Queensland State Politics

[ozbob]

https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios/brent-mickelberg.aspx

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
Brent Mickelberg MP

Responsibilities include land transport and safety, main roads, marine infrastructure, passenger and personalised transport, ports, railways, transport infrastructure and the Cross River Rail project.

Ministerial Charter Letter

The Ministerial Charter Letters detail the Government's commitments and priorities Ministers are responsible for delivering through the agencies within their Ministerial Portfolio.

The charters are reviewed and updated periodically.

Read the Ministerial Charter Letter(PDF, 434KB).

> https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios/assets/charter-letter/brent-mickelberg.pdf

Contact the Minister
Email: transport@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Core portfolio values

Department of Transport and Main Roads

Deliver the road and transport infrastructure our State
requires so that Queenslanders are able to spend more
time at home and with their families, and less time
commuting.
• Closely monitor major projects so they are delivered
on time and on budget.
• Explore innovative products, modes and delivery
options which will drive value for taxpayers and see
Queenslanders spend less time on their commute.
• Properly maintain road standards and safety through
considered ongoing maintenance.

Key portfolio deliverables

• Publish key performance indicators for government
transport services and report on progress.
• Make 50-cent fares for the Queensland Translink
public transport system permanent.
• Investigate improving public transport frequency,
reliability and safety to drive extra patronage given the
certainty of fare affordability.
• Drive delivery of the extensive Transport and Main
Roads capital works program of road upgrades to
ensure safety for all users.
• Hold the Federal Government accountable to the
long-standing 80:20 (Cth:Qld) funding contribution
for the Bruce Highway and provide a long-term
upgrade plan to bring the Bruce Highway up to safety
standards by reinstating a Bruce Highway Advisory
Council.
• Work to deliver the essential transport needs for the
2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including any
necessary public transport infrastructure across
Queensland.
• Deliver Cross River Rail with full transparency to
Queenslanders and reducing the blowouts perpetuated
by the former government.
• Drive delivery of the `Safer Roads, Better Transport'
Plan to provide greater transport connectivity and
safety for all Queenslanders.
• Work with the Minister for Natural Resources and
Mines, Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for
Regional and Rural Development, on delivering the
Country Roads Connect program to deliver sealed
roads to increase resilience, maintain productivity and
boost the safety of our regional roads.
• Conduct a complete review of the proposed stage four
extension of the Gold Coast Light Rail project to Gold Coast Airport,
with alternative routes and modes of transport considered.
• Ensure all transport project election commitments are
delivered on time and in line with budget allocations.
• Work with the Minister for Families, Seniors and
Disability Services and Minister for Child Safety and
the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, to
make disability parking permits free, to tackle
cost-of-living pressures for Queenslanders with
a disability.
• Deliver cost-of-living relief to victims of crime by
waiving replacement costs of stolen driver's licenses
and number plates.
• Work with the Minister for Customer Services and
Open Data and Minister for Small and Family
Business, to modernise services and prioritise
development of a more customer-oriented approach to
the delivery of customer facing services across the
portfolio, in person, over the phone and online.

[ozbob]

Week 1️⃣ as Queensland's Transport and Main Roads Minister. I've not wasted any time in meeting and listening to...

Posted by Brent Mickelberg MP - Member for Buderim on Thursday 7 November 2024

[ozbob]

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/new-premiers-expanded-queensland-assistant-ministry-revealed/news-story/75076db7bb6bf8ed3a0761eb1323d9d1

THE FULL ASSISTANT MINISTRY:

Dr Christian Rowan – Assistant Minister to the Premier on Matters of State and New Citizens.

Trevor Watts – Assistant Minister to the Premier for Cabinet and South West Queensland.

Amanda Stoker – Assistant Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training

Herman Vorster – Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and International Student Attraction

Rebecca Young – Assistant Minister to the Deputy Premier and Assistant Minister for Planning, Housing and Better Regulation

Janelle Poole – Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland

Bryson Head – Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Resources and Critical Minerals.

Bree James – Assistant Minister for Tourism, Early Learning, Creative Industries and Far North Queensland

Donna Kirkland – Assistant Minister for Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Families and Seniors and Central Queensland

Sean Dillion – Assistant Minister for Primary Industry Development, Water and Western Queensland.

[ozbob]

Government

MEDIA STATEMENT: A Fresh Start for Queensland: Crisafulli Assistant Ministry to support Cabinet

10th November 2024

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101610

The full Assistant Ministry includes:

Dr Christian Rowan – Assistant Minister to the Premier on Matters of State and New Citizens.
Trevor Watts – Assistant Minister to the Premier for Cabinet and South West Queensland.
Amanda Stoker – Assistant Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training
Herman Vorster – Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and International Student Attraction
Rebecca Young – Assistant Minister to the Deputy Premier and Assistant Minister for Planning, Housing and Better Regulation
Janelle Poole – Assistant Minister for Community Safety, Defence Industry, Veterans and North Queensland
Bryson Head – Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Resources and Critical Minerals.
Bree James – Assistant Minister for Tourism, Early Learning, Creative Industries and Far North Queensland
Donna Kirkland – Assistant Minister for Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Families and Seniors and Central Queensland
Sean Dillion – Assistant Minister for Primary Industry Development, Water and Western Queensland.

