Downing Tools - Max Hooper

Beyond The Rona

In this episode we chat to Max Hooper who has over 20 years experience as an engineer. He's a Brisbane local with a keen interest in infrastructure and planning.

This episode was recorded in early December 2021, and has a focus on jobs for our tradies and working class people in the areas of truck drivers, small business owners, retail assistants, and others who might be affected by the impacts of decisions for infrastructure in the Logan area.

Beyond the Coronavirus pandemic, what job opportunities exist for people now? Should people be prepared to retrain? Do they hold onto hope for a better future with a change of federal government policy?

Joining Tim and Andrea for this discussion is Max Hooper, who is a local community advocate on the southside, an engineer, who is passionate about having all levels of government working together and across all parties to ensure the best outcomes for our community members.

Max begins the discussion talking about how we met - during the 2020 Queensland State election where popular Stretton Labor MP, Duncan Pegg MP was re-elected. Max talks about how Duncan was popular across so many different cultural groups and across all the parties and at all levels of government and he says that this is a way to be more effective and get more done. (Sadly, Duncan passed away in June 2020).
Max says the lack of co-ordination between the levels of government (council, state and federal) holds us back in terms of infrastructure. He explains: the States have sovereignty over what happens in the states, and the Premier of every state does their own thing (we saw this with Covid). But then the councils all have different ideas too. And they are all run by different parties.

So, Max says, the way to get infrastructure happening is to unify, but listen to the experts. (Again, we saw this with Covid). Find common ground. No matter what party you are from. Have a shared vision. Otherwise these huge decisions land on the councils and they have a lot of competing interests with limited resources.

We discussed the Federal Inland Rail project, which has stalled now with the Queensland section still undecided on whether it will continue to Port of Brisbane or Gladstone. Max discusses the plans to terminate in Acacia Ridge and use heavy freight transport to move the coal to Port of Brisbane. He also makes comment on the lack of progress of the Environmental Impact Statement that is required to complete the section of rail between Acacia Ridge and Port of Brisbane.

We then move on to the Brisbane Olympics and whether this might bring new jobs for the southside. Max believes the Olympics 2032 could be used as a catalyst to bring together infrastructure, transport and planning for Brisbane and Logan.

Max then talks about what it’s been like for retail workers being abused when asking people to use the check-in app before entering shopping centres. He says we need politicians that are more in touch with what people are going through. Politicians who understand the needs of the people and have more understanding of customer service.

Max’s 3 Big Ideas:

1. To have the local, state and federal levels of government work together better
2. To have a youth summit - but guided by Gen X!
3. To have an audit of our National Infrastructure and National Capability eg Energy, Water and transport - especially rural and regional