Adani loan veto dogs Premier in campaign
ANNASTACIA Palaszczuk has refused to respond to federal Senator Matt Canavan after he said a “domestic” between the Premier and her partner led to her Adani loan veto.
The federal Liberal National Party senator has been campaigning as if his seat is up for grabs at the November 25 election, mounting pressure on the Premier over her decision to veto the $1 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund loan to Adani to build its Galilee Basin railway.
In Mackay yesterday, Senator Canavan referred to the Premier’s partner, Shaun Drabsch, as her “boyfriend”, describing his involvement in Adani’s loan application, which led to the Premier vetoing the loan, as a “domestic”.
“I was gobsmacked. It took me a while to believe it, that a domestic could cost us thousands of jobs in regional Queensland,” Senator Canavan said.
LNP Leader Tim Nicholls refused to call on his federal colleague to apologise over using the word “domestic”.
But Mr Nicholls said he would certainly not make that kind of personal statement and family issues should not be brought into campaigning.
When the quotes were put to him he said: “I hadn’t heard that but I think that’s completely inappropriate.”
Ms Palaszczuk was asked twice yesterday about the Senator’s comments but on both occasions said she would not “dignify” them with a response.
Her decision to veto the loan for the mine continues to dominate her campaign with a Logan tradie telling her he wanted the mine to go ahead so he could get a job.
Ms Palaszczuk was at the Logan Hospital maternity ward when the new dad approached her. Concrete pumper Justin Owen, with his four-year-old daughter visiting his infant son, spoke to the Premier as she toured the hospital.
“Tell the Premier where Daddy wants to get a job ... Adani mines,” Mr Owen said speaking with his daughter.
Mr Owen said he wanted the Premier to ignore the Greens and push for the mine.
“I get the greenies blow up about it but, unless you’ve lived in the regions and see how hard the locals do it, you don’t understand,” he said.
Meanwhile, her captain’s pick to veto the loan to the Indian group appears to have been vindicated by a ReachTEL poll, which found 70 per cent of Queenslanders are against Adani receiving billion dollars of taxpayers’ money.
“As I have said very clearly, we support the project (but it) needs to stack up financially, independently and needs to stand on its own two feet,” she said.