MP DOES DOUGH IN UNION ROW
MP’s bread donation to school turns to toast
A GOLD Coast politician’s decision to donate 100 loaves of bread to a primary school cooking the barbecue at a Labor Day march has created a bunfight.
LNP MP Sam O’Connor gave the bread to Labrador State School as part of its work at Sunday’s union-backed march at Southport.
However, the move ended up toast with the unions supplying their own food and giving Mr O’Connor’s dough to a homeless shelter.
“It was decided by the workers that it is a bit late for the LNP to start pretending they care about the working class,” Electrical Trades Union (ETU) organiser Beau Malone wrote.
“... This isn’t the kind of dough we’re after ... we’d rather the $1.9b back the Turnbull LNP government cut from the education budget.”
A POLITICIAN’S decision to donate 100 loaves of bread to a primary school cooking the barbecue at a Labour Day march has created a bunfight.
LNP MP Sam O’Connor gave the bread to Labrador State School as part of its work at Sunday’s union-backed march at Southport.
However, the move ended up toast with the unions supplying their own food and giving Mr O’Connor’s dough to a homeless shelter.
It is believed the school’s P&C was not involved in the decision.
Electrical Trades Union (ETU) organiser Beau Malone was unavailable for comment. However, he posted the reasons for not accepting the bread on social media.
“It was decided by the workers that it is a bit late for the LNP to start pretending they care about the working class,” Mr Malone wrote.
“So the unions organisers they entrust with representing their best interest bought them some food for May Day as per usual and the bread donated by the LNP was donated to those in need,” he said.
“Sooooooo a first their (sic) too, for anything coming from the LNP to go to those in need. Funding cuts in the very sector you later try and by (sic) with a bread donation, probably doesn’t cut it and cuts to penalty rates for those slicing it probably doesn’t cut it either ... no pun intended.
“This isn’t the kind of dough we’re after ... we’d rather the $1.9bn back that the Turnbull LNP government cut from the education budget.”
Sam O’Connor MP said he was surprised by the reaction.
On Saturday he posted a photo of the bread in the back of his ute: “Not my usual crowd but I want to be an MP for everyone in our community.”
“It is a bit petty I guess, I support local BBQs in the area and the bread donation had been organised a while ago,” the Bonney MP said.
“I didn’t purposely try to make it political. Party or government funds weren’t involved. It was my money. As always, I was proudly supporting one of my local schools.”