Premier stays coy over Trad scandal

ANNASTACIA Palaszczuk has refused to admonish her deputy Jackie Trad after she secretly purchased a property along the route of the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.

The Premier yesterday sidestepped questions about the purchase and instead urged all MPs to follow Parliament’s disclosure rules.

“All MPs are urged to satisfy their requirements,” she said in a statement after being asked if she thought Ms Trad’s purchase of the inner-city property was appropriate.

It was revealed yesterday Ms Trad bought a Woolloongabba property near the existing Park Road station and the future Boggo Road Gaol station in March but failed to declare it on Parliament’s Register of Member’s Interests.

The property is also within the catchment of the new Inner City South Secondary College being built by the Palaszczuk Government.

Labor figures were yesterday appalled that Ms Trad had purchased a property likely to rise in value as a result of a project that she has ministerial responsibility for.

“I’m actually in shock,” one senior player said.

Ms Trad said the decision to buy the three-bedroom Woolloongabba cottage for $695,500 was made by her husband while staunchly rejecting Opposition accusations she was trading on inside information about Queensland’s biggest infrastructure project.

While Ms Trad promised to consult the Integrity Commissioner about conflict of interest accusations, Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said she would refer the Deputy Premier to Queensland’s corruption watchdog.

“Jackie Trad would have known about the uplift in value,” she said.

“Jackie Trad would have known about the potential rezoning of that property”.