Peter Beattie speaks about the rise of One Nation, his resolve that they not receive Labor preferences, and the impact this had on Labor's electoral outcomes.
Rob Borbidge discusses his disappointments and achievements. He cites the privatisation/merger of Suncorp Metway as among his proudest moments and delves into party preferencing arrangements with One Nation in the 2001 election when talking about his disappointments. He suggests that this was a great boon to the Beattie Labor government.
Ross Rolfe describes the Smart State strategy and the origins of some aspects in the Borbidge Government such as the Institute of Molecular Biosciences. He states that the Beattie Government took it to a new level providing operational funding and attracting researchers and forming clusters. He describes how the biosciences strategy was developed in first 6 months of the Beattie Government.
Ross Rolfe discusses the budgetary process in the Beattie Government, and the ability of the Department of State Development to finance some of its own inititaives through ownership of industrial land. He discusses his relationship with other departments including Health, Main Roads, and Queensland Rail and the implications of the resources boom for rail and port infrastructure.
Ross Rolfe discusses his work after 1996 in the private sector, especially in the gas and petroleum sectors and his decision to return to the public sector in 1998 as Director General firstly of Environment and then of State Development and CoG. He enjoyed his role in the economic development strategy with the Beattie Government, including delivering resources infrastructure, promoting investment in minerals and agricultural industries. He discusses his role in reforming the timber industry, phasing out native forest logging and investing in plantation based industry.
