Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to confirm my strong support for an application submitted by Brisbane Marine Industry Park for funding under the Regional Partnerships program. Operating in Hemmant, a local bayside suburb in Bonner, Brisbane Marine Industry Park is a subsidiary company of Viking Industries, a leading provider of facilities and services to the marine industry worldwide. Viking Industries has contributed significantly to the growth of the marine industry in the Brisbane area through the provision of common user infrastructure at its Brisbane Marine Industry Park. It has developed a major strategic alliance with the Brisbane super yacht base cluster, covering in excess of 40 companies. The company works cooperatively with local businesses, which use the infrastructure and services to provide a platform for growth. This has resulted in the development of significant employment and training opportunities for workers in the bayside of Bonner.

By way of background, it has always been an objective of Viking Industries to provide waterfront infrastructure in the form of berths and ship-lifting capacity to accommodate boats of up to 650 tonnes on behalf of south-east Queensland businesses. It is commonly known that Brisbane lacks sufficient berths for a wide range of marine vessels, in particular super yachts. This factor was recently supported by a study commissioned by the Brisbane City Council and the subsequent report which not only highlighted insufficient berths as a deficiency but also drew attention to the need for an increased lifting capacity in the range of 300 to 800 tonnes. A Regional Partnership grant is pivotal to enabling this infrastructure upgrade to take place. This upgrade would significantly expand the available market for superyacht refit and repair. As super yachts become increasingly larger, this project will provide access to a greater percentage of a global market, which has grown from 241 new builds in 1997 to 662 in 2005. The visitations of these yachts provide lucrative opportunities for the ports that they visit. However, Brisbane Marine Industry Park has been forced to turn away business simply because the current infrastructure cannot support the larger vessels.

With increased lifting capability and supporting berth facilities, the local region and its people would be a prime beneficiary. An additional $40 million in export income would be generated over the initial five-year period. Furthermore, a new labour intensive industry would be created, and a minimum of 10 new businesses would be attracted to the region within the next five years. In turn, this would create substantial new job opportunities on the back of what is effectively the creation of a new industry built on the back of common-use water infrastructure.

This project would deliver positive outcomes directly to Bonner. It is estimated that 500 new apprenticeships would be offered to the youth in the local community over the next five years. Additional employment opportunities would encourage skills development and specialisation in this growth industry. Viking Industries has moved from strength to strength, and I commend the company on its efforts to facilitate industry growth resulting in a significantly enhanced share of the global super yacht market. These benefits extend into the wider community also. I believe Viking Industries has submitted an outstanding application under the Regional Partnerships program. Moreover, I believe that the project underpins what this government seeks to achieve through the program.