Transport Minister Mark Bailey has slapped down the Gladstone Ports Corporation during Question Time after it suspended a contract with a company after a worker asked Bill Shorten a tricky question during a recent media event.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey has slapped down the Gladstone Ports Corporation during Question Time after it suspended a contract with a company after a worker asked Bill Shorten a tricky question during a recent media event.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey has slapped down the Gladstone Ports Corporation during Question Time after it suspended a contract with a company after a worker asked Bill Shorten a tricky question during a recent media event.
Mr Bailey rejected claims the port had directly sacked or suspended the father of three, who was a consultant employed by contractor Welcon Technologies.
“I am advised his employer Welcon Technologies directed him to other work, after the port raised concerns about his conduct on-site during a media visit,” he said.
“The port temporarily suspended a contract with the company while the matter was investigated.
“The contract with Welcon was reinstated and port work is available for the consultant, however, this should never have happened.”
He said it was very clear that any person should be free to approach elected officials or candidates and have an “honest conversation about their policies”.
“I have made by views about this clear to Gladstone Ports Corporation, which, as a publicly-owned corporation, must uphold these values,” he said.
The issue was raised along with questions over the State Government's handling of the removal of 17-year-olds from adult prison and the flow on effects that have emerged.
It further shocking revelations of the treatment of children in watchouses as revealed by the ABC’s 4 Corners last night including that Queensland’s Public Guardian raised concerns with the Premier’s office multiple times.
The Government has been unable to say when it will no longer need to house children in watchhouses for days at a time but last month announced it would build a new $150 million youth detention centre at Wacol to ease the pressure and provide more beds as part of a $320 million funding commitment.
Human rights groups have joined in calling for immediate changes including raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years as recommended by former police commissioner Bob Atkinson in his report to the Government last year.
The Government has so far only committed to considering the move.
Human Rights Law Centre legal director Ruth Barson accused the Government of breaching its own laws by “warehousing children in police cells designed for adults”
“The Queensland Government can fix this situation today by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and releasing kids who have not yet been convicted of any crime. Instead, the Palaszczuk Government is choosing to lock kids up in appalling conditions,” Ms Barson said.
“This is incredibly disappointing from a Government that just passed laws to protect Queenslanders’ human rights.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan has told State Parliament that the prisoner who held a lavish wedding last week was not able to spend the night with his new bride. Returning to a question asked earlier in the morning, Mr Ryan was able to update State Parliament that the convicted drug trafficker was not granted leave for the night and did not leave the prison.
Opposition transport spokesman Steve Minnikin asked Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk if further investigations were under way into the suspension of a worker at the Gladstone port.
Mr Minnikin specifically wanted to know if an independent investigation would examine what role Gladstone Ports Corporation CEO Peter O’Sullivan, a former Labor candidate, played in the worker's suspension after he asked Bill Shorten a question on tax policy.
Ms Palaszczuk said Transport Minister Mark Bailey had previously addressed the issue but she would always stand up for workers.
“Of course I absolutely believe that workers across this state have the democratic right to express their views,” she said.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says people are free to speak out against children in watchhouses.
Ms Palaszczuk was asked whether the Public Guardian risked losing her job for speaking out, like the port worker who asked Opposition Leader Bill Shorten a difficult question on the hustings.
The Premier accused the LNP of hypocrisy for instituting gag clauses when it was in power.
"Four Corners were allowed in, they weren't stopped," she said.
Member for Traeger Rob Katter asks how many workers in a new mine approved by the Government will be on a fly-in-fly-out basis.
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick says the construction of the mine in the Bowen Basin will be subject to the SSRC act, and means that the operations of the mine will be 50 per cent local employment and 50 per cent FIFO.
With 1000 jobs, that means the Bowen Basin will get 500 new jobs when the mine becomes fully operational.
He praises Mr Katter and the LNP for supporting Labor's SSRC policy when it passed.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has rejected Opposition calls for her to sack Police Minister Mark Ryan.
Opposition police spokesman Trevor Watts outlined a catalogue of alleged missteps by the minister, but was forced to rephrase his question after Mr Ryan said he took offence and claimed the question had factual errors.
“Will the premier finally sack the Police Minister, who clearly isn’t up to the job,” Mr Watts asked.
Ms Palaszczuk said: “The answer is, no”.
Shadow minister for legal affairs David Janetzki asks why the Premier claimed the responsibility for approving a lavish wedding for an incarcerated man was a junior member of the prison, when the legislation says it should be someone higher up the chain.
Annastacsia Palazcscuk said she had already dealt with the issue. "I addressed that issue fully in my answer previously about how it is a delegated responsibility," the Premier says.
The Opposition has zeroed in on Minister for Child Safety and Youth Di Farmer, asking when she was first aware of the incidents aired on Four Corners last night.
Ms Farmer said she did not want young people in watchhouses and the Government had committed more than $550m to reform the youth justice system.
“Any new allegations will be thoroughly investigated as have every other issue that is raised about young people in the watch house,” she said.
She said the issues were “complex and difficult” and required “leadership”.
“You are seeing long term leadership on this side of the house,” she said.
Shadow Minister of Opposition Business Jarrod Bleijie has put the question to the Minister for Police and Corrective Services Mark Ryan on juveniles in watchhouses, asking when the Premier was first informed about juveniles being kept in the same room as sex offenders.
Minister Ryan dodged the question, talking more about how Labor is expanding capacity and helping juvenile offenders' reform.
He continues that the Premier receives regular briefings from her department on the issue of juvenile detention, and then accuses the LNP of denigrating and talking down the police force.
The opposition benches erupts in protest.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the state's corruption watchdog has been asked to look into how the wedding of a convicted drug trafficker on prison grounds was approved.
Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander asked Ms Palaszczuk whether leave had been granted to allow Terrence John Thornbury to spend the night with his bride.
Thornbury, 41, held the lavish wedding at Palen Creek Correctional Centre near the Queensland-NSW border last week.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk did not answer the specific question but revealed Police Minister Mark Ryan had last night referred the matter to the Crime and Corruption Commission
"I've said publicly this is a very poor decision," she said.
"I'm not happy with it, the Minister's not happy with it."
She said the wedding should have never been allowed and policies had already been changed.
"An investigation into how this happened is under way," she said.
The Opposition has kept up the attack on the government over revelations on Four Corners last night about juveniles being detained in watchhouses.
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington asked why a young girl had reportedly been put inside a maximum security adult watchhouse cell with two sex offenders.
Ms Palszczuk said she had spoken this morning with the Corrective Services Director-General about matters raised on the program.
She said it was a “serious matter” and all claims were “under full investigation”.
Illegal and banned substances are become more and more common thanks to an alarming social media trend.
A 24-year-old man who was shot dead by police at a Queensland party strip had once called police believing they’d come and shoot him if he was armed. A coroner has made a recommendation following his death.