Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support Senator Allman-Payne in her courageous efforts to try to get more information in relation to what's happening in relation to the Gabba Redevelopment proposal. It is astounding, absolutely astounding, that the minister attends here today and says that because it may damage relationships between the federal and state governments he cannot give us any information. They haven't even asked them! Why don't they pick up the phone and ask Premier Palaszczuk: 'Do you mind? The Senate is keen to get this information. We think there should be transparency and we think that people have a right to know. Do you mind if we hand this information over to the Senate in accordance with the resolution of the Senate, the house of review?'

They didn't even ask; they didn't even pick up the phone and ask! How do they know it's going to damage relationships when they don't even ask? Maybe they thought they'd get an answer they didn't want, so they didn't ask? They didn't ask so that they could just come in and glibly claim public interest immunity. Maybe that was the whole strategy all along: don't ask the question if you think you might get a answer you don't want. It's absolutely shameful!

I had the pleasure of taking my good friend Senator Ruston for a walk around the Gabba, and we had a look at the East Brisbane State School. This is one of the oldest state schools in my home state of Queensland, constructed in 1899. It is actually on the Queensland Heritage Register. You can have a look; anyone here, I'll give you the reference number. Go to the Queensland Heritage Register, 601476—that's the registration number on the Queensland Heritage Register. Why is it on the register? Because the place is considered to have great significance with respect to the development of Brisbane. Why is it on the register? Because of its aesthetic value. If you see the red-brick building, which was done in an arts and crafts fashion, it is a beautiful, beautiful school in the middle of a beautiful community.

The parents in that community want answers. They want answers! What is going to happen to their school? It is such an important part of their community. For those of us who watch the track record of the Labor government in Queensland carefully, their first estimate with respect to the Gabba Redevelopment—which would abolish this school—was $1 billion. What you get for $1 billion? You get 8,000 additional seats. By my maths, that's $120,000 per seat. Does that make sense to anyone in this place? That was their first estimate. The estimate has now gone up. We're up now to about $2.5 billion, which is 2½ times more—no wonder they won't show us the documents. If I were sitting on that side of the chamber, I'd be saying, 'How do you expect me to sign up to 50 per cent of the funding for this redevelopment when the cost has gone from $1 billion to $2.5 billion in less than 18 months?' It's astounding.

The people of Queensland deserve to have all the information in relation to this proposal. There are parents and their children in that community today who are concerned about the future of their school. There are people, and I've spoken to them, who went to that school decades ago, and they've raised concerns directly with me about what's going to happen to that school. It is part of Queensland's heritage; it is on the Queensland Heritage Register, and the people of Queensland deserve answers—not flimsy claims of public interest immunity which are not in the public interest of that local community in East Brisbane and not in the public interest of the people of Queensland, who deserve open government and transparency.