21 Jun 2001 Legislative Assembly 1677 THURSDAY, 21 JUNE 2001 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. PETITION The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petition— Fisheries Management Mr Wellington from 2112 petitioners, requesting the House to (a) immediately stop the implementation of the Fisheries Amendment Bill and (b) undertake an independent inquiry into fisheries management in Queensland. PAPER MINISTERIAL PAPERS Minister for Tourism and Racing and Minister for Fair Trading (Mrs Rose)— National Classification Code (Amendment No. 2) Guidelines for the classification of films and videotapes (Amendment No. 3). MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Kelvin Grove Urban Village; QUT, Kelvin Grove Campus Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.32 a.m.), by leave: I am pleased to advise the House that state cabinet has approved a master plan for the 17-hectare Kelvin Grove Urban Village, centred on the old Gona Barracks, following a submission from the Minister for Public Works and Minister for Housing, Robert Schwarten. This major project, on the doorstep of the CBD, forms a key part of the state government's City West strategy. As part of the government's Smart State strategy, we are supporting QUT's plans to develop a creative industries precinct in and around the village. There has been extensive and direct consultation on the development of the master plan with local residents, industry, indigenous representatives and the RSL, and the feedback has been very positive. The village will provide a mix of affordable housing—both public and private—as well as commercial, educational and recreational uses. The Kelvin Grove Urban Village master plan provides for: a main street village precinct as a central focus; a mix of uses along a main street including retail, university, commercial and residential developments; linking Kelvin Grove Road and the QUT campus with a new main street; a new entrance at the existing barracks gate and additional road access to the site; residential uses spread throughout the site; maintaining Blamey Street as a major access point; a linear park within the natural valley of the site connecting McCaskie Park and Victoria Park; retention of significant vegetation; recognition of the site's heritage, including natural, indigenous, cultural and military heritage; making best use of existing and proposed public transport services and infrastructure; and on-road bike lanes as well as off-road bike paths and pedestrian access throughout. Cabinet also authorised a joint venture agreement between the Department of Housing and QUT that would coordinate infrastructure and construction works. This is a once-in-a-century chance to develop a huge parcel of land close to the CBD with established transport links right next door to a major university and close to schools, hospitals and other recreational facilities such as the new Roma Street Parkland. I table a draft of the plan for the information of members. I hope that they will take the opportunity to read it. 1678 Ministerial Statement 21 Jun 2001 This is not the only exciting thing happening in Kelvin Grove. The new urban village will be enhanced by the revitalisation of the Kelvin Grove campus. Kelvin Grove State High and Primary Schools will join forces in 2002 to provide inner Brisbane's first combined campus comprising all grades from preschool to year 12. The Minister for Education, Anna Bligh, and I went out to the school last Friday to announce the changes. Schools like this are known as P-12. Education Queensland is increasing the number of P-12s in areas which have the necessary numbers of children and schools to support them to provide seamless, quality public education from preschool through to high school. Through reinvigorated, community-focused public schools, we are working to ensure our young people are equipped for the workplaces of the future and to become leaders in the Smart State. The Kelvin Grove amalgamation will result in three subschools, comprising: a junior school for kindergarten to year 5, with a special small school environment within the existing primary and preschool buildings and grounds; a middle school for students from years 6 to 9, featuring all the innovative New Basics teaching and learning programs; and a senior school for years 10 to 12 students, trialling the current wide range of 57 subject choices, schools of excellence and extension courses. Plus new arts, gymnasium and senior school buildings! This is a smart school with a smart future. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Bio 2001 Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central—ALP) (Premier and Minister for Trade) (9.36 a.m.), by leave: As Minister for Trade, tomorrow I am leaving on a trade mission to San Diego where I will lead a delegation of 90 Queenslanders to the world's largest and most important biotechnology convention and exhibition, Bio 2001. If we are to stay ahead as Australia's Smart State it is vital that we take full advantage of this massive event. Bio 2001 will attract more than 10,000 industry leaders from 950 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centres and related organisations from 34 nations, with all US states represented as well. The 950 organisations are involved in the research and development of health care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. These are precisely the people and organisations that we must talk to and deal with in order to create a vibrant biotechnology industry that will create thousands of long-term, new-age jobs for Queenslanders over the next decades. This is going to be the century of biotechnology and we must innovate or stagnate. Any organisation or country—or, indeed, Australian state for that matter—not represented in San Diego for Bio 2001 is not seriously involved in biotechnology. Queensland is serious about being the Smart State and that is why I am leading the delegation of Queensland companies, universities, research institutions and government experts. It is a golden opportunity to expand our biotechnology industry, creating new jobs by finding new sources of the venture capital that we need to turn our research discoveries into commercial products, finding new partners and contacts to work with to develop our biotechnology industry, attracting more companies to establish businesses in Queensland, and publicising the megadiversity of the unique flora and fauna that we have available in Queensland. Biotechnology media will also be there in force among 284 journalists covering the conference and exhibition. For the past two years I have been the only Australian Premier spearheading delegations. Victoria has woken up to the enormous potential offered by these conferences and Premier Bracks will be there this year along with the Victorian Treasurer, John Brumby. Mr Lucas: They need two to match you. Mr BEATTIE: I should say to the Minister for Innovation that he will be representing Queensland at next year's biotechnology conference. I am not sure about the matching bit. I will think about that. Tomorrow evening in San Diego I will be hosting meetings with our North American biotechnology advisory group, which we started in 1999 as a market development, networking and mentoring group. It has done much to help us grow internationally. A four-hour reception on Saturday will be important in enabling our delegation and our American partners to establish relationships. I will be holding business meetings with various organisations on Sunday, including 21 Jun 2001 Ministerial Statement 1679 Telenetix, a company at the forefront of the rapidly expanding market for advanced technology systems and services for higher education, and Brisbane-based company Accenture. The conference and exhibition opens formally on Sunday evening with a reception, which gives us our first chance of mixing with biotechnology leaders from the rest of the world. Appointments on Monday include a tour of a high-tech high school in San Diego and an inspection of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, which I understand to be similar to the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville. I will hold a media conference at Bio 2001 on Monday afternoon to spread the news as widely as possible about Queensland's capabilities, achievements and potential, including the announcement of a $100 million fund, which I am not at liberty to discuss because it is a matter in the budget. However, I will mention it, anyway, in case there is an identical one in another budget at another time. A plentiful source of venture capital is essential if we are to commercialise our biotechnological discoveries, so I will hold a venture capital round table meeting on Monday afternoon. I will then host Queensland's major reception for several hundred biotechnology delegates on Monday evening where we expect to initiate many valuable contacts for future partnerships and business. While on the American continent I will visit neighbouring Mexico to hold trade talks with senior ministers, other government leaders and business leaders—talks that are designed to open new markets for our beef and minerals. Much of Tuesday will be spent travelling to Mexico City where, in the evening, I will meet with the Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, Victor Lichtinger. On Wednesday I have a series of meetings all day with the director-general of the Mexican Mining Chamber, the chief executive officer of the Federal Electricity Commission, the Agriculture and Livestock Commission, the Mexican mining industry, and the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, Javier Usabiaga. My Thursday meetings include the Mincom company established in Mexico City, the Minister for Trade, Dr Luis Ernesto Derbez, and an evening meeting with the Trade Commissioner. I will have a final meeting with the Mexican Mining Industry next Friday before returning to Queensland.