Editorial: Callide cover-up can’t be ignored

Premier Steven Miles really must seriously consider cutting his Energy Minister Mick de Brenni loose over the role he has played in the Callide power plant scandal, writes the editor.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni

Premier Steven Miles really must seriously consider cutting his Energy Minister Mick de Brenni loose over the role he has played in the Callide power plant scandal.

Holding cabinet ministers to account has not been a hallmark of this Labor administration in the more than nine years it has been in office, with Mr Miles’s predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk preferring loyalty over accountability.

But Mr Miles does not need to follow suit. In fact, he has made it known he wants to lead a totally different administration. Well, here is his chance to show he is truly genuine when it comes to the really tough decisions.

It was revealed this week that state government penny-pinching was the ultimate reason there was an explosion in 2021 at the Callide C power station – an accident that plunged almost 500,000 homes and businesses into darkness, and saw power prices for all increase.

But that is not the biggest issue here. As usual, it is the cover-up that is worse than the “crime” – and Mr de Brenni has, for three years, been repeatedly telling Queenslanders the Callide failure was “not because of a lack of maintenance” (an incorrect excuse parroted numerous times in parliament by Treasurer Cameron Dick).

And those excuses date all the way back to the day after the Callide explosion, May 26 2021, when Mr de Brenni was asked point-blank whether he could guarantee that requiring CS Energy to pay more than $410 million in cash dividends to the Labor government over the previous three years “did not lead to underinvestment in maintenance and last night’s fire and system failure”. He replied: “Of course the answer is yes, we can guarantee that all of the maintenance work that is required to be done on all of our power stations has been done”.

Fast forward to June 21 the next year and we find Mr de Brenni at state parliament saying that he had visited Callide power station “after an explosion that occurred there – but not because of a lack of maintenance”. And so it goes.

Last month, the Treasurer called on the state’s Opposition MPs to stop “frightening and misleading Queenslanders about power prices” – saying: “Multiple members of the LNP made false claims about maintenance of electricity generators in Queensland, in particular the Callide Power Station. Again, more falsehood, layered on falsehood, layered on falsehood”.

But then this week a bombshell report that the government has been fighting to remain hidden was finally uncovered in Federal Court proceedings. It found a shareholder mandate (that is, a direction from the minister to the government-owned operator of the Callide plant, CS Energy) had “focused on cost savings” which placed constraints on investment – “including in its existing assets”.

Mr de Brenni and Mr Dick, it turns out, have been the ones guilty of spreading “falsehoods” on this matter. They must be held to account for misleading taxpayers.

But don’t hold your breath. Even yesterday, after the draft report blaming the state government was aired in the federal court, the Premier was laying a smokescreen – arguing the LNP was to blame for the maintenance directions dating back to 2012 under then-treasurer Tim Nicholls.

That is despite the report noting that “the years from 2017 onwards were characterised by significant internal reforms and pressures” and “shareholder mandates have pushed to extract more from ageing assets, and multiple cost-cutting initiatives have been undertaken”.

Not once has Mr de Brenni acted appropriately over this whole sorry saga that meant Queenslanders who were already doing it tough were left even more out of pocket as their own household power prices rose because the government had saved a bit of money on the upkeep of the Callide power station.

Queenslanders expect more from their government, they also expect more from their ministers – and, after these damning revelations, they certainly expect more from their Premier.

Mr Miles, it is time to take a stand and do what Ms Palaszczuk would not, in backing the critical concept of ministerial accountability. Minister de Brenni, it is time to go.

BIG STAGE FOR ORIGIN

There is, of course, nothing better in rugby league than a State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium. But tonight’s second Origin game at the MCG will certainly be a spectacle, thanks to the fact there will be 90,000 people there to watch it.

While the 60,000 or so Victorian locals who will be in attendance are not going to know the difference between a 40-20 and a knock on, the 30,000 real fans who will have made the trip south sure will – and so the AFL-loving Mexicans will at least know when to cheer, meaning tonight’s event will be a special occasion even though it is being played outside NRL heartland.

We also know from previous outings at the MCG which side the crowd will be backing, and it will be the Maroons all the way.

And as for that decider? Well it can wait another year. Let’s hope the Maroons can win the series tonight, and Suncorp can be a party.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here