George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip
That red wine photo featuring Steven Miles continues to make waves in political circles. THIS IS GEORGE STREET BEAT
QLD Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
That red wine photo continues to create waves on George Street, with Steven Miles receiving an apology from Qantas for his privacy being breached on their premises.
Qantas wrote to Mr Miles after he was pictured enjoying a red wine in their Townsville Airport lounge.
The national carrier issued a grovelling apology to the former premier, who like many MPs has been bestowed with a prestigious chairman’s club membership.
Asked about the issue, Qantas delivered a corporate response.
“We rely on our customers adhering to our guidelines and respecting other travellers to help create a positive and respectful environment in our lounges and on board our flights,” a spokesman said.
Will the perpetrator, who GSB has been told was a ministerial staffer, have their lounge pass shredded?
Qantas wouldn’t say.
■ What you said about Miles’ wine controversy
MILES ISSUES LEGAL DEMAND
Steven Miles issued a legal demand for Jarrod Bleijie over a rhyming social media post he made about Mr Miles’s visit to Canberra to “fight for Queensland”.
GSB can reveal Mr Miles, through law firm Holding Redlich, sent a concerns notice to Mr Bleijie for a November 9, 2023, tweet featuring a picture of the then deputy premier at the National Press Club in Canberra.
Mr Bleijie’s tweet said: “I thought Steven Miles’ trip to Canberra was about fighting for Queenslanders?
“Instead he’s on table 9, having a fine time, drinking wine on the public dime.”
Mr Miles sent a demand for Mr Bleijie to ensure the post was permanently deleted or destroyed by December 1, but he refused and the matter fizzled out.
I thought Steven Miles’ trip to Canberra was about fighting for Queenslanders?
— Jarrod Bleijie (@JarrodBleijieMP) November 29, 2023
Instead he’s on table 9, having a fine time, drinking wine on the public dime.
What happened to Team Queensland? #qldpolpic.twitter.com/At8PQcOx1g
Now deputy premier (and spear thrower) Mr Bleijie has recounted the events of November 2023, when Mr Miles led that Queensland delegation to Canberra to fight for infrastructure funding.
“We recognise he just wanted to attend a book launch at the media club of Kevin Rudd’s daughter,” Mr Bleijie told parliament.
“Instead of fighting Canberra, instead of fighting for Queensland’s fair share, he came back and you know who he fought? He fought me.
“Ready for this? This is for (The Australian’s Feeding the Chooks) and George Street Beat.
“He sued me for a tweet I did when he was in Canberra. The priority was to sue me for a tweet.”
It was one moment of a fiery Friday question time, with Mr Miles eyeing Premier David Crisafulli and declaring: “You are the least honest person to ever sit in that chair.”
Mr Miles, asked about the historic legal skirmish, said people shouldn’t lie.
MINISTER’S SWEET GIG
Ros Bates may as well be named minister for international airports with the travel bill she racked up in just nine weeks.
In her first months in the finance, trade, employment and training role between November 1 and December 31 Ms Bates spent $29,981 on overseas travel to Japan and South Korea while her staff spent $13,108 for a taxpayer bill of $43,089.
What did Queenslanders get from the mission?
Well, Ms Bates toured the Queensland Pavilion at the Osaka 2025 World Expo site and presided over a $200m green hydrogen investment by Japanese oil giant ENEOS.
She has since visited India and Singapore on a delegation alongside Governor Jeannette Young, but the cost of that is yet to be released.
It’s a pretty sweet deal for Ms Bates, who might have instead found herself pushing the proverbial uphill as health minister.
Luckily, Premier David Crisafulli reversed his July pledge Ms Bates “will be health minister” and instead merged the junior portfolios of Labor ministers to create a super senior role for Ms Bates.
For the record, paying staff and operating Labor and LNP ministerial offices cost taxpayers $29.3m in the second-half of 2024.
Mr Miles and his staff spent $654,000 on travel in the four months leading to the October 26 election, more than half chartered.
The declared $349,781 on charter flights included the infamous 11-minute flight Mr Miles took to Bundaberg from Hervey Bay last September to announce a school fence and bring his regional MP Tom Smith a cake.
The minister to spend the most after Mr Miles had been Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher, whose office spent almost $100,000 on travel from his electorate, domestic flights, and motor vehicle expenses.
LEFT HANGING
Queensland politicians got a personal briefing from Premier David Crisafulli as Alfred made its turn towards the coast.
He gave a near nine-minute update to the MPs gathered online about the inner workings of the government and agencies’ response to the impending natural disaster.
At the end, a Labor MP asked if there was time for questions.
Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Fiona Simpson piped up with a question about evacuation centres in her Maroochydore electorate.
After what a GSB spy on the call labelled a “lengthy silence”, it fell to Labor’s former Police Minister Mark Ryan to pipe up and suggest Ms Simpson seek answers elsewhere, because it appeared the Premier had hung up.
The situation was raised in parliament this week, with Mr Ryan asking Ms Simpson: “Did the minister subsequently receive an answer to her question after the Premier hung up on her and other members?”
Ms Simpson said she did.
NOT A TIPPLE
Ministers descended on Cairns last week for their first community cabinet – and boy was it a fizzer.
The usual multitude of press conferences, pictures and love-ins with local businesses we got accustomed to under Labor was nowhere to be seen.
Premier David Crisafulli’s decision to stay in Brisbane and deal with the cyclone took the spark out of the government’s first regional Queensland gathering.
While ministers got out to meet their stakeholders, there was none of the usual community grandstanding.
GSB’s agents in the Cairns Qantas Lounge reliably informed us there was no alcohol in sight, with ministers desperate to avoid being caught committing the cardinal sin of enjoying a quiet wine after a big few days.
That secret photo of Opposition Leader Steven Miles enjoying a red on his way back from Townsville last month seems to have created an unofficial booze ban among ministers.
Though we heard it didn’t extend to the Cabinet dinner on Sunday night.
THEIR HONOURABLES
Life in opposition is hard, but a handful of defeated Labor ministers might find making a restaurant booking is still easy.
Premier David Crisafulli told Steven Miles his request to bestow the title of Honourable on ten Labor MPs for life has been granted by Governor Jeannette Young.
The ten MPs; Shannon Fentiman, Grace Grace, Meaghan Scanlon, Dif Farmer, Leeanne Enoch, Glenn Butcher, Leanne Linard, Mark Furner, Mark Ryan and Mick de Brenni can use the title forever.
“Congratulations on this honour,” Mr Crisafulli wrote.
Big-spending politicians have forgotten what their job actually is
Australians once again find themselves watching a political contest in which the contenders are racing to outspend each other on literally buying vote, writes the editor.
‘Culture of silence’: Settlements weaponised against work abuse victims
The Attorney-General has been asked to consider reforming legislation following years of workplaces misusing NDAs.