January 15, 2015
Major Kingaroy employer Swickers has been given a shot in the arm courtesy of the latest round of the State Government’s “Royalties For Regions” program.
Sixty-five trucks enter and leave the pork processing facility’s entrance in Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road every day, including B-Doubles carrying live pigs and refrigerated trucks carrying pork.
On top of this, there are the employees’ cars … and there are more than 470 workers on the payroll.
Swickers general manager Linchon Hawks said the company had been lobbying the South Burnett Regional Council for some time to upgrade the Kingaroy-Barkers Creek / Clark and Swendson Road intersection so that large trucks could negotiate the corner.
This would allow Swickers to build a second entrance in Clark and Swendson Road.
Council, in turn, approached the State Government hoping that money could be made available for the upgrade.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington and Energy and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle announced on Wednesday that Council’s application had been approved and $1.5 million had been sent aside from Round 4 of the “Royalties For Regions” program to allow the work to go ahead.
This funding is not an election promise, and is not tied to the results of the January 31 State poll.
Mrs Frecklington said the major road upgrade would allow Swickers, which has an annual payroll of $30 million, to expand.
“It’s all about jobs but it will also benefit road users, as the intersection will be safer,” she said.
Mr Hawks said the two entrances would also help Swickers meet customer expectations and its regulatory requirements as an export facility.
It would also allow future expansion.
“We are at our limits now,” he said.
The upgrade will also have the added benefit of improving drainage on a corner which has had issues with water flow and flooding in the past.
South Burnett Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell said the project had been driven by the South Burnett Regional Council.
He said there were two benefits.
“One, it is facilitating future expansion and development by Swickers. And two, it tidies up an aspect of Clark and Swendson Road that continually comes under stress in major rain events,” he said.
He said Mayor Wayne Kratzmann had lobbied hard for the project to go ahead.
“The Mayor, Deb Frecklington and Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney need to be commended for the work they have done,” Cr Campbell said.
Mayor Kratzmann said the intersection upgrade would bolster the region’s economy for decades.
“I’ve been talking to council and Swickers about this for the past three years,” he said.
“Swickers are integral to our region’s economy. Delivery of this project ensures the longevity of Swickers – it’s that important for our region.”
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A number of Royalties for the Regions have been announced for the South Burnett in previous rounds:
- $10 million – Passing lanes on the D’Aguilar Highway, including between Yarraman and Nanango
- $10 million – Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment Plant
- $2 million – Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail
“The LNP Government is backing rural industries and providing the infrastructure Queensland’s regions need to grow. I’ve been working with Council and my colleagues to fight for this funding,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“We established the Royalties for the Regions program as soon as we were elected to end Labor’s shameful neglect of regional Queenslanders.”
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After visiting Swickers, Minister McArdle and Mrs Frecklington visited Kingaroy business Wards Electrical for some old-fashioned election campaigning.
They promoted the LNP’s “Jobs of Tomorrow” plan which aims to help young people aged 15-24 get access to training.
The plan includes a doubling of the Queensland Apprenticeship Pledge to 12,000 apprentices. This program provides employers with up to $6000 for each extra apprentice taken on.
Also included are:
- “Skilling Up for Quality Jobs” – to create 11,500 more training places
- “Youth Incentive for Quality Jobs” – to provide a one-off $2500 incentive for employers to offer new cadetships
- “Pathway to Quality Jobs” – to help 4500 Queenslanders from disadvantaged backgrounds get access to skills training and education
Wards Electrical owner Alan Rowen said he was particularly interested in the Queensland Apprenticeship Pledge.
“This would be a great way for us to take on young people looking for work,” he said.
