Shorten’s spin hurts workers

WHILE the politicians spin their words to try to maintain popularity over the Adani issue, it’s important to remember the impact on the everyday person.

The 200 workers sitting in Townsville’s Tomlins St deserve more consideration than they have been given, especially by the Labor leader Bill Shorten.

These are people, some with families, others who have worked fly- in- fly- out jobs for years, who are hoping they can live and work in Townsville for Adani.

And they have to read Mr Shorten calling their jobs “fake”.

Then sinking to a new low, Mr Shorten, trying to shamelessly gain popularity in the urban fringes ahead of a suburban Melbourne by- election, compares Adani to Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel.

The memory of the damage done when Queensland Nickel closed is still raw and it’s cruel to toy with the Townsville psyche with such reckless abandon.

Swim campaign strikes home

BRINGING Queensland up to the standard of other states and territories when it comes to swim safety for our kids is surely a no- brainer.

The release of the latest YouGov Galaxy Poll confirms what the and its sister papers across Queensland knew all along — most voters support our Save Our Schoolkids campaign.

After the campaign launch last week, every TV network picked up on the push.

There has been an outpouring of support from families, teachers and water safety experts for all primary school children to be given mandatory swimming lessons in Queensland.

And it’s reassuring that Education Minister Grace Grace has organised a roundtable meeting today to discuss the vital issue.

While learning arithmetic and handwriting are the foundation numeracy and literacy skills that will serve children for life, it’s all pretty futile if that life is lost.

If compulsory swimming lessons can save one child from drowning, it’s been worth it.