REVISIT WHAT HAPPENED IN QUESTION TIME BELOW
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will leave for Switzerland and France on an Olympic bid on Saturday and has insisted she’ll leave her deputy in charge, as is convention, despite an integrity cloud over her.
Annastacia Palaszczuk sticks by decision to appoint deputy Jackie Trad as acting premier
Jackie Trad to stand in as premier despite property saga
Asked today if she would fill in, Ms Trad said the Premier had made her position clear.
“I also know that the chair of the CCC (Crime and Corruption Commission) gave evidence to the PCCC a couple of weeks ago,” she told reporters ahead of the opening of regional Parliament in Townsville.
“We’ll see what happens this week.”
CCC Chair Alan MacSporran has indicated his assessment would be complete this or next week.
Ms Trad was asked what would happen if the CCC decided to launch an investigation into her Woolloongabba property purchase and surrounding issues while she was in the top job.
“We’ll wait until we see what happens this week and we’ll deal with it when it happens,” she said.
Asked whether she might suggest to the Premier to choose someone else if the CCC still hadn’t finalised it’s assessment of her matter, she repeated: “We’ll wait until then.”
The Deputy Premier said there was “a void” on the public record regarding her side of the story and she looked forward to filling that after the CCC’s decision.
“I certainly will want to put my side of this whole saga, if I can put it this way,” she said.
“I think it’s important. It has attracted a lot of public commentary, fuelled by the LNP and I think it’s only important, and particularly for the sake of my family that I have an opportunity to tell my side of the story.”
Updates
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused suggestions it’s on her to discipline Government MPs who fail to declare their interests to Parliament properly.
Opposition Justice and Attorney-General spokesman David Janetzki questioned Ms Palaszczuk over a warning given by the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Alan MacSporran.
His body is currently assessing whether it will investigate Deputy Premier Jackie Trad's Woolloongabba investment property purchase which was not declared for two months until questions from The Courier-Mail.
“Alan MacSporran QC says that a failure to enforce a timely declaration of interests makes the register meaningless,” Mr Janetzski said.
“Why is the Premier ignoring this warning for the Chair of Queensland’s corruption watchdog?”
Ms Palaszczuk said it was not a matter for her.
“The Pecuniary Interests Register is a matter for the Clerk of the Parliament and the individual members, so, I’m sorry, no, this is very clear,” she said.
“It’s the obligation of every member in this house to the Clerk of Parliament, it is not (sic), and as such, the member should raise that issue with the clerk of parliament.”
The Ministerial Code of Conduct states: “Ministers must comply with the requirements of the Register of Members’ Interests, and the Register of Members’ Related Persons Interests, held by the Clerk of the Parliament.”
https://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/publications/categories/policies-and-codes/handbooks/ministerial-handbook/appendices/appendix-1.aspx
– Jessica Marszalek
THE Premier has been asked to explain why the Palaszczuk Government "has failed to save 150 regional jobs by failing to grant the necessary approvals" at the New Acland mine.
"Let's put some clarity in the debate," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"There are a number of different interests up in that region.
"They involve community interests, they include mining interests and they also include farming interests."
Ms Palaszczuk said the Government was waiting for a decision from the Court of Appeal.
New Hope has waited 12 years for State Government approvals for its New Acland Stage 3 mine and has been tied up in a series of legal battles with Oakey Coal Action Alliance.
"There is currently … we are waiting for a decision of the Court of Appeal," the Premier said.
"It has been nearly six months waiting for that decision.
"I am told that decision could come down anyday."
– Domanii Cameron
LNP police spokesman Trevor Watts has called on the Premier to deploy a dedicated police helicopter in Townsville.
During Question Time, Mr Watts asked Ms Palaszczuk if she would match the LNP commitment.
The Premier said her Government had already deployed two new helicopters to the state’s north that worked across all emergency services.
She said the helicopters had the capacity to conduct aerial surveillance and also had search and rescue capabilities.
Ms Palaszczuk claimed the LNP’s helicopter pledge for Townsville was unfunded.
“Do you want to hear the answer? I’m trying to answer the question,” she said in response to a rowdy Opposition.
“The people of this state need to know very clearly where and how the LNP is going to pay for their unfunded commitments.”
– Jack McKay
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says there’s no reason to investigate a former staffer’s setting up of a company that is now lobbying on behalf of a controversial New Acland mine.
The Opposition asked for an immediate investigation by the Integrity Commissioner into Evan Moorhead’s co-founding of Anacta Strategies with political consultant David Nelson, who also has ties to Labor.
But Ms Palaszczuk said she understood Mr Moohead, her previous strategy chief, was not handling any lobbying on behalf of New Hope to the State Government, instead leaving it to his business partner.
“The person in question sought advice when he separated from my office … and he got that advice from ministerial services upon separation and he’s also advised the director-general of any work he’s doing,” she said.
