Parliament Estimates 2018-19

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Estimates Hearings

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-committees/Estimates

Transport and Public Works Committee 27 July 2018

    Minister for Transport and Main Roads
    Minister for Housing and Public Works, Minister for Digital Technology and Minister for Sport

Consideration of 2018/2019 portfolio budget estimates inquiry details
» https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-committees/committees/TPWC/inquiries/current-inquiries/Estimates2018-2019

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Couriermail --> Budget Estimates on how taxpayer money is spent begins in Queensland

AT 9am on Tuesday the event that Palaszczuk Government ministers have spent weeks preparing for, will begin.

Parliament's Legislative Council Chamber, the former home of Queensland's abolished Upper House, will be filled to the brim with MPs, staffers and bureaucrats for the annual Budget Estimates hearings.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, her 17 Cabinet ministers, and Speaker Curtis Pitt will be grilled on how taxpayer money is being spent.

The process – borne out of recommendations of the Fitzgerald Inquiry – is designed to ensure scrutiny of the Government's Budget plans.

But with 19 people sharing the spotlight over seven days – or about 55 hours – the amount of scrutiny applied is questionable.

The Government has the upper hand to a large degree given it has a lot of control over how the process runs.

Its MPs also chair the committees.

Government MPs get to ask "Dorothy Dixers" of their Ministers in between Opposition questions.

They can ask half of the questions on notice that can be put to the ministers ahead of their Estimates hearings as well.

This does not stop Ministers from dreading the process, however, as it is as much a test of political strategy, of their political cunning, as it is a chance for the Opposition to apply scrutiny to those in charge.

And it is just as nerve-racking for the Opposition as Estimates is also the its main time to shine ... or crash.

All eyes will also be on how well they hold the Government to account as both sides attempt to distract and bamboozle the media and each other in a bid to gain the upper hand.

All eyes will also be on Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington who will run her first Estimates assault as LNP leader.

Put a step wrong and a bungled Opposition question can end up being the story rather than a Government misstep.

This is a predicament Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander knows all too well.

He temporarily became the story during his grilling of Police Minister Mark Ryan last year when he questioned the number of female appointees to the Parole board.

"Minister, 68 per cent of these appointees are female and only 32 per cent are male. Of the professional members, 100 per cent are female," he told the hearing. "How can you describe these appointments as diverse when there is such a major gender imbalance?"

Mr Mander issued a statement less than 24 hours later apologising unreservedly for his comments.

"This week, politicians from both sides of the house have made ill-considered remarks in the heat of the Estimates battle and as community leaders we should strive to do better," he said.

But the damage had been done and the Government continued to remind Queenslanders of his comments for days afterwards.

It needed a distraction itself, with its own disaster unfolding at the time over the Mark Bailey "mangocube" email saga.

The Minister was temporarily stood aside at the same time, amid a Crime and Corruption Commission probe.

Labor has already attempted to air some of its bad news early in a bid to get ahead of this year's hearings.

It dropped its March public service statistics – showing a massive 4300 new full-time equivalents were hired in the three months to March – alongside its KPMG report into the public service in a pre-Estimate dump on Friday.

That will unlikely be enough to stop the public service becoming an Estimates battleground next week. Let the games begin.

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https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1020706595548815360

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https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1021071995323133957

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Couriermail --> QLD Budget Estimates: Claims Labor moved to gag firebrand MP Jo-Ann Miller

MAVERICK Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller will not take part in additional Budget Estimates hearings this year amid revelations her colleagues passed a motion to compel Labor MPs to seek caucus permission before making a special appearance.

Mrs Miller has spent the last two Budgets Estimates hearings delivering friendly fire to Government ministers after breaking with tradition in 2016 and seeking special leave to sit on various committees to quiz her Cabinet colleagues.

MPs who are not already members of a committee can apply for leave to appear and ask questions during Estimates under the Parliament's Standing Orders.

This year the Bundamba MP said she would not be seeking such leave.

