Premier branded as racist
NORTHERN Australia Minister Matt Canavan has labelled Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk a racist for backing a Saudi Arabian solar farm at the Burdekin but not the Indian mining conglomerate Adani.
The Premier visited the Clare Solar Farm – owned by Abdul Latif Jameel Group – on Sunday.
About 200 jobs have been created for the Burdekin renewable project’s construction, with five positions to be made during its operations.
During the visit, Ms Palaszczuk pledged more than $ 150 million to expand Labor’s commitment to renewable energy in Queensland. Mr Canavan said it was hypocrisy. “Apparently Indian billionaires are bad and Saudi Arabian billionaires are good because she’s ( Ms Palaszczuk) OK for a solar farm to get hundreds of millions of dollars to get subsidies for five jobs but not OK for an Indian billionaire to get a loan to create thousands of jobs,” he said.
“They’re ( State Government) playing on the race card for sure. Why the double standard, Annastacia?
“The real issue is that Labor’s partners, the Greens, like solar and don’t like coal mines.
“The Labor Party is being led by the Greens and not the job opportun- ities of North Queenslanders. There’s no doubt the Labor Government is dog whistling on that.”
Mr Canavan’s comments come after federal Labor’s climate change and energy spokesman Mark Butler was slammed for opposing Adani’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan while supporting a $ 60 million concessional loan for Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel’s Moree solar farm in NSW.
A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said the State Government supported jobs across the energy mix – coal, gas and renewables – and was proud to meet the 250 men and women working on the Clare Solar Farm.
“More than 80 per cent of the workers the Premier met on Sunday were from Townsville or Ayr and wider Burdekin region,” he said. “The Premier backs those Queenslanders.
“She knows the importance of these additional jobs and the jobs we are supporting in the broader energy and resources sector.”
The spokesman said Adani announced the mine was happening on June 6 and should proceed with it.
“At that ceremony, Adani announced the Carmichael mine and rail project would proceed,” he said.
“As Labor candidate for Burdekin Mike Brunker said on Sunday, Adani should get on with it.”