New contracts to create 1000 jobs in QLD

Premier
The Honourable Campbell Newman

New contracts to create 1000 jobs in QLD

Premier Campbell Newman today welcomed the announcement by Australia Pacific LNG that it has awarded Leighton Contractors two major multi-million dollar contracts that will create almost 1000 new jobs in Queensland.

Speaking from the Leighton’s Plant Yard at Darra today, Mr Newman said the 1,000 direct construction jobs that would be created in Queensland showed the importance of the CSG-LNG industry to getting the Queensland economy back on its feet.

“If the science is right, if the locations are appropriate, then we’ve got to go in and get that gas, otherwise we’re just not going to get ourselves out of the financial black hole.

“But what we’ll be doing through the Gasfields Commission, with respected Commissioner John Cotter, is to ensure better co-existence and relationships between industry, communities and the agricultural sector to build confidence so that those affected by this rapidly growing industry are not intimidated or overwhelmed.

“While we are demanding tough conditions need to be met and we’ll raise the bar in terms of remediation, we can have a sustainable industry.”

“Labor’s legacy has seen unemployment in Queensland rise to the highest level of any mainland state, and projects like this will help get Queensland back on track,” Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman said the LNP was committed to growing a four pillar economy and had a target to reduce unemployment to 4 per cent in 6 years so hardworking Queenslanders can have jobs and provide for their families.

“We will be working every day to get projects like this off the ground in a sustainable manner, along with bolstering other pillars of the economy to get our unemployment rate down,” Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman said these jobs had been in the pipeline for several years, highlighting the need to cut both red and green tape and get projects off the ground.