Portfolio — 15 May 2026

Assistant Minister Anthony Chisholm marked the opening of the UniSC Milbi Centre on the Hervey Bay foreshore — a dedicated sea-turtle rehabilitation and research facility that will provide 24-hour care for up to 50 turtles annually, with indoor and outdoor tanks, specialist staff and veterinary services [TA-260515-infras-d6c315914e5d:m39801]. The project was jointly funded: $250,000 from the Albanese Government and $1.17 million from the Crisafulli Government, enabling conversion of a former scout hall into the facility.

The centre will integrate rehabilitation with scientific research, traditional Butchulla knowledge, education and community outreach, partnering with Turtles in Trouble Rescue and the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation [TA-260515-infras-d6c315914e5d:m39801]. The explicit incorporation of Butchulla traditional knowledge into the centre's operating model is a notable feature of the announcement, spanning environment, Indigenous engagement and regional development portfolios simultaneously.

Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain was co-attributed in the release, framing the project as a local jobs and economic growth driver — a signal that the investment is being positioned as a regional development instrument as much as a conservation one. The portfolio's overall messaging presents the Milbi Centre as a replicable model for fusing wildlife conservation with regional economic outcomes and Indigenous knowledge, a framing that began with the centre's opening on 14 May and continues in today's statements.