Doorstop, Townsville

ANNASTACIA PALASZCZUK [QLD PREMIER]: I’m very proud that the Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 is officially opened today. This has been a huge project – over 400 jobs – and done cooperatively with the Federal Government. Very pleased that Senator Chisholm is here with us as well. But this is going to make commuting so much easier but also, too, safety is a key factor. So, I thank everyone who’s been involved in this project. It’s absolutely terrific, and I know the people of Townsville will appreciate how much better the roads are now with the duplication into the future. So, I’ll hand over to Senator Chisholm and Minister Bailey and the local members will want to make some comments. Thanks.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: Thanks, Premier. Great to be here representing the Federal Government at the opening of this important bit of infrastructure. We were pleased to contribute $224 million of $280 million towards this project and what it’s going to do, Because we know that the Bruce Highway is the artery of the State, and this is going to make this section safer. It will improve economic outcomes, it will lead to better safety but also, we know it’s such an important area here with the barracks as well, so being able to provide safe and easy access to there will be really important into the future. So, a great bit of economic infrastructure. Pleased to see it in Townsville. We want to be a government for the whole of Australia, and that includes building and improving key infrastructure in areas like this. So, a real pleasure to be here. And I thank the workers and those that have contributed to this for their contribution as well.

MARK BAILEY [QLD STATE MINISTER]: Yeah, look, this is a fantastic infrastructure opening for this whole Upper Ross community. I want to thank Aaron Harper who has driven this project from the very beginning. He got Riverway Drive done, he got the Ring Road done. And what we need for this growing area is infrastructure. So, this is a huge project. We’ve added the interchange here to the scope, listened to the local community, and we added the traffic lights down the road as well because we wanted to get the design right. And it’s been an excellent project, and Aaron Harper, that’s another feather in his cap for sure. I think he might want to say a few words.

AARON HARPER [QLD STATE MP]: Thanks very much, Minister. And it’s a fantastic day to officially open Townsville Ring Road Stage 5, the final piece of the Ring Road, the 28-kilometre ring road that stops big trucks going through our city, provides safer road carriageways that are separated so we’ll get reduced accidents on what was a single lane on Stage 5. But, importantly, what this has done is opened up these additional ramps right behind us – more investment into the area. So along that road, 1,500 homes are being developed. And I’d ask you to take your cameras up there. There’s work happening today. Because these ramps provide access to those big employers of Lavarack Barracks, the Townsville University Hospital and, of course, the James Cook University as well. So that’s thousands of people that live in the Upper Ross now, can get straight on here. And I want to pay a particular thank you to Alex and Cameron from Giorgio who coordinated this and worked very closely with the entire community. We’ve got schools in the area. We’ve got Carlisle Gardens. We’ve got someone from Carlisle Gardens – g’day mate – over the fence there. They worked really hard with hundreds of residents here to make sure that they got the sound barriers in place and we made sure that everything was communicated along the way. So, thank you very much to the 440 workers. Looking forward to seeing more construction for Riverway Drive Stage 2 as that progresses. Thank you.

PALASZCZUK: Any other quick questions on this? Can I just say one thing just whilst I’m here? There’s a number of bushfires across the state as we speak. If everyone could please listen to authorities. And in some welcome news, I've just had updates too, that the number of people in our evacuation centres has decreased from 280 down to about 100. And I got a report in this morning that all of the agencies are working together and making sure that their animals and livestock are also being looked after. So, I just wanted to give that update to make sure that you listen the authorities and we’ll be speaking after cabinet with another very significant announcement for this region.

JOURNALIST: Premier, while you’re there what did you think of Aaron Harper’s comments yesterday at the rally?

PALASZCZUK: Look, Aaron, I understand, has addressed the media this morning. But let me say this very clearly: that victims of crime are front and centre. And I’m very thankful for the people who came and spoke to me at our deputations. Now, our Ministers were meeting with members of the community for over 3 hours yesterday, as well as the afternoon tea. And I want to thank people for being upfront and being very honest. I also want to say that Aaron attended the meeting that we had with Clinton, and also too with Brett. And it was a very, very productive meeting. It was a very respectful meeting, and I thank them for sharing their community’s concerns with us.

JOURNALIST: Do you think you should have attended?

PALASZCZUK: I was in meetings. There was lots of talk [indistinct]. And everybody knew that they could meet with any Minister. So, we were meeting for three hours. I want to make that very clear. We were meeting for three hours, and any member of the community could request to meet with any minister, including myself.

JOURNALIST: The LNP is attacking you, Premier, for a repeated pattern of this. They say you didn’t turn up to the Toowoomba crime rally, the voice for victims or yesterday. Can you give us, I guess, the [indistinct] security concerns? What reasons is it that you don’t go out and speak at these things?

