Clear where our job growth comes from
ONE of the key issues for the forthcoming state election is who is best placed to get the
Townsville economy going again. And, as former Palmer United federal candidate and now independent candidate for Hinchinbrook, Jen Sackley, said in the national media (The Guardian, October 3): “Up here, there is a saying: don’t listen to what a man says: watch what he does.”
The same sage advice applies equally to female politicians and all political parties.
According to National
Institute of Economic and Industry Research data (economy.id.com.au/townsville/ industry-sector-analysis-series), there have only been two years since 2002-03 when there was no employment growth in
Townsville.
One was in 2016 when Palmer’s nickel plant went into liquidation and Townsville suffered a net loss of 63 jobs. The other was in 2013, the first year of the Newman LNP government, when there was a net loss of 620 jobs.
When the LNP won all three Townsville seats in 2012, there were 91,471 people employed in Townsville. A year later this had shrunk to 90,751 and, when they were justifiably voted out of office in 2015, total employment had
only grown to 92,979 or an average increase of only 502 additional jobs per year.
According to the Bulletin’s Business Editor report of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figure on September 25, under our three local Labor members, total employment has now grown to 113,600 — an average increase of 4124 jobs per year — more than eight times the rate that was achieved by the LNP.
While the LNP and Clive Palmer keep talking about getting Townsville and Queensland working again, the Palaszczuk Labor government and our three local Labor members have keep delivering record local infrastructure investment, employment growth and opportunity.
It is very clear who has the positive record of getting Townsville going again and it isn’t the LNP or Clive Palmer.
DAVID CASSELLS,
Nelly Bay
PARTY HAS HAD ITS DAY
I COME from a strong Labor supporting, proud Townsville family. In 1964, my father was killed on Rooney’s Bridge.
I was 12 years old at the time, and my four siblings aged between 5 and 17. My mother raised and
supported us, working two jobs.
My father was a train driver and after the accident the Railway Union, would help us financially, checking in to make sure we were OK. The union also later arranged employment and accommodation for my mother as a station mistress.
Fifty years ago, the role of the union, and by extension, the Labor government, was to ensure their members were looked after, so this was not unusual.
As I got older and began working, (you know the company … Oh What a Feeling!), the owner asked me one day why I voted for Labor.
The answer, simple, they supported their constituents.
However, upon reflection I no longer felt that was the case. It was then that I ceased voting for Labor.
This was a difficult decision for me, I had always supported them, but I realised that the government had changed, becoming too internally focused and driven by power and corruption.
The purpose of my letter is, come this next election, think about which candidate genuinely has the best interests of the people in mind, will best support our city and its financial endeavours, will work without corruption and with loyalty and will help our city rid
itself of the unenviable title of Queensland’s juvenile crime capital.
Townsville used to be a vibrant city, a place tourists enjoyed visiting, business districts were thriving, our streets were clean, shopping centres full and we were safe. I love Townsville and I for one would love our great city to get back to thriving. We, as the voters are the only ones who can say enough is enough.
Labor has had its day. It has had many days. Let’s put Townsville first and make a change.
JEFF DAVIS, Townsville City
MAYBE IT’S OUR FAULT
WHEN I was a kid I saw Superman fly on television so I got the neighbour’s umbrella and jumped off the shed roof. Luckily, there was sand below.
Children today see, rap, hip hop, gang bangers, gang rituals all on television. The trouble is there is no sand to break their falls.
Maybe we failed as adults. Maybe we all need to sit and talk about this instead of bossing everyone and causing bigger problems. Get together with the families and find a better solution to crime rates.
LYLE JENSEN, Homestead
enjoyed by Western audiences but failed to hit the mark with Chinese viewers. A more recent live action version (albeit with extensive CGI) released earlier this year tried to fix some of the problems but still didn’t please the Chinese purists. Given that Mulan probably never existed and that the story was created in medieval songs and poetry, it should be a bit more open to interpretation. This charming children’s book tells the story, in English and Chinese, as a simpler, less embellished, legend.
Mulan, Li Jian, Better Link Press, $21.99