Opinion: Qld Government lets down flood victims, unemployed

As if skimping on flood compensation wasn’t a low enough act, the State Government has failed to walk the walk when it comes to job creation, writes Mike O’Connor.

THERE was dancing in the pre-virus streets late last year by almost 7000 Queensland class-action claimants when a court ruled that the operation of the state government’s Wivenhoe Dam was negligent in the lead-up to the 2011 floods.

Justice, it seemed, was to be theirs, and the Government declared loudly and proudly that it would not appeal that decision.

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But in the finest traditions of Queensland politics, that statement callously misled the people who had been so tragically affected by the floods, and lulled them into the false belief that significant compensation would be forthcoming from the government.

While the Government has not directly appealed the decision, it has just been revealed it is arguing before the court that it can be held responsible for only 1 per cent of any compensation, which is likely to total about $1 billion.

In other words, it is trying to weasel its way out of paying its dues, while beating its chest and telling voters that it accepts the court’s decision that it is culpable.

How can it do this? Possibly because it lacks a moral compass, but more specifically it claims that because it directly employed only one of the four engineers on duty, and as he was not on duty all the time and was less senior than the other engineers, it shouldn’t have to pay.

It gets better, for while the Government may not have actually lodged an appeal, the other two parties involved – Seqwater and SunWater – have done so.

Both of these bodies are incorporated under the Queensland Government.

People who suffered in the floods now face further delays in their battle for redress – the bitter taste of the Government’s deception now adding to their woes.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (right) and Treasurer Jackie Trad like to talk up their jobs credentials.

There is, however, no doubting the State Government’s commitment to the unemployed, with the State Government’s mantra – chanted with religious fervour by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her ministerial apostles – being that it’s all about jobs.

Nothing is more sacred than the right of Queenslanders to gainful employment, and when the current health crisis has passed, it will be all hands to the economic pump to ensure that the hordes of unemployed it has created start taking home a wage.

Sadly, it’s not all about jobs at all, for if it was why would an employer offering to employ almost 500 people be blocked from doing so?

The company is the ironically named New Hope Group, which operates the New Acland mine and which has been hoping against hope now for almost 13 years that it can gain approval to extend its coal mining operations near Oakey.

It has dealt successfully with every environmental challenge that has been thrown at it, but is still waiting for the State Government to approve a planned expansion that will add about $7 billion to a Queensland economy that over the next few years will be in desperate need of revenue.

Rather than hire new workers, last year, the mine was forced to sack 150 employees because of continual delays in the approval process.

Ms Palaszczuk recently made a great show of ordering ministers to bring forward private and public sector projects to help Queensland recover from the pandemic.

There’s one sitting on her desk right now, all set and ready to go, but that would upset the Greens, and we can’t have that.