Transcript - ABC Radio Brisbane, Breakfast with Joel Spreadborough

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH [HOST]: The federal election date hasn't been called yet, but the race, it seems, has already begun. Federal Labor is making a spate of funding announcements for Queensland this week. Of course, we had Monday's announcement of $7.2 billion for the Bruce Highway. A few more on the way as well. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King joins you now. Good morning, Minister. Thank you for coming on. 

CATHERINE KING [MINISTER]: It is absolutely my pleasure, Joel. It's always beautiful to be up in this beautiful state.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: The sun is shining for you. It's living up to the billing at the moment, Minister, which is very, very good to see. What will you be announcing today? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, today we're announcing the money that we're putting in as part of the Housing Support Program. So over $100 million is coming to a range of projects across Queensland to really help with building some 4500 more homes across the state, particularly in our regions. We know that one of the reasons some of the housing hasn't come on has been because there hasn't been the infrastructure money to actually put that in place. So we made a little announcement in Cairns yesterday about some of those, and we'll be putting the rest of that money out today. So trunk infrastructure over at the Eaton Estates and sewerage Works at Balamba, a whole range of projects that we're announcing today as well. 

We'll also release the Growing Regions program for Queensland, a number of projects right the way across Queensland, which is really that community and sporting infrastructure. These are budgeted programs They're programs I made some decisions about at the end of last year, and we're now putting those announcements out. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: When it comes to housing, it's obviously a lot of need right across the state, right across the country, to be fair. But looking at Queensland, how did you decide the target communities in light of the need existing at the moment? 

CATHERINE KING: So what's happened with the housing support program, It's an application process, competitive, that's been assessed by my department, as well as some people who've got more expertise than my department normally has in the sort of housing, infrastructure space. So they've come to that. And basically we've taken the decisions that we've agreed with the recommendations of the department. So it's been a competitive process. But of course, there's $32 billion that the Commonwealth's putting into housing across a range of programs including hundreds of millions of dollars that we've given directly to the state government to unlock the infrastructure that's needed then to build houses. And they can be private, dwellings, social and affordable housing, and a range of other a mix of those as well. So there's lots of money coming in for infrastructure. This is the competitive round we're announcing today. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: We're looking in south east Queensland. We know there's a few bits of this funding that will benefit the region. Can you help just go through some of the communities in the south east that will see the benefits of this allocation? 

CATHERINE KING: Yeah, well, certainly there's an $11.89 million for the First Avenue streetscape renewal project in Maroochydore. That project, again, was one that's part of a Growing Regions Program I know that will be of significant interest to the community up there, and the full list of those projects will be putting out a bit later today. But that's certainly one of them that's in the south east. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: Looking at the housing two consultation with groups that are helping obviously house those living at rough at the moment. Just circling on that question around choosing these areas, how much consultation have you had with the various bodies, charities and whatnot who have been crying out, obviously for this supply as far as those regions, have you had much of a discussion with them as far as where these funds need to go? 

CATHERINE KING: Sure. Well, as I said, we've got a $32 billion housing program on the table, and that comes from a range of different sources. So there is big money going in, particularly in that social and affordable housing area, to actually build houses. And that's Minister Clare O'Neil's portfolio. My portfolio is really in terms of the infrastructure. We've had $450 million in this stream to really try and unlock some of the infrastructure in those regional areas. And particularly this has been a competitive round. We've been trying to look at where are the most marginal communities, where particularly a lot of these are on in indigenous areas as well. But also, you know, in, closer. So things like social housing and New Mapoon not far from here, as well as Mornington Island and the Kinross Road Estate, for example, there's a range of projects that are there. And so really that's been a competitive process, but consultation has been undertaken with those. So community housing associations on the big $32 billion package and where we can help unlock. And a lot of them have applied for grants through that process under Minister O'Neil. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: 612 ABC Brisbane. You are hearing from Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King a slew of announcements around housing and community infrastructure as well? Let's move to community infrastructure. Minister. What in your view, what needs to be prioritised when it comes to assessing the allocation of community infrastructure funding? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, really, the reason that the Commonwealth invests largely with local government on community infrastructure is, you know, it's not just about we want kids to participate in sport. We want communities to be liveable. These are the venues where we really help with social cohesion. They're the things where, you know, kids learn to get on with one another. Parents have an opportunity to talk about what's happening in their neighbourhoods. They're really important to make, you know, our communities, not just liveable, but really the way in which we all work together. So again, this is a merit competitive, merits based assessment process. My department to undertake the assessments and makes recommendations to me, and I followed those recommendations in the announcements that we've made today. But again, a range of community and sporting facilities, arts projects as well. There's a terrific project called Precinct 58 in Bundaberg that we're announcing, which is a redevelopment of a rural fire station into an arts precinct in Bundaberg, again providing that opportunity for people to come together. So a range of projects that we're announcing right the way across the community as part of the growing regions round 2. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: I guess the question on this funding and the timing of this funding as well, coming ahead of an election announcement, a very likely election announcement is why has it taken this long to get this amount of funding especially for housing? 

