: 'We're not Australia, we're Queensland.'" Of course, the Premier has added to the industrial problems in recent weeks. In a subsequent news release which apjpeared in "The Sunday Mail" on 13 June this appeared— "Wherever he found an available ear, Mr Bjelke-Petersen explained that the problems the Japanese associated with Australia—strikes, runaway costs, irresolute leadership—were not to be blamed on his state. Think Queensland, not Australia, he said. 'The point is,' he told a gathering of Japanese and Australian reporters. 'Australia has been getting a rather bad name for industrial problems and high costs. So we are over here saying, we're not Australia—we're Queensland.'"

The fact of the matter is that, during the past week, the Premier has gone out of his way to prove to the Japanese that Queensland is different from the rest of Australia. If they are the public statements that he has been making, and they have been reported, heaven only knows what he says to the Japanese in private. The impression I get is that the Premier is more pro-Japanese than pro-Australian. Of course, the Premier is not the only member of the Govemment who adopts that attitude. Mr R. J. Gibbs: Do you know that he has the reputation of being a secret sake sipper when he is over there?

Mr VAUGHAN: I do not know what gets into him when he is over there, but he certainly adopts an anti-AustraUan attitude. Before proceeding with my comments on the Governor's Opening Speech, I refer briefly to the recent decision to serve suspension notices on over 3 0(X) railway employees, and the intention of the Government to implement the provisions of the Essential Services Act. Why did the Government insist on railway employees retuming to work at 8 p.m. on the Monday night when they had decided to return at midnight? I recall hearing through the media the Premier saying, "Not midnight, it wiH.be 8 p.m." The Premier was picking on a certain section of the railway workers who were engaged in the dispnite and insisted that they would return to work at 8 p.m., whereas they had already decided to return at midnight. Had the Premier not issued tiiose suspension notices last Monday week, Queensland would not have been confronted with the situation that faced it during the last week. Although I do not believe that the Government is overendow'ed with industrial know-how, as anyone with any industrial sense at all would know that such an action would inflame the situation, 1 can only assume, as most other people do, that the action was deliberately designed to promote further confrontation; and it certainly did. I trust that the Premier and the other 17 Cabinet Ministers, who are aU as much to blame as the Premier, and the back-bench members of the Government, are satisfied with the results of their actions. I trust that they also now realise that the Essential Services Act, which they introduced in 1979. will not work and is not the means by which to deal with industrial disputation. Having regard to what the Premier had to say to the Japanese about strikes and irresolute leadership taking place in Australia and not Queensland, I am intrigued as to how he will explain the current situation in the State. The Govemment, which would be well aware that the people are influenced by glowing reports of boom and prosperity, should not blame anyone for wantii||g to share in it. In that regard I refer to the monotonous reports and propaganda thit are produced by the Govemment from time to time about the great State in which we live, how prosperous we are and how peoprfe are flocking from southern States to QueewUnd because of the prosperity here. Address in Reply 24 August 1982 473

Tonight on the current affairs program "State Affair" the Premier said that 1000 people were flocking to this State each week because of its prosperity. Recently during the 38-hour week dispute the Premier said. "We cannot afford the 38-hour week. We are in a recession." The Premier and the Govemment through their propaganda machine have been promoting to the people of this State how weU off they are and what a boom we have in this State, but suddenly when some people want to share in that boom they are told that they cannot do so because Queensland is in a recession. I want to know what has occurred in the last few months in the State to cause the situation to change. Where is the boom and prosperity about which the Government was talking so vocally a short time ago? It is part of the brainwashing by the Govemment to convince the peop>le how well off we are. In a moment I shall deal with the "Enterprise Queensland" campaign to illustrate to the peopde of Queensland that they are not as weU off as they should be. Mr Frawley: Why are you blokes still in opposition after 25 years?

Mr VAUGHAN: It would take me longer than the time available to me tonight to exp^in that to the honourable member. The gerrymandered electorate is one reason. There are many, many others. Mr Frawley interjected.

Mr VAUGHAN: The Government has a very well-oiled propaganda machine. I sincerely believe that the Govemment. particularly the Premier, and the National'Party are advised by people with interests outside this State. Not miUions of dollars are involved in this State; billions of doUars are involved in it. If the Opposition won govemment in this State, those people would move on us for the same reason as they moved on Whitlam. As I say, it is not millions we are talking about but biUions. 1 referred to the visit by the Premier to Japan and to the "Enterprise Queensland" campaign. As an illustration of the extent to which this Govemment wiU go to promote itself and to use the well-oiled propaganda machine it has, the "Enterprise Queensland" campaign will cost the State $350,000. That is not the only way in which the Govemment spends money promoting itself to the people of Queensland and to those overseas. I have referred already to what the Premier said when he was overseas recently! In my opinion, the whole Cabinet is to blame for what is happening in this State. It seems that there is almost a contest between the Premier and the Deputy Premier to see who is able to make the most noise in promoting this State as not being a part of Australia. The DepMity Premier and Treasurer said on television, and also in the Press, that he was going to Victoria to attract Victorians to Queensland. When the Federal Govern­ ment said that it would abolish the $1 a tonne levy on steaming coal and other high-cost coal, the Depnity Premier and Treasurer said that he would lead a delegation on behalf of the Utah Development Company—not on behalf of the people of Queensland—to argue for the lifting of the $3.50 a tonne export levy on coal from that company. Notwithstanding the fact that, over the years that the company has operated in Queens­ land it has taken nearly $ 1,000m from the State in clear net profit, the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of this State said that he would go to Canberra to argue for the removal of that coal levy. He said also that he was going to Victoria to attract Victorians to Queensland. That is all very well. It is not a bad thing to have some form of migration to Queensland. But let us look at what is happening in this State. I can see in my electorate the effect that this so-caUed mass migration is having on Queensland. Tonight, the Premier said that 1000 people a week are migrating to this State. I challenge that figure because I do not think it is right. There is very serious unemployment in Queensland, and it is being aggravated by the number of people from the South who are flocking to this State. Although there are not enough jobs for Queenslanders. the Premier and the Deputy Premier and Treasure are saying, "Come to Queensland. It is a great State." Many pedprie from the South are being influenced by the Government's propaganda that is costing $350,000. They do not have a job in their own State and they are encouraged to cone here on a false premise. When they arrive in Queensland, they find that they cannot get a job and they become another member of the unemprfoyed. 474 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Mr Sullivan: What about the industrialist who comes up here and creates jobs? Isn't that good for employment in Queensland? Mr VAUGHAN: When the disputes were occurring in the New South Wales electricity industry, I saw the Minister on television encouraging industry to come to this State. I shuddered at that, because if all the industry that the Government said was coming here and all the industry that the Govemment said it wanted to come here came here, Queensland could not supply it with power. The Minister and. every other member in this Chamber knows that I am right. In my capacity as the Opposition spokesman on Mines and Energy, I said that next year, 1983, there wiU be a shortfall in the power provided in this State. I said also that there would be a shortfall in 1985 because the Government was not building sufficient generating capacity to meet the expected demand, Mr Sullivan: You are discouraging investment. Mr VAUGHAN: I am telling the truth. The Minister is misleading the people of this State and also the people over the border. It is no good encouraging industry to come to Queensland if the Government cannot provide it with power. 1 know that the Minister was only grandstanding. He knew very well that industry would not flock here. He knew, too, that Queensland could not supply industry with the power that it would require. After I said that Queensland would have a shortfall in power in 1983 and 1985, the Government advanced the construction of the Tarong Power Station by 15 to 17 months. Last year it spent $12m, and goodness knows how much money it will spend this year, to advance the construction of the Tarong Power Station by 15 to ll months to overcome the shortfall in power that would have occurred in 1985. What about the 540 MW of power that the shale oil industry at Rundle would have needed? The Government did not have a clue about how it would supply that power. The Government has talked about a coal-to-oil plant being established at Millmerran. There was to be one at Wandoan. There was to be an aluminium smelter at Goodwood, near Bundaberg. All have been shelved. The Government had no idea how it would meet the power demands of those enterprises, but it was great propaganda for the people of this State to talk about all the industry that was coming to Queensland. The fact of the matter was—the Government knew; I knew; but the people did not know-^that the Govemment did not have the power sujjply to back it up. The Government spends $350,000 of the State's money on monotonous exercises to promote Queensland. It convinces people in the community how well off we are and then, when the people are motivated by the Government's propaganda, it turns round and says, "We're broke. We are going through a recession. We can't afford this sort Of thing." The Government should start being honest with the people. The Government wonders why it has strikes and disputes, yet it encourages people to believe that we live in a prosperous State, Another problem caused by the number of people it is claimed are flocking over the border to this glorious State is the shortage of rental accommodation. Daily, people come to my office—divorced women with families, single parents and married couples with children— desperately seeking State rental accommodation. There are pensioners, too, but there is a four-year wait for pensioner accommodation. It is probably longer than that libw. The Government talks about the amount of money that is coming up here. Certainly, money is coming up here, because of the number of people wanting to dodge taxes down south. It has forced up the price of buildings, it has forced up the price of houses, it has forced up the price of land and it has forced up the price of units to the extent that the ordinary person in the community cannot afford to pay for one. He cannot afford private rental accommodation. A man, his wife and three children^ Mr Borbidge interjected.

Mr VAUGHAN: I am saying that the Government is overdoing it.'I ask the member for Surfers Paradise to look at the problems the Government is creating. People come to see me because they cannot afford to rent a house at more than $100 a week. They want State rental accommodation. I have to tell them that I am terribly sorry but they have a wraiting-time of 18 months to two years. Twelve months ago the waiting-time W*s 12 to months. Since then it has increased dramaticaUy. It is getting worse. Mr Borbidge: Have you seen the figures for interstate? Address in Reply 24 August 1982 475

Mr VAUGHAN: I am talking about Queensland. I am worried about this State, just as Gpveamenl members .should.4e worried about it. They promote this State. I vsHt say, however, that I am an Australian first and a Queenslander second. That is the way we all should be. God help us if the rest of AustraUa deserts this State! When we asked the Government a question in this House about what it was doing to overcome the shortfall in State rental accommodation, the answer revealed that in 1980-81 647 State rental accom­ modation units were built. By comparison, the figure in 1974-75 was 2 059. What the hell is going on if we are such a rich State? According to what I understand to be the latest figures released in May 1972, 7 400 people are on the waiting list. The people flocking across the border to this State—thousands a week, the Premier says—wHl add to that number. It does not stop there. Mr Borbidge: They're all creating jobs. Mr VAUGHAN: They're not getting jobs. Mr Borbidge: "Creating", I said. Mr VAUGHAN: They are not creating jobs at all. Government members talk about jobs being created. Our unemployment rate is sky-rocketing. I say to Government members that they are starting to believe their ovm propaganda. Our hospital system is overloaded. People have to queue up for ages waiting to get into hospital for an operation. As a result of the delays in out-patient departments, people are being forced to join private health funds. Only 12 months ago kids who wanted to become teachers—who were trained to be teachers—could not get jobs. Recently the Minister for Education said that he wanted more people to train as schoolteachers because we do not have sufficient teachers now. Our schools are overloaded. I tum now to nursing homes. Has any Government member tried to get a sick or elderly person into a nursing home in this State? There are no vacancies. Getting a .perspn into the geriatric section of the Prince Charles Hospital is like trying to get into Fort Knox. Old peopfe cannot be accommodated at "Eventide" The State has many elderiy people who desperately want nursing home accommodation but cannot find it. In my opinion the incidence of crime has increased. Certainly Queensland is importing people from across the border, but it is also importing aU the evils that go with that, i ask the Government to take stock of itself and to stop being mesmerised by its own propaganda. Mr Hartwig: Some people are trying to get into our free hospitals. Mr VAUGHAN: A minority of people come over the border in an endeavour to get into our free hospital system; I do not deny that. However, as I understand it, they are being culled out. Unless they are on the State electoral roll, they are • not admitted. Mr Hansen: They have to be here for three months to get on the electoral roH. Mr VAUGHAN: Yes, that is right. The Premier embarks upon campaigns such as "Enterprise Queensland" and makes statement after statement about the wealth of the State and about how things are booming here, so when people ask for a share in that wealth he cannot rightly deny them that. Yet he has done that. I forgot to mention that the Govemment refused to grant a 38-hour week to its own blue-collar workers but endorsed a 38-hour week for construction workers on the Tarong Power Station. The Governor referred to the effect of the international recession on the State's mining industry and made a specific reference to coal. I am concemed about the future of our export coal. This evening I heard on the news that the Utah Development Company has cut production by 10 per cent. That does not surprise me at all, because the Premier went over to the Japanese and spoke about all the strikes that go on in this country. Of course, the Japanese, who are very astute and very good negotiators, are able to con the Premier—they take him for a ride. The Press has published reports that the Japanese have reduced their imports of AustraUan coal, increased their imports of coal from the United States, have stockpiled approximately 10 miUion tonnes of coal and now, because they have control over shipping. 476 24 August 1982 Addlress in Reply

