Tom Smith criticises LNP candidate Bree Watson for comments over Bundaberg police announcement

The Member for Bundaberg has fired shots at his upcoming election opponent after the LNP candidate was critical of a recent funding announcement for local police.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles was joined by Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski and Minister for Police Mark Ryan to announce a $20 million upgrade to the Bundaberg Police Station.

The Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith has come out swinging against his upcoming LNP election opponent Bree Watson after she criticised a recent funding announcement for the city’s police station.

On Friday, April 26 the Premier Steven Miles was welcomed to Bundaberg by the ALP’s Mr Smith to announce a $20 million upgrade to the Bundaberg police station.

The upgrade works are expected to begin next year, with the development promising to provide more space for new officers to join the local force.

“It will have greater watchouse capacity, investigation rooms, parking upgrades and new modern facilities for all those extra police coming to Bundaberg,” Mr Miles said on Friday.

While the investment promise was welcomed by the Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, not everyone supported the announcement.

The same day, LNP candidate Bree Watson, who will run in the Bundaberg seat, responded to a Facebook comment on her official page from a local who was critical of the judicial system.

“The Bundaberg police are doing a great job even though it must be frustrating for them as their recommendations are rarely listened to in the courts where criminals that even when plead guilty are given probation and walk out the door only to reoffend days later,” the commenter said online.

Mrs Watson responded to the comment, agreeing that local police were facing “increasingly difficult circumstances” in their daily roles, which she believed was contributing to a higher turnover rate within the force.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles was joined by Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski and Minister for Police Mark Ryan to announce a $20 million upgrade to the Bundaberg Police Station.

“Rather than addressing the core issues, Labor are throwing money at the problem with an announcement of a $20 million upgrade of our police station,” she said.

“Is this just another shiny distraction for voters?”

The comments caught the attention of Police Minister Mark Ryan who recently raised the matter in parliament, claiming the candidates’ words were simply a reflection of the entire LNP attitude to police.

“It’s another example of what the LNP is all about,” he said.

“The LNP has never supported police.”

Mr Smith backed the minister’s criticism of the LNP and its candidate, though shied away from naming Mrs Watson outright in a recent press release.

“These comments criticising better facilities for Bundaberg are disgraceful,” he said.

“It just goes to show, yet again, that the LNP and its Bundaberg candidate do not support police or community safety.”

He was further critical of the response from the LNP and said the recent funding announcement would go towards supporting victims of local crime.

“What’s worse, the $20 million upgrade is set to expand the vulnerable persons unit’s ability to better support victims of domestic, family, and sexual violence,” he said.

“According to the LNP’s candidate, supporting victims of violence and sexual assault is a ‘shiny distraction’.”

The local member called on the candidate to apologise “for such cruel words”.

The LNP candidate Bree Watson was contacted for a comment but did not respond by deadline.