BLOWING IT ON AIR CON
Jones feels heat for her GC ‘gets sea breezes unlike Inala’ spray
TOURISM Minister Kate Jones has been forced to apologise after suggesting Gold Coast schools don’t need air conditioning as much as other parts of the state because it “gets sea breezes’’. Broadwater MP David Crisafulli immediately seized on Ms Jones’ comments made in a heated State Parliament debate yesterday: “Try telling that to the children at Biggera Waters and Coombabah Primary schools sweltering in demountables”. Ms Jones said she was angry at the LNP for accusing the Premier of pork-barrelling her electorate at the expense of the Coast.
RED-FACED Tourism Minister Kate Jones is in apology mode after saying the Gold Coast – where schools are missing out on airconditioning in favour of other parts of the state – “gets sea breezes”
Broadwater MP David Crisafulli seized on comments Ms Jones made in a heated state parliament debate yesterday, by later tweeting: “Try telling that to the children at Biggera Waters and Coombabah Primary sweltering in demountables. Labor just don’t get the GC”.
It all started when Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was asked by LNP’s Fiona Simpson why no Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast schools were included in 300 extra campuses to get airconditioning during the summer break. Nine were in the Premier’s Inala electorate.
The Premier told parliament the decisions were made by the Education Department based on the number of days schools recorded high heat.
“I don’t set that list, the Department of Education sets that list,” the Premier replied.
Ms Jones added: “It’s great to be talking about the Gold Coast where they get sea breezes unlike Inala. Although Inala is a great place to live, having family that live in Inala.”
Ms Jones, contacted by the Bulletin, immediately apologised for her remark, explaining she was angry at the LNP for accusing the Premier of porkbarrelling her electorate at the expense of the Coast.
“My point was the reason the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast are the last to get airconditioning, they have the least amount of hottest days compared to other schools in Queensland. It’s just true.
“I’m happy to apologise if it was misinterpreted. I was reacting to the faceless and offensive allegation by the Member for Maroochydore (Ms Simpson) that it was politics dictating which schools were being airconditioned.
“I was pointing out the Education Department had a long standing methodology with schools’ experience on the hottest days in a year. I apologise, I used the wrong language, a bad choice of words,” Ms Jones said.
“Crisafulli did not spend one dollar on airconditioning schools on the Gold Coast when he was in government.”
Mr Crisafulli said Ms Jones’ comment was “out of touch – it makes me as hot under the collar as a kid at Coombabah school in a room without aircon.
“The Premier was very balanced. The Premier through her answer showed her Minister’s comment was out of line – you can’t tell me children on the Coast are less deserving of airconditioning because they happen to be close to the ocean.
“It’s a bit rich for a Labor politician in the comfort of Parliament House to say that’s why kids sweltering in demountables on the Gold Coast don’t deserve airconditioning.”
Mr Crisafulli said for the fasttracked 301 aircon units going into schools in summer not to include the Gold Coast showed it was “not on Labor’s radar”.
But Labor claims LNP’s policy means some Coast schools would not get it until 2028.
BULLETIN VIEW, P18