The Courier-Mail can reveal her party colleagues passed a motion at a special caucus meeting last week requiring Labor MPs to seek caucus approval if t hey wanted to appear before committees they are not already a part of.

It is understood Mrs Miller was absent from the caucus meeting, held on July 16 to discuss Labor's abortion decriminalisation laws, when the motion was moved and passed.

Instead, she will only appear when her committee, the Transport and Public Works Committee, is due to hold its Estimates hearing on Friday.

The LNP have questioned whether the motion aimed to deter Mrs Miller from appearing.

Mrs Miller – who delivered statements in the House in the lead up to last year's election and afterwards that were highly critical of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her deputy Jackie Trad – said she was would not attend extra hearings as she needed to dedicate her time to her community as the Government prepares to pass new laws to sack Ipswich City Council next month.

Chief Government Whip Don Brown told The Courier-Mail he did not believe the caucus motion clashed with Parliament's Standing Orders regarding Estimates.

He said the new rule was designed to ensure Labor's committee members had priority when it came to asking questions.

"Any member can ask Committee chairs for leave to attend Estimates hearings," Mr Brown said.

"The Labor caucus has moved to prioritise MPs who are members of a committee for time allocated to Government members.

"To date no member has indicated to either the committee chairs or myself a desire to attend a separate Estimates session."

Leader of Opposition Business Jarrod Bleijie – who yesterday quizzed the Clerk of the Parliament over what constituted an obstruction of an MP in their duties – described the Labor caucus motion as "highly concerning".

"I can understand why the Government would do it. They don't want the Member for Bundamba to give scrutiny to her own government and for the government's own failings over Labor's Ipswich City Council," he said.

"If this is true then the onus is on Jo-Ann Miller to complain to the Speaker that such action has occurred that has prevented and obstructed her from fulfilling her duties as an MP."

This is very disappointing for Bundamba constituents.  Ms Miller was very effective during estimates and raised issues of importance to her electorate.

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https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1021787692827201536

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Couriermail --> QLD Budget Estimates: Claims Labor moved to gag firebrand MP Jo-Ann Miller

A SENIOR minister has denied suggestions the State Labor Government is trying to gag rogue MP Jo-Ann Miller during Budget Estimates hearings.

The Courier-Mail reported overnight that Mrs Miller's party colleagues had passed a motion at a special caucus meeting last week requiring government MPs to seek caucus approval if they wanted to appear before committees they were not already a part of.

When quizzed about the move at a media conference this morning, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Government was not trying to gag the controversial Member for Bundamba.

"She has her own style," he said.

"I think everyone knows that and that's fine. We want that diversity."

Ms Miller will be part of the committee that will question Mr Bailey on Friday — something he said he was looking forward to.

"Jo-Ann's made a very positive contribution at my committee in the past," he said.

"I look forward to her participation as I look forward to the participation of all members of the parliamentary committee.

"Everybody has a role to play in Estimates and I look forward to her contribution."

The Courier-Mail reported Mrs Miller would not take part in additional Budget Estimates hearings this year after the motion.

Mrs Miller has spent the last two Budgets Estimates hearings delivering friendly fire to ministers, after breaking with tradition in 2016 and seeking special leave to sit on various committees to quiz her Cabinet colleagues.

MPs who are not already members of a committee can apply for leave to appear and ask questions during Estimates under Parliament's standing orders.

This year Mrs Miller said she would not be seeking such leave.

It is understood Mrs Miller was absent from the caucus meeting, held on July 16 to discuss Labor's abortion decriminalisation laws, when the motion was moved and passed.

Instead, she will only appear when her committee, the Transport and Public Works Committee, is due to hold its Estimates hearing on Friday.

The LNP has questioned whether the motion aimed to deter Mrs Miller from appearing.

Mrs Miller – who delivered statements in the House in the lead-up to last year's election and afterwards that were highly critical of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her deputy Jackie Trad – said she was would not attend extra hearings as she needed to dedicate her time to her community as the Government prepares to pass new laws to sack Ipswich City Council next month.