they intend to cut back on that. Because the Premier has been going over there saying that it is not Queensland, it is the rest of Australia. Queensland's coal market vrill suffer. The Japanese do not beUeve the Premier; they know what is happening. If the Premier cries "wolf" too often, there will be an adverse reaction. The fact of the matter is that it is a buyer's market, but I beUeve Queensland is heading for over-production. As I say, the Japanese have increased their stockpiles to 10 million tonnes. Queensland is bringing new mines on stream, the price of Queensland coal is the second lowest in the world; yet the Premier goes over to the Japanese and apologises to them for the 35 per cent increase in the price of AustraUan coal in the last two years. But he tells the Japanese that that is not Queensland coal, that is coal from New South Wales. That is a heap of garbage. The price of our coal has begun to increase and it will be to our benefit to maintain our contracts, but that will not happen if the Premier continues saying the things he has been. I wish to discuss the recent Government decision to, caU for companies interested in the development of the Ensham. Roper Creek South and Lake Vermont coal deposits. Last week I had the pleasure of looking over the steaming-cbal-mine at Newlands. I am gratified that MIM Holdings Limited, with its astute management, has arranged contracts for both Oaky Creek and Newlands. I do not think Riverside has all of its coal under contract as yet. Another mine is Boundary HiU, which is to supply the Gladstone Power Station. There are also Tarong, -Blair Athol and Curragh. With aU these mines conung on stream and the Govemment caUing for people to show interest in other coal-mines, I think it is time the Govemment began to exercise some restraint. There is over-production in the tin-minirig industry, and unless the Govemment accepts wise counsel in relation to the development of our coal-mining industry, Queensland could be faced with a situation in which there is over-production of coal and it wiU be at the mercy of the buyers. As I have said, it is a buyer's market at present. Our coal price is the second lowest in the world; only the price of South African coal is.lower. For instance, at the Cook colUery in the South Blackwater area there is a likelihood of some 300 employees being retrenched. The Crovernment should take stock of the current situation and begm to plan the future of the coal-mining industry. I would not like to see any new mine developers encouraged until the Government is absolutely sure it can seU aU the coal that Queensland is capable of producing. Mr Scott interjected. Mr VAUGHAN: I believe that is the case. Government members are convinced by their own propaganda. A number of members opposite have referred during this debate to the Ord River project and to the problems that it could present for Queensland's sugar industry. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Ord River project. I first saw it in 1968, and at that time many advances were being made in the growing of sugar, rice and a number of other commodities. As I understood it, at that time, the producers were being encouraged by the Queensland Government. M^^^y people in the area had come from Queensland cane farms. However, times have changed, and the Queensland sugar industry is now facing problems. This morning the member for Whitsunday received an ansvi'er to a question that he had asked about the effect of the Ord River project on this State's sugar industry. I want to make only one point: that if the Government expects the rest of Australia to help it solve the (Queensland sugar industry's problems—of course, it was a different matter when Sir Charles Court was the Premier of Westem AustraUa, because he was pals with the Premier; but there now seems to have been a slight partmg of the ways— and if it intends asking the Western Australian Government to ease back on the Ord River project, or if the Government intends to ask Canberra to say to the Western Australians that it does not believe that they should proceed wUh the Ord River project, it must be prepared, as the Premier says, to accept a quid pro quo. He wants a quid pro quo from the railway workers in respect of their shorter working week, so the (Jovemment must be prepared to give a quid pro quo in respect of the sugar industry. But that is not the way in which the Preiiiier operates. Address m Reply 24 August 1982 477

I refer to an article in "The Courier-MaU" of Tuesday. 1 June 1982. headed "Govemment to aid coal mining" The article referred to a visit to this State by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Resources. Mr Anthony. He came up here to caU for a slow-down in mining industry development. The Federal Government can see the writing on the wall in relation to the mining industry. Mr Anthony would have a very good idea of the position, and he asked the Queensland Govemment to exercise a little bit of restraint because of the situation facing the AustraUan mining industry. But what response did he receive? The article stated— "But Mr Bjelke-Petersen. apparently armed with the survey's findings and with knowledge of the reUef his government is planning, said later that there would be no slowdown." The survey referred to was one conducted by the Govemment. which showed that Queensland charged the second-lowest price in the world for coal. So when the Deputy Prime Minister came here and asked the Government to slow down the Premier said "There wiU be no slow-down."—in other words. "You can go and jump in the lake." The article continued— "'I don't believe in that (a slowdown)'. Mr Bjelke-Petersen said . 'I am going to go flat out to seU everything I can.'" If we Say to the Federal Government. "Don't ask us to slow down developnnent in our mining industry; don't ask us to stop selling coal or other minerals; let us have a free run.", how in the name of heaven can we expect people in other States to accept our request to slow down the developmient of the Ord River area? We cannot say. "Do not proceed vvith the Ord River piroject at this time because of its effect on our sugar industry.", when we say to Doug Anthony. "Jump in the lake; we intend to sell every­ thing we dan." Mr SulUvan: Don't you think the mining companies will determine what should be done? They have to find the markets. We are not selling the ccal. Mr VAUGHAN: They have to get an export licence. It is for their own good. The coal-mining companies do not want more mining companies opened up in Queensland to cause over-production in the same "^ay as there is over-production in the tin-mining, sugar and many other industries. We must exercise restraint. I again ask: How can we in (Queensland say that the Ord River project wUl do untold damage to our sugar industry? Mr Sullivan: Don't you beUeve that it will? Mr VAUGHAN: I believe that it will, but how can we ask other people in Australia— whom the Government disowns when Ministers go overseas by saying that we do not belong to the rest of Australia—to exercise restraint in sugar production, when we refuse to heed a request made by the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Country Party to restrict coal-mining? We would not have a leg to stand on if the other States said,, "Jump in the lake. You paddle your own canoe when it suits you; do so now." Mr Sullivan: There is an enormous difference. We, as a Government, are respxmsible for the marketing of sugar through our Queensland Sugar Board, whereas the coal people market their own commodity. Mr VAUGHAN: The Government has some control over opening new mines. Through the "Queensland Government Mining Journal" the Government calls for interested parties. Lang Hancock is interested. The dogs are barking that he has a fair chance of getting the contract. He wiU name the new port. Port Petersen, and he wUI name the new city, Petersen City. He has the ear of the Premier. The Govemment burnt its fingers with the Winchester South deal. It should not make a similar mistake. In his Opening Speech the Governor referred to the Bruce Highway and said that major works are now in progress between Townsville and Cairns. Some weeks ago I drove oh the road between Tbwnsville and Caims. Some work is going ahead, but it is certainly not before time. I counted about 24 one-lane bridges on that road. , Mr Sullivan: Those are the ones that we, caU the ALP bridges. Mr VAUGHAN: I drove over that road in Febmary 1965. There are just as many 6ne-lane bridges oii it now. The Goyerhment has done absolutely nothing in 17 years to replace those oiie-lane bridges. Recently; three young people were kUled • in an accident 478 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

involving a semi-trailer on a one-lane bridge. Problems arise every day on the Bruce Highway, particularly between Townsville and Cairns. I could see very little difference in that road between the time I drove over it in 1965 and when I last drove over h a few weeks ago. The Government cannot blame anyone else for its laxity. It has had plenty of time to do something about the one-lane bridges, but it has done nothing. The Government wants extra money. It screams perpetually about needing money to repair the Bmce Highway and bring it up to standard over 'the next 10 years. The latest Federal Budget proposes an extra cent a litre tax to apply immediately, and a further cent a litre tax to apply from July next year. The other day the Deputy Premier said in this Chamber that this is not a high-tax State and that the Government does not believe in those taxes. As I understand it, it was this Government's proposal to the Federal Government, in the discussions before the Federal Budget was introduced, that that levy be imposed to help out with the roads. Mr Akers interjected. Mr VAUGHAN: It came out of a Canberra document. Mr Sullivan: That is a load of rubbish. Mr VAUGHAN: That is not a load of mbbish. In the next day or so I will prove it. Mr Sullivan: What year was it that it came in? Mr VAUGHAN: The petrol tax was introduced under the Federal Budget. The Gov­ emment mns down Neville Wran with his petrol tax but it does not have the intestinal fortitude to impose a petrol tax. Instead, it scurries down to Canberra and convinces the Fraser Government to add Ic a Utre to the cost of petrol to pay for the Bruce Highway. It was put under the guise of a bicentennial project. Then it claims that it does not brieve in petrol taxes! This State should be getting some of the $600m that the Federal Govemment is taking from it, with the complete support of this Government, by way of import parity pricing of Australian-produced crude oil. Nothing is said about that these days. The Govemment has let the Federal Government tax the Queensland motorists without raising one protest. I would not mind if that $600m was used for the purposes for which it was raised, but h has not been. It was to be used to explore for altemative oil supplies and other projects. It has been used to supplement the Commonwealth Government's revenue. ,; In the short time that I have left tonight I should like to make some comments on some other matters raised by the Govemor. His Excellency referred to the Gateway Bridge. I am very concerned about the construction of that bridge. Certainly it will be a good bridge and will do much to decrease the traffic passing through the centre of Brisbane. Unfortiinately it will not do a great deal for my electorate. All of the traffic that currently goes through the centre of Brisbane will go through my electorate. Mr Akers: And mine. Mr VAUGHAN: Some of it will go through the honourable member's electorate. When the bridge is opened in 1985. all of the heavy traffic that currently goes through the centre of Brisbane wiU go over the Gateway Bridge and through my electorate. The Government appears to be doing very Uttle to overcome the problems that will be created. I have asked the Minister for Local Government. Main Roads and Police to tell me what the situation will be. The initial response was that, when the bridge is opened in 1985, the money received from toUs will be used to develop the means of channelling the traffic from the bridge to the North. That means that Nudgee Road, Toombul Road, Gerler Road, Junction Road and the other roads that link the bridge with Sandgate Road wUl carry that traffic. The suggestion has been made that Toombul Road wUI be widened and that some­ thing will be done at the intersection of Toombul Road and Sandgate Road. But Sandgate Road is already carrying all the traffic that it can carry. Many irate people living on Beams Road have suggested that there should be a road to link up where the Gateway Bridge intersects with Nudgee Road near the entrance to the new airport to be opened in 1986. I have suggested that a road should be constructed around the back of Banyo and Nudgee near Nudgee Beach to link up with BoondaU and the Bruce Highway along the Brighton bypass. That is the only Address in Reply 24 August 1982 479 logical answer. If the Government does not do something about that in conjunction with the construction of the Gateway Bridge, I am fearful of what the situation will be when the Gateway Bridge is opened in 1985. I do not believe that the answer is to do up the connecting links of Toombul, Gerler and Junction Roads at the present time, i believe that the only answer is to construct a limited access road around the back of those suburbs to keep that traffic right away. Huge semi-trailers and tankers should not be travelling along Nudgee Road through heavily buUt-up areas. The only solution is to channel that heavy traffic right through to the North Coast. (Time expired.) Mr HARTWIG (CaUide) (8.46 p.m.): I associate my constituents whh my pledge of loyalty to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. I was very happy to be present at the opening of the Second Session of the Forty-third Parliament. In his Opening Speech the Governor outlined the activities and progress of this great State. I congratulate the mover and seconder of the motion for the adoption of the address in Reply. The member for Mirani did a pretty good job inasmuch as he has followed none other than the illustrious Tom Newbery, who represented the electorate of Mirani for a number of years. Mr Hooper interjected. Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr MiUer): Order! Persistent interjections will not be tolerated. Mr HARTWIG: The constituents of Mirani seem to be assured of good representation through their elected representative. The member for Toowong is a young member of this House who is destined to play an important part in the affairs of state in the future. As one of the senior back-bench members of the Parliament, I thank my constituents in Callide' for giving me the opportunity to represent them for a number of years. Mr Moore: They wUl put you back again, too. Mr Hooper: No, they won't. Mr HARTWIG: The member for Archerfield said, "No, they won't." : I am prepared to take a small wager on the side. If he wants to make it four figures, I wiU accommodate •him. I stand in this place as an Independent. That was brought about by the faceless minority of people. The Premier and the Government stand condemned for their actions. I pay tribute to many National Party people in my electorate who have supported me loyally over the last 18 months during which time I have been acting as Independent member for Callide. Regrettably, I have had a little bit of isolation from some departments, but I assure the Hous,e that I wHl go on representing my constituents to the best of my ability. Mr Scott: Ahern said, "Not for long." Mr HARTWIG: I do not know who said that. All I can say is that over four elections I have increased my majority from 50.3 per cent to 65.8 per cent. In 1980, 96 people cast their vote in a little polling booth in Lawgi," which is situated in the most southern part of my electorate. I received all of those 96 votes. Some dumb clucks on "Capitol HUl" saw fit to expel me three months after I was elected as the National Party member for Callide, and not one of those people who voted for my expulsion from the party voted in my electorate. Mr Wright: Shame! Mr HARTWIG: The member for Rockhampton says "shame", because he knows full weU that it was a case of "get Hartwig at any cost". What did those faceless men oil "Capitol Hill" do? They fell for all the innuendoes, insinuations and lies cast iibout me. Mr, Frawley: Did they: give you.back your $250 membership fee when they expelled you? 480 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

