Mr Nicholls interjected.
Mr WELLINGTON: I believe that the lights have gone out in Queensland and that the operator of the switch is the Premier and the Treasurer, who is in the House this evening. They have totally destroyed the confidence of Queenslanders and there can be no question about that. This budget is like the government: big on rhetoric and completely lacking in substance. It is nothing more than a doom-and-gloom package that is preparing the groundwork for a fire sale of valuable Queensland assets.
The people I talk to are depressed and angry. Thousands have lost their jobs and many more are waiting in fear for the axe to fall. With no job security, there is an overwhelming feeling of doom and gloom. People are not spending. Houses are not being built or bought. People are staying at home. They are not attending cafes. They are not attending entertainment. They are not going on holidays. They are saving every penny, because they are worried about what might be around the corner.
Many considered our last Labor Treasurer to be arrogant and out of touch with Queenslanders. To me, this Premier and his leadership team can be tarred with exactly the same brush. Yes, I mean the Premier and his leadership team. I see this budget as preparing the groundwork for a fire sale of valuable Queensland assets when we all know that the real estate market is very depressed. And guess who benefits? The LNP lobbyist mates who are in the loop.
Our state is going backwards at a fast pace and this budget offers no solution. We see no initiatives to stimulate investment. We see thousands of people who invested in solar hot-water systems now concerned about the government's future plans for them. They all thought that they were doing the right thing for Queensland and the right thing for our environment. Look how this government has destroyed Queenslanders' desire to do the right thing. We should be embracing solar power generation with vigour and enthusiasm led by an excited and innovative state government.
On the topic of government incentives to invest, I refer members to the Premier's pet project, the new state government Executive Building, which I understood he specifically demanded—`This is what I want.' I understand that this project is destined to bring a windfall multimillion dollar rental for the LNP mates who build it. I understand that it will cost Queenslanders over a 30-year period in the range of $4.5 billion. So I say to Queenslanders that I believe that this Premier is just like some previous Premiers: all spin and no substance. I believe that the records show that he has lost credibility in what he promises one day and how he delivers the next.
Guess what the government's catchphrase of the year is? Contestability. To me, contestability is simply the ability to contest, to have a game, or a competition. If the Premier is so sure that his catchphrase is going to fool the people of Queensland, I challenge him to stand for the seat of Ashgrove at the next state election, because I do not believe there will be any contest at all. I predict that the Premier will be out on his ear whether he chooses to stand for election in the electorates of Ashgrove, Moggill or wherever, because Queenslanders are sick of being treated like fools. They do not believe the Premier and his Premiers in waiting when they talk about no further cuts to services. They do not believe that the Newman government is not going to sell off more government assets. They do not believe the gobbledegook about contestability. I do not know who dreamt up the jolly word.
While on this topic of contestability, I note that this morning in our parliament the member for Gaven made an announcement advising that, in his position as leader of the United Australia Party, the party has now been registered with the Queensland Electoral Commission. So now the Liberal National Party will have a real contest at the next state election. It will have a real contest with amoderate conservative party led by the member for Gaven. Queenslanders will now have a real choice to the Newman government extreme agenda. This government did not want the member for Gaven—the former chairman of the PCMC and the former chairman of the Ethics Committee—because he would not do its bidding. The member for Gaven is a moderate man who is going to lead an alternative conservative party. Let us see the election be brought on.
Honourable members interjected.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Order! Honourable members, I really cannot hear the member.
Mr WELLINGTON: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Some government ministers claim that we are not going to have the privatisation of government services. They talk about having a contest between the public sector and the private sector and whoever comes up with the best options wins. Of course, the government will meet with its mates—the lobbyists—over fancy lunches. Whether that appears in any record, I do not know. Perhaps we need to talk to Santo Santoro or some of his colleagues. They will have their discussions and guess what? The government will set the terms of the tender documents. So the government will say what it wants and I think we all know what the final outcome will be. A while ago someone suggested to me that maybe Nambour's disabled have been ignored by the Premier in their pleas for disabled access to the Nambour Railway Station and that they should have pooled some dollars and got in contact with the Premier's and the Treasurer's favourite lobbyist, Mr Santo Santoro. Who knows? Things may have happened.
I note that the Minister for Transport and Main Roads is in the chamber. I recognise that he is doing the best he can. I want to put on the record my thanks for his support for the proposed car park extension at the Nambour Railway Station. I understand the Nambour community is ecstatic about the minister's move. I have to say that I think it will not cost many dollars, but I think the returns to the state and to my community will be significant. So I again thank the minister for his support. Hopefully, we can see the building being pulled down soon and more cars parked on that site.
Prior to the 2012, my mailbox, along with every other mailbox in this state, was bombarded with electioneering material claiming that the Liberal National Party would deliver us from the evil of the Australian Labor Party, offer us salvation and build a fantastic four-pillar utopia based on construction, mining, agriculture and tourism. The Premier promised a new public Sunshine Coast hospital, as planned by the previous government. I think they were his exact words. That certainly is not what the Premier is now proposing. My money is on a private entity such as Ramsay Health Care operating this so-called public hospital when it finally happens. Let us wait and see what happens.
The Premier and the Premiers in waiting promised Queenslanders that they would lower the cost of living for families by cutting waste and reduce water prices and reform electricity tariffs to save families in the order of $330 a year. Instead, we see people facing a massive electricity price hike of over 20 per cent. Our insurance premiums are set to rise and we now have a new fire levy. But they still expect all our volunteer rural fire brigade members to do the work free of charge. What a disgrace! Where is the respect for volunteers in Queensland? There is nothing visionary in this new tax or this new levy. You can call it what you choose. I agree with Tony Abbott, the federal leader of the Liberal Party, because he talks about a big new tax. So we have in Queensland a sign of things to come if Mr Tony Abbott gets his way and his party is elected to form the federal government. We will see more big new taxes just like what we are seeing in this budget here before us.
