‘Media tart’ Beattie has long history of taking the limelight

FORMER Premier of Queensland Peter Beattie has done it again!

How on Earth does he do it? Premier of Queensland – 1998-2007. Becomes increasingly under pressure as Premier due to bad decisions that cost taxpayers millions of dollars and steps down, allowing Deputy Premier Anna Bligh to take over as Premier and leader of the Labor Party. He then leaves for America to become the Queensland Los Angeles-based Trade and Investment Commissioner on a juicy salary plus, no doubt, expenses.

Named the “media tart” by the media for his love of attention and publicity, in February this year he was named chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission despite not even knowing the answer to a basic question about the Cronulla Sharks when interviewed on national television.

A long-term, staunch member of the Labor Party, Beattie was quoted when he stepped down as Premier as saying he was “well and truly over” politics. And yet later as the Labor candidate in 2013 he ran for the Federal Parliament seat of Forde and lost. So much for credibility!

As we are all aware, he is also the chairman of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Committee. Now we are informed that he will make a speech at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the Carrara venue on Wednesday, while the Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will not, because the Commonwealth Games Federation does not want the event politicised.

Really! Former Queensland Premier when Commonwealth Games announced for the Gold Coast – Premier Anna Bligh, Labor. Former Queensland Premier – Peter Beatie, Labor. Present Queensland State Premier – Annastacia Palaszczuk, Labor.

Mr Beattie is grabbing the limelight again, this time in front of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.

It begs the question, how does this “media tart” make his way into all these powerful positions ?

It’s almost unbelievable. TERRY STOLLERY, SOUTHPORT