Interview on ABC Radio Brisbane - Mornings with Rebecca Levingston

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

HOST, REBECCA LEVINGSTON: What will Brisbane look like in 10 years’ time. Because the promise is that between now and 2032, Brisbane will be transformed. Hopefully it'll be easier for you to get around because of public transport projects like Brisbane Metro, Cross River Rail - already under construction. So what is next Catherine King is the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Minister. Good morning and welcome to Brisbane.

MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CATHERINE KING: Good morning. Thank you. Lovely to be in this incredibly warm, beautiful city.

LEVINGSTON: What brings you to town?

KING: Well, I'm meeting with Minister Bailey, in fact, we were out very early this morning. I was seeing firsthand the work starting on Exit 49 on the M1 up at Pimpama. And just seeing that really hard commute people are making both into Brisbane and out of Brisbane each day and seeing the difference that the works that we're investing in with the Queensland Government on the M1 will make. That work started today and we're going to see a bit more construction in the next couple of weeks. So doing that and also meeting with a number of other people in terms of infrastructure here, but particularly with Minister Bailey to start some of the long conversations we've got to have about continuing investment here in Queensland.

LEVINGSTON: Minister, I love that you come to the Sunshine State and you go directly to Exit 49. What an illustrious visit.

KING: It’s not the top tourist spot in Queensland, I'd have to say. But, the thing with infrastructure is it's about people’s lives really, it's about getting people to and from work more quickly but more importantly for me, getting them home so they get to spend more time with their families and doing sporting activities. And that's the difference. I get pretty excited to get in my work boots and see these terrific work sites but really, it's what it does for people at the end of the day. So it's lovely to be in the suburbs in the middle of the morning commute at 7:45.

LEVINGSTON: Yes, of course. Well yeah, good. I think most people would rather have a Transport Minister experience traffic congestion and also as you wrap your head around the names and places now that you're in this role, it's Pimpama as the correct pronunciation.

KING: Well the Minister, I checked, Minister Bailey said it in a different way.

LEVINGSTON: Oh, really? He said Pimpama? No!

KING: Well, maybe I had that wrong, anyway, I shall do it the best I can. Now you know up my way it's Ballan, or Ballan.

LEVINGSTON: We're about to both get corrected. So whoever has crowned themselves as King of Pimpama or Pimpama. Call us 1300 222 612 and tell us the correct pronunciation.

KING: You can tell I'm a Victorian, I extend my a's.

LEVINGSTON: Well, I could be getting it wrong, I'm always happy to be corrected. In terms of yes, you talk about the stuff of life that actually matters to people and oftentimes there are politicians and Ministers standing in front of glossy projects or projects to be built. And people feel like they don't necessarily have a say in whether or not that money is well spent. Is the federal government happy to invest $500 million to upgrade the GABBA because that's the project that's really been top of mind for a lot of people in Brisbane.

KING: That's all part of the request from the Queensland State government for the Olympics. And there's a number of other sporting venues right the way across the state as well because obviously it's not just concentrated in one part of the state or one part of the city. So we've made the commitment that we'll fund Olympics infrastructure 50/50 with the Queensland State Government, and we're working our way through that at the moment. I'll be responsible, for looking at how we find the funds for sporting infrastructure as well as transport infrastructure. We want to be able to not only get people to the games, but actually leave a legacy behind of really well built infrastructure for our suburbs. And so that's part of my job, but we're just starting those negotiations at the moment and obviously the Queensland State Government has put the reconstruction of the Gabba on the table. And I understand there's some issues around the state school there. That's a really important site for people and we'll work our way through with the Queensland State Government on those issues. And I know a number of people have already started emailing me about some of those and the importance of it.

LEVINGSTON: Yeah, I mean, and that's been a real conversation point with lots of ABC Radio Brisbane listeners, the school the heritage status, but also that sense of feeling consulted. That figure of a billion dollars to demolish and rebuild the Gabba. I mean, that was a decision that was made under the previous government but how is that reached? Because the Premier the other week, you know, is there a business case that you know, there's not one at this stage? Can you enlighten my listeners as to as to how a billion dollar figure is even proposed?