This government appears to be completely oblivious to the people who sit shivering in their homes because they cannot afford to turn on the heating, or the people who will be eating their meals in the dark because they are not game to turn on the lights. The Premier keeps saying he is sorry. Hand on heart he says, `I'm sorry.' Yet in the same breath he blames Labor. So we have a conditional apology. What happened to saying, `I take responsibility. I have been the Premier for 12 months and this is where I am going.' It is not Labor that brought on the fire sale of our valuable Queensland assets. It is not Labor that wasted $300,000 for a talkfest in Mackay and I understand that the total cost is over $4.6 million. You cannot blame Labor for that. It is not Labor that refused to make sure that land sold in the Mary Valley was sold on the open market so that we all knew that it was sold for the highest and best price. I raised this matter with the Auditor General's office. Guess what? The Auditor-General's office agreed with me that the best way to make sure that the land was sold for the highest price was to have an open sale on the open market.
This government promised to deliver better infrastructure and better planning and to share the proceeds of the mining boom to build roads and provide critical local infrastructure. That is another broken promise. We are still waiting. The Bruce Highway between the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture needs upgrading. Where is the money going to come from to fund the infrastructure needs of the new Caloundra South city? My bet is that a lot of it will come from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council ratepayers and not from the government's developer mates. Maybe that was one reason so many residents of the former Noosa shire said, `I don't want to be part of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. I do not want to have to foot these bills in the future. I want to be part of the Noosa council.' I do not blame them for taking that position.
Last year, the Deputy Premier announced the go ahead of the southern interchange to the Sankeys Road section of the Cooroy-Curra Road upgrade and I understand committed in the vicinity of $395 million for the completion of the roadworks on the Cooroy to Curra section of the Bruce Highway. In this year's budget the Treasurer announced $65 million for the Cooroy southern interchange to Sankeys Road. I wonder how many more sod-turning photos this government wants to get from the same announcement. That amount of $65 million is a long way short of the promised $395 million. They have learned some pretty good tricks from the previous government, so who knows.
As for the railway line improvements, can I say zilch. Where is the duplication of the railway line to Nambour? I realise that the priority list of the Minister for Transport is decided by the Premier and the minister's hands are tied. The record shows this rail duplication project is of little importance to the Premier and the Treasurer. It is on the record. One only has to look at the Premier's answers to my questions on notice. The Premier has admitted to parliament that he has not bothered to discuss funding for the railway line with the Prime Minister, instead he has simply had the Minister for Transport and Main Roads—who is here and I thank him—make a submission to the federal government for the duplication of the Beerwah to Landsborough railway section. I refer to the Premier's answer to question on notice No 55.
I repeat that if the state government put money on the table, I believe it would be a significant incentive to a future federal government to come to the table. At the moment we are seeing all this argy-bargy between the Premier and the Prime Minister because we have a federal election just around the corner. We all know a Tony Abbott-led federal government is not interested in the rail duplication on the Sunshine Coast. He has made that very clear. But guess what? Now there is an alternative to the Liberal National extreme Abbott-led federal government. We have a new moderate conservative political party, the Palmer United Party. I understand the United Australia Party, led by the member for Gaven, Dr Alexander Douglas, is affiliated with the Palmer United Party.
Government members interjected.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Berry): Order! Member for Nicklin, sit down for the moment. Members, let us just take stock of the fact that the member has to finish his speech. I appreciate that there is a fair bit of argy-bargy, but I am entitled to hear what he is saying. Member for Nicklin?
Mr WELLINGTON: I have met with Mr Palmer from the Palmer United Party.
Mr NICHOLLS: I rise to a point of order. The bill is an act authorising the Treasurer to pay amounts. I do not recall any mention of a puppy party or their adherence—I suppose they would be fleas. I ask you to rule on relevance.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I rule that it is indirectly relevant. Member for Nicklin?
Mr WELLINGTON: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I refer the Treasurer to submissions members have made from the government and opposition during this debate to date.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Nicklin, you are on the periphery of it.
Mr WELLINGTON: Thank you. I have met with Mr Palmer from the Palmer United Party, candidate for Fairfax, and he agrees with me that there are significant benefits to be gained for our whole Sunshine Coast region with the duplication of the railway line to Nambour. I hope he and his other candidates for the federal election can get to federal parliament and give our region a voice it has not had for so long. I have no doubt that Clive and his team will bring significant change to the current state-Commonwealth relationship for the benefit of all Queenslanders and hopefully all Australians.
I refer to an article contained in the Sunshine Coast Daily. In it the Newman government is reported as promising to protect prime agricultural land and instead fast-tracked coal seam gas industry applications and said to hell with environmental impact advice and serious safety concerns to our Great Artesian Basin and the Great Barrier Reef. The record will reflect what is happening in Queensland in relation to these important issues.
Another broken promise from the Premier and his LNP leadership team was the promise to revitalise front-line services for families, to get back to basics and deliver quality services such ashealth, transport, police and education. Instead the government sacked thousands of public servants, including front-line staff—nurses, doctors, police, hardworking cleaners—and closed essential health and community services. It need not keep up the pretence that these workers took voluntary redundancy because it just will not wash. I quote from one of the nurses in my electorate who said—
I could see the writing on the wall. I could see what the Newman government was doing. It's as if health isn't about health anymore, it's about dollars, and I feel the onus isn't on the caring aspect anymore. It's not about how we can support you to support the patient anymore.
It is all about budgets.
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