Mr HARTWIG: No. They took my money, but they did not want me. Let us look at some of the insinuations that were made about me at that time. I was accused of wanting to form a new party and a new State. When I appeared on the television program "Nationwide", I threw down a cheque for $1,000 and said, "Bring forward one person that I collaborated with or Uaised with." To this day, nobody has taken up the chaUenge, because it was a lie. I was tried by a kangaroo court and expelled by a group of self-appointed faceless people in another place. One's actions in one's electorate should speak for themselves. I have commented on the votes cast in my electorate. I am pleased that the Minister for Primary Industries is sitting in the Chamber. No doubt I paid the penaUy for suggesting that he should be promoted and groomed to take over as Premier of this State. Let us look at what has happened in the Callide electorate in the last 12 months. Mr DAVIS: Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I draw your attention to the state of the House. (Quomm formed.) Mr HARTWIG: I am pleased that we have at least a few members in the Chamber. Now that the Premier is in the House. I congratulate him on the stand he has taken in the present dispute. The results seem to have justified his actions. Mr Moore: With another one of those remarks you'll be back in. Mr HARTWIG: The whole idea of my expulsion was to get the Premier and me arguing between ourselves. When it suits some people, the Premier is told that he is here to govem. I notice that the President of the National Party has been quoted as saying that it is the duty of the elected representatives to govern. I wish he had thought of that before a certain decision was made about my future. However, I return to the affairs of the CaUide electorate. Over the last 12 months, something like $13m has been expended on road-works. In addition, there are a new pre-school for Gracemere, which the Premier will be opening in a week or two; a new pre-school for Emu Park; dental clinics operating for the first time in goodness cndy knows how long—4t could be 10 or 15 years—in some of my primary schools such as Wowan and Gracemere; the opening of the Rosslyn Bay QF 11 coast guard centre; $3m worth of work around Yeppoon; a new bridge over Fig Tree Creek; completion of the main road over the Rainbow Range near Biloela; a start made on the Callide B Power Station, at a total cost of $l,000m; foundations being tested for a major power-station at Stanwell; the opening of the Wahroonga Village at Biloela very shortly, financed by the Lutheran Church with subsidy from the Federal and State Governments; a new racecourse at Yeppoon; and improvements to the Thangool racecourse, which I will be evening on 4 September. It does ai>pear that in CaUide there has been no retardation of growth and activity, despite the fact that I have, through the activities of people in other places, been relegated to the role of an Independent member of this Parliament. Mr Frawley: You are doing better now than you were when you were in the party. Mr HARTWIG: I thank the member for Caboolture. My record would show that. After 3 months in the term of this ParUament as a National Party member some people saw fit to expel me from the National Party. My conduct was referred to quite often by people in high places. Personal attacks, unsubstantiated, were made upon my conduct. I am sure that members in this House on both sides, in all parties, whom I would regard as my friends, would speak very well of my conduct since I entered this place. Mr Hooper: I am saying this as a friend seriously. Mr HARTWIG: That is something, coming from the member for Archerfield. Mr Hooper: Don't look for self-pity. You will win as an Independent. Mr HARTWIG: When I started off as a young man, I took up a property caljed "Telebang*'. I went to a cattle sale, in Eidsvold one day and the late Eric MactaggarJ said to me, "How's the season?" I said. "Very good, Mr Mactaggart. Plenty of grass and plenty of water." He said, "Are you gMng to buy some bullocks?" I said, "No. I have no moa»ey. Tm mortgaged up to the cars. I couldn't buy anything." When it was Address m Reply 24 August 1982 481 announced, "Sale-o!", he called me over and said, "Help yourself to £30,000 worth of cattle." I bought 480 bullocks at £6 a head. I took them home and two years later I sold them. The market had improved and I got over £30 a head for them. I went to see Mr Mactaggart personally to repay him the money that I owed him. I said, "Mr Mactaggart, why did you. without the scratch of a pen, grant me £30,000?" His answer was, "Because your name is Hartwig." I hope that when the Jandowae farmer reads that, he will realise that he made one of the greatest blunders that he has ever made in his National Party dealings. In 1972 the ClaUide electorate had ap)proximately 7 500 people on the roU; today 16 000 peofievte enrolled. With such a vast growth of popnilation, one would exi>«:t. that the majority of those who have recently enrolled would be Labor voters, but it is strange that at the last election the National Party candidate for Capricornia. Col C!arige. polled only 42 per cent of the vote in Biloela. Three weeks later, in the State election, the National Party candidate, Lindsay Hartwig, polled 69.5 per cent of the vote. I have in my possession a letter from the Premier dated three months pnior to my expulsion and thanking me for the loyalty that I had given him over the years. However, a later letter stated that I was to be expelled for my denigration of the National Party, my conduct and my wanting to form a new State and a new party. The tmth is that in the previous Parliament four Ministers repjresented areas between Rockhamprton and Townsville. Mr Frawley: You were on the short list for Cabinet and they did not want you. Mr HARTWIG: That is pretty obvious. Today I have heard northern members speak of conditions in the northern and central parts of the State. Because I hit the nerve in stating that the Premier had removed the four northem ministerial positions, I was in disfavour. If northem members have to rely on vishs by Ministers to have a look at their problems, they are at a definite disadvantage compared with their circumstances in the previous Parliament. Yet I was expelled because I advocated the appointment of northem members as Ministers. I notice the Minister for Primary Industries is now in the Chamber. I also know that the Minister for Commerce and Industry (Mr SuUivan) will be listening. Some time ago we embarked upon a battle against the importation of pig swill in the form of sausages or similar material. We were frightened that that could introduce foot and mouth disease to livestock. Now all that has been forgotten and this country has the live virus of foot and mouth disease. I see that the Minister is shaking his head, but the Federal Minister for Primary Industry has given an assurance that it is here, that it is weU and tmly protected and that it willnot get out. My only hope is that if the hve virus of foot and mouth disease or any similar disease such as rabies is brought into this country, it wU be kept well and truly under lock and key. I turn now to local government. Queensland has a Minister who is in charge of four portfolios and responsible for 131 local authorities, some 4 000 or 5 000 poUce. thousands upon thousands of miles of road that need attention and the racing industry. I know he is a very capable man, but, in all fairness, I do not think the good Lord himself could administer four portfolios. The result is an enormous bureaucratic set-up. I know that the Minister for Primary Industries has 55 directors for whom he is answerable. The member for South Coast is the Minister for Local Government, Main Roads and PoUce and Minister in charge of racing, and he cannot possibly properly administer the affairs of those portfolios. Members have only to take a drive along Queensland's country roads to realise how bad the situation is. I heard the honourable member for Nudgee talkmg about one-lane bridges. One has only to go to Samford, 23 km from Brisbane, to travel over a bridge 70 or 80 yards long and wide enough for only one car. I was once chakman of the Monto Shire, and I know that it is of vital importance to have good roads. The carnage on the roads is appaUing and the number of road deaths is alarming. We continually hear about fatalities on one-lane bridges and crook country roads. People say, "Oh, it happened in the country", as though people in the country cannot drive, but half the time we do not have the damned road to drive on. The road between Bouldercombe and Rockhampton is a disgrace, as is the road between Biloela and Mt Morgan. The Yeppen Crossing and the road to Gracemere are also absolutely disgraceful, and this is within a stone's throw of one of the greatest provincial cities in this 482 24 August 1982 Address in Reply

State, Rockhampton. I do not know why it is a disgrace. I can assure members that roads of that sort are not just reseal jobs, they are reconstmction jobs, and local authorities are now looking at reconstmction costs of $750,000 a kilometre. But be that as it may, the authorities are still building roads only 7 metres wide. This is being done even on sections of the Bruce Highway between Ogmore and Sarina. Look at the width of some modern tmcks. Yet the authorities insist on a road only 7 metres wide. And we wonder why we have road fatalities! School-bus runs in many country areas today are still inadequate. My daughter lives north of Dingo and travels 70 miles a day to get her son to and from school. The little fellow has to get out of bed at 6 o'clock every morning. If there was one famUy in Brisbane that had to get out of bed at 6 o'clock in the moming so their children could attend prim­ ary school, they would have "Today Tonight" and "Nationwide" on the job straight away. Yet people in country areas expect six-year-old children to get out of bed that eariy, and that happens all over the State. If the Minister for Education wants people to stay in country areas he should provide school buses to take children to school. There are 10 or 12 children in the same area as my daughter, and they have to find the finance—— Mr Gunri: It costs about $10 a head a week. Mr HARTWIG: It costs $10 a head if there are 16 or more children. But what about greater privileges for people living in country areas? If they came to live in Brisbane their children could go to school for nothing. I wiU take the Minister for Mines and Energy to task. I note that he is not here. People living in my electorate, not in remote areas but in the Kunwarara/Ogmore area, are being asked to pay $6,500 each to get power connected. What person in the city of Brisbane would give $6,500 to get an electricity supply? Because people in the rural sector are few in number, this Government, which stands for free enterprise and private enterprise, stands idly by. I do not condone that. I insist that the $6,500 be, a loan. People could then approach the local distribution centre and say, "I have $6,500 to $8,(X)0 I can lend you to help you provide power to my property." The day of giving is gone. I will guarantee that if award workers were asked to pay a dollar out of their pay packets they would call a nation-wide strike. Yet the Minister and the Government condone this practice. A man at Springsure contributed over $12,000 12 months ago to get power to his property, but he is stiU without it.. That $12,000 has not eamed one cent in interest. That is the sort of thing that people in the country have to put up with. I am pleased to see that the Minister for Lands and Forestry has entered the House. I wiU deal with a person who buys a block of land. People who invest their life savings in blocks bf land are the last ones to be able to say what they will do with thcni. Under the town planning legislation, some Uttle fellow behind a counter can tell the landowner what he will do, how he will do it and how much he has to contribute to the Main Roads Department for the construction of a bridge or thoroughfare. That is condoned by the Director of Local Government and the Minister for Local Govemment, Main Roads and Police. A pubUc thoroughfare does not belong to the council, but to everybody; I am sure that if the matter was contested in court it would be decided that people cannot be forced to contribute to a public thoroughfare. Such practices are morally wrong. By all means, let that principle apply to a subdivider who wishes to subdivide land.' A man who had a long narrow property with access to a bitumen road at the front and a gravel road at the back wanted to sell two acres of his land. The council said, "If you put in $20,000 towards the improvement of that unimportant gravel road we will give you permission to subdivide the two acres." That is the worst sort of extortion. If I were the chairman of the shire or the Minister for Local Govemment I would not stand idly by when money was being extorted from people. A subdivider has to provide all the roads and services so that the ratepayer will not have to pay out so much money, but bureaucrats called town planners say, "You will give $20,000 or $40,000 to bitumen the road." It has probably been there for years. That $20,000 is added to the cost of the land. The Government, supposedly, supports free enterprise. We want young people to get a start. What the hell is the Govemment doing? It is only increasing the cost of land because the subdividers wiU not pay *e $20,000 or $40,000 out of their pockets. They will add it to the cost of the land that they are sellings, Address in Reply 24 August 1982 483

This Government says that we should be adopting a policy of helping our young people who are trying to go onto the land or to build a home; but they are paying $60,000 or $70,000 a hectare, not because that is the real price of the land but because it is the price that the subdivider charges to recoup his costs. Dr Edwards interjected. Mr HARTWIG: He would not be in it if he could not make a profit. Mr Booth: How many of those blocks of land have you cut up and sold for $60,000?

