POLLIES DUCK FOR COVER

WITH photo opportunities from the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village handover out of the way, along with the state election, Government MPs are running a mile to duck the Grocon fallout.

The Gold Coast will recall how Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones decided in August that enough was enough, and told Games Village builder Grocon to pay its subcontractors.

At the time more than a dozen firms were owed $1 million, stemming from the collapse of a Grocon contractor. The minister’s stand appeared to do some good, and was a savvy public relations move with the election looming at the time.

But the Grocon-Games Village saga just won’t go away. Now it emerges subbies are still awaiting payments totalling around $2 million. Worse, the State Government released a $14 million bond for the project back to Grocon.

Politicians were ducking for cover yesterday when the Bulletin chased answers. It’s not that difficult, surely, to explain who authorised the return of the bond and why.

But instead of ministers being upfront with detail, what emerged was anything but an adequate response. No one wanted to put their name to it, and the best the ministers’ taxpayer-funded spin doctors could come up with was a bland statement pleading that the Government was “doing everything in its power’’.

Remember, when Games time comes MPs will be rushing to claim credit for everything that goes right. Meanwhile Christmas looms and with it, the hardship to be suffered by out-of-pocket subbies, their staff, their families and a widening circle of small businesses owed money by the tradies who can’t pay because Grocon hasn’t coughed up yet.

It defies belief that this Government would have given up the $14 million ace it held to ensure the Games village builder met its obligations. It’s a poor show indeed and threatens to sour what should be the Gold Coast’s proudest moment.