Chief Government Whip Don Brown told The Courier-Mail he did not believe the caucus motion clashed with Parliament's standing orders regarding Estimates.

He said the new rule was designed to ensure Labor's committee members had priority when it came to asking questions.

"Any member can ask Committee chairs for leave to attend Estimates hearings," Mr Brown said.

"The Labor caucus has moved to prioritise MPs who are members of a committee for time allocated to Government members.

"To date no member has indicated to either the committee chairs or myself a desire to attend a separate Estimates session."

Leader of Opposition Business Jarrod Bleijie – who yesterday quizzed the Clerk of the Parliament over what constituted an obstruction of an MP in their duties – described the Labor caucus motion as "highly concerning".

"I can understand why the Government would do it. They don't want the Member for Bundamba to give scrutiny to her own government and for the government's own failings over Labor's Ipswich City Council," he said.

"If this is true then the onus is on Jo-Ann Miller to complain to the Speaker that such action has occurred that has prevented and obstructed her from fulfilling her duties as an MP."

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https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1022039002050789377

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Does this mean day 666 of our glorious rail fail finds itself on a Friday 

[#Metro]

Does this mean day 666 of our glorious rail fail finds itself on a Friday

Big red sign on twitter to mark the occasion?

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Queensland Times --> Why the 'council chaos' is keeping Jo-Ann in Ipswich

JO-ANN Miller won't make her usual explosive appearance at this year's Budget Estimates, instead remaining in her electorate to combat the Ipswich City Council.

The Courier Mail revealed on Wednesday the Labor caucus had moved a motion requiring members to seek approval to speak at Estimates Committee hearings.

A Labor source confirmed Mrs Miller could potentially face expulsion from the Labor Party if she does not comply.

While the party says the move is designed to prioritise questions from members on committees, many see it as an attempt to silence Ms Miller - who has previously scrutinised the performance of her government colleagues.

Ms Miller would not speak about caucus matters, but said the chaos with the council had kept her in Ipswich and away from Estimates.

"Given the revelations of the Local Government Minister over the last few days and also the president of the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal, it's important that I am a stable force in the Ipswich community," she said. "I will only be attending the Transport Committee on Friday."

Mrs Miller has spent the last two Budgets Estimates hearings delivering friendly fire to government ministers after breaking with tradition in 2016 and seeking special leave to sit on various committees to quiz her Cabinet colleagues.

In 2016 she sat on a committee to grill Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, then Treasurer Curtis Pitt and former Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace.

The Member for Bundamba, who fell out with the Labor Party in 2015, went off-script to question the government on its own policies; exposing flaws and calling for a Royal Commission into the re-emergence of black lung disease across Queensland.

Mrs Miller delivered statements in Parliament before last year's election, and afterwards, that were highly critical of Ms Palaszczuk and her deputy Jackie Trad.

The Member for Bundamba accused both of knowing about and failing to act on allegations of corruption within the Ipswich City Council.

Ms Palaszczuk and Ms Trad deny these claims.

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1022158365739311105

[ozbob]

Does this mean day 666 of our glorious rail fail finds itself on a Friday

Big red sign on twitter to mark the occasion?

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Hansard Estimates - Transport and Main Roads (Proof)

> https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2018/2018_07_27_EstimatesTPC.pdf

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Took a sustained effort, but we know have a committment to regular publication of performance data by the 10th of each month ..

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1022738181664329728

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1022741552672661505

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ABC News --> Queensland budget estimates needs overhaul, expert says, as questions go unanswered

Queensland Parliament's annual budget estimates hearings resume today to scrutinise ministers' spending, after dozens of questions were disrupted in the first week by points of order and bickering over parliamentary rules.

The constant use of standing orders against questions containing arguments, imputations, opinions or hypothetical matters was the worst since the estimates process began in 1994, according to long time observers.

Analysis by the ABC showed 20 out of 32 non-government questions to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the first day of hearings were hindered by government members trying to block or weaken the attack.

