SPOILING FOR A FIGHT
Political scrap over minister’s leaked letter on priority ports
A VITRIOLIC war of words has erupted between Cairns’ state and federal politicians over the future of the city’s port.
A bizarre series of events unfolded yesterday involving leaked letters and allegations of dishonesty between two men who have taken opposite sides on the debate surrounding the development of Cairns Port and dredging of Trinity Inlet.
Member for Cairns Rob Pyne fired the first shot when he slammed Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch over the contents of a letter from Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to two State Government ministers – Anthony Lynham and Steven Miles.
The leaked letter acknowledged the recent Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources Committee report’s unanimous recommendation that the Port of Cairns should be declared a priority port – which would require an amendment to the proposed Sustainable Ports Development Bill.
Mr Hunt stressed that the declaration of Cairns as a priority port would be inconsistent with the Queensland Government’s election commitments on the Great Barrier Reef and with the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan.
Mr Pyne issued an emotive statement claiming Mr Entsch’s position on the future of the Port of Cairns was at odds with that of his Government.
“This is a classic case of Warren saying one thing in Cairns and another when he’s in Canberra,” he said.
Mr Entsch, who is in Canberra this week, was livid about the claims when contacted by The Cairns Post yesterday.
“I was unaware of the letter and I was understandably surprised,” he said. “The only thing I wasn’t surprised about was that our Member for Cairns crawled all over this like a fat kid on a cupcake and thought he’d struck gold.”
Mr Entsch said he contacted the Environment Minister immediately and claimed Mr Hunt was “furious” his letter had been used as a political weapon.
“He said he wrote that letter at the request of the state ministers,” Mr Entsch said. “They didn’t say they were intending to use it for political mischief by feeding it to our little mate in Cairns.”
Late yesterday Mr Hunt wrote another letter to Dr Miles.
He said the Federal Government’s position on the Port of Cairns was “entirely consistent with (Mr Entsch’s) support for sustainable tourism extensions which are carried out within the terms of the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan and with no dredge disposal within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area”.