POLICE and Corrective Services Minister Bill Byrne will also serve as acting agriculture and fisheries minister following the shock resignation of Leanne Donaldson last night.
“Bill served as agriculture and fisheries minister last year and he has worked closely with stakeholders across our primary industries,” premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“My Government is making an historic commitment to primary industries, whether it is providing greater access to financial assistance for producers, or restoring our biosecurity preparedness and combatting wild dogs to support the sheep and wool industry, or new management arrangements for sustainable fishing, or advancing agriculture and fisheries through research and development.”
Ms Donaldson (Bundaberg) quit in disgrace on Thursday night after it was revealed she had not paid almost $8000 in rates for three years. She also revealed she had not paid her car registration by the due date.
Despite the controversy, she says she will continue as the member for Bundaberg.
However, the horror week just became worse for Ms Palaszczuk with disgraced former police minister Jo-Ann Miller says she now want to back in the ministry.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said Ms Palaszczuk needed to appoint a qualified and respected person to the now vacant cabinet position instead of a union hack.
Mr Nicholls said primary producers were not interested in the political infighting among factions and unions whose main interest is having numbers around the Cabinet table.
“This is now the third agriculture minister the Palaszczuk Labor Government has tried in nearly two years,” Mr Nicholls said.
“We all know Annastacia Palaszczuk is powerless in appointing her cabinet members, the factions tell her who the anointed one is.
“Agriculture, fisheries and forestry are far too important to Queensland to be left in the hands of another dud minister or union hack.”
Mr Nicholls said following the resignation of disgraced Bundaberg MP Leanne Donaldson, it was time for Labor to make a serious appointment to a vital portfolio.
“Leanne Donaldson will be remembered as a CFMEU union hack who didn’t pay her bills and whose sole link with agriculture was once having a vegie patch in her backyard,” he said.
“AgForce is absolutely right in highlighting the succession of minsters and failures that’s led to instability which no sector needs,” he said.
“Under the LNP, agriculture was recognised as one of the most significant driving forces of our state’s economy.
“Agriculture has been dropped to the bottom of the cabinet pecking order under the Palaszczuk Labor Government.”
