Mr Wettenhall Asked the Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Economic Development (Mr Fraser)- Will the Minister advise how Queensland Government infrastructure projects are supporting employment in Cairns and tropical north Queensland?

ANSWER:

On 28 August 2009 the Premier launched Jobs First the Queensland Government's plan for delivering jobs for Queensland.

Jobs First focuses on four points, placing the retention and creation of jobs as this Government's highest priority by:

1. building infrastructure - keep our record building program going
2. developing skills for the future - ensure we are prepared for recovery
3. supporting new and traditional industries - enable industries and businesses to emerge, grow and transform
4. developing new job creation programs - assist unemployed Queenslanders to get back into work.

Projects being delivered in the Far North Queensland region include:

• Continued work on the Cairns Base Hospital Redevelopment Project, at a total cost of $446.3 million.
• $199 million towards the $445 million expansion and redevelopment of Lotus Glen Correctional Centre. This project is estimated to support up to 1,565 jobs during 2009-10.
• $6.1 million for level crossing upgrades to support over 40 jobs during 2009/10.
• $113.2 million to build and improve rental units in Indigenous communities. This construction and maintenance activity will provide much needed employment and skilling opportunities for these communities, and is estimated to support over 850 jobs during 2009-10. This is part of the Government's $1.447 billion program to expand and improve social housing across the state.
• $76 million for electricity network projects including:
  - $40 million for Far North Queensland's electricity network, including network refurbishment, load energy management, replacement of ageing assets and reliability improvements;
  - $17 million for projects including building an electricity substation at El
  Arish, electricity supply improvements at Mareeba and laying underground power lines in cyclone-prone areas.
  - $19 million for electricity network improvements in remote Cape York
  Peninsula and Torres Strait Island communities, including upgrades to power stations at Mapoon, Kowanyama, Thursday Island and Murray Island.
• $13.2 million to replace rail and pedestrian bridges in the region.
• $9.4 million to design and build a cruise facility terminal at the Port of Cairns.

Each project will create and protect jobs to help keep Queensland strong and secure our economic foundations.

In addition, these projects are subject to the state's 10% Training Policy supporting apprentices and trainees and building skills for the future. Projects in the discrete Indigenous communities will be subject to the states Indigenous Employment Policy for Queensland Government Building and Civil Construction Projects (IEP 20%) which will ensure that a 20% minimum benchmark of total labour hours will be undertaken by local indigenous people.