Rather than a free-flowing examination of the Premier's performance, there was constant interference from Labor committee members challenging, disrupting or ruling questions out of order.

Independent observers calculated that of the 89 minutes given to non-government MPs in the session, 39 minutes were lost to interruptions.

Former Labor speaker John Mickel said the "protection racket" by Queensland Government MPs at the hearings needed an overhaul to make the process more accountable to taxpayers.

Mr Mickel, now an adjunct associate professor at Queensland University of Technology, called for Opposition MPs to chair some estimates sessions and for an all-party review of the 24-year-old system.

He said there were too many interruptions from "enthusiastic" backbenchers trying to protect ministers.

"It looks as though they're running a protection racket for ministers, whereas I don't think ministers want that," he said.

"The impression I got in reading the transcripts is some ministers were keen to answer the question but a point of order had been taken."

He said the current generation of parliamentarians was unfamiliar with how estimates were supposed to work.

"The landslide of 2012, the infusion of a whole lot of new people, plus the reversals of 2015 and retirements robbed the parliament of the corporate memory it had of how estimates could be conducted," he said.

"It's probably time that after two decades of estimates we had an all party parliamentary review of what is working and what could be improved."

Radical reform could include sharing control of each day's hearings between the government and opposition, and a pre-estimates agreement about what specific issues would be examined.

Mr Mickel said all sides should give the public better accountability from the estimates process, which was designed to scrutinise government spending.

"After all, taxpayers are the ones who pay the bills and they want to see that the money is spent wisely," he said.

Opposition members also had a responsibility to come to the hearings with targeted, legitimate questions about the budget and the Government's administration, rather than a "gotcha" mindset, the former speaker said.

"For example, despite the recent public debate about the size of the bureaucracy, all the Opposition asked about was when reports were released," he said.

Current Speaker Curtis Pitt issued a warning to all sides ahead of the second week of hearings.

"Members are put on notice that the use of props, framing irrelevant questions and frivolous or tedious points of order which only seek to disrupt the flow of proceedings, or unsustainable claims and counter-claims, will be dimly viewed by the Queensland community," he said.

"All members must strive to do better."
Ask better questions, Government tells Opposition

A State Government spokesperson said the standing orders had been in place for many years and should be very clear to all members.

"As a Government we want to talk about things the money is spent on — the roads, schools and hospitals, but the Opposition seem set on a Canberra style estimates process of political theatre and personal attacks."

State Development Minister Cameron Dick defended Labor committee members for interrupting the opposition's questions with points of order.

"If MPs don't like the standing orders there is a process to change them," Mr Dick said.

"We're there for hours on end. We make ourselves open to the process and we don't restrict what happens in those hearings other than expecting members of parliament to comply with the standing orders."

Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander said the estimates process should be overhauled.

"Too often last week we saw Labor MPs abuse the process and run a protection racket for Annastacia Palaszczuk and her ministers," Mr Mander said.

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Couriermail --> Opinion: Queensland Rail squanders millions on consultants

WHEN travelling to countries where to list one's occupation as "journalist" on arrival forms is to invite unwanted attention, I have been known to write "consultant".

It is a delightfully vague job descriptor, for who can say precisely what it is that a consultant does?

Queensland Rail chief executive Nick Easy struggled with this conundrum last week when attempting to defend QR's love affair with the consultancy industry.

Consultants, he said, were brought in to provide "additional expertise and support" and were needed, "to assist our people to develop an appropriate model for forecasting."

QR employs legions of public servants none of whom, it seems, have the skills necessary to ensure that a train arrives and departs a station at the scheduled time.

What do they all do? According to Mr Easy, QR has been spending $40,000 a day for this "additional expertise" which would indicate a significant gap between what is required of its full-time public servants and their ability to actually deliver it.

The answer has been to spend more than $15 million on "additional expertise."

Is it possible that the State Government doesn't have enough public servants and that's why we need to bring in the consultants?

To effectively answer that question, you would have to know how many public servants we have and the problem there is that nobody actually knows.

