Jackie Trad’s call for resources sector to contribute $70 million towards infrastructure should be called out for what it is

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad is asking resources sector to contribute $70 million towards a fund that will bankroll infrastructure in regional communities.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer for Queensland Jackie Trad. Picture: AAP/David Clark

I REFER to the editorial (C–M, May 30) which comments on resources companies being asked to contribute $70 million towards a fund that will bankroll infrastructure in regional communities throughout the state.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad can dress this up in a variety of ways and reject suggestions that she is holding resources companies to ransom.

“But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck.’’

Let’s forget the last 16 words and call the demand from the Government for what it really is – a ransom.

John McQueen, Redbank

THE Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad, I believe is from the Left faction of the Labor Party.

I have no idea what trade union she represents.

However, her latest bid to raise more money from the mining and resources sector is straight out of the play book of the CFMMEU.

There is no requirement to give the money but if you don’t, well there may be consequences. Surely that is blackmail.

Tony Miles, Chermside

THE Palaszczuk/Trad government’s announcement for “voluntary contributions’’ from the coal industry in lieu of not raising royalties is just bizarre.

Talk about a stitch up! I guarantee you that this inept government will try to shift the blame to the coal industry for the big financial blackhole that is engulfing Queensland.

This latest trickery from the Labor Government is simply smoke and mirrors to cover up the fact they that have wasted billions of coal royalty dollars.
This government will surely go down in history as one of the worst ever.

Helen Seitam, Paddington

I thought it was hypocritical for Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to ask the mining sector for more money as we all know her dislike for coal.

However, it is probably a very clever ploy to discourage future investment

in the coal industry by overseas companies.
What self-respecting

corporation would deal with the Queensland Government and invest in this state when they have to count birds and pay for the fact that this

Government can’t manage a budget or simply to be part of the industry?

Ms Trad’s primary motive here could well be to discourage mining in Queensland to protect her seat from the Greens.

Des Deighton, Blackall

THE first thing that crossed my mind when reading about the creation of a commission by Indigenous Minister Ken Wyatt was that the majority of issues proposed should actually be dealt with by his Department (C–M, May 30).

The establishment of a commission has an odour of a good old “duck shove’’ that is, employ or get someone else to do your dirty work. Further, I thought that indigenous people already have a voice in the Federal Parliament with elected members. However, if the commission goes ahead, the last thing needed is a repeat of history for the Parliament to create another ATSIC which had disaster and corruption written all over it.

This time around and as usual, many hopefuls will put their hand up, their agendas will vary – some good, most bad and fortunately, most will be unsuccessful.

So who will be the winners. Obviously, they need to have experienced what it is like to be an Aboriginal living in today's Australia and more importantly, it has to be factual, not something they have read about, they must have actually lived and breathed the highs and lows.

This will rule out most of the well-educated, privileged, urban-dwelling theorists and elitists who identify as being Aboriginal.

It is imperative that they have this “indigenous life experience’’ gained from living in urban, remote, and regional communities.

However, to be able to comprehend the legalities of legislation, commissioners must have tertiary education and have a natural ability to be able to untangle the issues brought before them.

Adrian Surplice (Kamilaroi Elder), Dayboro

WHY not also set up a federal Chinese commission or a federal Kazakhstan commission that has Borat as its chairman or some other ethnic commission?

I am against special commissions such as the taxpayer-funded indigenous commission proposed by new Federal Indigenous Minister, Ken Wyatt (C-M, May 30).
With no less than a chairman, 10 elders from each state and territory and 10 associate commissioners that’s 91 people all of whom will be flitting around the country in Common-wealth cars, business class airfares, top class hotel suites, and paid an enviable salary, doing what?

Why do I feel that the Australian people are being rorted? We have only one Australia so why does this new minister propose two different classes of citizens – indigenous and everyone else? Why wasn’t it promoted before the May 18 election?

Phil Greenhill, Bellbird Park

PRIME Minister Scott Morrison should run a mile from Indigenous Minister Ken Wyatt’s plan for what amounts to a new and powerful indigenous bureaucracy (C–M, May 30).

This plan was apparently devised while Mr Wyatt was actually Minister for Aged Care – there’s multi-tasking for you.

Renee Viellaris writes that despite the enormous influence the Makarrata Commission would wield, such a body would not be “enshrined in the constitution”.

This is understandable, because the prospect of a majority of Australians endorsing at referendum the establishment of what amounts to a race-based parallel parliament is nil.

Only the usual suspects of South Australia and the Peoples’ Republic of Victoria, would come close to delivering a “Yes” vote.