Mr HARTWIG: I have not subdivided an acre in my life. I ran a shire for 10 years and I did not ask a person for one cent towards a public road. The council went out of its way to clear and seal roads. I do not know whether honourable members are aware of it, but recently pensioners' costs ifor electricity jumped 50 per cent. Nobody in the community depends more on electricity than pensioners and aged people. Although pensioners are capable of looking after themselves, they depend heavily on electrical appliances; almost everything they use is electrical. The Government should investigate the possibility of subsidising pensioners' electricity charges. It would not cost a fortune to help those elderiy people. They receive $58 or $60 a week, and I do not know how they Uve after paying for rent and electricity. The Government should find some way of subsidising their electricity charges. The Commonwealth Games will be held in Brisbane later this year. The conditions at the Brisbane Airport are the most primitive of any I have seen in the world. If it is raining when a person leaves the aircraft, he has a damned good chance of being soaked., before he reaches the tunnel. In any case he would be up to his ..ankles in water, .^me of the Games visitors, who will be dressed up to the knocker^ wUl be saturated before they reach the terminal. Then they will want to get a taxi. Has any member tried to get a taxi at the airport? A person wanting a taxi has to stand out in the rain. There is no shelter for the thousands of visitors who will comie here for the Games. If it is raining when they arrivej they will be well and tmly drenched. I want the Press to report that. Brisbane should wake up. The Games are only a few weeks off. I have raised this matter before and nothing has been done about it. This ..ParUament is elected by the people of Queensland to manage the affairs of Queensland. Our responsibUity is to ensure that every healthy, able person is given an opportunity to obtain useful, well-paid work and so do his share towards the production of goods and services. It also is our responsibUity to ensure that every person is able to buy the goods and services that he needs so that he may enjoy a reasonable standard of living. I advocate the establishment by the Parliament of a State bank in Queensland. It is high time that we took heed of the fact that a State bank provides the answer. At the National Party Conference, Sir Robert Sparkes said that Queensland could not do anything about estabUshing a State bank because it had an agreement with the Common­ wealth relative to a savings bank. Queensland has an agreement with the Commonwealth relaitive to a savings bank; but, under the Constitution, that does not stop the ParUament from estabUshing a State bank. Today, more than at any other time in our history, local government subsidies have been reduced. That necessitates the payment of high interest rates to implement sewerage and water schemes. Narrow bridges should be eliminated and adequate roads should be constructed. Local authorities are certainly facing difficulties. As a Wealthy State, Queensland should not sell out the farm to the bankers of Tokyo. The Treasurer travels overseas and borrows money at 7, 8 or 9 per cent from Japanese bankers. Whitlam did that and people wanted to sack him. What do we do? The assets of this State are being mortgaged to overseas bankers. The Treasurer is looking at me. I know that he is saying, "How else can we finance those particular projects?" Overseas countries do not worry about our coal exports. Japan and other countries rely on coal to fuel their power-stations. What does the Treasurer bring back? He d^es. not bring back any gold, notes or yen; he brings back a letter of credit. The

Queensland has the resources to estabUsh a State bank. The capital is available to get it off the ground. I firmly beUeve that if Queensland is to progress as a State, it should not be under the control of the money lenders. Many of the people who control world finance do not Uve in this country. However, they determine the welfare of our inhabitants. As poUticians, we should not accept what the money lenders do to frustrate people by depriving them of money when it is available. Eighteen months ago when t was in England, there was a shortage of money. A shot was fired in the FaUriands. No-one said. "Where are we going to get the money from?" England was there with all the troops and weapons that were needed. However, in times of peace people cannot afford to buy goods and services, including houses. I assure honourable members that, because of the way in which the State is heading, if we do not look out we will be living in mud huts. People in my electorate live in shanties consisting of a few sheets of iron; they cannot afford anything else. If we do not do something to finance our own system, we wiU be adding fuel to the fire.W e have the resources and the sovereign right to estabUsh a State bank. I am talking about funding the public sector, not interfering whh the private sector or the State bank. Mr Davis: How do you propose to do that?

Mr HARTWIG: The Treasurer will tell the honourable member that recently he picked up $4(hn-odd on the short-term mon^ market. What is wrong whh doing that and financing our own enterprises with loans at low rates of interest? If a person goes to a bank to extend his overdraft, the bank manager does not give him $1,000. He gives him a ch^ue book. He does not get the money untU he writes out a cheque. The same happens when the State borrows $90m or $100m overseas. It does not bring back the money in currency; it brings it back in credit. The Premier has tried to set up a State bank in Queensland but Sir Robert Sparkes oppx>ses it. Because Sir Robert Sparkes does not want a State bank, Queensland will be denied one. We should back the Premier and the Government to the hilt to ensure that a State bank is established in Queensland. When it was suggested that death duties should be abolished in Queensland, Sir Gordon Chalk said to the Premier in the party room, "You can't abolish death duties. Where wUl we find $30m?" Queensland should set the pace by establishing a State bank. If we do, we will become the greatest State in Australia—and to hell with Bob Sparkes! Debate, on motion of Mr Wharton, adjourned.

REVOCATION OF STATE FOREST AREAS Hon. W. H. GLASSON (Gregory—Minister for Lands and Forestry): I move- "(1) That this House agrees that the proposal by the Governor in Council to revoke the setting apart and declaration as State forest under the Forestry Act of:— (a) All that piece or part of State Forest 840, parishes of Barns, Bingera, Greg­ ory and Marathon described as area 'A' as shown on plan Fty 1095 prepared by the Department of Mapping and Surveying and depxysited in the Office ot the Conservator of Forests and containing an area of 3.975 hectares—and, (b) All that piece or part of State Forest 611, parishes of Beerwah, Canning and Toorbul described as area 'A' as shovm on plan Fty 1168 prepared by the Department of Mapjping and Surveying and deposited in the Office of the Conservator of Forests and portion 935, parish of Beerwah, as shown on plan Cg. 4415 deposited in the Department of Mapping and Surveying and containing in total an area of about 50.912 hectares—and, (c) AU that piece or part of State Forest 3, parishes of Bowarrady, Mooobi. P(^ngan, Talboor and Wathumba contained vrithin stations 37-39-44-434241-^;^' on plan Cat. No. 40324 deposited in the Department of Mines and containing an area of 7.423 hectares—and. statutory Bodies Fmancial Arrangements BiU 24 August 1982 485

(d) AU that piece or part of State Forest 341, parishes of BringaUly, Devine, Inglewood, Listohan and Mingimamy described as portion 35. parish of Bringa­ lily as shown on plan Mh. 797 deposhed in the Department of Moping and Surveying and containing an area of about 78.3 hectares—and. (e) All that piece or part of State Forest 365, parish of CalUope described as area 'A' as shovm on plan Fty 1160 prepared by the Department of Mapping and Surveying and deposited in the Office of the Conservator of Forests and contaming an area of about 149 hectares—and. (f) All that piece or part of State Forest 1004, parishes of Como. Cooloola, Cowra. Goomboorian. Tagigan, Tahhi. Toolara, Ulirrah and Womalah described as areas 'A', 'B' and 'C as shown on plan Fty 1157 prepared by the Department of Mapping and Surveying and deposited in the Office of the Ccmservator of Forests and containing in total an area of about 17 460 hectares, be carried out. (2) That Mr Speaker convey a copy of this resolution to the Minister for sub­ mission to His Excellency the Govemor in Ck>uncil." Motion agreed to.

STATUTORY BODIES FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS BH^L Hon. L. R. EDWARDS (Ipswich—^Depnity Premier and Treasurer), by leave, without notice: I move— "That leave be granted to bring in a BiU to pwovide for the constitution, function and powers of the Queensland Govemment Development Authority; to pro\ide for guarantees by the Treasurer of statutory bodies' financial arrangements; to confer on statutory bodies power to enter into and perform financial arrangements; to confer on statutory bodies authority to invest moneys and for related pnirposes." Motion agreed to.

First Reading Bill presented and, on motion of Dr Edwards, read a first time.

Second Reading Hon. L. R. EDWARDS (Ipswich—Deputy Premier and Treasurer) (9.29 p.m.): I move— "That the Bill be now read a second time." In recent years the Australian, cap»tal market has changed considerably with lenders looking to more s>ophisticated and varied securities than the traditional semi-governmental and local vehicles of debentures and. to a lesser extent, inscribed stock. In addition, the avenues of secure investment have greatly increased. I would cite as examples the growing acceprtance of bank accepted commercial bUls. cash management tmsts and Govemment guaranteed promissory notes. However. whUe this has been occurring, the borrowing and investing powers of Queensland statutory bodies have remained basically static. Accordingly, the means of borrowing available to many statutory bodies in Queensland no longer reflect the requirements of the markets from which they seek to borrow, nor are they capable of investing in the newer forms of secure investment. These changes have taken place at a time when there is a considerably increased demand for the public's funds, a shift towards greater popularity of larger borrowers (and thus public loans) and for stock for which there is an active secondary or resale market. The changes have also taken place at a time when there has been a reduction in the real level of public sector capital allocations. The net effect of these factors is that, unless statutory bodies are able to meet the demands of the financial market, they wUl not be able to maximise the capital funds available. This must inevitably lead to a shortfall in the State's capacity to meet rapidly increasing 486 24 August 1982 Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Bill

capital demands. Furthermore, they will not be able to maximise the yield to them on surplus funds. This is an especially important factor whh borrowing costs so high. This Bill has therefore been designed to overcome these difficulties, by providing a modem and flexible framework within which statutory bodies will be able to work to capitaUse on the opportuni­ ties currently provided by the market-place. The BiU is divided into four distinct areas— (i) Expansion of the fund-raising powers of statutory bodies; (ii) The establishment of a Queensland Govemment Development Authority to enhance the attractiveness and marketabUity of Queensland statutory bodies' securities and to access the public investor rather than only the institutional dollar; (iii) The extension of, and greater flexibility of, the Treasurer's guarantee powers; and (iv) Amendments to investment powers to ensure that maximum returns con­ comitant with security are obtained on short-term surplus funds. Expansion of Fund-raising Powers of Statutory Bodies The Bill provides that a broad range of fund-raising powers will be available to statutory bodies approved by the Governor in Council. In particular, it provides for approved statutory bodies to issue readily marketable inscribed stock rather than debentures. This is espedally important in today's market. It also provides for access for statutory bodies to buyer and supplier credits, commercial leasing and other more sophisticated forms of financial accom­ modation. Although the diminution in the importance of direct borrowings has made it essential for some authorities to have access to these forms of financial accommodation, the fact that they are more complex and sophisticated will require greater involvement by the Treasury. This is particularly so given the very broad powers whidi this BiU enables the Governor' in Council to vest in statutory bodies. The relative nature of today's capital market, however, makes it imperative that the State's statutory bodies have the capacity to react quickly to changing market demands and circumstances. Without this flexibility,th e State cduld easily be left behind in raising vital funds. The Queensland Government Development Authority The Treasury has in recent years co-ordinated, on behalf of some of the State's larger semi-govemmental authorities, a number of joint public loan raisings, under the joint Government authority banner, but with the individual authorities issuing their own inscribed stock. In five loans some $93,000,000 has been raised—one third of which came from public subscriptions. Under the Loan Council's infrastructure program, it has also been necessary to raise substantial funds overseas, sometimes for borrowers who are not well known inter­ nationally. Accordingly, it is considered that a new authority should be established with appeal to both the domestic public market and the intemational arena. This Bill therefore provides for the establishment of a Queensland Government Development Authority. In summary^ thie Queensland Govemment Development Authority has as its statutory function to negotiate, enter into and perform financial and other arrangements that are in the interests of the development of Queensland. It has broad powers to enter into a wide range of financial arrangements and will be administered by Treasury. The QGDA can, inter alia— Bqrrow and lend money; . Act as an agent for other statutory bodies; Negotiate, enter into and perform the wide range of financial arrangements essential in today's sophisticated capital market; Enter into, inter alia, foreign currency obligations and trade in foreign cunencies as is necessary to control the State's foreign exchange exposure; and Act as a guarantor for statutory bodies and issue securities. Its primary function will be to borrow funds on the domestic market by way of public bond issues. Funds so raised will be distributed to statutory bodies already on the semi- governmental program. These authorities will be expected, however, to raise at least the equivalent of the smaller bodies limit (currently $1.5m> themselves. Limits willbe set indiridu- aUy for. each authority that will take account of the total funds the authority has to raise for its capital program for the year. Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements BUI 24 August 1982 487

