‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’
O’toole demands State Labor MPS support Galilee
HERBERT MP Cathy O’toole has demanded Townsville’s three State Labor MPS show their support for mining the Galilee Basin.
Ms O’toole said “enough is enough” and Aaron Harper, Scott Stewart and Coralee O’rourke should sign a pledge to support the immediate opening of the Galilee Basin and jobs for North Queensland.
FIRED-UP Herbert MP Cathy O’toole has launched an attack against her own state Labor colleagues, demanding Townsville’s three local MPS pledge their support to opening of the Galilee Basin, saying “enough is enough”.
Ms O’toole’s salvo comes as business leaders in Townsville, Mackay, and Rockhampton banded together last week calling on all elected representatives and political candidates to make their position on mining in the untapped basin clear by signing a pledge.
The incumbent MP said she signed it “within seconds” of receiving it.
“I demand that the state members and all candidates show their commitment to the community by signing the pledge,” Ms O’toole said.
“I think it’s really important for people in Townsville to know that their local members are a strong voice and will stand up for their community.
“The statistics are there; we are almost double the national unemployment average, our youth unemployment is over 17 per cent, one in five young people in this city doesn’t have a job; when is it enough?”
Candidates for Herbert, LNP’S Phil Thompson and KAP’S Nanette Radeck have both signed the pledge, as has Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill and Senator Ian Macdonald.
But the three state politicians have been noncommittal.
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper instead launched a scathing attack against Townsville Enterprise in a letter to the Townsville Bulletin, accusing the economic lobby group of “nailing the LNP flag to their mast”.
“I ask that TEL, which consists of self-appointed, non-elected individuals who purport to be apolitical, please draw a line in the sand and finally show your hand on where you stand in the political spectrum,” he wrote.
Mr Harper, who grew up in Bowen and has family in the coal industry, said he knew how important the resources sector was to North Queensland.
“We have just announced two further coal mines in the Bowen Basin worth $2 billion, creating 1900 jobs. To infer the State Labor Government is not supporting this sector is simply untrue.”
Townsville Enterprise chairman Kevin Gill said the campaign was about jobs for North Queensland, not politics.
“Our pledge aims to identify which stand with us and which ones don’t. Simple as that,” he said.
“To try and suggest this is a political campaign is disrespectful to the families and businesses that have worked and lived in North Queensland for generations and who are simply standing up for opportunity and prosperity for all who live here … We expect our politicians to do the same.”
Mundingburra MP Coralee O’rourke and Townsville MP Scott Stewart both sent the Townsville Bulletin identical one-line statements and did not clarify their position when asked.
“I support any project that stacks up financially and is environmentally assessed and approved through an independent process, a process which is proceeding appropriately in this case,” both MPS wrote.
Herbert MP Ms O’toole said the “changing goalposts” had wider implications for Townsville.
“I have said before, what is the big picture here? What is this indecision, changing the goalposts?
“What is that saying to business people who may want to invest in this state?
“To me, if I was one of them, it says it is all too hard.
“It’s time that this issue is done and we move on; there are other important issues that need to be discussed in this community at this election.”