Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Today as we debate Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2005-2006 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2005-2006, I will be speaking on a range of topics. In particular, I want to talk about some comments made in the House yesterday by the member for Ryan. Last December I threw my longstanding support behind Ipswich City Council’s plan to replace the antiquated Moggill ferry service with a bridge linking Ipswich and Brisbane. Replacing the 127-year-old ferry service is long overdue and must happen because it is in the best interests of the entire region. It is in the best interests of the residents of Ipswich and Brisbane. It makes economic and social sense. Building a bridge to replace the Moggill ferry service is plain, old-fashioned commonsense. It is not about politics or rhetoric or long-held views about the demographics of who lives on which side of the river. These are old views; they are dead views. To be relying on a ferry service which was built back in 1878 is just plain stupid. It is high time that support and encouragement were given to both the Brisbane and Ipswich city councils to get together and make sure this long-awaited piece of essential infrastructure becomes a reality.

Transport issues are vitally important to the rapidly growing south-western suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich, so all options must be carefully considered, but replacing the antiquated Moggill ferry service with a bridge is a no-brainer. For far too long, urban planning decisions, in particular the provision of vital transport infrastructure, have been made on the basis of political interests and not what is in the best interests of the entire community—none is more obvious than the political interests in Ryan. The member for Ryan, with his Cheshire cat smirk, waxes lyrical about his overflowing pride and his belief in his own high intellect, which he thinks will mask his real motives from his constituents. Improving the entire region’s liveability and quality of life depends on some tough decisions being taken now on the transport needs of the area. It is not about keeping the people from one side of the river out of the other side of the river. Ideas such as the bridge cannot be ignored any longer simply because they are politically unpopular.

Of more concern to the member for Ryan should be the question of how to assist in providing infrastructure for the rapidly developing Moggill region—and I know he has spoken about this. Perhaps he should have a broader view on how he would link Moggill with the rest of the community rather than shutting down. He would know the rapid development through there, and not investigating all the options is plain silly. Good planning and infrastructure provision is vitally important for the residents of Ipswich and Brisbane. What is really needed is for the local elected representatives to take a stand for what is in the entire community’s long-term interests and not their own short-term, short-sighted political playthings.

Last December I also called for a considered debate on the Westgate project. It is a Queensland government project to redevelop more than 500 hectares of surplus government land along the Brisbane River between Woogaroo and Wolston creeks. What I suggested then, and continue to support today, is that people need to take a cold shower on this issue and debate the merits of the proposed Westgate development project in a mature, considered way and not deliberately mislead the public on the options and on community consultation. When a large parcel of land such as Westgate is opened up for development there are a lot of matters which need to be considered like, for example, the long-term impact on the local environment, especially the local eastern grey kangaroo population.

Of particular importance in this debate is the fact that there are no bridges to be built or even proposed as part of the Westgate project, and that any bridges which may have to be built in the future would be a decision of the Brisbane City Council—not the state government, or the federal government for that matter. Just because lines on a map have been drawn that indicate possible potential future bridges, it does not mean that they are part of this project or will ever be built. Elected representatives should not reject proposals out of hand until they are at least fully considered in a rational manner and through proper community consultation.

On infrastructure issues, the member for Ryan has demonstrated no leadership, just an oppositionist approach to the proper servicing of residents of Brisbane and Ipswich, and I think we all deserve better. The member for Ryan should stop engaging in counter-productive, cheap political point scoring and concentrate on lobbying his own government to find the direct road funding needed and take up his responsibilities in the region in a positive manner.

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