PALASZCZUK: Well, because I was actually meeting with people, with the residents of Townsville for three hours. I have met with victims of crime in Toowoomba. I have met with victims of crime in Brisbane, and I’ll continue to do that across the state. And we are responding to the voice of victims very clearly where we’ve got our expressions of interest out and we actually urged Clinton and Brett to make sure that there is a North Queensland regional representation on that committee. That is going to be the voice for victims right across the state. We’ve also put in place that interims voice commissioner as well as, and he’s doing fantastic work. And I just want to reassure the community that the police are doing everything they can to recruit more officers. They are out there with more high visibility controls. And as we heard yesterday, the youth justice, going out with the police, targeting those repeat offenders but also, too, the Townsville stronger communities meeting with the families and providing the supports there. There is a lot of work happening, and every time – nearly every time I’m in Townsville I sit down with the police and get an update.

JOURNALIST: Premier, how would you have handled the rally if you [indistinct]? Like, what could Mr Harper have done differently if you were in that same situation?

PALASZCZUK: As I said, everybody at that rally had the opportunity to actually meet with a minister. It was advertised widely across the Townsville community. I wanted the cabinet to be available on the Sunday to meet with people. And we met with representatives of that rally, and I thank them. It was a very, very good meeting.

SPEAKER: Thanks, guys. We’ve got to keep the Premier moving. She’ll be available later on.

PALASZCZUK: Anything else?

JOURNALIST: Just in terms of what the criticism is, I know these people were invited in and you did meet with the organisers of the rally –

PALASZCZUK: It was very respectful. I think, I think what people don’t see is the respectfulness that actually happens at those meetings, those one-on-one meetings, and some very good ideas raised as well.

JOURNALIST: And is that the reason why you, I guess, you don’t go outside to face the angry crowd, because you feel like it wouldn’t be respectful?

PALASZCZUK: Well, I believe that everyone should be respectful. And as I said, all of our cabinet was engaged with meetings. We were all meeting the entire afternoon.

JOURNALIST: Why would only people who care about crime rates be LNP voters?

PALASZCZUK: I think Aaron’s addressed that. Okay?

SPEAKER: Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Can we just ask Aaron a question? You were addressing the media [indistinct] this morning. I guess we saw your comments on Facebook. Is there, did you want to clarify something?

HARPER: Like, yesterday was disappointing that it was hijacked by local members of the LNP that were on my left-hand side – so Dale Last, Phillip Thomson, candidates for the LNP, their staff. You know, that was disappointing, because what I wanted to do – and I fronted up there to hear from the victims of crime and tell them about that select committee. Because we want to hear their stories. As I said yesterday, we have an opportunity to do more. And I have to question the motive of the LNP members that were there to disrupt and hijack that, because perhaps they’re reluctant to actually want to work with government on that committee. I’ve had informal conversations with members of the LNP on that, and there’s a reluctance to travel to Townsville. I’m saying I’ll stand up for Townsville on this matter. And that’s why I’m on that committee. And I want to see change in our community. It’s an opportunity to work together. So yesterday achieved little because of the hijacking. But, you know, it was disappointing that I didn’t actually get to hear some of the people that were there. And what the media didn’t report was the lady that was right I front of me who was exasperated saying, “Let him speak”. So, every time I went to speak they just yelled and it was abusive. And, you know what? We had a productive meeting with the Premier after that with the organiser and members of that rally.

JOURNALIST: Do you stand by those comments saying it was a rent-a-crowd? I mean, there were genuine victims there.

HARPER: And I said that. I said that on social media. Perhaps in the heat of the moment when you’re being yelled at and abused like that, and it was pretty nasty, in the heat of the moment, you know, that was taken incorrectly, and I acknowledge that, you know. But I wanted to speak to real victims of crime.

JOURNALIST: Do you think that rash decision has lost voters for the ALP now?

HARPER: No, I think standing up and actually listening as a local member is really, really important. But, you know, as I said yesterday to media, you’ve got an important role to play too. We want to make sure that people in North Queensland are represented on that select committee and make submissions on what they want changed after the various things that we’ve done – increasing police, changing bail laws.

JOURNALIST: Just in terms of – you did front up and speak to them there. Would you have liked some backup rather than just doing it all yourself?

HARPER: I was happy to turn up there. I said weeks ago that I would. And, you know, that’s my position.

JOURNALIST: Would you do it again?

HARPER: Of course.

JOURNALIST: Would you do anything differently?

AARON HARPER: I’d ask them to be respectful, the members of the LNP, and let me have a say. Thank you.