The New Hope coal mine has been awaiting for Government approvals for 12 years, and has now signaled job losses due to the hold-up.
A passage in the Integrity Act states that lobbyists are forbidden from “lobbying activities” on any matter that are related to their former representative duties as a government employee for two years.
– Jessica Marszalek
KAWANA MP Jarrod Bleijie has taken aim at Jackie Trad, who is expected to fill in for the Premier when she leaves for Switzerland and France on an Olympic bid this Saturday.
The Deputy Premier this morning left open the possibility of not acting as premier if the corruption watchdog has not reported back on her by the end of this week.
It comes amid an integrity crisis that's engulfed the Palaszczuk Government for weeks after The Courier-Mail revealed Ms Trad's Woolloogabba property purchase.
"As I said very clearly, we are waiting for the report back from the CCC, and as the Deputy Premier has said, if that matter goes to investigation she will stand down," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"I will wait for the outcomes of that report and then of course I will take action."
– Domanii Cameron
OPPOSITION frontbencher Dale Last has asked the Premier if she would condemn comments made by her deputy Jackie Trad, after she questioned suggestions that a $7 million ski home was luxurious.
It came after The Courier-Mail revealed the Whistler ski home Ms Trad recently holidayed in was perched within Kadenwood, an exclusive ski-in/ski-out enclave with its own private gondola to the top of the slopes and features a chef’s kitchen, wine cellar and sunken hot tub.
Ms Trad questioned Opposition suggestions the home was luxurious, telling a Parliamentary committee during Budget Estimates in July: “I am not sure about the luxury apartment reference, but anyway”.
In response to Mr Last’s question today, Ms Palaszczuk said she did not control where members go on holidays.
“That’s entirely their business,” she said.
The Premier took aim at the LNP’s attendance during State Parliament, insisting all of her members turned up to Parliament.
“On the other side of the House, there was a member who stayed on holiday,” she said.
Ms Trad stayed in the ski home, owned by Virgin Australia Airlines boss Paul Scurrah and his wife Nicole, former Premier Anna Bligh’s chief-of-staff, during the northern hemisphere’s winter.
Employment Minister Shannon Fentiman also holidayed at the home.
– Jack McKay
THE Opposition has challenged Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to repeat previous comments that mining communities needed to reskill.
Opposition Deputy Leader Tim Mander asked whether Ms Trad stood by the comments, “or does she only say those things in Brisbane?”
Ms Trad said the Opposition was taking her words out of context.
She said she spoke about the ongoing role of metallurgical coal during her Budget speech in June, spruiked Labor’s work growing LNG and flagged today’s announcement the Government intended to open up the hydrogen industry.
“This is Labor’s track record when it comes to the resource sector,” she said.
“We absolutely support the resource sector.”
She said 8000 jobs were lost in the resource sector during the Newman LNP Government.
– Jessica Marszalek
ANNASTACIA Palaszczuk has defended her Government’s record in addressing youth crime in the state’s north.
It came after Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington asked the Premier why her Government was “soft on crime”.
In her question, Ms Frecklington talked about a local war veteran who she said carried a knife with him out of fear he will be attacked.
Ms Palaszczuk said her Government was recruiting more police ahead of schedule to tackle the region’s crime problems.
“We’re putting more police on the street,” she said.
“You (the LNP) could’ve done that when you were in Government, but you did not.”
The Premier said Townsville locals also had the chance to meet with the Police Commissioner and Police Minister last night.
– Jack McKay
OPPOSITION Leader Deb Frecklington has kicked off Question Time in Townsville focusing on the north, taking aim at the Palaszczuk Government for "dumping" a former portfolio specific to north Queensland.
Along with her Ministerial responsibilities for Disability Services and Seniors, Mundingburra MP Coralee O'Rourke was also the Minister assisting the Premier on North Queensland until the portfolio was scrapped in December 2017, following the State Election.
Ms O'Rourke maintained her Cabinet position and is currently the Minister for Communities and Minister for Disability Services and Seniors.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was more than happy to talk about Labor's record in north Queensland.
"Where do we begin? … So much to talk about," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said there were no infrastructure projects in Townsville when the LNP were in government.
"They (LNP) wanted to sell the port," she said.
"They wanted to sell the Mt Isa to Townsville rail line."
– Domanii Cameron
A BUSINESS case for raising the Burdekin Falls Dam wall won't be completed until 2024.
Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham said the business case, to be undertaken by the dam's owner and operator Sunwater, would be an exhaustive process.
"The detailed business case will include analysis of the environmental, economic, financial, and sustainability factors and an environmental impact statement," he said.
"This will be an exhaustive process that will establish all the costs and benefits and determine if it is worth it for taxpayers.
"I am advised it will be completed and provided to government in 2024, with a completed EIS (environmental impact statement).
"In the meantime, work will be underway on assessing and then conducting dam improvement works.
"These have to be finished before any dam wall raising construction could start."
– Domanii Cameron
