Election 2022: Labor will boot controversial disaster relief chief Shane Stone if elected: Watt
Disaster boss who asked Australians in disaster areas ‘what did you think was going to happen?’ unlikely to keep role if Labor is elected.
Labor is poised to boot controversial disaster relief boss Shane Stone if elected to government, after he asked Australians living in disaster prone areas “what did you think was going to happen?”.
Mr Stone, who is the co-ordinator general of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, made the comments after the floods that devastated much of the east coast last month.
He said the taxpayer could not keeping “picking up the bill” for the damage.
Mr Stone said residents in areas such as Lismore lived “among the gum trees” but when their homes were flooded “they say it’s the government’s fault”.
Opposition disaster and emergency spokesman Murray Watt quickly called on Mr Stone to resign or the government to boot him from the position.
Mr Stone remains in the role.
While Mr Watt said he hadn’t yet put any thought to who would fill such roles under Labor, he said Mr Stone should have already been kicked out.
“We have called on Shane Stone to resign and … that should have been done by now,” he said in Queensland on Tuesday.
More Coverage
Jewish leaders: put Greens last on ballot
Two of the nation’s leading Jewish groups have sought public commitments from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton for the major parties to preference each other over the Greens at the next election.
Diplomat’s partner in post-rugby slur at cops
Footage has emerged of an Australian diplomat’s partner apparently yelling a homophobic slur at police during his arrest after the Bledisloe Cup rugby match in New Zealand last month.