The final question is to Treasurer Cameron Dick on news out of The Australian today that state-owned CS Energy had withdrawn as members of the Queensland Resources Council.
The Palaszczuk government and the QRC, headed by Ian Macfarlane, are in open political warfare after the industry peak body launched a two-year advertising campaign against the controversial coal royalties hike imposed at the recent budget.
The Australian reported CS Energy and Powerlink, which are state-owned, had pulled the plug on their membership of the QRC because members had been asked to pay a levy to fund the advertising blitz worth $40m.
Mr Dick is asked if he pressured CS Energy to quit the QRC and said “no one has exerted pressure on anyone to do anything”.
He says the QRC was “wasting their members money on a worthless campaign”.
“Because what the QRC is doing, of course, is putting a spotlight on the need for the resources industry in this state to maintain their social licence,” Mr Dick said.
Qld parliament live: Palaszczuk reveals housing crisis action plan
A multimillion-dollar cash injection to keep people in homes and help those sleeping rough and a major audit of state-owned land and buildings will form the state government’s response to the recent Housing Summit.
A multimillion-dollar dollar cash injection to keep people in homes and help those sleeping rough and a major audit of state-owned land and buildings to identify what can be turned into housing will form the state government’s response to the recent Housing Summit.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday revealed a suite of solutions identified following the landmark summit in October, which was sparked by The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home campaign.
New measures include injecting an additional $56m to the nearly $4bn funding pot, with $11.7m to help about 2500 Queensland stay in their leases to avoid homelessness, $10m for targeted loans and grants and $10m to set up extra temporary emergency accommodation with on-site support.
Ms Palaszczuk revealed an audit of state-owned land and buildings was underway and would be completed within three months, in the hopes of identifying properties which can be transformed into public housing.
The government will also strengthening the remit of the state’s planning agency Economic Development Agency to include social housing.
THE QUESTION TIME BLOG HAS FINISHED BUT SCROLL DOWN TO FOLLOW WHAT HAPPENED
Deputy Premier Steven Miles, speaking in parliament, also mentioned Economic Development Queensland would plan for a “post Olympic housing stock boost achieved through the use of Olympic village infrastructure.
The planning approval process for housing projects, particularly social and affordable housing, will be “streamlined” to “promote increased housing supply diversity and affordability”.
A new Housing Delivery Board will be set up to oversee and deliver the recommendations from the summit.
Pressure to fix an escalating housing crisis in Queensland had already sparked some action prior to the summit, including the doubling of the Housing Investment Fund to $2bn and planning changes allowing for granny flats to be rented on the private market.
Updates
State-owned companies pull out as members of Queensland Resources Council
Land clearing and wind farms
The Katter’s are up now, with Hill member Shane Knuth asking the Deputy Premier Steven Miles about whether he will fast track amendments to ensure critical land is not being cleared to make way for new wind farms in his electorate.
Dr Miles gives a rare, considered answer to a question not from his own party, talking in detail about the environmental approvals the development will be required to go through.
He says there would also likely be offsetting required – where for every tree removed, three more are planted.
“I can assure the Member for Hill that the government is very conscious of the social license required for these kinds of projects,” he says.
“Wind farms are a critical part of our Queensland energy and jobs plan – we need them.”
– Stephanie Bennett
Protesting in silence? But what about the unions Premier?
The Greens’ Amy MacMahon has called out the Premier for saying, in the aftermath of the disruptive parliament protest yesterday, that “people have the right to protest silently in public”.
Dr MacMahon asks the Premier if she is “aware” of the “crucial and effective” loud and disruptive protest methods deployed by the union movement through history.
The Premier doesn’t address the question but says the protest yesterday was a “very serious issue” and was “no laughing matter”.
Is a cabinet reshuffle on the cards?
LNP Deputy Leader Jarrod Bleijie has a pointed one for the Premier, asking Ms Palaszczuk “is the Premier planning to reshuffle her cabinet and remove the Health Minister?”
Well unsurprisingly her answer to the actual question is short and sweet – “the Minister for Health will remain the Minister for Health”.
But she takes the time left on the clock to run through some greatest hits on those opposite, including “at least we produce some policies”, “all you hear from (Mr Bleijie) is droning”, and all you hear from (Mr Crisafulli) is whinging”.
“No one from the opposition can come out and say whether they support the Voice or not,” she says. “After two years, show me the policies – show me a policy.”
– Stephanie Bennett
When was Premier notified about Yvette D'Ath's so-called 'conflict of interest'
The ministerial code of conduct states Ministers need to notify the Premier about any conflict of interest within their responsibilities and what they plan to do about it.
