‘Embarrassment to Queensland’: David Crisafulli’s stinging attack on Steven Miles

David Crisafulli has slammed Steven Miles, saying he lacks the “intellectual capacity” to be an “attack dog” amid an ongoing war of words around the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. POLL

David Crisafulli has launched a stinging attack on Steven Miles, claiming the Deputy Premier doesn’t have the “intellectual capacity” to be an “attack dog” amid an ongoing war of words around the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Opposition Leader also hit out at his federal counterparts, saying they were being childish and making unhelpful comments.

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“We are increasingly becoming concerned with the vaccine rollout, the messaging, the prioritisation and the squabbles between Canberra and Brisbane,” he said.

“Quite frankly it’s got to stop.”

Queensland Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli didn’t hold back, calling Steven Miles an embarrassment to every Queenslander. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

It comes after Mr Miles yesterday took aim at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, claiming he was using the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to distract from the issue of the treatment of women in Canberra.

He also said last week’s greater Brisbane lockdown could probably have been avoided if the Prime Minister had supported the government’s quarantine centre proposal.

While in the same breath saying he didn’t want to get into a war of words with Mr Miles, Mr Crisafulli claimed his “behaviour” yesterday was “childish”.

“The behaviour that we saw yesterday was not fitting of his office, and it was an embarrassment to every Queenslander,” he said.

“Don’t take my word for it, ask the Premier and the Health Minister what they thought about it – well you can’t, and you can’t because they’re not having a press conference today.”

He said Federal Agricultural Minister David Littleproud’s recent attack on the state government was also unhelpful.

“All of this is unhelpful,” he said.

“We’ve just been through a weekend where businesses were facing the prospect of finally being able to stand up and give their staff some hours and put some money in the till after a year of misery and there’s been no acknowledgment about that.

“It’s just been childish tit-for-tat but at the top of the tree has been our Deputy Premier.

“I’m not going to come here and defend Canberra because they’ve got their own issues to work out, and they’ve got to get cracking on the vaccine as well.”

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has openly criticised the Federal Government on several occasions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Crisafulli claimed Mr Miles was “trying to morph into this role of being the attack dog” while saying “it doesn’t work for you mate because you don’t have the strength or the intellectual capacity to do it”.

Asked whether he was perpetuating the political tit-for-tat, Mr Crisafulli said no because yesterday’s “next level stupidity” needed to be called out.

He said there had been failures with the vaccine rollout at a national level, including around communication.

“If a commitment is made to deliver a vaccine that commitment on a timeline is as important as the quantum,” he said.

“People are gearing up to be able to deliver those vaccines and I think the rollout hasn’t be done as well as it could be because there hasn’t been that clarity in messaging.”

Mr Crisafulli said the number of vaccinations being administered on the weekends in Queensland was embarrassing.

Originally published as ‘Embarrassment to Queensland’: David Crisafulli’s stinging attack on Steven Miles