It is not proposed at this time to directly raise funds on behalf of smaller bodies. These wiU. however, benefit indirectly from lower pressure on banks and insurance companies by the larger authorities, because of the benefits resuhing from the QGDA which will access the public and thus reduce demand on institutions. In addition, the QGDA will be able to issue QGDA securities in substitution for the securities of other smaller authorities. This will enhance the marketability (and thus the attractiveness) of these other securities. As Well as domestic borrowings, the QGDA will become involved in offshore currency transactions including borrowings, currency swaps, forward contracts and hedging. This is important as it is via these means that we are able to minimise the exchange risk associated with our overseas borrowings. Given the current competition for capital funds, it is essential that the QGDA is able to establish a secondary market for its stock and also the converted stock of smaller bodies. The Bill provides the QGDA with the statutory powers to do this. Guarantee of Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements The Bill repeals the Local Bodies' Loans Guarantee Act 1923-1979 while providing that guarantees given under that Act will remain vaUd and in force in the terms in which they were originally given. In substitution, the Treasurer is empowered to give guarantees by means of a broader range of devices, including instruments of guarantee, Orders in Council, and such other forms as the Treasurer thinks fit. This is important, particularly in overseas markets and in the more sophisticated forms of financial structuring now being undertaken. In addition, the BiU provides the Treasurer with the power to indemnify obligations rather than just guarantee them. Overall, however, there is no fundamental change in the Treasurer's powers. Rather, they have been updated and made more sophisticated to cope with changed market demands. Investment Powers The BiU provides a set of broad general investment powers which may, subject to the approval of the Governor in Council, be applied to any statutory body. The Bill provides for approved statutory bodies to invest in or with Commonwealth, State and Territory securities or securities guaranteed by those Governments; persons authorised by the Act to borrow money from the Treasurer; banks; or securities issued, guaranteed or accepted by banks; authorised short-term money market dealers; and such other securities and investments as may be approved by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Treasurer. The forms of investment are secure and are necessary if authorities are to maximise the returns available to them from their surplus funds. In summary, the proposed Bill wiU:— ensure that statutory bodies have access to as broad a market for capital raisings as possible; ensure that statutory bodies are able to adapt quickly to new market techniques and to the structural changes which may result from the Campbell inquiry; ensure that the securities issued by Queensland statutory bodies are the type demanded by the market; ensure that the market for Queensland securities is expanded to the maximum extent possible; ensure that the public is encouraged to subscribe capital to the maximum extent possible; ensure that, where possible, financial arrangements are entered into by the bodies most acceptable to the market—this is practicularly the case in the intemational market; ensure that the State is in a position to guarantee those of the expanded financial arrangements of the various bodies as may be necessary in the circumstances; and ensure that the investment powers of the bodies enable them to obtain the Riaximum secure yield possible on temporarily surplus funds. 488 24 August 1982 Soccer Football Pools Act Amendment Bill

At the same time, however, it is essential that adequate control is maintained over the new financing powers of authorities by Treasury and that all Loan Council guide-lines and restrictions are observed. Before I commend the Bill to the House, I pay tribute to the Government Printer for his co-operation in the printing of the Bill. This has been a difficuU period for him, so I personally thank him and his apprentices who have worked under considerable difficulty to produce the Bill. I also wish to thank the Opposition because, after discussions with its spokesman on Treasury matters, h has agreed to debate the second reading of the BiU on Thursday to enable the BiU to have an effect on the pubUc market as soon as possible. I thank the Opposhion spokesman on Treasury matters for that consideration. I commend the Bill to the House. Debate, on motion of Mr D'Arcy, adjourned.

SOCCER FOOTBALL POOLS ACT AMENDMENT BILL Hon. L. R. EDWARDS (Ipswich—Deputy Premier and Treasurer), by leave, without notice: I move— "That leave be granted to bring in a Bill to amend the Soccer Football Pools Act 1976 in certain particulars." Motion agreed to.

First Reading BiU presented and, on motion of Dr Edwards, read a first time.

Second Reading Hon. L. R. EDWARDS (Ipswich—Deputy Premier and Treasurer) (9.41 p.m.): I move- "That the BUI be now read a second time." The object of this BUI is to make purely mechanical changes to the existing legislation. These are— (a) to provide that the licensee shaU pay a duty of an amount to be prescribed from time to time but not less than 30 per cent of subscriptions; (b) a provision that the Treasurer shaU grant a licence. Honourable members wUl recall that the present legislation was enacted back in 1976 to provide for the promotion, conduct and operation of soccer footbaU pools in Queensland. The Ucensee was AustraUan Soccer Pools Pty Ltd, and since that time that company has successfully conducted the pools game, as we now know it, both in Queensland and in southem States. The company has now approached the Governments of the States in which pools are conducted to introduce a new game that is, in fact, only a variation of the existing game. The new pools game is caUed "six from thirty-six pools" and, as I said, is similar to the existing game in that winning numbers are determined on the results of soccer matches. However, the new game is simpler for the pubUc in that players have only to select six numbers from a choice of 36 instead of eight from 55 as now. Winning numbere wUl be the six highest score draws from the 36 matches nominated. "Six from ftirty-ax pools" wUl take the place of the present game. AU administrative contrds and safeguards remain intact. All States have now agreed to the company's proposal to introduce the new game subject to— an increase in the tax payable to the Government; ; no diminution of the prize distribution. • To accommodate these conditions, it is necessary to amend section 14 of the existing Act, which provides that the company shall pay an amount equal to 30 per cent ot subscriptions in tax. In this day and age. it is desirable, in any case, to have this tax Prisoners (Interstate Transfer) BiU 24 August 1982 489 figure flexible to enable the Government to negotiate with the licensee as circumstances warrant. Consequently, the amendment proposes that this provision be altered to aUow payment by the company of an amount to be prescribed from time to time but not less than 30 per cent of subscriptions. As to the second matter—it has been brought to my attention that southem legislation provides that the Minister shall receive appUcations and make a decision hereon, and where the appUcation for the licence is favourably received, shaU actuaUy grant the licence. In the Queensland legislation, we deal with the application and in section 6 (2) pjTOvide that the Treasurer may give to the appUcant a notice in writing setting forth that he is prepared to grant the application or not grant the appUcation, but there is no follow-on requirement to actually grant the Ucence. The purpose of this amendment is to remedy that deficiency. At the same time, on the advice of the ParUamentary Counsel, opportunity has been taken to tidy up the provision relating to the lodging of the prescribed security as a prerequisite to granting the licence. This is merely a refinement of the existing situation and in no way affects the position of the current Ucensee. As I indicated in my introductory remarks, these are simple and non-controversial amendments that should be quite clear to all honourable members, and I commend the Bill to the House. Debate, on motion of Mr D'Arcy, adjoumed.

PRISONERS (INTERSTATE TRANSFER) BILL Hon. S. S. DOUMANY (Kurilpa—Minister for Justice and Attorney-General), by leave, without notice: I move— "That leave be granted to bring in a Bill relating to the transfer interstate of prisoners." Motion agreed to.

First Reading BiU presented and, on motion of Mr Doumany, read a first time.

Second Reading Hon. S. S. DOUMANY (Kurilpa—Minister for Justice and Attorney-General) (9.45 p.m.): I move— "That the BiU be now read a second time." During the middle part of the 19th century the transfer of a prisoner from Sydney to Brisbane could be achieved simply by the stroke of a pen. With the emergence of the States of AustraUa in the latter half of that century and the formation of the Commonwealth in the early part of this century came a new approach. Each jurisdiction was responsible for the custody of offenders who had breached the law of that jurisdiction, and there was no arrangement whereby prisoners who were actually serving sentences could be moved from one State to another. Of course, in those days, owing to difficulties in traveUing and the relative msularity of the various population centres there was no great need to transfer prisoners. With the developments that have been made in transport and communications, and the greater mobiUty which exists in Australian society today there is a need for responsible Governments to ensure that the values of our modem society are reflected in the Legislature. To this end. the question of transfer of prisoners for rehabiUtative or welfare purposes and for other purposes has been examined by the Standing Committee of Attomeys-Cjeneral. I am pleased to be able to inform this House that agreement has been reached between all States and the Commonwealth to introduce uniform legislation throughout Australia to deal with this question. 19779^18 490 24 August 1982 Prisoners (Interstate Transfer) Bill

The Bill provides for the transfer of prisoners to and from Queensland at their request for personal or welfare reasons, and also the transfer of prisoners to and from Queensland in order to face trial on outstanding criminal charges before the expiration of their current sentence. Although the mechanism of transfer in each case is different, the principle behind each transfer is the same. The transfer scheme is aimed at maximising the effect of the rehabilitative aspect of imprisonment in an attempt to ensure that prisoners do not again commit crimes in the community. This will be achieved by allowing prisoners to be transferred to a prison in another jurisdiction near their homes or family so that they may avail themselves of the strong emotional ties which can prevent to some degree the isolation of a prisoner from the society into which he will ultimately be released. The Bill relates only to the transfer of prisoners within Australia. However, a number of countries around the world have entered into treaties which allow for transfer of prisoners. If a Queensland prisoner wishes to be transferred to another jurisdiction he will be required to submit a written request to the Minister for Welfare Services. Upon receipt of that request the Minister shall determine whether it is in the interests of the welfare of that prisoner that he should be transferred. In order to assist him in exercising this discretion the Minister may inform himself as he sees fit and, in particular, may have regard to reports of parole and prison authorities of Queensland or any participating State. Should the Minister determine that it is in the interest of the welfare of the prisoner that he be transferred, a written request will then be made by him to the corresponding Minister in a participating State requesting him to accept the transfer of that prisoner. In addition, reports of parole authorities may be transmitted with that request. When the Minister is noticed in writing that the participating State will accept the transfer of the prisoner, he may issue an order for transfer from Queensland. Under the uniform legislation, Queenslanders who are serving sentences of imprisonment in other States will be allowed to transfer to Queensland and serve out their sentences subject to consent. It is apparent then that there will be a transfer of a prisoner only when both Ministers are in agreement to such a course. The decision of the Minister for Welfare Services to issue or not to issue an order of transfer will not be reviewa^)le by a court or tribunal as it will be the exercise of a ministerial discretion. In order to ensure that the Minister is not required to consider repeated requests of a frivolous or vexatious nature by the one prisoner, the Minister will be required to consider only one application for each prisoner per year. Of course, the Minister will have the discretion to consider a second or even third application when, because of a change of circumstances, further consideration should be given. At the present time, where a prisoner serving a sentence in another State has a warrant of arrest issued hi Queensland, before he can be returned for trial he must be released from custody at the expiration of his sentence in that State. In many cases this means that there is a delay of many years between the commission of an offence and the trial of an alleged offender. This delay in trial is not in the interests of the community, as witnesses may not be available after such a delay, and the accuracy of their recollection of events will diminish vdth the years; nor is it in the interest of the prisoner himself, as he may wait for some years before he is aware of what his ultimate sentence will be. Under the provisions of the Bill, the Attorney-General will have the power to request the transfer to Queensland of an interstate prisoner from a participating State. Where this request is agreed to by the Attorney-General of the participating State a court order will be sought to effect the transfer. An interstate prisoner may also request transfer to Queensland to face outstanding charges. City of Brisbane Act Amendment Bill 24 August 1982 491

Where a Queensland prisoner is the subject of an arrest warrant from a participating State either the Attomey-General of that State or the prisoner himself may request a transfer, If both Attorneys-General agree to the transfer, the prisoner wiU be brought before a stipendiary magistrate in Queensland, who may make an order for transfer. At this hearing the prisoner wUl be entitled to appear and to have legal representation. The BiH provides that no order wUl be made by the court if to do so would be harsh or oppressive or not in the interest of justice to transfer the prisoner. This safeguard has been expressed in identical terms to the safeguard which has been in existence with relation to the extradition of interstate persons and contained in the CommonweaUh Service and Execution of Process Act. An appeal wUl be aUowed by the prisoner, the Attorney-General or the Attorney- General of the participating State against an order made by a magistrate. After a prisoner is returned to Queensland for trial he will be retumed to the partici­ pating State if no penalty is imposed or if the sentence ordered by a Queensland court is of a lesser period than his original sentence. Where the prisoner requests to remain in Queensland and the Minister for Welfare Services consents to this request and obtains the consent of the corresponding Minister in the participating State he may remain in Queensland. Provisions of the Bill wiU ensure that orders made on prisoners in another State are recognised in Queensland after the transfer of a pnrisoner is effected. Cumulative sentences and minimum terms of imprisonment will fall into this category. When complementary legislation is adopted in the other AustraUan jurisdictions and transfers of p>risoners take place for welfare purposes and for trial, the fuU effects of this legislation wUl be felt. The rehabUitation of prisoners wUl be enhanced and the community wUl benefit in that there wiU be no delay in bringing interstate prisoners to trial in Queensland. I commend the BUI to the House. Debate, on motion of Mr R. J. Gibbs, adjourned.

