Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Townsville to speak on port, Labor candidates and Reef HQ future
Visiting the Port of Townsville on Thursday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke on the importance of the port for the city, saying plans to widen and deepen the channel will make an ‘enormous difference’.
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Visiting the Port of Townsville on Thursday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke on the importance of the port for the city, reaffirming plans to widen and deepen the channel will make an ‘enormous difference’.
“This port provides an enormous life blood for jobs,” he said.
“It increase efficiency. What it does is produce an enormous economic return and the Port of Townsville will continue to be even more important into the future.
“I’m very proud every time I come here and drive on the Port Access Road. That was done, promised, funded, committed, built and opened while I was the infrastructure minister, which made an enormous difference.”
The $251 million State Government Channel Upgrade project is part of a broader $1.6 billion, 30-year expansion plan for the Port of Townsville.
While in Townsville Mr Albanese joined with recently announced Labor candidate for Herbet Edwina Andrew, saying he wants Townsville to have a Labour representative.
“It’s important to get our candidates on the ground. What we’re doing is making sure that our candidates can very early on, go and connect with the community.
“Part of the advantage that Edwina had in running for the Senate last time, her profile locally has been lifted substantially. We want her in the field because this is a target seat for us,” Mr Albanese said.
On the future of Reef HQ Mr Albanese said he understands the aquarium is an ‘important asset for Townsville’, noting that he has been keeping up to date with Mayor Troy Thompson’s ‘bizarre’ saga.
“We’ve written to the council here. I understand the Mayor is a bit distracted at the moment,” he said.
“I have been following the rather bizarre revelations from the right wing Mayor in Townsville … I don’t know what is going on.
“There is money that is not yet fully allocated. We want the council to be able to come back to us.”
Mr Albanese said that Minister Kristy McBain has written to council, and said that the Federal Labor Government will ‘fix the LNP mess’.
“We’re committed to doing that. But we need the details to come from the Townsville Council in order to do that.”
Queensland Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals Scott Stewart said the commercial port is ‘the backbone of North Queensland’, particularly in the area of critical minerals.
“By widening this port channel, the great investment between the state government, the Port of Townsville and the federal government all recognising the importance of this project, it really opens up the potential not only for critical minerals, but also as the import and distribution port of North Queensland.”
MP Aaron Harper said it was a ‘smart investment’ by the Albanese government.
“It will not only allow major shipping companies to come in here, but our ocean cruise terminal here to grow our tourism sector as well.”
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Originally published as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Townsville to speak on port, Labor candidates and Reef HQ future
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