Missing in action: Councillor, Minister defend trip to Dubai during floods

A Brisbane councillor whose ward was hit hard by floods has defended claims he used his Facebook account to give the impression he was on the job. Instead, he was in Dubai with Trade Minister Cameron Dick, whose seat also flooded.

A councillor whose northside ward was one of the hardest hit in the floods has been accused by the Labor Opposition of pretending to be on the job, when he was actually at World Expo in Dubai.

The LNP’s Cr Andrew Wines paid to sponsor a Facebook message to constituents in his Enoggera ward, posted on Saturday February 26, just before he jetted off to the Middle East on a trip estimated to cost $12,750.

By that Saturday it was becoming apparent the flooding could be severe.

The post, picturing him with an umbrella inspecting flooding, remained up on his Council page until February 28.

Cr Wines' sponsored Facebook post which ran from February 26-28.

After that he posted flood information and photos, replying to comments from his followers, but did not say he was on the other side of the world.

Labor Trade Minister Cameron Dick was in Dubai at the same time and both flew home a day early.

Mr Dick also posted flood images in his Woodridge-based seat, but a spokesman said Mr Dick told Parliament two days before he left that he was attending World Expo.

“I came back a day early (to inspect damage in Marsden),’’ Mr Dick told reporters at a flood recovery press conference on Monday this week.

“I don’t apologise for selling Queensland to the world, that’s my job, I’m the Trade Minister.’’

Mr Dick said there were 22 million people representing 19 countries at World Expo 2020, which has been long delayed due to Covid.

He said jobs and investment were needed to generate the revenue to pay for Queensland’s flood recovery, and his trip would assist with that.

Treasurer Cameron Dick at the flood recovery press conference on Monday where he defended his travel to Dubai. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

Labor Council Opposition Leader, Jared Cassidy, said Cr Wines’ error was not so much going ahead with the trip, but giving the impression he was still at home.

He said by Saturday afternoon, when the post of Cr Wines inspecting flooding went up, the scale of the impending disaster was already becoming apparent.

“The behaviour of LNP Councillor Andrew Wines is beyond appalling,’’ Cr Cassidy said.

“It’s one thing to flee the country in the middle of a crisis, but it’s another thing to pretend like you never left and try to avoid accountability.

World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Picture: Karim Sahib/AFP

“When Labor Councillors then asked him (at the Tuesday, March 8 Council meeting) if he flew to Dubai he refused to answer, only admitting to going overseas after 10 minutes of interrogation.

“This all really makes you wonder if he was trying to appear like he was still in Brisbane while he was overseas.’’

Cr Wines' post from a local disaster centre uploaded at 1.31am on March 3, hours after he arrived home.

Cr Wines rejected the accusations, saying he tried to cut short his trip as soon as he touched down in Dubai and had become aware of the full scale of the crisis in his ward.

“Like Treasurer (and Trade Minister) Cameron Dick, I travelled to the airport around the same time as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was assuring Brisbane residents that authorities were ‘not concerned’,’’ he said.

“While Mr Dick’s decisions are a matter for him, I immediately made arrangements to fly home as soon as possible once the situation became clear on my arrival.

“Throughout my 64 hours on the ground, I attended disaster meetings online, ran Council’s infrastructure division and continually updated residents about the situation while arranging a PCR test so I could return early.

“I immediately attended Council’s disaster headquarters to be updated on the situation after returning earlier than planned.’’

Cr Wines' post showing him at a Mitchelton football club.

A post he uploaded at 1.31am on March 3, only hours after his return, pictured him at a local disaster recovery centre.

He also posted images of himself at Mitchelton RFLC on March 3 showing off food waste bins, as well as other flood posts that day.

Enoggera ward was one of the hardest hit in Brisbane with residents in Ashgrove, Windsor and other suburbs along Enoggera creek smashed by an event locals said was as bad as the 1974 flood.

Trade and Investment Queensland invited a Council representative to the “Brisbane 2032” and “Australian Sports Symposium and Technology Showcase” at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The cost of Cr Wines’ trip is understood to be within budget and significantly less than the trip taken by Mr Dick.

It is also understood Cr Wines paid for the post sponsorship out of his pocket, which other LNP and Opposition councillors sometimes also do, including Cr Cassidy.