CITY OF BRISBANE ACT AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading—Resumption of Debate Debate resumed from 30 March 1982 (see p. 5282, vol. 287) on Mr Hinze's motion— "That the BUI be now read a second time."

Mr PREST (Port Curtis) (9.54 p.m.): As mentioned by the Minister, this is a very small BiU. However, it has two important proposals. One deals with the City Redemption Fund and the trustees who wUl administer that fund. There must be firm guide-lines and accounting procedures to be followed by the trustees. I have no objection to the Director of Local Government being a trustee. In amending the City of Brisbane Act 1924-1980. we are only ensuring, proper account­ ability—4hat should always be the case in relation to funds—and providing for the appomtment of trustees. The Opposition has no objection to that part of the BUI. In particular, the Opposition has no objection to the Director of Local Government being appointed as a trustee. The other part of the Biill provides for the inclusion in the City of Brisbane Act of a section that already appUes to a number of local authorities outside Brisbane. The amend­ ment allows local authorities to create reserve funds under the Act. It is tme that some authorities have established such trust accounts for funds to cover long stervice leave payments and the cost of replacement and maintenance of plant, etc. 492 24 August 1982 City of Brisbane Act Amendment Bill

The Minister referred to the difficulties faced by local authorities in obtaining loan funds and the very high interest rates charged on those loans today. I remind the Minister that it is his Government that has been in power for 25 years in this State and that it is his Government that still supports the Liberal-National Party Federal Govemment that has created hard times for local authorities, particularly in the form of high interest rates that are affecting local authorities and the community.

The section being included in the City of Brisbane Act. because of its inclusion in the Local Government Act, cannot be denied to Brisbane city, so the Opposition does not oppose the BiU. I am concerned that more power wiU be given to local authorities. I believe that the Brisbane City CouncU under its Labor administration is a very responsible council. The powers given to the council under the Act to establish tmst accounts will not be abused, Recently I referred to a local authority that set up a tmst fund in which a substantial amount of money was invested. It will continue to do that. As a result of that decision, general rates have been increased by 4 per cent. Of course, that increase had a great impact on the amount of money that people from all sections of the community had to pay to the local authority so that the council in question could invest in a tmst account in order to receive a high interest rate.

Councils can and should budget from year to year. They should not extract from ratepayers money which they could have in a bank account attracting the high interest rates that are offered today. Of course, the establishment of tmst accounts should not be allowed so that a council can invest money for its own use at some future time. The Bill allows a local authority to set up a trust account for the purpose of accruing funds to meet a commit­ ment at a later date.

Has thought ever been given to the fact that by allowing trust accounts to be set up the Government is providing that money is taken from the ratepayers by way of unnecessary increases in rates and that money is taken from the pocket or purse of those people who can ill afford high interest rates or charges? By that I mean that some of those people may not be on this earth when that money is spent on a particular project. Money obtained from rates and charges will be able to be placed in trust accounts. I am concerned about those people to whom I have referred.

As the Minister said, in these days of difficulty let us look at the ones who really are in difficulties. Are they the local authorities that have to raise loan funds? I do not think so.

Some members of councils or shires, and even senior council staff, are not going through hard times. Of course, on many occasions we could be forgiven for thinking that these servants employed by the councils are paying the ratepayers. They go home and have a beer, or perhaps they have a drink out of the mayoral cocktail cabinet before they drive home in a council vehicle, which is paid for from ratepayers' money. When they get home they have a delicious hot meal. The people about whom I am concemed are those who wUl be asked to pay an extra amount in their rates so that it can be invested by councils. They are the unfortunate people who have to find this money so that councils can set up trust accounts. After looking all day for a job, or after having been to a pensioners' meeting, these people, if they are lucky, ride home in an overcrowded bus, or walk home. When they arrive home exhausted they have a drink of water and look around in the hope of finding some inexpensive food with which to sustain their family or, in the case of pensioners, they warm up a leftover lunch delivered by Meals on Wheels. Malcolm Fraser said that hfe was not meant to be easy. He has certainly made that saying a reaUty for some people in the community today.

If local authorities are to be allowed to set up trust accounts, caution must be exercised. Trust accounts should not be allowed to be used just as anoUier avenue tor extracting money from ratepayers so that a local authority can invest it in the short-term money market or at the other high interest rates that apply today. As I said at the beginning of my speech, the Opposition agrees to the amendmojj being made to the City of Brisbane Act, and it has no objection to their being passw by the House. Rural Fires Act Amendment BiU 24 August 1982 493

Hon. W. A. M. GUNN (Somerset—Minister for Education) (10.2 p.m.). in reply: I ^hank the honourable member for his contribution to the debate. As he well knows, the Brisbane City CouncU sought the amendment so that it would have power to set up a reserve fund—^power, I might add, that other local authorities have held for many years. If the honourable member wishes to raise the other matter with me at another time, I shall have it looked at. The Auditor-General himself requested the amendment in relation to the City Debt Redemption Fund. As the honourable member has said, this is a simple amendment to the City of Brisbane Act, and I have nothing further to add. Motion (Mr Hinze) agreed to.

Committee Mr Row (Hinchinbrook) in the chair Clauses 1 to 4. as read, agreed to. Bill reported, without amendment.

Third Reading Bill, on motion of Mr Gunn, by leave, read a third time.

RURAL FIRES ACT AMENDMENT BILL Second Reading—Resumption of Debate Debate.resumed from 25 March 1982 (see p. 5126, vol. 287) on Mr Hewitt's motion— "That the Bill be now read a second time."

Mr HOOPER (Archerfield) (10.5 p.m.): As the Minister has pointed out, the Bill ^s mainly a machinery one. Although the Opposition supports the amendments, I would like to make a few comments on the Bill. Some years ago, the national parks section came under the control of the Department of Forestry. Then it became a separate entity, divorced from Forestry. As it then stood, the chief fire warden, had the sole authority to impose a fire ban. The ludicrous position was that an acting chief fire warden was reluctant to lift the fire ban. even though it may be raining at the time. He claimed that he did not have the authority to Uft the ban until his superior returned. I am sure that all honourable members would agree that that was'I ludicrous. The purpose of the Bill is to give the secretary and officers of the board the authority to direct the chief fire warden to either impose a fire ban or to lift a fire ban. In Qomparison with its counterparts in other States, the Rural Fires Board has been the Cinderella of essential services in Queensland. Although there has been sonie improvement in Queensland, I hope that the Minister will agree that the service is StiU inadequate when compared with the service of other States. There is a recognition amongst rural fire boards of the need for adequate fire services not only in strictly rural areas but also in the rapidly developing outskirts of the Brisbane area—Samford, Mt Nebo. Mt Glorious Mr Akers: That's not Brisbane; that's out of Brisbane.

Mr HOOPER: If the honourable member for Pine Rivers had listened, he would know that I said "on the outskirts of Brisbane". Mr Akers: No. You said the outer areas of Brisbane.

Mr HOOPER: I said "on the outskirts of the Brisbane area". Mr Hewitt: Can we agree on the use of the word "periphery"? 494 24 August 1982 Rural Fires Act Amendment Bill

Mr HOOPER: I thank the Minister. He is certainly much more erudite than the back-bench member for Pine Rivers. Probably that is why the honourable member for Pine Rivers still adorns the back bench after some eight years in Parliament. However, one should be charitable to him; he is an expectant father. In 15 or 16 days' time he will be passing round the cigars and the port. Mr Prest: What will be in the port?

Mr HOOPER: The port wiU be all right. He may not be the brightest member in the House, but outside the Oiamber he is not a bad fellow. However, I was referring to the outskirts of the Brisbane area—Samford, Mt Nebo, Mt Glorious—and the densely populated Gold Coast hinterland and the rapidly expanding Sunshine Coast. I have noticed that in the Samford/Mt Nebo area expensive homes are being built in dangerous situations as the owners, in the main, are erstwhUe city dwellers with no knowledge of the best fire-safety measures and certainly no awareness of the hazardous circumstances in which they place themselves. Those people are in urgent need of an education program before a tragedy strikes. I recaU reading articles recently in which the Minister is on record as saying that he, too, is concemed at what has occurred—I have to be careful what I say; the honourable member for Pine Rivers is so temperamental—^in the near metropoUtan area. That is an area in which money spent on training would be of benefit to the whole community. I cannot recall having seen any pubUcity material on the need for fire training. Perhaps that is something that the Minister could give cognisance to. Possibly in the near future he and officers of his department could do something about training people in the near mral areas. Perhapjs the Minister may care to tell the House how much money has been allocated for publicity and training relative to the urban sprawl. With the onset of summer, the fire season is certainly with us. Areas on the outskirts of Brisbane are very dry and are now under serious fire threat. It is to be hoped that it rains soon and that the threat not only to mral Queensland but also to the outer metropoUtan area is Ufted. I reiterate my opening remarks that the Opposition does not intend to oppose the Bill.

Mr AKERS (Pine Rivers) (10.9 p.m.): I support the BUI and in dwng so I wish to pay credit to the Samford/Mt Nebo area of my electorate which was mentioned by the honourable member for Archerfield. That area has two very good bush fire brigades that have spent a great deal of time and effort in raising money to equip and train themselves.

The Samford Bush Fire Brigade has been established for some years and under people such as Don Greenhouse and others it has achieved a great deal of good and has commenced education in the way mentioned by the honourable member for Archerfield. The real success story is that of the bush fire brigade only recently formed under the direction of Gary Naylor and many other active people. Something that is even more interesting about that brigade is that the wives of the Mt Nebo/Mt Glorious area have become very much involved in not only the fund-raising side and the making of tea during a bush fire but also in training to leam how to handle the equipnnent Tie members of the bush fire brigade have gone to people's houses to explain the problems and dangers of bush fires. Local people are visiting other local peopde to explain the dangers, which has been very effective. A couple of years ago if one drove into the blocks area of Mt Glorious one would find houses completely surrounded by bush. Now the yards have been cleared and reasonable fire-breaks have been cut around them. What I am about to mention probably is the responsibiUty of the Minister for Lands and Forestry (Mr Glasson), but I ask for the provision of an adequate firebreak along Forestry Road, Mt Nebo. Most of the fires that have started in the Mt Nebo area have done so in the area north to north-west of Forestry Road and have come up the hill and, although the blocks area has never been affected, over the top. In the past that area had a fire-break but it has been allowed to deteriorate—I do not know whether through lack of care or lack of money, although I suspect it is the latter because the Brisbane Forest Park officers do care. The danger of that is that Rural Fires Act Amendment BiU 24 August 1982 495

if a fire now starts in that area it wiU not stop before it reaches the suburbs of Brisbane in the Mt Coot-tha area. Much growth occurred during the last summer season, which has been followed by a fairly dry winter, so that area is now a tinder-box. So there is a great danger that, if a fire-break is not cut, as well as the Mt Glorious/ Mt Nebo area, the suburbs of Brisbane wiU be m great danger.

Mr Hooper: I agree with that, but surely common sense dictates that the two Ministers get their heads together to work something out.

Mr AKERS: I have written to both of them on the subject and both have assured me that they wUl take some action. I wanted to add those words to remforce my comments. I support the BiU.

Mr RANDELL (Mirani) (10.13 p.m.): I support the Rural Fires Act Amendment Bill but I wish to speak briefly on two aspects of it that concern me. The first is the apparent failure of the Act to define the setting of sugar-cane fires and the UabUity attached to the requisition of property in a fire emergency. It may be that the Minister deems it unnecessary to spell out the rights of cane farmers to bum before harvesting but. because of the very nature of the sugar industry, the vast majority of those takmg part have many years experience of the buming of cane paddocks and, because of the co-operation of farmers during bums, over many years cane fires have been _ responsiUe for so little damage to non-cane property that they would scarcely register in any fire statistics. However, the amendments contain phrases and definitions such as "any mral fire" and "any mral fire of a particular type", which could be either constmed or misconstrued to cover cane burns. I do not suggest they necessarily do, but I believe the position of cane farmers should be made absolutely clear within the legislation. I should like to be assured that the proposed amendments wiU not in any way alter the section that sets out the rights and responsibilities of cane farmers in the preparation of their cane for harvesting. It should be noted that almost all cane-harvesting takes place within the "dry months", or the months when fire risks are at their highest, and in many areas cane paddocks adjcun national parkland and State forests. For these reasons. I ask that the position of the cane farmer within the Rural Fires Act be made absolutely clear. I seek an assurance from the Minister that there Is nothing in these amendments that would be to the detriment of cane farmers or, for that matter, any farmers. On the question of UabUity, there appear to be no changes in the BiU to the protective cover given to a person during an emergency, when, under section 28 (1), the services of ". . any person or any animal belonging to any person, or any plant or materials of any description for fire fighting or fire prevention" may be requisitioned.

