Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 1985 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Papers 15 October 1985 1851 TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 1985 Mr SPEAKER (Hon. J. H. Waraer, Toowoomba South) read prayers and took the chafr at 11 a.m. ASSENT TO BILLS Assent to the foUowing Bills reported by Mr Speaker— Valuers Registration Act Amendment Bill; Mining (Fossicking) BUl; Coal and Oil Shale Mine Workers (Pensions) Act Amendment BiU. ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF REDLANDS By-election Dates Mr SPEAKER: I inform the House that the dates in connection with the issue of the writ for the election of a member to serve in this House for the electoral district of Redlands will be as follows— Issue of writ—11 October 1985; Date of nomination—18 October 1985; PoUing day—2 November 1985; Retura of writ—3 December 1985. PETITIONS The Clerk announced the receipt of the following petitions— Griffith University Course in Family Relationships From Mrs Chapman (17 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland will establish an inquiry into the Griffith University course in family relationships. Third-party Insurance Premiums From Mr D'Arcy (441 signatories) praying that the Parliament of Queensland wiU revoke recent increases in third-party insurance and ensure that future increases are determined after public hearing. Electoral Disfricts Bill From Mr White (1 018 signatories) praying that the ParUament of Queensland will reject or amend the Electoral Districts Bill so as not to increase the number of electorates from 82 to 89. [A similar petition was received from Mr Lee (1 019 signatories).] Petitions received. PAPERS The following papers were laid on the table, and ordered to be printed— Reports— Queensland Police Department for the year ended 30 June 1985 Queensland Police Superannuation Board for the year ended 30 June 1985. 1852 15 October 1985 Ministerial Statements The foUowing papers were laid on the table— Orders in Council under— Harbours Act 1955-1982 Industrial Development Act 1963-1981 and the Local Government Act 1936- 1984 Industrial Development Act 1963-1981 and the Statutory Bodies Financial Artangement Act 1982-1984 Supreme Court Act of 1921 Reports— Timber Research and Development Advisory Council, South and Central Queensland, for the year ended 30 June 1985 Timber Research and Development Advisory Council, North Queensland, for the year ended 30 June 1985 Pyramid SelUng Schemes Elimination Committee for the year ended 30 June 1985 Supreme Court Library Committee together with Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 1985 Disaster Appeals Tmst Fund Committee together with Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended 30 June 1985 Mortgage Secondary Market Board for the period 3 December 1984 to 30 June 1985. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Tamborine-Oxenford Road Hon. R. J. HINZE (South Coast—Minister for Local Govemment, Main Roads and Racing) (11.7 a.m.), by leave: The honourable member for Ipswich (Mr HamiU) has made a number of very serious statements that allege that I have abused my ministerial office with regard to the relocation of the Tamborine-Oxenford Road. According to the honourable member, the alleged purpose was to obtain benefit for myself, my family and my family company, MaraUnga Pty Ltd. I reject emphatically those allegations. They are simply not tme, and I flatly deny them. The land now being used for the extraction of gravel was formerly owned by me and, whilst I had ownership, on 29 March 1976 I entered into an agreeement with Farley and Lewers (Qld) Pty Ltd, which allowed that company to have the exclusive right to win, extract, process and remove sand and gravel. Subsequent to that agreement, ownership of the land passed to my family company, Maralinga Pty Ltd, and one of the conditions of transfer was that this agreement, which has a life of 20 years, stay in place. That agreement provided a retura by way of a royalty. That agreement was entered into long before any proposals to relocate the road, and would continue to exist whether or not the road was relocated and reconstmcted. Therefore, it is plainly obvious that neither myself or my family nor my family company owns or operates in this area any tmcks that transport gravel to the cmshing plant or beyond. Tmcks employed in the area for this purpose are owned by CSR- Readymix—the successors to Farley and Lewers (Qld) Pty Ltd; Nucon; Nucmsh, a Newman company; Coomera Quarries, which is not mine; and Sawtells. The only Maralinga tmcks using the roads in this area are those used for the cartage of grain for cattle, silage to silage pits, and topsoil. The haul road, which is used for the carriage of topsoU by Maralinga tmcks, is the old crossing, the use to which Maralinga, along with every other member of the motoring public, has