Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, you may notice that I'm wearing probably the best tie in the House. For those southerners who might not know what it is, it is the tie of the mighty North Queensland Cowboys NRL club based in Townsville. Mr Speaker, I'm sure you'd be a Cowboys fan. I can tell by the way you are looking at my tie—and I'll get you one! We had a fantastic event on the weekend. The Queensland Country Bank Stadium had its 'people's day'. Our stadium has taken a few years to be built. It has gone through my predecessor and that member's predecessor. It has taken quite a while to get through, but it is the first step and the first tick of the box in Townsville's City Deal. Whilst this stadium has government support at all levels, it is the people's stadium. On people's day we saw people come through to have a look at the field, to have a look around and really get the feeling, to see where their seats are going to be when the Cowboys thrash the Broncos in a few weeks time!

Mr Watts interjecting—

I didn't hear that interjection; it is probably something trying to slander the Cowboys! But I can tell you that the Cowboys played great in the nines competition just recently, and they'll continue to play great through the NRL season. This stadium has brought the community together. I believe this stadium has now become the heart of Townsville. We've brought everyone together. And it doesn't matter whether you support the NRL or not. This stadium will have Elton John performing this weekend. It will see track and field. Jeff Horn wants to get a boxing match in this stadium. So it's not just about the NRL; it's for the community. And the community is coming together, rallying behind each other, for our new infrastructure that has come to Townsville. And I know that this 'cauldron' will be something that lasts for generations to come. We had locals walking around extremely happy on people's day. While all three levels of government were there, this wasn't about politicians patting each other on the back and trying to take credit. It was about the people. They fought for this stadium. They're the reason it got up. They're the reason we get infrastructure builds in my electorate and in the electorates of the member for Petrie and other people in this place. It's because of the people and their advocacy. So this is their stadium. It is a stadium the Cowboys will call home and in which they will absolutely do a great job this season. They promised me they would! And the people have given them exactly what they need to do a good job.

Like I said, this stadium is a great example of all governments working together. There was our contribution of $100 million. The state made a contribution, and the land was gifted by the council to share the burden of the cost. The stadium was built to create an amazing place for the people of Townsville to be proud of and in which to enjoy their beloved NRL games, listen to Elton John, hopefully watch some boxing and see some track and field events.

The stadium created employment opportunities which we definitely needed after a monsoon event only 12 months ago. We have 500 local businesses who were able to reap the benefits of construction contracts, and 2,000 people were employed on the site. A large proportion of these people were from Townsville, making sure the money stayed in Townsville. Of course, there were concerns along the way that out-of-towners would be shipped in—and they were. So we need to be doing more in this space to ensure that our local and tier 1 contractors get this work. We have people who are very capable of delivering such a project.

But now that the tools are down this isn't the end of the jobs. On event days, the stadium's kitchens, box offices and stands will be filled with hundreds of event staff—cooks, cleaners, security, customer service agents, and food and beverage staff. A bigger stadium needs a bigger workforce. No doubt, this will be a key driver for bringing down our city's unemployment rate.

This stadium is so much more than just a place where people kick a football. This is a place where a community can come together, stand side by side and see what we built for our community. It's so important that the people in this place travel up and see the stadium for everything that it is—a place that Townsville calls the heart. (Time expired)