Pat Weir would be appointed Speaker in the 58th Parliament of Queensland.

More > https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101610

[ozbob]

Government

MEDIA STATEMENT: Premier announces Director-General of Department of the Premier and Cabinet

11th November 2024

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101611

Damien Walker, a former Director-General in the Queensland Government, has been appointed the Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Mr Walker, currently Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and the Cabinet for the Government of South Australia, will return to Queensland to lead the Queensland public service.

With more than a decade of experience in executive leadership roles in Queensland, Mr Walker led Queensland's Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and prior to that led tourism, innovation and small business portfolios.

He was also responsible for delivering the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games through the Queensland Government's Office of the Commonwealth Games. ...

More > https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101611

[ozbob]

Government

https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101618

MEDIA STATEMENT: Construction productivity boosted with BPIC pause

14th November 2024

The Queensland Government has announced a pause on the use of Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPICs) on new government funded construction projects to boost productivity.

Following through on its election commitment, the Government will introduce legislation to re-establish the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) by the end of 2024, with its first order of business a review of the Queensland building industry.

Until the review has occurred and the government has responded, BPICs will be paused, stemming budget blowouts and the flow-on impacts to the broader construction market in Queensland, and ultimately the cost of living for homeowners and renters.

It follows revelations from Treasury modelling if BPIC continued in its current form, Queenslanders would pay an additional 7% rent over the next five years and 22,000 homes would not be built across the State.

The pause announced today will apply to new projects and those that have not yet reached procurement stage. There may be opportunities for existing projects to improve productivity with the suspension.

This is part of the Queensland Government's commitment to boost productivity and deliver projects on time and on budget.  ...

More > https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101618

[SurfRail]

I don't know how the BPIC arrangements affect residential construction, it only applies to projects above a certain threshold ($100m I think).  The State isn't currently in the business of building big resi blocks or subdivisions for the Department of Housing and Public Works.  The argument will be that BPIC increases competition for workers, but I would have thought in an environment where every contractor is struggling to retain staff that having people climb over each other to get onto a job the government wants done is a good thing for the delivery timetable.

[verbatim9]

There's quite a lot of Government led BTRs and TODs in the pipeline worth over 100 million per project though.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> What Queensland government's suspension of Best Practice Industry Conditions, or BPIC, means for the construction industry

The newly minted LNP government has sensationally suspended the Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC) for new major government projects.

The government has claimed the temporary pause will save taxpayers billions, while the CFMEU has sounded the alarm on safety concerns. ...

[NothingToSay]

BPIC levelled the playing field for trades against going to the mines. This will absolutely extend construction times as the young and motivated go chasing the money.

[kram0]

The grubs at the CFMEU at it again.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Ministers hold crisis briefings in bid to save key projects from BPIC blowouts $

Four senior ministers have held crisis briefings on how to save key projects from blowouts caused by controversial Best Practice Industry Conditions.

The new LNP government has moved to assure the building industry it would help protect them from CFMEU thuggery in the wake of the policy suspension.

Infrastructure and Planning and Industrial Relations Minister Jarrod Bleijie, Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki, Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg and Public Works and Housing Minister Sam O'Connor were all provided significant briefs on projects facing cost blowouts due to BPIC, later revealed by Treasury to cost an estimated $17bn.

"It became increasingly clear as Ministers received their incoming briefs that BPIC was both grinding our state to a halt and was causing the cost of taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects to spiral wildly out of control," Mr O'Connor said. ...

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> LNP flags budget savings on 2032 venues after union policy bypass $

Queensland's LNP government believes it can find cost savings on looming 2032 Olympic Games venue projects by bypassing Labor's previous union-friendly procurement policies.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie confirmed on Friday he has not sought additional federal funding contributions for the $7.1 billion worth of such upcoming joint infrastructure spending.

Pressed on this at a media conference, Bleijie said because the new government had paused the so-called Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC) approach, "I think we can get the cost down". ...

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Police called to Cross River Rail site one day after LNP dumped CFMEU's 'sweetheart deal' $

Just a day after the LNP dumped the controversial CFMEU "tax" members of the militant union have shutdown a Cross River Rail site at Woolloongabba, with police called.

Police were called to a Cross River Rail worksite this morning after two CFMEU members stopped works just a day after the government's suspension of the controversial Best Practice Industry Conditions policy.

Plans to crane lift large steel portions of the Woolloongabba station between 3am and 5am Friday were temporarily halted due to the interruption. ...

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Roads, water, investment: Crisafulli's four-year plan to stay in power $

Premier David Crisafulli has declared his sights are set on a blueprint of "generational" infrastructure, the state's transport system, and water security to keep LNP in government.

The LNP must make its case to Queenslanders in order to stay in government beyond one term Premier David Crisafulli has declared.

And his sights are set on a blueprint of "generational" infrastructure through the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the state's transport system, and water security. ...