RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS - Queensland Parliament ...

22 Apr 2009 Questions Without Notice 49
Already with the signing of the contract on Sunday evening, we see work underway at Peregian
Springs, where a new primary school will open for the start of the next school year. Work is underway to
commence construction at Thornlands South, where another primary school will be delivered next year.
After that, two will be delivered in the growing western corridor and another at East Coomera in the
growth area in the north of the Gold Coast. In the year after that two more schools will be constructed—
a primary school at Bundilla and then a high school at Murrumba Downs.
These schools represent a vote of confidence in the ability to invest in Queensland. What they
represent is providing the infrastructure for the future to cater for the growth and to educate the
Queenslanders who will be at the forefront of our economic destiny and our destiny as a state into the
future. What it means, through this mechanism, is that the teachers and principals at these schools can
concentrate on what happens in the classroom, not worry about changing the light bulbs or repainting
the port rack or the other tasks that go with caring for and maintaining a school. That will be taken care
of by the investors in this circumstance who will deliver, construct and then maintain these schools for
the benefit of those school communities. When I visited schools such as this in other states I saw that
the communities have welcomed them.
On the PPP issue, it is worth noting that we have seen from Macquarie Bank overnight a
statement to the Australian Stock Exchange about a proposal to purchase units from the
BrisConnections share register. The government has always had a clear view that this was a matter that
needed to be resolved commercially between the parties, and their actions overnight are in accord with
that view and we welcome their moves. We reiterate that for all unit holders it is obviously up to them to
take their own individual expert professional advice on this front, but what we have seen here are
commercial entities accepting the obligations that they undertook. That has been our view from the start,
and that remains our view.
Queensland Rail, Northern Missing Link Project
Ms SIMPSON: My question is to the Minister for Transport. More than 1,000 Queensland jobs
have been lost due to Queensland Rail’s Northern Missing Link project being delayed after construction
had started. Since the government is on record as late as 16 March taking credit for green lighting this
project, will the minister and her government now take credit for the job losses?
Ms NOLAN: I thank the honourable member for the question and congratulate her on continuing
in her role as shadow minister for transport and, I understand, main roads. It is important to understand
that the government is committed to the Northern Missing Link project, and indeed work on this project
has commenced. The land for the corridor has been acquired and cleared, so work on this project has
already commenced. Right now the Queensland government through Queensland Rail is negotiating
with the customers—the coal companies—on what will be the commercial basis for the construction of
this project. But it is important to understand two things. One is that we understand the importance of
this project and that we are fundamentally committed to it. The other thing, however, is that this project
will proceed on a commercial basis. Queensland Rail is a commercial entity. It is not a charitable
organisation. As such, it is appropriate that this project is appropriately and commercially underwritten.
Right now Queensland Rail is engaged in a high degree of cooperation with the coal companies to get
the figures, quite frankly, right on it, and to look at what is the best price at which this project can be
constructed.
It should also be understood that, if the coal companies as customers believe they can do it more
cheaply—there has been an offer placed on the table—we would look at ideas from that. If they want to
build it themselves, frankly they would be quite welcome to. We are absolutely open to that. So it cannot
be argued therefore that there is an entirely bureaucratic hold-up to this. What essentially has happened
is that this project has been considered for—
Ms Simpson interjected.
Ms NOLAN: This project has been considered for a period of time. As that consideration
continued, the coal price—
Opposition members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister will resume her seat.
Ms Simpson interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: I have asked for order from the member for Maroochydore. The House will come
to order.
Ms NOLAN: As that consideration of the project continued, the coal price dropped quite
dramatically which changed the commercial underpinnings. But there are two things to understand: one,
we are committed; and, two, we will do this commercially. On the other side of the House that is simply
not the case. We are not making unfunded and silly commitments like a railway line to nowhere, as the
shadow minister did during the election campaign.
(Time expired)