Parliament live blog: Pollies prepare for rowdy final sittings ahead of bruising election
Why don't more Queenslanders hire luxury private jets to eat cake with a friend? It's the question put to the Premier that sent Parliament into a frenzy.
It's the final week of parliamentary sittings before the state election and LNP has gone on the attack, with the DNA debacle, Shannon Fentiman's loyalty and the Premier's private jet travel in its sights.
Today's Question Time was the third last before the parties go into campagin mode, and the LNP went straight on the attack over the DNA forensic lab debacle and the ALP's treatment in one of the key players in bringing the problems to light.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, who traded barbs with her LNP rival Ros Bates, was questioned over her loyalty to Premier Steven Miles, who was in turn taunted over his penchant for private jets.
At the business end of proceedings, new IVF, respect at work and royalties legislation will be on the table, while nine MPs will give their final speeches later on the week, before they call it quits ahead of the October 26 poll.
SEE HOW QUESTION TIME UNFOLDED
Updates
Fire department training facility sexism allegations known to Minister in February
Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery and Minister for Corrective Services Nikki Boyd in parliament. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass
Allegations of sexism, bullying and harassment at a Queensland Fire Department training facility against women was referred to the Minister’s office in February Nikki Boyd has confirmed. Ms Boyd said inquiries were made and a report provided to her that those allegations had been investigated and the matter closed. “We have been very clear about it on the public record, both the commissioner and myself, there is no place for the types of allegations that were made out at Whyte Island in a modern Fire Department, it is abhorrent, and there is absolutely no place for it whatsoever,” she said.
LNP water spokeswoman noted Premier Steven Miles said it was cheaper to fly a private jet than hire a car and asked, if so, if he could explain "why more Queenslanders are not hiring luxury private jets to eat cake with a friend?"
"It might make fun politics for the Member for Nanango to pull out one leg of that trip. I don't regret whatsoever visiting the community of Bundaberg," Mr Miles said.
"I visited Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rockhampton on that trip.
"They are all important Queensland cities, places that deserve to see their political leaders and I will continue to visit regional Queensland whenever I get the opportunity because Queensland is a big state and, unlike the other states, we have those big provincial cities that are powerhouses of our economy."
LNP transport spokesman chimed in with: "Well done biggles" – prompting a demant from Corrective Services Minister Nikki Boyd to "show some respect".
New Katter's Australian Party MP Stephen Andrew has asked Multicultural Affairs Minister Charis Mullen to explain what pathway to treaty steps have been taken and what was needed to undo the process if the legislation were to be repealed.
After snidely congratulating Mr Andrew for asking a question under his new party banner, Ms Mullen explained two main elements had already been undertaken -the establishment of a truth telling and healing inquiry and a treaty Institute.
"I want to remind the member that.. First Nations leadership across this state is fully supportive of a path to treaty legislation," she said.
Housing tangentials: Scanlon uses renters' rights to criticise Crisafulli
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon has used a Greens question on renter’s right to go on a tangent about the Opposition Leader’s four-month stint as a director of a training company. Greens MP for South Brisbane Dr Amy Macmahon asked Ms Scanlon if renters truly did have the ability to negotiate with landowners to install a ceiling fan or airconditioning as the Minister had suggested in an interview last week.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli.
“Of course, there are rules in place that allow people to negotiate with their landlord around the installation of air conditioning and other cooling devices,” Ms Scanlon said. She then went on to talk about the state government’s latest partnership with the Albanese government on energy efficiency measures before taking a swipe at federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. In a real journey of tangents Ms Scanlon then affirmed she’d be happy to answer questions about housing any day, before switching back to the state government’s well-worn strategy of criticizing Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Ms Scanlon was reeled in by the Speaker for lack of relevance to the question.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has unleashed her inner psychic on the Opposition, airing her predictions of an LNP cabinet shuffle, should the party win come October.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman.
LNP Health spokeswoman Ros Bates had asked Ms Fentiman what she meant when she said Health Minister's needed to be competent communicators, implying former Health Minister Yvette D'Ath was not.
A fired-up Ms Fentiman hit back at Ms Bates' own credentials, declaring she would not be the Health Minister under an LNP government.