always been entitled. It should be noted that there is no provision along the new road for physical access to any of Maralinga's land. Ministerial Statements 15 October 1985 1853 The honourable member for Ipswich aUeged that, on 19 December 1983, the Main Roads Department gave its blessing to what he referted to as "the Hinze plan" for the relocated road. That is not tme. The condition and location of this section of the road have been, for many years, a matter of concem for the Albert Shire CouncU. The section was dangerous and substandard. Even the honourable member himself referted to it as, "deteriorating". I table a letter that I received from the chairman of Albert shfre (CounciUor Laver) and seek leave to have that letter incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. Whereupon the honourable gentleman laid on the table the following document— Mr Laver ALBERT SHIRE COUNCIL Ref No. WML:VG 14 October, 1985 Hon. R. J. Hinze, M.L.A., Minister for Local Goverament, Main Roads and Racing, Department of Local Govemment, P.O. Box 31, North Quay, Qld., 4000 Dear Sir, re: Oxenford-Tamborine Road I wish to advise that since the early nineteen fifties the problems of the crossing over the Coomera River at Oxenford has been discussed by CouncU members and considered by the Albert Shire Works Department Engineers, in conjunction with Engineers from the Department of Main Roads. The need for upgrading is well known. One life has already been lost, and in the last three years nine cars have ended in the river during storms or periods of wet weather. With the growth of the area this problem has been accentuated, and demands have been made in Council and there has been public pressure for upgrading the crossing. With the growth in the extractive industries in the area and the affect on the hydrology of the river. Council engaged Cameron and McNamara to report on the industry, any controls required and the relocation of the road network. Of the options recommended by Cameron and McNamara, the Shire Engineer and his staff recommended a relocation upstream. A modified version of this location was prepared by BurchiU and Partners and approved by Coundl and included in the Development Agreement. CouncU are pleased to see a longstanding demand achieved by the construction of the new road, and I have not viewed any complaints from residents of the area, in fact people to whom I have spoken are very happy about the new road. Yours faithfuUy, W. M. Laver, Shire Chairman. Mr Burns interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr Burns interjected. Mr SPEAKER: Order! I inform the member for Lytton that this is his final waming. Mr HINZE: That letter gives a broad overview of the history of this road. In 1979, the Albert Shire CouncU commissioned consulting engineers Cameron McNamara and Partners to advise on the hydrological effects of sand and gravel extraction proposals in the Coomera River. That report, inter alia, concluded— "Replacement of the existing road crossing and weir is required as a result of the realignment of the Coomera River at this location." That was dated June 1979. On 31 August 1981, representatives of the Main Roads Department, the Albert Shfre Council and BurchiU and Partners, consulting engineers, met on site to discuss 1854 15 October 1985 Ministerial Statements road relocation options. As a result, a preUminary proposal was formulated and on 3 December 1982 the Albert Shire Council submitted that to the Main Roads Department district engineer. That letter attached a map showing the proposed relocation of the road at the Coomera River and asked whether the Main Roads Department was in general agreement with the design before further detailed works were continued. On 23 December 1982, the Main Roads Department replied to the Albert Shfre CouncU indicating broad agreement with the submitted relocation proposal. That reply to the councU requfred it to artange for Cameron McNamara and Partners to undertake an analysis of the hydrauUc performance of the vertical alignment of the proposed road in view of that firai's 1979 report. Subsequently, the councU advised the Main Roads Department that Cameron McNamara and Partners had undertaken that analysis and the ultimate design was then based upon that firm's recommendations. The honourable member for Ipswich (Mr HamiU) cited an aUeged approval by the Main Roads Department on 19 December 1983 for what he caUed "the Hinze plan". That is not tme. In fact, the plan was one submitted by the Albert Shfre CouncU a year before. That 19 December 1983 approval from the Main Roads Department was for a proposal to buUd a crossing at a higher level of flood immunity and an acceptance by the Main Roads Department of additional costs involved in this upgrading. The approval for the relocated route was made a year prior to that, after a submission from the Albert Shfre CouncU.