Premier blames senator
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk suspects that Matt Canavan is behind the socalled “smear campaign” that exposed a conflict of interest involving her partner and forced her to scuttle the $ 1 billion Adani loan.
However, Ms Palaszczuk was yesterday unable to show any evidence of the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia’s involvement and she also changed her tune on why she vetoed Adani’s application for a Federal Government loan on Friday.
The Premier now says she switched her stance because she doesn’t think taxpayer funds should be used to build the rail line linking the Galilee Basin with Abbot Point.
Her partner Shaun Drabsch worked on the loan proposal in his job with PwC.
Ms Palaszczuk accused Senator Canavan of being involved in a smear campaign against her, despite her being the only person to raise her partner’s conflict as an issue.
“Matt Canavan, he’s been out there, still going on,” she said. “Of course, he’s allowed to respond, but it just makes me think, is he part of it all?”
But Senator Canavan denied being involved in any smear.
“The only person spreading smears is the Premier,” he said.
“I wasn’t even aware her partner was working on this project. It’s a shame because now, apparently, major policy decisions are being made, in part, based on gossip and innuendo.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she was unaware of Labor Party research showing the proposed loan was unpopular and said this did not influence her announcement on Friday. Instead, she demanded Adani stump up the cash and build the rail line and mine itself.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad immediately capitalised on Ms Palaszczuk’s backflip in her South Brisbane electorate, where the Adani project is considered toxic, telling voters in an email that she would ensure the veto went ahead.
“A re- elected Palaszczuk Government will play no role in facilitating Malcolm Turnbull’s billion- dollar handout to Adani,” Ms Trad’s email says.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said the Premier’s decision was confusing and based on “muddle- headed thinking”.