2066 Approp. Bills; Comm. Amb. Cover Levy Repeal & Rev. & O’r Leg. A’ment Bill 17 Jun 2011 invested in a service that is there to keep each and every one of us safe at the peril of those individual officers. What you see in this budget is an additional investment in order to put GPS tracking into Corrective Services to ensure community safety is enhanced. There are also investments in the vehicle fleet for the Police Service to ensure the fleet is upgraded and maintained. There is an opportunity to make further investments into the future for such things as the technology the member is talking about, and that will be taken seriously in each budget process. The member’s question goes directly to an interest in public service delivery—the sort of public service delivery that the opposition wants to cut out from those on the Sunshine Coast, who have a legitimate expectation that the full $2 billion that was put into the Capital Statement should be kept for the Sunshine Coast. I make a prediction here that we will not see the ridiculous concept of Campbell Newman standing in front of someone at a press conference today; in fact, I do not think we will see him at all today. I think he would have scarpered. He will be running at a million miles an hour. He will be running around up there on level 6, up on tippy-toes, waving his arms around, projecting himself, pointing fingers and blaming people, hopping into all the staff members, getting into the shadow Treasurer, saying to the Leader of the Opposition that it is his fault, doing a nana. What happened yesterday when push came to shove, when the heat came on, when the questions got asked? We found someone who does not have what it takes, who has been down there playing in the under-20s. The rule in the NRL Toyota Cup is this: no work and no study equals no play. If Campbell Newman were playing in the under-20s he would not be allowed on the football field. It is time to do the homework, do the policy grunt; put up or get out of the way. Mr SPEAKER: Order! The time for question time has ended. PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS Comments by Minister for Main Roads, Fisheries and Marine Infrastructure Mr SEENEY (Callide—LNP) (Leader of the Opposition) (10.31 am), by leave: Mr Speaker, I rise to take advantage of the opportunity you gave to make a personal explanation. It has become obvious this morning why Queensland misses out on so much Commonwealth road funding. The puerile, juvenile approach of the Minister for Main Roads has been demonstrated here in the parliament. Mr SPEAKER: Come to your personal explanation. Mr SEENEY: I just quote a single line from the document that he tabled from the interview that I did. I said, ‘I’m not in favour of toll gates and toll roads like that.’ I rest my case. Comments by Minister for Community Services and Housing Ms SIMPSON (Maroochydore—LNP) (10.32 am), by leave: Mr Speaker, I rise to make a personal explanation on the basis of the accusations of the Minister for Community Services and Housing. What I actually have said in regard to social housing is that we will work with the not-for-profit sector to deliver more to help more people benefit. That is why we believe that you can do more by working with the not- for-profit, charitable sector with wraparound care. APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENT) BILL APPROPRIATION BILL COMMUNITY AMBULANCE COVER LEVY REPEAL AND REVENUE AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL Second Reading (Cognate Debate) Approp. Bills; Comm. Amb. Cover Levy Repeal & Rev. & O’r Leg. A’ment Bill Resumed from 16 June (see p. 2047), on motion of Mr Fraser— That the bills be now read a second time. Mr SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Woodridge, I acknowledge in the public gallery the students, teachers and parents from the Sacred Heart Primary School in the electorate of Sandgate, the Our Lady of the Assumption School in Enoggera in the electorate of Ashgrove and the Darlington State School in the electorate of Beaudesert. 17 Jun 2011 Approp. Bills; Comm. Amb. Cover Levy Repeal & Rev. & O’r Leg. A’ment Bill 2067 Mrs SCOTT (Woodridge—ALP) (10.34 am): Many of us in this House rise to speak on this Appropriation Bill in 2011 with a very grateful heart that in times such as these our state is governed by a Labor government which has jobs and preparing the state for the expected return to an economic boom right at the centre of this budget. Both federal and state Labor governments kept their nerve through the global economic downturn and pushed through with huge infrastructure spending, thus keeping people in jobs and saving our economy from falling into recession. Then our summer of woe came and sliced billions off our revenue and smashed our state from one end to the other, thus requiring a staggering amount in reconstruction costs. While we can analyse the economic impact, it is the personal stories of hardship and bravery, of loss and tragedy, that are burned into our collective memories, to be followed by the remarkable efforts of thousands who stepped up to the mark to assist in myriad ways when their neighbour or fellow Queenslander was crying out for help. From our Defence Force, emergency services personnel, workers from many sectors, students, volunteers and help from other states and countries, we witnessed remarkable scenes. It is against this background that I want to congratulate our Treasurer, the Premier and all those who worked on this most important of budgets. Prior to Tuesday, I came to this sitting with no high expectations. We normally have a wish list for our electorates which we hope may attract some funding. However, I left my hopes for the future firmly with those who have suffered so much and hoped for funding to rebuild our roads, bridges and public infrastructure and to assist wherever possible those who have had the heartache of homes, properties and businesses flooded or damaged in the cyclone. No state has had to deal with destruction on such a massive scale and, though it will take time, however frustrating those delays may be, the state has risen to the occasion in a magnificent way with so many pitching in to help, whether they be paid workers or those magnificent volunteers, some of whom are still out there giving of their time and energy. Logan city had a very small number of homes flooded; others were saved due to the Wyaralong Dam being completed ahead of time. Thus, much of the upstream flow was retained and the newly completed dam filled to capacity. Many of our organisations and people spread out into the Lockyer, to Brisbane and throughout the state to assist. I now turn to the budget. It has been crafted in such a way that those needing support and services—such as in the Woodridge electorate and more widely in Logan city—will indeed still receive support from our outstanding services with some increases. While many are doing it tough, there are additional measures to ease the cost-of-living pressures. Our education, health, transport and roads have additional funding. Due to the federal stimulus package, many new houses and units of accommodation have been built in the Logan area, and stable housing with lower rental will ease the burden for many. Our schools have received very significant funding due to the federal stimulus package, and every school in the Woodridge electorate now has wonderful new facilities, such as halls, resource centres, libraries, science labs and lecture theatres. It is an absolute joy to see how this has enabled so many additional activities in our schools. A job and stable income are the very basis of how an individual or family rises above difficult circumstances. Many hundreds of individuals are assisted year after year through Skilling Queenslanders for Work and our Green Army program to find work. This 12 months has seen 24,000 people assisted into jobs and this will continue. I would now like to spell out some of the more significant budget items which will impact our Woodridge electorate in a very positive way, as well as the wider area of Logan. Education is one of our highest priorities. This year a new kindergarten will be built at the Kingston State School at a cost of $1.74 million. Three kindy programs will receive funding: $37,000 at the Logan Central Children’s Community centre, $84,000 at the Marsden Nursery and Child Care Centre and $37,000 at Grow Logan Central. This funding is of great importance. Also, the Kingston College Trade Training Centre is about to take shape at a cost of $2.827 million. A further announcement that I received after the budget was that there will be a kindergarten at the Woodridge North State School. The principal of that school has been working towards this for a long time and she is just overjoyed. 008 Transport and roads infrastructure has received some very welcome funding. The $4 million Logan Central bus station has at last commenced this month, so there will be no more sitting in the hot summer sun facing the west waiting for a bus outside the Logan Central Shopping Centre. A $1.2 million upgrade of the Woodridge Railway Station has also commenced and I share with my colleagues from Springwood and Waterford $159.7 million to continue the upgrade of the Pacific Motorway.