KING: It depends. There's different methods of measuring and so you know, normally would have business cases. That's why we set up Infrastructure Australia, there is also quantity surveying that is done internally. So, different departments do that as well. In terms of how that particular figure has got to really that's, you know, will be up to the Queensland State Government to talk to my Department about but that is pretty much the ballpark to be honest, to build something as large as that. That's not a surprising figure to me at all. It's that is really about the amount that it actually takes to build a stadium of that size with that seating capacity. That's pretty standard.

LEVINGSTON: Okay, well, again, it keeps coming up, that it's going to be probably Stephen Miles, the Deputy Premier, who's also the infrastructure Minister would love to get some light on that. Because I've spoken to the local state and federal member locally and you now, as the Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, because I think it is it does matter to people because there's also people looking at it going well hang on a second. We have hospitals that are crying out for money. We've got as you as you've pointed out already, you know, sort of congestion and other road projects and so they want to understand, what's the justification and what's the what's the kind of the business case for a billion dollar spend on a stadium?

KING: As part of the bid to get the Olympics here, and when you have the Olympics here, there's a lot of economic activity that occurs but also it's the sort of legacy that is left behind. I think that's really what we've seen with previous Olympics, perhaps that real concentration on legacy so making sure that you're improving your road infrastructure that your sporting infrastructure, sometimes you want to actually see does it have other purposes - can you build in social housing as part of athletes villages can you build in arts and cultural and tourism precincts at the same time - and so those are really legacy issues, post Olympics. You've got the Olympics. It's an incredible thing. It's going to be very exciting for Brisbane. And really, my job with the Queensland State Ministers is going to be able to make sure the Commonwealth investment, that we are contributing to that legacy because that's important for me. In terms of infrastructure in other parts, whether it's health infrastructure or whether it's water infrastructure or things like that, really, other ministers deal with those, but I am absolutely alive that those issues are incredibly important for people as well. Infrastructure isn't actually just about building things. It's what it enables what it helps people to do, and what people can access as a result. So really, we're at the start of those negotiations around the Olympics, but I think all of us want to make sure that there is a legacy and it's not just about the Olympics themselves, it's what's left behind and what the city and the suburbs and outer regional areas actually look like and can utilise we you know, no one wants to see buildings that just then don't have any use beyond the Olympics and I think we're well past anything like that happening.

LEVINGSTON: But to be clear, Minister, your investment the Federal Government's investment will be guided by the state government's proposals.

KING: They will come to us, I don't have planning authority. We don't have a decision and we don't decide what this looks like. Obviously, we would like to have a say to ensure that there is a legacy left behind in relation to these and we'll work that through with the Queensland State Government. And I'm confident in the very preliminary discussions that I've had, that those issues of legacy and, you know, trying to care as we build, you know, build this infrastructure for the Olympics, that those factors will need to be taken into account.

LEVINGSTON: You're listening to Catherine King, the Federal Minister for infrastructure transport, regional development and local government. She's in Brisbane today, specifically to visit Exit 49. Work has begun on that interchange on the M1 at Pimpama. Let me go to another issue that actually was raised by my colleague Steve Austin with the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was also in Brisbane yesterday. I just want to play 60 seconds of their conversation and you come up at the end Minister. **Audio played**

LEVINGSTON: So that's the conversation yesterday between the Prime Minister's and Steve Austin. Catherine King, is fast rail happening between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast?

KING: So there's two projects that are on the books at the moment. There's Brisbane to Gold Coast. That's in detailed planning at the moment and there's $1.1 billion from the Commonwealth invested in that. There's a business case being developed for the moment for Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. And there was money, I think in the previous government's budget for that, $1.6 billion. That business case hasn't come in yet. We're looking at that proposal seriously. And we'll work with the Queensland State Government about that, but both of those projects for faster rail - as opposed to high speed rail - faster rail are both on the books in terms of investment infrastructure program that the Commonwealth's got some skin in the game in. But as I said, the Brisbane to Sunshine Coast, there's a business case just being developed for that at the moment and we'll look at that and then work with the Queenslanders on that. As part of the Olympics bid, there is a very large request for a whole range of infrastructure projects, whether it's improvements in bus networks, right the way through to potential light rail projects and again, as part of the Olympics over the next decade going forward. I've got to look at those proposals and make decisions about that and of course in a pretty tightened budget environment are going to have to try and find where the money and where the headroom is to actually develop some of those projects.