CATHERINE KING: So on Growing Regions, it's the second round. The timing has been the timing. It takes a while for applications to come in and the department to undertake the assessment. And the same with the Housing Support Program We announced the program, we've done it as quickly as we possibly can. And this is the first opportunity we've had to announce that. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: The big one this week, of course, Minister, was the Bruce Highway. $7.2 billion in funding for the Bruce. Now that has been welcomed by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli. 

DAVID CRISAFULLI [QLD PREMIER] RECORDED EXCERPT: There were approaching 80 occasions in the last 12 months where that road was cut off for some period of time. Now, whether that be via an accident or flooding, that's unacceptable. And for anyone who's driven that road, it is a goat track and we wouldn't accept it anywhere else in the country. And I don't accept it for my state. 

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: Federal Minister Catherine King, that's that was Premier David Crisafulli. You heard just there, of course. But what we have been wanting to hear and we haven't quite heard yet, what stretches of the highway will be the priority for these repairs, these upgrades? 

CATHERINE KING: There's obviously $9.8 billion that's already in play. And those projects will continue. And they're already well known. In terms of this additional $7.2 billion, we've asked the Queensland Government And they'll do that, obviously, with their new advisory committee to provide advice as to where they want to spend money. Our view very firmly is that it needs to be on the worst bits first, particularly because this is really concentrated on lifting the road from that 1 to 2 star rating up to three. That is where you get significant road safety benefits, because you're starting to put barriers in the way. You're starting to put wider centre strips, you're starting to improve lines of sight. So it's really focused on road safety. So we will be guided by them. But certainly around that Mackay area, Innisfail, all of those areas are the ones that come up time and time again. We've got just under half of this road is at two star rating, so really concentrating on the worst bits first. But the projects that are already underway with that existing money will also proceed.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: When you talk about the worst bits up there, the likes of the Marlborough stretch are there coming to mind all of those? 

CATHERINE KING: Yeah, and particularly where we've seen significant, accidents, that is the areas that you'd look at. But again, it will be up to the Queensland Government to provide that advice as to where they want to start with these safety improvements, but that money is available.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: I appreciate your time this morning, Minister. I know you're very, very busy. I'll ask you really quickly on the Olympics. Public submissions for the infrastructure review close on Friday. Big conversation for this station and listeners, of course. Does the government plan on addressing concerns around this ahead of the federal election? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, we are waiting, obviously, the Queensland Government's undertaking a review of infrastructure. Transport infrastructure is decided separately to the Olympics infrastructure that's done through the normal budget process. And if we receive requests from the Queensland Government in the lead up to the budget, which is due in March, we'll obviously consider those requests. But we have substantial money, $3.5 billion that we are already investing in the Olympics. We think there are a number of venues where the government could get on with it, particularly some of the smaller venues. And the longer they delay, the more they're going to cost. And we'd like to see those proceed pretty quickly.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: Okay. Smaller venues and bigger venues as well, being the discussion as well. So you guys are getting a little bit concerned on timeline by the sound of it. 

CATHERINE KING: Yeah. We've communicated that to the people undertaking the review. I've met with them earlier, just before Christmas. I'm concerned about obviously cost overruns in terms of that. But we'll await the results of the review and make our decisions from there.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, thank you for coming on this morning. 

CATHERINE KING: Great to be with you, Joel.

JOEL SPREADBOROUGH: 612 ABC Brisbane. There you go. Catherine King on a slew of issues, big infrastructure announcements happening today.