George Street Confidential: Qld politics news and gossip
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has fallen out with a Labor MP after a costings blowout knocked a major project for their electorate on the head.
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It’s splitsville for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Britt “Look at Moi” Lauga.
So don’t expect to see the pair propping up the front bar of the Emu Park pub alongside local raconteur Robert Schwarten during the looming election campaign, despite Keppel being a must-win marginal electorate.
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George Street Confidential has learned of a heated exchange between the pair a few weeks back that descended into some rather choice language.
Apparently, Lauga got her hands on some Cabinet material that recommended not proceeding with her $25 million promise for Great Keppel Island, after being repeatedly told it was proceeding.
The fact the costings came back at $63 million had thrown a spanner in the works.
Perhaps that explains why only Tourism Minister Kate Jones was on hand this week to announce the Government’s GKI investment, and Palaszczuk’s name was nowhere to be seen on the press release.
Our Britt, who we’re obliged to point out is a town planner, gave her best performance when she told how chuffed she was that her lobbying efforts had elicited the funds.
“We made a commitment to deliver $25 million worth of infrastructure, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” she harrumphed.
Well, not quite.
All the $25 million has bought for the derelict island that tourists once liked to get wrecked on was a better boat ramp, rehabilitated walking trails, water treatment facilities and some solar panels.
That’s a far cry from the 13.5km power, water and telecommunications submarine cable that Britt has been spruiking for years to finally get a resort operating on the island.