So when did Health Minister Yvette D’Ath tell the Premier she had furniture stored at a business of a close mate when that business ended up leasing space at the facility to Queensland Health for a community vaccine hub?
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the decision to pick the business space as a vaccine hub was a decision of Queensland Health, and thus never came across the cabinet’s agenda.
It should also be noted that on Wednesday Ms D’Ath confirmed she disclosed the relationship after the site owned by the business had been picked by Queensland Health.
“I couldn’t have done it beforehand because I had no involvement in the actual choosing of the site or the negotiations that was done at HHS level until it had actually occurred,” Ms D’Ath said.
She has said the ABC news article was “based solely on smear and innuendo” and was “without a shred of evidence”.
She said it was “highly defamatory” and called on ABC management to retract the article.
“(The journalist) alleges a conflict of interest, there is no conflict,” Ms D’Ath said.
A spokesman for Ms D’Ath confirmed she was “considering her options” when asked if the minister would be launching defamation action.
But the ABC has stood by the accuracy of the story, with a spokeswoman saying Ms D’Ath had been given “opportunities to respond and her responses are included in the story”.
“She has not answered all of the ABC’s questions,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr Drummond, in a statement, said any “suggestion or imputation that appropriate procurement processes were not followed is false”.
“These are operational decisions, made by officers of the Department of Health and Hospital and Health Services. There was no involvement by the Office of the Minister for Health and Ambulances Services, or by the Minister personally,” he said.
Furniture storage, Covid-19 vaccine hubs and Yvette D'Ath
Back to the Health Minister but they’ve swung to another issue, with the LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates asking about an issue raised by the ABC on Ms D’Ath apparently storing furniture at a Redcliffe site, which was also being leased by Queensland Health as a vaccination hub.
On Wednesday Ms D’Ath categorically rejected any wrongdoing over the arrangement.
Ms Bates asks her “can the Minister categorically confirm that her furniture was being stored at the same complex, at the same time as the complex was being paid for by the taxpayers as a vaccination hub?”
“I’m more than happy to state that it was on the same site, as there is personal storage that was not part of the lease arrangements,” she says.
But she has any suggestion it was being paid for by taxpayers is “completely inaccurate”.
“Those on the other side are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” she says.
“I addressed this at length yesterday.
“The fact is I had no involvement in the selection of the site.”
– Stephanie Bennett
Wait for final DNA inquiry report: D'Ath
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath is asked another question on setting up a commission specifically to help people failed by the debacle at the state's DNA lab.
The core of her answer is this; wait for the final report to be handed down.
Helping DNA lab failure victims
The second last Question Time for the year has kicked off, and Opposition leader David Crisafulli is going straight for Health Minister Yvette D’Ath – far from the first time this year.
His opening question is on the Queensland state-run lab DNA fiasco, with the Commission of Inquiry into the issues surrounding the lab having wrapped last week.
He says it’s a year since the LNP asked its first question on the issue – and says today they will push for a reconstituted Commission of Inquiry to look at individual cases.
Ms D’Ath quickly rejects that, saying “we have one of the most respected, retired judges (Walter Sofronoff KC) in this state overseeing a Commission of Inquiry, the work has already been done”.
Next, Mr Crisafulli lobs another question, saying it’s been 72 days since the Health Minister says she hoped to have the number of cases potentially affected within a month.
“Those victims are well aware there is a Commission of Inquiry going on,” she says, adding the interim report identified 1840 statements containing rulings that there was no DNA or insufficient DNA.
“All those statements have been identified; we have been working with stakeholders in how those new statements should be issued.”
– Stephanie Bennett
Question Time begins
COMPLAINTS by victims of Queensland’s DNA lab fiasco should be investigated by a commission to ensure they get proper support.
The state Opposition on Thursday called for the government to set up a “reconstituted Commission of Inquiry” to support victims of crime denied or delayed justice due to the catastrophic failures at the DNA lab.
The LNP are using Question Time to make their point.
The inquiry into the lab wrapped up last week, with a report to be handed down to government on December 13.
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Premier’s $9bn ‘sabotage’; Albo’s $300m housing powerplay
Labor’s $9bn promises and heavy spending would “sabotage” a future government, experts warn, while Anthony Albanese’s plan for 600 affordable homes across the southeast.
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The issue our ‘open, transparent’ govt won’t address
The state government has been doing all it can to keep Queenslanders in the dark about land claims by Indigenous groups, writes the editor.
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