No one, it seems, has ever bothered to find out. A silly oversight, I know but there you have it.

You would think that you would know how many people you were paying but in the case of the Queensland Government, you'd be wrong.

When pressed for an answer, Premier Palaszczuk couldn't even venture a guess.

It was, she said, "very difficult to get that information out of any government. We are doing that work to get that information."

How then, to find out how many people the taxpayers of Queensland are supporting?

Count them, perhaps? Brilliant! Why hasn't someone thought of that before?

Who, then, to do the head count? The Government's shiny new headquarters in George Street is crammed with thousands of public servants including senior mandarins earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year but none of them, it seems, can count.

What to do? Bring in a consultant, of course, in the person of Queensland University of Technology vice-chancellor Peter Coaldrake who has been tasked with reviewing how the public service is counted.

He runs a university. He must be able to count.

What we do know is that since coming to power in 2015, the Palaszczuk Government has hired more than 26,000 extra public servants costing it an extra $5.4 billion in wages.

A further 8380 are projected to be hired this financial year, a hiring rate that is about three times the state's population growth.

According to the public service union Together Union, however, the Government has also been hiring workers on contract and through labour-hire companies so that they are not counted as full time public servants.

The Premier, then, doesn't know how many public servants we're paying and if anyone else does, they're not saying.

This rather begs the question that if you don't know how many of them there are, how do you know what, if anything, they are doing?

It would seem that Vice Chancellor Coaldrake and his abacus have the task ahead of them

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Couriermail --> Performance of some MPs at estimates a complete farce

QUEENSLAND'S current crop of MPs should hang their heads in shame. The past fortnight of Budget estimates hearings have been a complete farce.

While there are a few notable exceptions, like the efforts of Greens MP Michael Berkman, the rest have degraded this integral process.

One regional MP turned up with bags packed for the entire two weeks believing this was a routine sitting – he should have acquainted himself with Parliament's processes.

Another MP sat around in his electorate bagging the process as a waste of time. Then he turned up to the one hearing he's paid to attend as a member of that committee.

Despite pocketing the extra coin of a committee member, another MP had to be forced by his party to turn up at all.

Then there's the case of Labor renegade Jo-Ann Miller. She was threatened with expulsion from her party if she turned up too much.

The sham doesn't end there.

Labor committee chairpeople used the rules to disrupt uncomfortable lines of Opposition questioning. Several queries were ruled out as "hypothetical". This is ridiculous, given Budgets are by nature hypothetical.

Much of what the Opposition was asking about wasn't about the Budget anyway, despite the fact that's what estimates are all about. Governments always whinge about this.

But then they get backbenchers to ask questions so they can bang on about topics that also have little to do with the Budget.

It is easy to write it off as political shenanigans. But given the state doesn't have an upper house, this process should be sacrosanct.

Well-intentioned reforms had improved the estimates hearings.

Committees could question senior bureaucrats and each side was allotted time blocks so they could better probe certain areas.

However the Government has just bastardised that good work by deploying its committee chairs to apply absurd and contradictory interpretations of the rules.

Former speaker John Mickel has suggested loosening the rules and putting Opposition MPs in charge of some committees. It's worth considering.

Left-field moments for Budget Estimates

Tourism Minister Kate Jones spouted off some questionable names on Wednesday, calling the LNP's Michael Hart "darl" and David Crisafulli "old mate". She also offered to buy Jarrod Bleijie new cufflinks.

Opposition education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie raised eyebrows when he wore the letters F and U for his cufflinks last week. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath took offence at the fashion accessory but Bleijie reassured everyone they stood for House of Cards character Frank Underwood.

While everyone was ready for Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller's traditionally rogue comments, with Transport Minister Mark Bailey even stating "she has her own style", the member stayed within her electorate and asked questions about dirty roads and rubbish tips.

Little known LNP backbencher Colin Boyce caused a stir during his first Estimates hearing when he whipped out a tape measure in an attempt to get a gauge on how big the Government's Terry Mackenroth sign at Suncorp Stadium was proposed to be. Boyce looked perplexed as he tried to measure out the 12m the signe was going to be before it was sensationally pulled by the Premier, due to public backlash. Sports Minister Mick de Brenni did not see the funny side.

