Deputy Premier endorses compatibility of jobs and clean energy creation
The Queensland Treasurer believes North Queenslanders have never been better off in a state budget, as he says balance has been struck between jobs creation and emissions targets.
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Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said he believes no other government has done more to support facing cost of living pressures for North Queenslanders, as he defended its drive to meet ambitious zero-emissions targets.
And he believed voters trusted Labor to balance job creation with clean energy generation.
Katters Australian Party leader Robbie Katter claims residents from Townsville, Charters Towers and Mount Isa are being punished in their power bills, through looming emissions targets which he believed were creating a hidden tax.
But Mr Dick said the Labor led government had a plan which it would carry into the next term if successful.
“We’ve got a fully costed plan that we are funding into for emissions reduction,” Mr Dick said, while speaking in Townsville alongside union representatives over the significance of creating additional health jobs,” he said.
“There was a bill that went to the parliament, we voted on an emissions reduction target, 75 per cent reduction by 2035.
“That’s not only what our state and our nation are calling for, it’s what our partners, our trading partners, are calling for because they want products produced from our state and supplied by our state that are produced with near to zero emissions.”
He said the government was determined to maintain the critical mineral supply and the copper smelted from Mount Isa and refined in Townsville, and this was central to its jobs and energy plan.
“And I think Queenslanders know they can trust us to deliver the jobs and the opportunity that a clean energy future presents.”
Mr Katter said there was “no question” the emissions targets had become a tax back on his constituents, and he did not believe ‘green credentials’ from European nations would make a huge difference.
“You can’t rebuild your energy network, rebuild the energy including your generators and transmission lines substations, you can’t rebuild that network and not have to pay for it somewhere,” he said.
“And if we look at our power bills that have gone up incrementally over the last five years, you can’t account for that in a wage rise or inflation or increase in staff at Ergon.
“What’s the one big thing that’s happened with our energy assets in the last five years, it just perfectly correlates with the rollout other renewables.
“There’s a reason they call it a $60bn renewable package … because they’ve got to get the money from somewhere and you’re paying for it through your power bill.”
Mr Dick said North Queensland communities had been alleviated with cost of living pressures in the last term as he credited the advocacy of the three Townsville based Labor MPs when setting budget priorities, and defended the proportion of funding given to regional areas that contribute enormously to the economy.
North Queensland consultants deliberating the last state budget in June including Clayton Cook questioned if the region was getting its fair share, and believed by population Townsville was getting a fair return.
However, if determining its true economic value then the budget had fallen short.
Mr Dick said the budget had truly considered the needs of regional Queensland with almost two-thirds of its capital works being spent outside the greater Brisbane area.
“And can I also say that investment comes because regional Queensland has great champions like Scott (Stewart), Les (Walker) and Aaron (Harper), they have not stopped fighting since their election … and unless you’ve got strong champions and strong advocates, communities never get what they deserve.”
The same three Townsville MPs this week were attacked by Herbert MP Phillip Thompson in the federal parliament as he described them as “washed up” and disregarding the community’s concerns about crime.
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