Section 41 specifies that no liabUity shall attach to the persons named in the section in respect of any damage to property in the exercise in good faith of his powers, duties or obligations pursuant to the Act, at or in connection with, any power. The section goes on to say that any damage shaU be deemed to be damage by fire within the meaning of any policy of insurance against fire covering the damaged property.

That is aU very well if the person is covered by insurance; but what if the person mvolved is underinsured or what if he has gambled, knowmg the use to which his machine would be normaUy put. and it is not insured at aU? And what pf the Umits that I understand are put on the insurable value of any heavy plant which could be requisitioned to fight or prevent a fiie?

I do not believe there would be one rural dweUer who would not turn out td fight a^fire or not provide any plant necessary. Every country dweUer knows df the ravtiges of fire and there k a brotherhood naiturally formed to fight it. I do not know how mimy times I have been called out at night to help fight a fire on my neighbour's property, 496 24 August 1982 Rural Fires Act Amendment Bill nor do I know how often I have had to make simUar calls for assistance and the whole area has turned out to help fight a fire on my property. That is just a natural reaction by country people. So I ask the Minister to look again at the question of UabUity for loss or and a surer method—not simply personally obtained insurance cover—to ensure repair or replacement of equipment requisitioned to fight fire, and damaged or destroyed in the process. Hon. W. D. HEWITT (Greenslopes^-Minister for Environment, Valuation and Administrative Services) (10.17 p.m.), in reply: I am grateful to the three members who participated in the debate for their expressions of support for the provisions brought forward. The member for Archerfield supported the BiU, and I am grateful for that. The main thrust of the Bill, as he identified it, relates to the right of Rural Fires Board officers to impose or lift prohibitions. This becomes necessary if the chief warden of a district, for any reason at all, is absent when an emergency arises or, conversely, when a situation of emergency appears. Obviously there has to be someone who can exercise the right in either direction. It is not intended to replace the chief warden or to usurp his powers, but just to recognise the fact of life that sometimes there can be a vacuum area, and it is important that someone should be able to exercise proper rights. The BUI also acknowledges the fact that there has come into existence the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Reciprceity exists between that department and mine, and the Bill takes notice of that reciprocity. The Bill also provides for reciprocity between bush fire brigades which may be fighting an emergency on the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland, or the border between Queensland and South AustraUa, and areas of doubt have been cleared up as far as that is concerned. The member for Archerfield suggested that the Rural Fires Board is the Cinderella as far as emergency services are concemed, and I certainly acknowledge the fact that it could use more money. We could embark upon a great number of more imaginative pirograms if more money was at our disposal, but within the constraints of budgetary Umitations a number of initiatives have been taken which I think have improved the profile of the Rural Fires Board and the bush brigades, and have made them even more effective.

The member for Mirani referred to the risk to owners of heavy equipment, and it is timely to deal with that point now. Last year I took a submission to Cabinet suggesting that local authorities or, indeed, private owners who use heavy equipment, such as bull- dozfers or graders, to cut a fire break should not have to have tlieir equipment at risk and face losing it, and therefore those owners stand indemnified to the extent of $200,000. If a piece of equipment is lost when legitimately cutting a fire-break or fighting a bush fire, the owner is indemiufied to that extent. Mr Akers interjected.

Mr HEWITT: Local authorities are appreciative of that. More importantly, if a fire develops, the owners are not reluctant to make their equipment available. Another successful initiative is the acquisition of equipment and the placing of it at the disposal of bush fire brigades. We have a subsidy scheme under which a piece of equipment can be bought. We are trading quite frequently with the Forestry Department and the Army. When a piece of equipment is bought, it is immediately subsidised by 50 per cent. That equipnnent is put into the Government Garage and the necessary overhaul and conversion work is carried out, and the cost is absorbed in-house. If a track were to be acquired for $5,000, a subsidy of $2,500 would apply, if a further $1,000 was spent on the truck in the Govemment Garage, that cost would be absorbed inrhouse, and the bush brigade is still only liable for the original $2,500. It has been possible to put a number of additional pieces of equipment at the disposal of the bush brigades. That, too, is » useful program. Rural Fires Act Amendment BUI 24 August 1982 497

I have expwessed some concern about urban brigades that have pieces of superseded equipment. In some instances that superseded equipmient has been sold to be stripped so that the chassis may be used for purposes quite unrelated to fire-fighting. That is nonsense of the first order. I have indicated to all urban brigades that I expect them to make such equipment available in the first instance to bush brigades. That level of co-operation is now evident. I am grateful for that. An additional problem has been identified relative to on-ground communication. There seems to be some difficulty in communicating over great distances in bushland settings. A good deal of study is needed to place at our disposal an effective communication system. We are addressing ourselves to that problem. The reality of life is that if mral Queensland is faced with a fire situation, men on the land are very much dependent on their own resources. The best we can do is assist them to form bush brigades and provide training and then use every possible means to keep them motivated and make sure that they know what to do and where to go if a fire breaks out. The Rural Fires Board has succeeded very admirably in creating a loosely knit, but highly efficient, series of bush brigades throughout mral Queensland. In fact. 31 000 people are associated with bush brigades in Queensland. That is a very impressive number. The honourable member for Pine Rivers referred to the Mt Nebo and Samford brigades. I join with him in complimenting them on the work that they have done. It is of a very high order. They are highly motivated people, and we are very grateful to them for the support that they give. The honourable member mentioned that the wives of some members participate in the work of the brigade at Mt Nebo. I have been there and seen their work. I am very impressed with it. I encourage other women in Such settings to also consider being associated with bush brigades. The reality is this: if a fire breaks out in these settings on a week day, the men may be miles from home. If the women do not know how to respond to a fire situation, properties could be destroyed by the time the men come home. It is good sense that women should learn these disciplines. The women associated with the Mt Nebo brigade take their training very seriously. I am quite sure that, if faced with an emergency, they wiU handle it very competently. I have noted the honourable member's reference to the need for a fire break at Forestry Road. I wUl make sure that the matter is investigated. The honourable member for Mirani referred to sugar-cane fires. I assure him that the Rural Fires Act contains a specific section that excludes sugar-cane fires. Nothing explicit or implicit in any of the proposed amendments is intended to intmde upon the sugar­ cane industry. It is a refined industry. It has been very well discipUned for years. It conducts its affairs very well indeed. It works in close co-operation with the bush brigades. We are not in the business of stopping cane fires. It would be a nonsense thing to attempyt to do.

I hope that I have replied to the honourable member's query with regard to liabiUty on heavy equipment. I am grateful to the House for its support. Motion (Mr Hewitt) agreed to.

Committee Mr Row (Hinchinbrook) in the chair Clauses 1 to 23. as read, agreed to. Bill reported, without amendment.

Third Reading BiU, on notion of Mr Hewitt, by leave, read a third time. 498 24 August 1982 Adjournment

ADJOURNMENT Hon. W. D. HEWITT (Greenslopes—Minister for Environment. Valuation and Admin­ istrative Services): I move— "That the House do now adjourn."

Logan City Council Mr D'ARCY (Woodridge) (10.28 p.m.): Honourable members would be well aware of the formation of the Logan City Council and the problems associated whh it. This councU area was foisted on the people of Logan by this Government by cutting off areas, as you weU know. Mr Speaker, of Beaudesert and Albert. The fact is that h has been a poUtical council from the word go. The Minister for Local Government, Main Roads and PoUce has played a major part in its establishment. As you know, Mr Speaker, the area was cut off for political reasons. It was largely a Labor area at the northern end of the Albert and Beaudesert Shires. It has massive problems. The councU is dealing with unbelievable development p>roblems. It controls the fastest-growing area in Queensland and one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia. The Premier likes saying that Queensland is attracting many southerners. That area is, for many reasons that are not attributable to the Premier. The Govemment is refusing to provide the necessary services in that area. This newly formed council is in the position of having to cope. It is an almost impossible position. At the last election, the candidates who were foisted on the people were defeated by Labor aldermen. Only five Labor candidates stood and aU five were elected. However, it is a 10-man councU. The Minister for Local Government, Main Roads and Police even appointed the mayor. So it is stiU this Government's councU. It is still the Local Govern­ ment Minister's councU. I believe that it wiU increase its rates. UnUke most of the councils in this State it has not brought its budget down. The Treasurer said that the cut in subsidy would not result in a rate increase more than the rate of inflation, which is currently 10.7 per cent. I beUeve that the rate increase in Logan wiU be about 20 per cent, which is massive. A Government Member interjected. Mr D'ARCY: The Minister did not make it a Labor council. If he did, we might be able to solve some of the problems, the least of all being sewerage. In a recent statement to the Press the Treasurer stated, "We won't help with any of your problems." In criticising the State Govemment Alderman Brinkman stated— "The State Government, it would seem, is pulling down the shutters on expendi­ ture and forcing local authorities to raise money for servicing their areas from the people who liVe in the areas." People are migrating m large numbers to the Logan area. Alderman Brinkman continued- "Where the State Govemment before had subsidised all sewerage works programs to the extent of 40 per cent, now it paid 20 per cent on only sewerage treatment works construction." That has been a bitter pill for Logan to swallow because it means that it wUl have to raise an additional $2.5m for sewerage programs this year. Currently, the sewerage plant at Queens Road, Logan, which is in your electorate, Mr Speaker, is operating at 70 per cent over its capacity. It was built for 45 000 people, extended to cater for another 10000, and is now servicing the needs of 86 000 people. When the first sewerage module is introduced in January next year at a cost of $3.5m, the program will be behind schedule until the year 1990. Next year it will still be operating beyond its capacity even with the module on line. The Government should be looking at a special case for the Logan City Council because of the growing population and the fact that the Government has been totally responsible for the confusion that reigns in Logan at the present moment. The Labor aldermen cannot be held responsible for what will happen to rate charges in that area. The Government organised the council; it even organised the appointment of the mayor. It is the only council in Queens­ land in which the mayor is appointed by the Government. The council is not able to cope Adjoumment 24 August 1982 499 with the massive youth unemployment, which the Govemment ignores totaUy. The council must be given a special grant for sewerage works. Because of the actions of the Treasurer and the Crovemment. the council is missing out on sewerage subsidies. (Time expired.)

Solidarity in Poland Hon. J. W. GREENWOOD (Ashgrove) (10.33 p.m.): Today I had the privilege of meeting two Polish leaders of Solidarity and listening to them tonight in the course of a rally at Festival HaU. It was impossible to speak to them without feeling great sympathy for the trade unions and the ordinary man and woman in Poland. I suppose we all remember what happened to Dubcek in Czechoslovakia in 1967. Towards the end of last year there was general apprehension that the same sort of thing might hapypen again in Poland. What did happen, of course, was the imposition of martial law. The set of mles imposed means that every factory worker in Poland is now regarded as being a part of the army and subject to mUitary discipline. Since that time an enormous number of leaders in the trade union movement have been put in gaol, not necessarily tried, convicted and found guilty of an offence. Many have been intemed. and internment means that they are put into detention because it is feared that they might commit some sort of offence if they are aUowed out. Mr Lee: That is the system that Hughie Hamilton has here.

Mr GREENWOOD: This is certainly the Communist system. When one looks at Polish martial law and the sort of offences that it defines, it is a wonder that more people are not imprisoned. For example, it is an offence in Poland to spread false information that can give cause for public unrest. One man was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for handing out pamphlets stating "Solidarity wiU overcome" That simple statement was regarded as being false information that would be Ukely to cause public unrest. Trade-unionism is prohibited, and anything that is regarded as trade union activity is prohibhed. All sorts of things are regarded as trade union activity. Talking to more than four people in a public place is a trade union activity, and is an offence. Collecting union fees is a trade union activity, and is an offence for which a person can be gaoled. Giving financial help to families of imprisoned union leaders is a trade union activity, and is an offence. It is iUegal to strike. Not only is it illegal to strike, but an intention to go on strike is regarded as an illegal act. and it is very easy to prove intention. A single witness can testify that a person intended to organise a strike, and that is sufficient to prove the case against him. These are the circumstances that face trade- unionists in Poland. The Solidarity movement is widespread. In a nation of some 36 million people, 9 500000 are members of Solidarity proper, 3 million are members of Rural Solidarity, and 15(M) 000 are members of Craftsmen SoUdarity. They are committed to peaceful reform. These people explained to us that to adopt the tactics of revolution, the tactics of Communism, would merely be to replace one Govemment that owed its existence to force with another Government that equally owed its existence to force. So in this environment where unionism is prohibited and where any manifestation of support for unionism is prohibited, they are left to tactics that we would find quite mystifying, for example, putting candles in widows on the anniversary of the declaration of martial law, and putting out flowers on the anniversary of the death of miners at Gdansk. Schoolchildren play their part by having periods in between lessons in which they do not talk, play or move and keep as silent as possible. AU these are methods of peaceful witness to the commitment of all these people to the democratic principles that we take for granted.

