Palaszczuk fires back: Frydenberg should visit Cairns and talk to locals

Annastacia Palaszczuk has returned fire at Josh Frydenberg amid their JobKeeper tit-for-tat, telling the Federal Treasurer to go to Cairns and talk to North Queensland businesses.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has returned fire at Josh Frydenberg amid their JobKeeper tit-for-tat, telling the Federal Treasurer to go to Cairns and talk to locals.

The Premier has repeatedly called for an extension of JobKeeper, writing in The Courier-Mail that Mr Frydenberg was “proving completely out of touch when it comes to the issues affecting Queensland”.

But the Treasurer hit back, insisting the Morrison Government had delivered more than three times the amount of economic support to Queenslanders than the Palaszczuk Government had committed to.

“In less than 12 months, the Federal Government has provided more than $28.5 billion in economic support to Queensland households and businesses, from Brisbane to Bundaberg, Toowoomba to Townsville and Cairns to Caboolture,” he wrote in today’s The Courier-Mail.

“In contrast, the Premier has only committed to spend $8.8 billion across the next 4 and a half years.”

The Treasurer, who claimed Ms Palaszczuk was “entitled to her own opinions but not her own facts”, accused the Premier of grandstanding and petty politicking.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has accused the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg of being out of touch with Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

But Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Frydenberg should visit Cairns and talk to people on the ground.

“I’m repeating what people are saying to me,” she said.

“It’s about listening to people.

“Yes people can have opinions and you can have facts, but when you listen to people first-hand and you hear how they’re feeling and what they’re worried about, you only get to know that if you sit down and talk to them.”