While I can sincerely congratulate Mr Wyatt on his inclusion in the Morrison ministry, I suggest that the kangaroo cape is a bit over the top – we have quite enough in the way of gesture politics.

Terry Birchley, Bundaberg

SAME OLD WHINING

LISTENING to the new Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, addressing the press, prior to the Caucus meeting, smearing the Government at every opportunity was unpleasant to witness.

It was not in keeping with the type of person Mr Albanese makes himself out to be.

He and former leader Bill Shorten do not realise how counterproductive such utterings become, when the listeners, compare the critic’s own performances when in government and in Opposition.

To me Mr Albanese now has a similar standing as Mr Shorten had, similar to my perception of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

None of them display of genuine sincerity as our present Prime Minister does, something similar to what Bob Hawke was all about.

Karl Richter, Beenleigh

NOW that Bill Shorten has made the predictable, but most ill-advised decision, that he is not going to retire from politics, Anthony Albanese, the new Opposition leader, will be very aware of the Shakespearean saying that “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”.

The much-vaunted stability in Labor ranks over the past few years was only possible because the man who betrayed two Labor prime ministers in the service of his own ambition became the Opposition leader in waiting for the prime minister’s job.

That ambition has not gone away. Mr Shorten still thinks he has a chance at the top job, so watch this space as Labor comes to grips with its own version of Tony Abbott.

Les de Kretser, Indooroopilly

DONALD Maclean (Letters, May 30) sets out the areas where Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has made a good start.

However, in an effort to make it appear the Labor Party doesn’t have a women problem the talented and respected Ed Husic has stepped aside to give Kristina Keneally a place in the shadow ministry.

This smacks of tokenism, since her track record otherwise is not stellar.

Roseanne Schneider, Toowoomba

JOB LOSSES HURT

HOW sad that our stock market responds so “positively” to the news that Telstra is to shed 6000 jobs, heading up to 8000 (C–M, May 30).

I feel we should all be hanging our heads in shame when we celebrate these workers being denied a decent living, as there are hardly any other alternatives left, and we head blindly towards a robot-inspired world.

What lies ahead for our youth, and is education really going to matter when human brains and experience become obsolete?

Carol Pearce, Surfers Paradise

JP MORGAN chief economist Sally Auld claims that we need four rate cuts over 12 months to stimulate the economy and stave off a recession (C–M, May 30).

Yet Lizzie Haydon says (Letters, May 30) all will now be well because “ a smiling, jovial and truly likeable PM called ScoMo will continue running the economy.

I wonder who is correct?

Jim Lazzarini, Morayfield

POOR ORIGIN SELECTION

SO our Queensland Origin team has been selected.

As a keen follower of Queensland teams since the State of Origin started, I cannot understand how Jake Granvill, the Cowboys’ hooker, missed out again.

In my opinion he is one of the best if not the best hooker in Australia. His defence is first class, even when playing against the biggest forwards, his ball play is first class and he has the ability to break any line.

The concern I have is that our selectors believe that a half back can play this role. If NSW win and while I think they will, (although I sincerely hope they do not) the selection of our hooker could be a significant factor.

C V Webster, Coolangatta

PAYING $5500 an hour for a “coach/player whisperer’’, to spur the Maroons into action (C–M, May 29).

That’s a bit rich, I wonder if this “whisperer’’ gives refunds if his “mind-bending tactics’’ do not work?

I’ll volunteer to do the same job for half the price, in either group or individual sessions, subject to a performance-based positive result, how’s that?

For goodness sake, isn’t the privilege of playing for the state of Queensland sufficient encouragement and pride in the jersey enough to light a spark among the Maroons to win against NSW.

Wake up QRL, get your eyes on the ball, you are being conned.

Les Bryant, Durack

HAVING practised as a solicitor for many years, I was able to give

offending criminal clients a fair idea of the sentence they would

receive upon conviction.

If a person came to me 20 years ago, having been charged with spitting on a police officer or

seriously assaulting his female partner, I would tell him that he would spend the next six months in prison.

Not any more. The sentences being imposed by magistrates today are

a betrayal of the community they are paid to serve. Disturbingly, these sentences are being upheld by the Court of Appeal, the State’s most senior court.

If I am driving down the road tomorrow and another driver annoys me in some way, why shouldn’t I run him off the road, smash his window and

break his nose? I guarantee I would walk away with either probation or a suspended sentence, with no conviction recorded.

Even if the Director of Public Prosecutions bothered to appeal my sentence, the lower court’s sentence would be endorsed.

Where is the justice?

John Tunn, Coorparoo

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