Commonwealth Games; Special High-alcohol Beer; Drink-driving Mr SIMPSON (Cooroora) (10.38 p.m.): The Commonwealth Games will be a great event in Queensland, in AustraUa. and no doubt throughout the world. It will be a great time for celebrating. To help celebrate the Games, one of the breweries in 500 24 August 1982 Adjoumment

Queensland has produced a new brew. That is a very sociable thing to do. except that the brew has a very high alcohol content. It will be all right for people to drink the brew as long as they do not intend to drive, but that is where the problem lies. People wUl have to exercise a lot of care when they are celebrating. I hope, Queensland and Australian victories. There wiU be many visitors to the Games from overseas and they wUl not be used to driving on our roads. Mr PoweU: Some of them wiU drive on the wrong side of the road.

Mr SIMPSON: We certainly hope that they will not drive on the wrong side of the road and that they wiU organise their celebrations in such a way that they have someone to drive them around or they elect not to drink so that they cain safely drive from one place to another. I think it is important that the public know that this special brew has an alcohol, content of 6 per cent, which is double the alcohol content of, Caritori light beer, which is about 2-8 per cent. That is a substantial difference. It will mean that people will be able to drink only half the number of beers in an hour to stay within the .05 blood alcohol limit. Mr Borbidge interjected.

Mr SIMPSON: It is interesting that the honourable member should ask how it compares with spirits. Many people who drink spirits are not really aware of their alcohol content. Whisky, gin and other spirits range between 40 and 50 per cent. Obviously, one does not drink the same quantity of spirits as beer; but one would not need to. Some people might not be aware of the alcohol strength of spirits; many people, particularly women, are not aware of the alcohol content of wine. Some tend to think that wine has a low alcohol content and freely partake of it. Wines range between 9 and 11 per cent, unless they are fortified, when the alcohol content rises to as much as 16 per cent. A few are a shade higher than that. One should not be too free with wine-drinking if one is driving. It always pays to eat when taking alcohol. In that way, the effects on the human body are lessened. To enjoy wine-drinking, it is better to spread it out over a period rather than to gulp it down in a hurry, as is sometimes done with the Australian habit of "shouting" in a round, when, if there are half a dozen involved everybody has half a dozen drinks. That is a prroblem. A person who will be driving should ensure that he is drinking light beer if he is likely to consume half a dozen in an hour. Th6re is no way that a person could do it on the new beer, which has a 6 per cent alcohol content. Con­ sumption must be restricted to two beers ah hour or the limit will be exceeded. That needs to be brought to the attention of people in the community. I hope that we are celebrating a number of wins. However, I would like to think that people were concemed and careful about driving on the roads. We should t£^e care of our visitors. We should not only assist them in relation to conditions on our roads but also be helpful and courteous to them. Lack of courtesy and excessive hours of driving cause most oif our accidents. It is to be hoped that greater care is taken in the advertising of alcohol. (Time expired.)

Appointments to Country Committees of the Queensland Recreation Council i Mr HANSEN (Maryborough) (10.43 p.m.): Since 1974 most Australian States have changed the operation of the former National Fhness Council. The Federal National Fitness Council was disbanded and most States have set up Councils for, Recreation. It was mooted at the time for Queensland, but we have been a little bit slower than most of the other States in making the transition from the National Fitness CouncU to the Council for Recreation. Queensland had a unique decentralised operation through regionally based committees, which over the years have more than doubled throughout the State and have carried the message of recreation through National Fitness to aU corners of the State. Each area committee consisted of representatives of the local authorities and the community. The area Adjoumment 24 August 1982 501 committees worked very well together, and I speak from experience. They consisted of people from all walks of life, from aU political parties, and they worked together for a common goal. In Queensland, after four years' discussion, the transition was to take place this year. It has always been the Minister's prerogative to appoint the chairman in each area and to approve of the committee members. I speak from 11 years' experience as the chairman of the Maryborough area committee of the National Fitness CouncU. The Queensland Recreation Council was created and letters were sent out asking the existing area com­ mittees to assist in the transhion from the National Fitness Council. Although there was some shift backwards and forwards as to the dissection of responsibilities between the Minister for Health, the Minister responsible for sport and the Minister for Welfare Services, the actual duties did not change very much. -

Yesterday I received a letter from the secretary of the Queensland Recreation Council. Mr Barry Nielsen, stating that I had been approved as a member of the Maryborough area commhtee. I later learned that the Minister has appointed another person, not previously a member of the committee, as the chairman. He has also appointed other people, whom I know to be Liberal supporters, to the comnuttee. That is fair enough; if they work, they are welcome. However, the Minister has departed from the procedure foUowed by previous Liberal and Labor Ministers and the practice carried out by his predecessors, the late John Herbert and the member for Kurilpa (Mr Doumany). ,..„

I believe that for political reasons, and probably at the behest of some of the local Liberals whom I challenge to accuse me of ever using my position for any political purposes, the Minister has removed me. In fact, I encouraged a group of people, some of whom are my friends, to join me and act as personal guarantors of a loan from the Commonwealth Bank needed to build a community recreation centre. IncidentaUy, that loan is almost repaid.

I am not the only one who has been treated in this v/ay. I find that the Minister has' extended his political bias to remove at least one other area chairman. Alderman Ken McEUigOtt of Townsville. I am saddened that the Minister (Mr White) has introduced politics into an area in which it has played no part for over 40 years. I beUeve that the Minister should state, either privately or publicly, his reasons for removing people who have proven their support for an organisation at a time when he has asked that their be a minimum amount of disruption accompanying the change-over ,> from the National Fitness CouncU to the Queensland Recreation Council. I do not speak for myself, but I am concerned that the Minister has taken this path. He should have followed the precedents set by his predecessors. I call on the Minister to explain his actions.

Car-parking, Toowong Area

. Mr PRENTICE (Toowong) (10.48 p.m.): I rise to speak unashamedly of some pafOchial matters, and I do so knowing full well that the House is well used to hearing of them. However, they are matters that should be raised iri the Parliament. -^ -

One of them relates to car-parking in the Toowong shopping centre. A number of people might say that that is a matter of no import, but it affects my constituents not merely because bf inconvenience biit because it is holding back the growth of a shopping centre and a commercial area that has been, until recently, growing rapidly.

The Toowong commercial area has, of recent timies, taken on a new Ufe in that many businesses have found it worth while to move out of the helter-skelter of the city to the better conditions that exist in the Toowong area. Between High Street and Sherwood Road very few car-parks exist for those who wish to shop or do business in the Toowbng area. That car-parking is even further restricted at peak hours, which one caii understand, and the only other parking available is within the Woolworths complex. Naturally that company wishes to keep that for its customers. 502 24 August 1982 Adjournment

The State Government has an opportunity to pjlay a role in alleviating that problem because it has proposals before it to redevelop the air space above the Toowong Railway Station. Indeed, I have raised this matter with the Minister by way of question in the House and also privately outside the House. I understand that that development is at a stage at which tenders should be called shortly. I have asked for—I have not received answers exactly as I would like—the Government to make aUowance for car-parking in that development to ensure that not only railway commuters and those who deal in that particular building but also all the residents in the area who wish lo shop or do business in that Toowong commercial area are provided with additional car-parking, which could be provided by ensuring that another 200 spaces are made available when that air spaced is developed.

There is only one way to ensure that that development goes ahead, and that is for the Minister, when he calls tenders, to make it a requirement of any company that wishes to tender to provide parking other than commuter parking. Mr Akers: Are you going to allow advertising on either side of it?

Mr PRENTICE: The member for Pine Rivers has raised the question of advertising. I know of his concern about advertising on railway property, and if I have time I will deal with that. If the Minister took the action that I suggested, a developer considering developing that property could take my suggestion into account and ensure that in his plans he covered that aspect. He could then provide, at little cost to the community, a facility that would be of great benefit not only to the residents of Toowong but also to the businesses in the area. It would bring greater life to the area.

The only other aspect that I wish to touch on was raised by the honourable member for Pine Rivers. There is a need for the Minister to look closely at removing, or at least improving in some way, the advertising signs on raUway property. In the financial year before last, the Government received about $170,000 from billboard advertising throughout the State. With only that small amount involved, the Government should be either looking at removing billboards in some areas, because they are no more than an eyesore, or at least taking steps to make them look decent. Steps have been taken at the railway centre in the city.

I am concerned—I know that the honourable member for Ithaca shares my concern- about unsightly billboards that have had no work done on them and are left in a state of disrepair. They should either be fixed up or, preferably, be removed and some work done to beautify railway land. If large amounts of money can be spent on the beautifica­ tion of the South East Freeway, it ought to be possible to do at least as much to beautify railway land.

Resolution in Queensland Teachers Journal Mr POWELL (Isis) (10.52 p.m.): From time to time, members of Pariiament are approached by constituents in relation to problems that they see. I have been approached by some teachers in my electorate who have drawn my attention to pages 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Queensland Teachers Journal of 28 July, which purport to be a report of the 1982 conference of that union.

The report of conference really does not say whether the resolutions that are printed in the hft-out document were in fact carried, rejected or passed over, so one is left with the impression that they were carried. Therefore, I bring to the attention of the House tonight, and, I hope to the attention of the majority of teachers in Queensland who nowadays do not read the Queensland Teachers Joumal because of its polhical bias- Mr Akers: A rubbish rag.

•» ^^ul^u^^^^l ^^^^ ^^^ "'''**^ ^'^^ ^^°"'d call it that. Many teachers are calling liking'" '^^ "^^ ^''^^ "^ "^""^ concerned about the direction that the journal is Adjournment 24 August 1982 503

I draw the attention of the House to a resolution that was carried on the third day of the conference. 30 June. It begins— "That Conference deplores the behaviour of teachers who defy democratically decided Union directives to take industrial action and those who refuse to pay their Union dues or to join the Union and adopts the following poUcy." There are then 11 points under subheading "A", three under "B" and one under "C that relate to what ought to happen to members of the Teachers Union who do not foUow the directives of the union. The first thing that must be said, and made very plain to teachers in this State, is that the only way in which the Teachers Union can caU a legal strike is for a secret baUot of all members of the union to be held. It wUl be remembered that last Thursday somebody from the Queensland Teachers Union. i>resumably the general secretary, became very enthusiastic about the 38-hour week strike proposed by the Queensland Trades and Labor Council and directed that aU teachers go on strike. History records that 15 per cent of teachers heeded the caU of the general secretary of the Queensland Teachers Union. Thankfully the majority of teachers went to work. I draw the attention of the House to some of. the statements in this document. In doing so, I invite members who are interested to draw them to the attention of teachers. I am sure that if they do so they wiU find that the teachers are just as disgusted as are the teachers in my electorate. Paragraphs Al and A2 of the resolution read— "That defiant union members be sent a letter from the General Secretary reminding them of their responsibilities to abide by majority decisions, and requesting them to i>ay an amoimt equivalent to that which would have been lost had they taken industrial action into a union fund designated by the General Secretary and that an industrial officer interview each defiant and/or non-member and provide a written report. That the defiant member be requested to provide a written apology to the General Secretary." That amounts to a written apology for being guided by their conscience and going to work. It is disgusting. Mr MiUer: That is like the Gestapo. Mr POWELL: It is worse than the Gestapo as it goes on. Paragraph A3 reads— "That the names of those members who refuse to comply with the General Secretary's request be published without comment in the Joumal." I remind the House that this is one of the unions that were up>set because the Premier suggested that the names of striking unionists involved in the power strike be pniblished. It is (Mie of the unions that whinged about it, but it adopted as policy that that would hap>pen to people who did not follow the general secretary's request. Paragraph A4 is in these terms— "That such names be given to union representatives on selection panels with the instruction that the named are to receive low preference." That related to selection for other jobs. Mr Goleby: They have no input in that. Mr POWELL: They do have an input. We should be very concerned about what is happening. I spoke to the Minister for Education about this matter. He is looking into the possibility of giving legal aid so that teachers who are charged may be supported by the Department of Education. In the past the Department of Education has always sup>iorted teachers who have acted responsibly. We are now looking at a situation in which the Government wiU have to invite teachers to join a fund from which they can meet the cost of defending themselves should they be charged in some way. I ask teachers to look closely at this resolution. (Time expired.) Motion (Mr Hewitt) agreed to. The House adjourned at 10.57 p.m.