BATTLE READY AS BOUT LOOMS
MP AIMS TO DELIVER $2.1BN FOR NORTH QUEENSLAND
LOVE him or hate him, Phillip Thompson has a reputation for backing the people of Townsville.
He does not shy away from a scrap with the Opposition or the mayor, and is happy to pick fights with his own government when he thinks it’s the right thing to do.
But with another federal election looming, it’s time to take stock of what the MP has actually done for Herbert.
When voters add up the projects and programs he’s promised, that are either under way, delivered, delayed or even scrapped in some cases, Herbert will benefit from $2.1bn in funding.
If you ask him, Mr Thompson is ready and raring to go when Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally pulls the trigger on the federal election. “I don’t sit at home, in my office, or out in the community going ‘you know, I wonder when the election is?’. I’m out there thinking ‘how best can I represent the community?’,” he said.
“I’ll continue to represent my community, and I’ll continue to fight for them, whether the election was tomorrow or if it’s in nine months.”
The one major sticking point in Mr Thompson’s term – the $195m he promised to the Haughton Pipeline Stage 2, is still in limbo.
In the lead up to the October 2020 election, the state government decided to knock back federal money promised and fund the pipeline itself.
The move followed months of back-and-forth over GST allocations, which the state would need to pay on any funding from its federal counterpart.
After the funding was rejected, Mr Thompson promised the $195m would stay in the community.
Since then, $40m of the money has been officially put on the table for the additional works at Reef HQ (with funding now totalling $80m) and $15m for the new Royal Flying Doctor Service base in Townsville.
While the remaining $140m has not been officially allocated, due to delays in Townsville City Deal negotiations between the local, state and federal governments, a decision is expected soon.
Mr Thompson announced his government’s list of priorities for the funding, which included a new concert hall and matched funding for the Lansdown Eco-industrial Precinct.
If the funding isn’t sorted soon, it could become ammunition for his soon-to-be-announced Labor rival.
“The issue I face here is the approvals process from the
I don’t sit here and think I am comfortable, I go out and listen to people and do my best to deliver Thompson Herbert MP Phillip
(Townsville City) council and the state,” Mr Thompson said.
“We’ve put what we’d like to fund on the table … and now we want to work collaboratively to get the approvals through.
“We put Lansdown in there because we know it’s the state and the Mayor’s (Jenny Hill) big-ticket item.”
Heading into 2020, there were a number of big-ticket items North Queenslanders were waiting on – including a solution to the high cost of insurance.
In May, the Prime Minister came to Townsville to announce the $10bn commitment to help make insurance affordable and accessible for home and business owners.
But there is still another nine months before the pool is expected to be up and running, with some speculation it may not help as many people as assumed.
Mr Thompson said the reinsurance pool was “still on track” for implementation early next year.
He said there was an advisory committee that had been set up, with its questions and queries taken directly to the minister.
The Herbert MP said there was one area where he could be delivering better – crime.
While crime sits under the purview of the state government, Townsville’s ongoing issues have led to each level of government attempting to do their bit.
“All levels of government have a bit to answer for it,” he said. “Legislative response and change does sit with the state and I will do everything I can for that to be implemented.
“We’ve got a funding opportunity for at-risk youth that people have put in for that, so we can have a program for at-risk youth.”
Youth crime is an issue over which the Herbert MP has come to blows with his state and local counterparts.
Mr Thompson has a reputation for what he calls “keeping people accountable”.
“When you promise something and don’t do it, you have to tell the community why,” he said. “It’s not Phillip Thompson’s money, It’s not Jenny Hill’s money, it’s not the state government’s money, it’s taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ and you need to respect that.
“Transparency is something that politicians have been lacking, especially in Townsville and, yeah, the relationships can always be better, but it’s a professional relationship, I don’t need to be their friend.”
So, is Mr Thompson ready for the election, whenever it is called?
“”I don’t sit here and think I’m comfortable, I go out and listen to people and do my best to deliver,” he said.