MP has a bet each way on coal verdict
rachel. HERBERT MP Cathy O’Toole distanced herself from the Carmichael coal project in a message to angry supporters hours after celebrating Adani’s Townsville office opening with other leaders.
Facing criticism from Labor faithful after posting photos of herself at the launch on Tuesday, Ms O’Toole in a Facebook post said the mine was a “statebased project and that is where the decisions have been made”.
“It is very clear that the views regarding the Adani an- nouncement today are very strong and at times very angry,” she wrote. “But please remember that I am a member of the federal Parliament and Labor is in opposition.
“The Federal Government’s involvement at this stage is via the NAIF, which is an independent body. Federal Labor has been very clear we do not support taxpayers’ money going to fund this project.”
Coalition leaders claimed Ms O’Toole was trying to take credit for job creation while appeasing anti- Adani activists.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan said Ms O’Toole could not be trusted to support North Queensland coal jobs.
“Labor tries to walk both sides of the street on coal and it shows,” he said. “They will say anything before the election and then sell us out through Green preferences at the election.”
Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the Herbert MP was “changing her support for the project with the wind”.
“Cathy O’Toole doesn’t know whether she’s Arthur or Martha on the Adani mine,” he said. “One minute she is happy to be snapped in the newspaper supporting the project and the next she is opposed to it on social media.”
Ms O’Toole labelled the criticism “ridiculous” and said the Coalition should “stalking my Facebook”.
“What has been very clear is that I have been continually fighting for the Adani FIFO hub,” she said.
“What Labor is not supportive of and has never supported is the Federal Government giving billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to foreign companies.”
Mayor Jenny Hill would not comment but a spokesman said Cr Hill had stated her position publicly before.
In April, she told the Townsville Bulletin she was “extremely disappointed” with the Herbert MP over her stance on allowing Adani to access the NAIF. stop