Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The petition talks about the significance of the site, a little bit about the history of the site, and about the issue of redevelopment of the site into parkland for the benefit of not just the people of Toowong and the surrounding suburbs but the wider community in Brisbane. It is one, as I say, that has drawn enormous interest, because this is riverside land. There is not much riverside land in Brisbane and I think that a beautiful site such as the Toowong parkland should really be something for the enjoyment and the pleasure of families. I can envisage all kinds of facilities on the river: barbecue facilities and family-friendly facilities for kids such as swings and slippery slides—that kind of infrastructure that brings families together, that brings communities together. As I said, I am absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people from throughout the streets of Toowong, the families of Toowong, that have really come together to express their deep concern that this Commonwealth land will potentially be sold to a developer who might construct something quite unfriendly to the local landscape.

Related to that is the issue of traffic congestion. People who live in the western suburbs of Brisbane, in the Ryan electorate, will know the streets of the western suburbs—Moggill Road, in particular, and Coronation Drive—are one giant car park in the mornings. I just want to flag the strong representation and leadership of Councillor Newman, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. He is certainly doing all he can, along with the LNP opposition in Queensland. They are doing all they can, in their respective roles, to flag the indecision, the lack of leadership, the lack of investment and the lack of funds from the state government and from the previous Labor council administration when it was in power.

An interesting common thread is that, prior to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman taking charge in Brisbane, the period of the Labor administration in Brisbane City Council was almost a decade, and that matches the time of the state Labor government. Bar two years of the Borbidge Nationals government, the Labor Party has been in power in Queensland for nearly two decades, yet very little has been done to address congestion or to address traffic problems. Peak hour is not one hour; peak hour is many hours. I am certainly against the governance of the current Queensland government. Hopefully the people of Queensland will rectify that on Saturday, when they go to the polls and bring to George Street a team with fresh ideas, with a new vision and with competent ministers that can actually represent the people. So on the issues of traffic congestion and the sale of the ABC site, which potentially has enormous consequences— (Time expired)

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