Gold Coast MPs Meaghan Scanlon and Sam O’Connor in vicious war of words

Accusations of ‘scaremongering’, ‘cover ups’ and ‘fabricated claims’ have been traded by two Gold Coast MPs. Here’s what’s sparked the bitter row.

Two Gold Coast MPs have gotten into a vicious war of words over environmental problems at far-away Chinchilla.

Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon, who is the state government’s Environment Minister, has come under pressure after a report in The Australian claimed the presence of toxic chemicals in groundwater in the area had been kept secret from landowners.

The chemicals were detected at bores near the former Linc Energy underground coal gasification project at Hopeland, which was shut down in 2013.

Following the report, Ms Scanlon said the levels found “didn’t reach the threshold” to be made public and the likelihood of environmental harm was “very low to negligible”.

However Bonney MP Sam O’Connor, who is the LNP’s shadow environment minister, accused Ms Scanlon of overseeing a “cover up”, said she had “failed in her responsibilities to Queenslanders” and “must explain her actions”.

“She has focused solely on media management instead of environmental management,” Mr O’Connor said.

Gaven MP and Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon.

The accusations sparked a furious reaction from Ms Scanlon, who said LNP claims about the matter were “fabricated” and any suggestion of a cover up was “absolute nonsense”.

“Sam O’Connor stop scaremongering,” Ms Scanlon said on Wednesday.

“This community has already been through enough. These bores are not for drinking water or irrigation use, they are monitoring bores on a road reserve. ... contaminants have never been found in landholder bores.

“... The LNP continue to manipulate this situation for purely political purposes. Enough is enough.”

Bonney MP and Shadow Environment Minister Sam O'Connor speaking in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Mr O’Connor responded by accusing Ms Scanlon of an “extraordinary transparency turnaround” prompted by media inquiries.

“Good to see the contamination data you were first informed about 18 months ago finally being publicly released,” Mr O’Connor said.

“It should not have taken brave whistleblowers from within your own department and landholders going to the media for this to happen.”

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