Queensland Premier burnt in fire cash backflip
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been accused of playing games with compensation for volunteer firefighters.
QLD News
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THE day after a Queensland Minister called the Prime Minister’s offer of cash for volunteer firefighters “insulting”, the Queensland Government is going cap in hand requesting the money.
Asked if Queensland would sign up to the deal, the Premier’s office on Sunday told The Courier-Mail that they wanted a national deal, not a state-by-state offer.
But they went into damage control yesterday with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk taking to social media to say she wanted the money after all.
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She said she had written to the Prime Minister “urging him to compensate Queensland volunteer firefighters” in the same way as the NSW brigades.
It is despite Mr Morrison making this offer to the Premier on Saturday night and Police Minister Mark Ryan saying it was “insulting” the following day.
Federal disaster management minister David Littleproud said he did not want Queensland firefighters to miss out because Queensland did not want to play ball.
“We’re in a state of confusion. They’ve been caught out playing games,” he said.
LNP MP Keith Pitt said the Premier had form for passing on Federal funding.
“Take the funding and just say thank you and behalf of, and to, all of our great state’s volunteers,” he said.
The South Australian Government on Sunday confirmed its volunteers would receive the same financial support as their NSW counterparts and the Victorian Government said it would seek access to the payments.
After sending mixed messages, Ms Palaszczuk finally said she wanted Queensland volunteers to receive the same Federal Government compensation as NSW.
“There should be a nationally consistent approach and this should have been the case from day one,” she said.
“That’s what I told the Prime Minister on the phone on Saturday evening.”
Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford yesterday insisted that the Palaszczuk Government had always been accepting of the Federal Government’s plan.
“We want our Queensland volunteers to sign up for it. It’s not very often that you get free money from the Federal Government,” he said.
Mr Morrison said NSW received the money first because its government specifically requested it, while he received no such request from any other state.
“The program was initiated in response to a request I received from NSW, where there is an immediate problem, to assist with the firefighting effort in that state,” Mr Morrison said.
“I had not received any such request from Queensland or any other state on this issue.
“Given the scheme is retrospective for the current fire season, no Queenslander, who would be eligible, will miss out if the state government decides to take up the federal offer.
“It is disappointing that Labor in Queensland are reacting this way after the positive discussion I had with the Premier (Monday) night.”
Originally published as Queensland Premier burnt in fire cash backflip