Allegations of "assault" took over day three and four of the Estimates hearings after Legal Affairs Committee chairman Peter Russo filed a complaint against first-term LNP MP James Lister. Attempting to get the chairman's attention during a heated debate, a frustrated Lister approached Russo and tapped him on the shoulder in order to ask a question. Despite no complaint being filed at the time, and Russo seemingly unfazed by the run-in, a complaint was lodged with Speaker Curtis Pitt the next day.

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Brisbanetimes --> Queensland estimates 2018: What you missed

Estimates hearings are a chance for the opposition to scrutinise the government's spending in the budget.

However, some of the more memorable moments from 2018 came courtesy of props, allegations of manhandling and fashion.

These included some "F" and "U" cufflinks, accusations of a push during hearings and a tape measure being wheeled out during a description of a scrapped sign in memory of former deputy premier Terry Mackenroth.

Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones became a bit creative with members' titles while holding aloft green folders containing letters from opposition members.

"Poor old mate here, the member for [Beaudesert], he got dumped for this guy and he still writes to me more than this mate," she said.

Ahead of the second week of hearings, Speaker Curtis Pitt told politicians to take a "mature" approach to estimates hearings but said there was nothing wrong with the estimates hearings process.

"But the best system will not work if the people in the system adopt the wrong spirit," he said.

More serious news included a crackdown on claim farming, Queensland's $1.23 billion SPER debt, 47 incidents reported from MPs' electorate offices, more than 150 formal complaints made about councillors, no date for the restoration of Queensland Rail's timetable, and the New Generation Rollingstock inquiry will not hold public hearings.

It was revealed the Crime and Corruption Commission has investigated the Ipswich City Council since 2016, no due diligence was performed before cabinet signed off on the board appointment of Mark Algie, there are 700 patched outlaw motorcycle gang members in Queensland, thousands of positive drug tests in prisons, and an additional $8 million expected in speed camera fines next year.

There were letters sent to dead people about their transition to the NDIS, a report into youth sexual violence released after 16 months, scrapping the Commonwealth Games would have cost more than $1 billion, Dutton Park confirmed as the location for a new school, allegations union officials swore at safety inspectors, the small numbers of male primary school teachers, and a theme park safety crackdown.

Labor continued to lean on the ghost of the Newman LNP government past for blame, despite the Newman government being defeated in 2015, and the Palaszczuk government winning its second term last November.

A search of the Hansard transcript from Wednesday for "Newman" brings up 20 entries.

Missing - at least, mostly - in action was Labor backbencher Jo-Ann Miller who only appeared at one hearing following a special caucus meeting vote, which meant government MPs needed to seek approval to sit on committees other than their own.

In 2017 and 2016, some of the best questions during estimates came from Ms Miller, the member for Bundamba, who abandoned the traditional government practice of asking Dorothy Dixers.

First-term Greens MP Michael Berkman was notable for turning up to ask questions at every day's hearings, while independent MP Sandy Bolton was there every day but one.

Unfortunately, many minutes were lost due to repetitive procedural arguments with points of order being raised about issues such as the use of "imputations" in questions, despite ministers often being quite happy to answer the question being put.

However, State Development Minister Cameron Dick said there was no attempt by backbenchers to run interference for ministers.

"If the opposition wants better answers, they should ask better questions," he said.

For one example of the start-stop nature of hearings, see this heated exchange on Thursday, involving chairwoman Leanne Linard, Education Minister Grace Grace, manager of opposition business Jarrod Bleijie, LNP MP and deputy chair Jann Stuckey and Labor MP Bruce Saunders relating to the Queensland Council of Unions' Young Workers Hub.

