Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Queenslanders are once again facing the harsh reality of widespread flooding across large parts of our state. Hundreds of roads have been cut, and emergency services are undertaking swift-water rescues across Queensland. Just earlier this week, a child was rescued from a car in a flooded road in the Gladstone region. Major flood warnings remain in place across rivers, including the Burnett River and the Mary River, with communities like Bundaberg preparing for major flood peaks of 7.6 metres, expected today. There are evacuations underway in some low-lying areas, with almost 200 people now sheltering in place in the Bundaberg evacuations centre.

While sunshine has returned to parts of South-East Queensland today, no-one should mistake that for the end of this event. The ground remains saturated. Many catchments are still swollen, and the rivers are continuing to rise in some locations. It also means the start of a very long and devastating clean-up for hundreds of businesses and residents. In other parts of the state, particularly across northern Queensland, the forecast continues to warn of further potential heavy rainfall next week, so the danger is not over yet.

While floods are part of life in Queensland, I want Queenslanders to know that they are not facing this alone. The Albanese government is standing beside local councils, who will receive assistance to immediately restore essential services and repair damaged roads once floodwaters subside. But we're not just focused on recovery on this side of the chamber. We're also building the roads of tomorrow to futureproof our great state. In a place the size of Queensland, roads are more than simple infrastructure; they are lifelines. And no road is more important than the Bruce Highway.

The Bruce is the backbone of Queensland, running more than 1,600 kilometres, from Brisbane to Cairns, and connecting communities right along our coastline. When floods hit, the Bruce Highway becomes even more critical. That is why the Albanese government has made the largest investment ever in the Bruce Highway. Thanks to the efforts of Minister Catherine King and our Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, we have committed an additional $7.2 billion to upgrade and improve safety along this critical corridor. That brings the Commonwealth investment in the Bruce Highway to more than $17 billion. This represents a historic federal investment in the Bruce Highway, and it gives certainty for Queensland infrastructure. You may not hear Premier Crisafulli thanking us for it, but the money shows that Queensland roads were the big winner when Australia voted Labor at the last federal election. Labor is committed to making the Bruce Highway safer, making it more resilient to floods and ensuring it can continue to keep Queensland moving during extreme weather events.

Investing in resilience today means fewer communities cut off tomorrow. It also means freight continues moving, suppliers continue arriving and families can travel safely across our state. Even during events like the floods that we are seeing right now, work is happening behind the scenes to ensure essential goods reach communities. I want to assure communities across regional Queensland that the government and major supermarket chains and freight operators have contingency plans in place to keep essential supplies moving in regional Queensland. This includes prepositioning stock in regional distribution centres, prioritising freight movements along the Bruce Highway while it remains open and using alternative logistics options, including rail and air freight, if roads are temporarily cut. Where communities do become isolated, emergency management agencies can coordinate supply deliveries using helicopters, defence aircraft and emergency freight operations. Queenslanders have faced floods before. To everyone currently dealing with rising waters, damaged homes and businesses, closed roads and uncertainty: please know that help is on the way.

In fact, this Labor government is so committed to keeping Queensland moving that I was at the opening of a brand-new stretch of road just last week. I went to Caboolture in the seat of Longman for the opening of a major $48 million upgrade along the Bribie Island Road. This is where we have upgraded a notoriously unsafe stretch of road from two lanes to four lanes, with a median strip in the centre to prevent crashes, along with new traffic signals. We've also added some much-needed oversized U-turn facilities to enable caravans and large vehicles to easily change direction. I'm proud to say this project was not only completed on budget; it was delivered a full month ahead of schedule. This is a tremendous achievement by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, particularly given the recent weather conditions that Queensland has been dealing with. These details may sound small, but they matter. They mean fewer dangerous right-hand turns, safer crossings, better traffic flow and improved protection for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. I'm also proud to say that, while this is a state government road, the Australian government contributed nearly two-thirds of the funding for this project. That's $29 million of a $48 million project.

The Caboolture-Bribie Island road is not just a stretch of bitumen. It is the front door to Bribie Island, it is the connection to Caboolture Hospital and it is a lifeline for local families, tradies, small businesses and emergency services. It's also an economic connector that every tourist, four-wheel drive enthusiast and family visiting Bribie has to travel along. So, in that sense, we're not just improving driver safety; we're also investing in the local tourism economy.

Excitingly, design is already progressing on the next stage of the Bribie Island Road upgrades, with the Hickey Road to King Johns Creek project. This will add traffic signals to the Hickey Road intersection, prepare the corridor for further duplication and create greater flood immunity for this stretch of road. I firmly believe that Moreton Bay communities deserve a road network that matches their growth and their ambition.

Speaking of keeping Queensland moving, today I met with the union that literally keeps Australia moving, the mighty Transport Workers' Union. The TWU have come to parliament to share their experiences and advocate for workers across Australia's transport industry. I have heard directly today from the men and women who keep our transport networks moving and our aviation sector operating every single day.

I want to give a special shout-out to two proud Queenslanders from the delegation here today: Ebonie, a cabin manager for Virgin, and Ryan, a baggage handler for dnata. They spoke of extensive issues relating to rostering challenges, companies cutting corners and not having enough staff on board, and falling safety standards. For Ryan, that resulted in a horrific workplace injury. He had to take two months off work as a result of nerve damage to his shoulder, and he was supposed to return to administrative duties but was almost immediately pressured back to handling bags.

Their visit was a powerful reminder of why the Albanese government's workplace reforms matter so much to workers in industries like aviation and transport. For far too long, workers doing the same job side by side were often paid very different wages depending on whether they were employed directly or hired through labour hire companies. But the Albanese government has closed the loophole that allowed employers to get away with it. Our same job, same pay reforms mean that workers doing the same job as someone employed under an enterprise agreement can apply to receive the same rate of pay. For example, Karlene at Jetstar said some of her colleagues are now earning $8,000 more a year—as they always should have been—because of Labor. Queensland workers should never forget that it was the coalition and One Nation who voted against Labor's same job, same pay laws. They were very comfortable with Jetstar workers getting paid $8,000 less. They voted for that in this chamber, and people should never, ever forget that.

Recently, the TWU reached a landmark in-principle agreement with Jetstar that will deliver meaningful wage increases for almost 1,500 cabin crew. Workers employed through Team Jetstar and Altara will receive average annual pay increases of around $7,000. Labor said that we would get wages moving again, and that is exactly what we are doing. I'm proud to say that, following this morning's delegation, I am now the newest signatory of the TWU's Safe and Secure Skies campaign. Whether it's the truck driver delivering supplies along the Bruce Highway, the aviation worker preparing for a flight or the freight operator keeping our economy moving, working Australians deserve fairness at work. And the Albanese Labor government will always stand up to make sure they get it.