Miles defends stance
DEPUTY Premier Steven Miles has been forced to state his support of the coal industry after a damning social media post surfaced of him criticising Queensland’s push for new coal projects.
Mr Miles, who was helping to sandbag the marginal Labor-held seat of Townsville yesterday, has repeatedly called out political hopefuls for past social media posts.
But the tables turned on Mr Miles after a Facebook post from 2009 surfaced showing him criticising the then-bligh government’s “plans to fasttrack new coal mines”.
“The entire world is gathered to find a solution to climate change caused by digging up fossil fuels and burning them,” he wrote in the post.
“Meanwhile in Queensland we announce plans to fasttrack new coal mines and new train tracks so we can dig more up and get it to the furnace quicker.”
Mr Miles said he backed the coal mining industry.
“I continue to support new coal projects as this government has continued to do,” he said.
“What I was supporting there was the transition, the
ongoing pursuit of renewable jobs as well. We can have both. And that’s precisely what we’re doing here in Queensland.”
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington slammed Mr Miles, likening him to his predecessor Jackie Trad.
“First it was Jackie Trad telling mining communities to re-skill and now Steven Miles is hell bent on shutting down mines,” she said.
“Labor doesn’t change its spots and the only way to protect resources jobs is to change the government.”
The Health Minister was in
the electorate of Townsville promising to chip in $20 million toward the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s $87 million plan to upgrade its infrastructure across regional Queensland.
A re-elected Labor government would also extend its partnership with the RFDS for an extra decade.
It’s hoped the project will create jobs during construction, give the RFDS room to expand, and result in the hiring of extra staff including aircraft engineers to support operations.