During Estimates hearings on Tuesday 30 July 2024, I asked the Director General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads about funding for inner-west bikeways.
You can read my questions and their full responses below, or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings (Hansard) here.
Mr BERKMAN: I am happy to move on if that is difficult at the moment. I have one question about the Cycle Network Local Government Grants Program. I was very pleased over the weekend to see the announcement of three particularly significant projects to my electorate. Funding was announced for design. I am curious, though, about those three projects. Of all of the projects that Brisbane City Council has, I assume, applied for and had funding granted, the three projects in or very close to Maiwar, specifically in the Walter Taylor ward, do not include any contribution from the local government. Is that simply because BCC has not shown any interest in contributing funds? How has that circumstance come about?
Ms Stannard: I thank the honourable member for the question. We have a strong commitment to investing in active transport. As the member would know, it is one of the most sustainable ways for people to travel. The investment this budget is $315 million from the Queensland government to those standalone active transport initiatives and further through projects where we deliver them in a complementary way. There are a number of projects in the program, and the member is correct in that our usual approach, where we can, is to do that on a 50-50 basis with local government whereby we seek to share in the contribution of those costs. It is not always the case that we only do that. Where there are significant projects on the principal cycleway or that provide key connections, we may choose to provide 100 per cent of the cost. It certainly aids local governments in their submissions if they bring forward money to that program. Of course, we can then build more together because we have both funds for that program.
To the specific projects you are referring to, I cannot answer at this point why they would be 100 per cent funded as distinct from others, but I am happy to ask the team if there is any particular reason for that.
Mr BERKMAN: If there is more information, that would be great. Thank you.
CHAIR: Are you happy for that, Minister?
Mr MELLISH: I probably can add, to be helpful to the honourable member. I actually asked a very similar question to the department. The department will come back to you with the specifics, but I understand that it may be related to design rather than construction for those projects. The department might be able to clarify in a more sensible way.
BERKMAN: If I could just be cheeky with one more very brief question—
CHAIR: No. You are already very over time, sorry.
Mr BERKMAN: I just did not hear Taringa in the list of station accessibility upgrades.
[The Director General later returned to the question.]
The member asked me why certain projects were given 100 funding and others were given fifty-fifty funding. The minister correctly pointed out that we offer 100 per cent funding for the design phase and fifty-fifty funding for construction, so it is that those are in design.