LEVINGSTON: Yeah, that's sort of thinking you must be preparing or having some pretty intense conversations with Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

KING: Yes, Jim has got a big job. You know, the fact that we've inherited a trillion dollars of debt and you need to be able to try and get that down because, it's not productive to have to spend so much money on interest payments on debt, rather than on building things and on the hospitals and doing all the things we know are important. So Jim's got an incredible job. He's being, what I think we haven't seen from Treasurers in the past, he's been really upfront about the task that we've got ahead of us and it's why this October Budget that Jim is leading the process for trying to look at where the waste and rorts are in the portfolio, trying to look at where the capacity constraints are in infrastructure and making sure we've got a very clear deliverable pipeline, not just media releases saying how good everything is as we had from the previous government, but this is what we're delivering when trying to actually get that program on track, is a really big piece of work that we have going on. We're all busy across all portfolios, but Jim's got a really big job, doing a terrific job, but it's you know, he's been left with a trillion dollars of debt and having to clean up all of that mess.

LEVINGSTON: And those business cases and those budget allocations. That's where we look to leaders for clarity in it and being able to articulate the spend and why, so we will look forward with interest to see if there's some line items there on Gabba spends and fast rail as well. Finally, Catherine King, your predecessor was Barnaby Joyce, who was the Minister for Transport. Just before they lost at the last election, there was a significant announcement made about flight paths over Brisbane. Will you be making any changes to them?

KING: I'm not quite sure what Barnaby announced in a flurry of the election campaign to be honest, I'm sort of making my way through what is a really complex issue around the additional runway at Brisbane Airport and what that's meant. So obviously we've had, reports only just recently come across my desk in terms of what some of the changes or things that you might do in terms of flight paths. I don't know, I can't promise it's going to fix the problem for everybody. But we will try and improve it for as many people as we possibly can.

LEVINGSTON: Essentially, Trevor Evans who was the member for Brisbane - who incidentally also lost his seat - he and Barnaby Joyce together said basically flight parts have been ripped up and redrawn, you know, they've been months years of complaints and Airservices Australia are being told to redesign Brisbane's airspace.

KING: So there's a Trax report and that is looking at exactly those issues, it is looking at some other issues as well as part of that. So I'm considering all of that at the moment. There's a piece of work we promised that we would have a permanent independent community consultation body to actually drive and bring some of that stuff forward. So we'll establish that as part of our election commitments. And I am acutely conscious, that is a significant issue for many people living across suburbs of Brisbane and that we will try and do the best we can to resolve these issues in response to the Trax report, which we will provide and make available to people at some point down the track once we've got a clear idea about where we're going forward to it. There are longer term pieces of work around aircraft noise of airports across the country that we will do through an aviation white paper through the term of this government as well. But there's short term fixes in terms of Brisbane Airport, we should start to see improvements. But we're not quite there yet in terms of working out how to do that.

LEVINGSTON: Well Minister, there'll be plenty of people in a whole range of suburbs who will be waiting with great interest to see what you do there. And indeed, just circling back to the Gabba and East Brisbane state school as you mentioned, there is a community there waiting for clarification and consultation. They feel as though they're not getting it from the state government. So, if you can continue to shed any light on that as to whether or not the school will stay when the Gabba demolition and rebuild might get underway. We would love to stay in touch with you on that.

KING: Of course always happy to talk and I'd encourage community members keep doing as they would do in my own community. Talk to your local MPs. Use that as a conduit into into government. Talk to your Federal MPs as well. I know how important it is. Often governments don't quite know what they're going to do yet. So they're still working their way through some of those proposals. But I know that's an important issue for that state school and they do want to say what's going to happen next and beyond and I'm sure the Queensland State Government I know everyone's heard about it. We've heard about it. Well and truly in Canberra. I'm from Ballarat, that's where my home seat is and I've certainly heard about it there so they've made certainly made their views and their concerns known.

LEVINGSTON: Thanks so much.

KING: Really good to talk to you.