It started after Mr Bleijie spoke about a news article and read a brief transcript from a press conference:

Mr BLEIJIE: By 6pm, you had ruled out implementing certain elements of the program. Minister, why did you change your mind about the program between your mid-afternoon press conference and the 6pm news? Was it because the Premier's office needed you to clean up another bungle and another mess?
CHAIR: Member for Kawana, if you have a question, I ask that you state that question respectfully—
Mr BLEIJIE: With respect, madam chair–
Ms GRACE: I am happy to answer the question.
CHAIR: I am still ruling. I am not saying that your question is out of order; I am saying that we do not need the additional comments, opinions, arguments and imputations on the minister's behaviour.
Minister, you said that you were happy to answer.
Ms GRACE: I am happy to answer. I thank the member for the question. Can I start by saying that the question is full of preamble that is grossly false, inaccurate, misleading and the member for
Kawana knows it.
Mr BLEIJIE: Just answer.
Mr SAUNDERS: Point of order. We started today with a little bit of respect. I am asking the member for Kawana to have a bit of respect and let the minister finish her answer to his longwinded question.
CHAIR: Thank you, member for Maryborough.
Ms GRACE: The reality is–
Mrs STUCKEY: Point of order.
CHAIR: Sorry, Minister, we have a number of points of order.
Mrs STUCKEY: Point of order.
CHAIR: I am ruling on the first point of order. That is a fair point of order and consistent with the issue that I raised earlier. Deputy chair, your point of order?
Mrs STUCKEY: The member for Kawana has simply asked the minister a question about something that was publicly televised and is documented. I believe that the way the minister is
answering is not showing any respect to the questioner.
CHAIR: Thank you, deputy chair. The minister has barely answered because there was an interjection, which is why we have these points of order. There is no point of order. I ask the minister to answer the question without interruption.
Ms GRACE: Thank you very much. [The Minister continues by saying the government would not allow union recruitment of students at schools and never will, and the hub was not operating in schools on a trial basis.]

Estimates hearings will be back again in 2019.

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Question asked during Estimates 27th July 2018

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2018/2018_07_27_EstimatesTPC.pdf page 4

Mr MINNIKIN: There is no date, but I appreciate the response. Thank you. I have a further
question through the chair to the CEO of Queensland Rail. Mr Easy, can you advise this committee of
the modelling of the impact that the upcoming two half-hour breaks for drivers under the new heads of
agreement, set to commence on 1 February next year, will have on train crew scheduling?

Mr Easy: You pointed out that there is a memorandum of understanding in relation to two meal
breaks. Two meal breaks is a provision contained within the enterprise agreement. The MOU indicates
that that will be implemented no later than 1 February 2019. That does involve supporting the timetable
through the provision of our train crew, and the modelling will enable us to provide and implement that
provision under the enterprise agreement.

Mr MINNIKIN: Whilst I appreciate the response, do you have any modelling to show what the
impact will be of those two half-hour breaks in relation to scheduling and rostering given the constraints
on the system as it stands at the moment?

Mr Easy: We have done modelling and assessment of the consequences of the two meal breaks.
When we implement the two meal breaks there will be no reduction in our timetable and there will be
no impact on the services that we are delivering.

[JustSomeTrainGuy]

Mr Easy: We have done modelling and assessment of the consequences of the two meal breaks.
When we implement the two meal breaks there will be no reduction in our timetable and there will be
no impact on the services that we are delivering.

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The introduction of the new rail timetable for Kippa-Ring coincided with the introduction of the infamous ' 20 minute comfort break '.  We saw what happened then, the timetable collapsed with massive cancellations.  Hard to have confidence in them any more. I have no doubt this pending introduction of the two meal break is holding back any timetable improvements.  Interesting it was the other day, the Minister for Transport Mr Bailey when pressed on ABC Radio could he guarantee there would be no problems with the introduction of the two meal break from February 2019, deflected all responsibility to Queensland Rail.  He did not give any personal assurances instead threw Queensland Rail under the bus ' Queensland Rail has assured me there will be no problems ' or words to that effect.  He probably figures if it does go turtle he can escape blame ...

Leadership vacuum continues ...

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