"She was the first nurse with restrictions on her registration that Campbell Newman sacked," she said. "All of the chatter is that, of course, she will not be the Health Minister if the LNP win the October election, so who is it going to be for shuffling seats over there?
LNP Health spokeswoman Ros Bates.
"Amanda Stoker is probably going to come in and be their Attorney-General if they win, so what's going to happen to the poor old member for Clayfield (Tim Nicholls)."
Ms Fentiman sidestepped the question, instead saying the LNP's election commitment to implement a real time data sharing system for hospitals was laughable.
"How is that going to help them in their busy shifts?" she said.
Premier asked if Fentiman told him of Palaszczuk disappointment
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie noted Health Minister Shannon Fentiman told The Courier-Mail she was disappointed former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk anointed Steven Miles.
Mr Bleijie asked Mr Miles whether Ms Fentiman had expressed disappointment directly to him and what were those concerns?
Speaker Curtis Pitt swooped in to rule the question out of order because it was "not related to business of government".
"You've been here long enough to know that," Mr Pitt said.
Leading scientist shut out of advisory role at new DNA body
There are “well-established” processes in the public service for “merit-based appointment” Premier Steven Miles has said, as the Opposition attacks the government for shutting out leading forensic scientist Dr Kirsty Wright from a board position on the new DNA advisory board. Leader of Opposition business and Glass House MP Andrew Powell outlined how Dr Wright had applied for a board position on Forensic Science Queensland’s advisory council. She submitted the application within the advertised period according to the LNP, received a confirmation email on June 18 and a rejection letter on August 21. Mr Miles reiterated that there were well-established processes in the public service for merit-based appointments. He then accused the LNP of doing away with merit-based appointment by saying they would appoint her to lead a review of crucial reforms of the lab. “This goes to the entire approach of those opposite to the public service… already announcing appointments that they would make to positions that should be filled on merit,” Mr Miles said.
LNP spokesman for the office of Attorney-General Tim Nicholls has continued grilling Premier Steven Miles over the DNA lab bungle, asking why Dr Kirsty Wright had been ignored by the government a second time and whether he would admit that meant murderers and rapists had been left walking on the streets.
Dr Kirsty Wright.
The Speaker allowed the question but cautioned the parliament against asking questions that could not be factually proven.
Mr Miles referred to Dr Wright as Ms Wright, and the chamber erupted, with one Opposition member calling out that she was a "real doctor". The Premier then avoided honourifics altogether.
"We greatly value the contribution that she has made, and encourage her to continue to make that contribution while we continue to do the important work of ensuring our lab workers have the resources and expertise that they need to complete the testing backlog," he said.
Admit Labor can't fix DNA debacle: LNP demands of premier
Opposition spokeswoman for prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence Amanda Camm noted the backlog of rape kits at Queensland's DNA lab was 20 times the size of Victoria's, "with hundreds of Queensland rape victims waiting more than a year for critical evidence to get justice".
She asked Premier Steven Miles whether he would admit "after two years, two inquiries and too many victims", the Labor government was unable to fix the DNA lab?
"Since the effort to address that backlog commenced, the number of cases outstanding has been reduced by some 3500 in the last six months, the staff of Forensic Services Queensland, the Queensland Police Service and the Director of Public Prosecutions are working hard to address those delays, and we continue to ensure that they are well supported to do so," she said.
Will the Minister responsible please stand up: Crisafulli takes aim at govt for DNA travesty
Queensland’s beleaguered forensic DNA lab will “continue to prioritise” the most urgent cases Premier Steven Miles has said, while skirting the possibility of any Minister taking responsibility for the ongoing testing backlog debacle. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli noted less than 2 per cent of the 40,000 DNA samples had been tested two years after a major inquiry uncovered serious issues inside the state’s lab. “Given the enormity of the DNA debacle and the ongoing failure to fix it, will any minister be held accountable?” Mr Crisafulli asked. Mr Miles said teams were “working hard to do the retesting that is required”. “It’s well documented the extensive process that has been undertaken to identify what precisely needs to be addressed there, we have publicly disclosed all of that information and all of the efforst to address it,” he said. “Those teams will continue to prioritise the most urgent tests for investigations and for court cases, while also working through the remainder of the backlog.”
The big elephant in the room of this state election campaign is how the winner will pay for its billions of dollars’ worth of promises, writes the editor.
