Thanks for following! Keep checking The Courier-Mail's website for more state political updates.
Parliament blog: CFMEU incident dominates Question Time
The Premier has been asked whether MPs who are members of the militant CFMEU will resign from the union during a fiery Question Time dominated by an incident which saw the union shut down a Brisbane CBD government building during a protest last week. REVISIT PARLI BLOG
The Opposition has asked the Premier whether she will urge MPs who are members of the militant CFMEU to resign from it in a fiery question time dominated by an incident which saw the union shut down a Brisbane CBD government building during a protest last week.
Frontbencher Fiona Simpson asked the Premier whether she would ask MPs Brittany Lauga and Chris Whiting to resign from the CFMEU.
Ms Palaszczuk hit back, saying one of the reasons the LNP was still in opposition was because of its "lack of consultation" with a wide range of sectors, while Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie interjected, saying the CFMEU were "thugs."
Opposition transport spokesman Steve Minnikin asked Transport Minister Mark Bailey why he hadn't initially acknowledged he was scheduled to attend the event that the CFMEU members stormed.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED DURING QUESTION TIME
Updates
Question time has wrapped up
Will casino inquiry be expanded?
Opposition Attorney-General spokesman Tim Nicholls is now asking about the review into the operations of the Star Casino which dominated much of last week's headlines.
He has asked Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman whether the Terms of Reference of the Gotterson review would be expanded to look at the operations of all Queensland casinos and the Office of Liquor and Gaming.
In short – no – with Ms Fentiman insisting the scope of the review was broad, and that legislation to strengthen casino regulations was already close to being implemented.
"I'm sure there will be further recommendations about what more we can do here in Queensland to make sure our casinos are operating lawfully," she said.
– Stephanie Bennett
Katter: "Violent and destructive" youth crime in the state's north
Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter has pointed to "violent and destructive" youth crime in north Queensland and asked the Premier whether she would show leadership and step in to help fix it.
Ms Palaszczuk said her government had made the largest investment in youth crime.
"These are very complex issues," she said.
"Unfortunately some of our young children, who are involved … in youth crime, do not have safe and supportive families."
– Domanii Cameron
Blow up the pokies: Greens MP takes aim at gambling harm
Queenslanders gambled away $308.1m on the pokies last month, with Greens’ MP Michael Berkman questioning the government what it will take before the machines are removed from pubs and clubs.
Spoiler alert, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman provided no clear answer.
Ms Fentiman said the government was always focused on “making sure those people that are addicted to gambling get the help they need”.
She pointed to a gambling help survey that is to be conducted shortly—the first time since 2017—which will help the government best position assistance.
Mention was also made of the casino reform bill currently before parliament.
Bailey: "If they got back into power, they'd sack them again"
Opposition transport spokesman Steve Minnikin has continued the line of questioning about the CFMEU.
He asked Transport Minister Mark Bailey why he hadn't initially acknowledged he was scheduled to attend the event that CFMEU members stormed.
Mr Bailey hit back, saying the Newman government sacked more than 2,500 workers at TMR when Mr Minnikin was assistant minister for transport.
He also accused the Opposition of putting on a pathetic and puerile attempt to make it look like they cared about workers.
"I back our staff 100 per cent," Mr Bailey said.
"If they got back into power, they'd sack them again."
Mr Bailey has repeatedly denied any prior knowledge of the CFMEU protest.
– Jack McKay
And the CFMEU questions continue
Opposition frontbencher Tim Mander has a question for the Premier on – to no one's surprise – the CFMEU.
He asks whether national division president Jade Ingham is fit to sit on the board of the QBCC on $27,000 a year – paid by taxpayers – given his admission to being part of the storming of the TMR building last week.
Ms Palaszczuk is sticking to her hard and fast line of waiting for the police investigation.
But the dozens of school kids in the gallery today are getting to witness a bit of argy bargy, with the Premier's answer launching into an attack on the LNP's own business connections.
Buderim MP Brent Mickelberg accused the Premier of seeing "criminality as the threshold" before being pulled into line by the Speaker.
"You either respect the process of the police review, or you don't," Ms Palaszczuk said.
– Stephanie Bennett
Will the Premier ask her MPs who are CFMEU members to quit the union?
The Opposition is still questioning the government about the CFMEU, with frontbencher Fiona Simpson asking the Premier whether she would ask her MPs who are members of the union to resign from it.
Those MPs are Brittany Lauga and Chris Whiting.
Ms Palaszczuk hit back, saying one of the reasons the LNP was still in opposition was because of its "lack of consultation" with a wide range of sectors.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie interjected, saying the CFMEU were "thugs."
Ms Palaszczuk then changed the subject, saying the Opposition needed to reveal whether it would continue holding cash for access events.
– Domanii Cameron
Government dodges question on ongoing meetings with CFMEU
LNP frontbencher Amanda Camm has asked Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman if she would hold meetings in the future with the CFMEU.
It came after the Premier indicated last week that it would be up to individual Ministers to decide if they would continue to meet with CFMEU members following the storming of the TMR building.
Ms Fentiman reinforced that the government believed the actions of the CFMEU were "appalling". She said she had nothing further to say.
The Attorney-General did not directly answer the question, prompting a rowdy response from the Opposition benches as she concluded her answer.
Will government stand in "solidarity" with TMR workers?
The government will “absolutely” stand in solidarity with Transport and Main Road workers who were put at risk when hundreds of CFMEU-aligned protesters stormed the department’s Mary St building last week.
Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace, in response to a question from Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie about the incident last Tuesday, then accused the LNP of having an “obsession” with the particular union.
Ms Grace also stuck to the technically correct acronym of “CFMMEU” for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union.
Read: CFMEU protesters stormed CBD building for ‘nothing more’ than having a say union claims
Crisafulli: Will the Premier return CFMEU donations?
Mr Crisafulli has lobbed another question about the CFMEU – asking the Premier if she will return donations given the South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas returned $125,000 after the union put stickers on Master Builders Association trucks.
"Will the Premier follow the example to forgo the more than $400,000 in donations?" he asks.
But Ms Palaszczuk has taken the mention of the National Cabinet to have a dig at the LNP, and swings the question around to talk up that on the agenda will be reducing the Covid isolation period.
The members are already rowdy this morning, with the answer spiralling into a dig over borders and the Premier spruiking her side's reforms on integrity since being in power.
– Stephanie Bennett
Join the conversation
Bolt: Why is the Albanese govt giving taxpayer cash to Muslims?
The government’s latest announcement shows exactly what’s wrong with its multiculturalism. Hindus, Jews and Buddhists don’t seem to need such grants to save our “social cohesion”.
Read more
Premier’s wife reveals her biggest fear in first-time interview
Premier Steven Miles’ wife Kim has revealed her biggest fear and the struggles the couple face protecting their children from online predators and trolls.
Read more