THE political games continue following the federal government’s failed attempt to compulsorily acquire land in both central and north Queensland for defence purposes.
The Palaszczuk used Queensland Parliament tonight to condemn the federal and state LNP members of parliament for “abandoning graziers, meatworker and small businesses of Rockhampton and Charters Towers regions in their fight against the Turnbull Government’s planned compulsory acquisition of prime Queensland grazing land.”
Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said he proposed the motion to place on record the people’s disgust that the federal government could act with such heartless cruelty.
“We never again want to witness the anguish and despair that was suffered by landholders and entire communities as a result of a shameful process of land acquisitions,” Mr Byrne said.
“It was important for the Queensland Parliament to lay down a marker.
“I also wanted to highlight the incredible deceit of the Turnbull Government in deliberately suppressing details of the military area expansions until after the federal election.”
However, LNP leader Tim Nicholls said instead of playing politics, the Queensland LNP just got on with the job of protecting Queensland graziers.
“Unlike Mr Byrne I picked up the phone to the prime minister, had a robust conversation and asked that he intervene in the ham-fisted mess created by the Defence Department,” Mr Nicholls said.
“That call and months of hard work behind the scenes by Deputy LNP Leader Deb Frecklington and NQ MPs Andrew Cripps, Dale Last and Jason Costigan made the real difference.
“Just three days later the PM asked the Defence Department to find alternative areas for training grounds and gave a commitment that Central and North Queensland farmers would not be forced to sell their land to the Defence Department.” CLICK HERE to read that story.
“Labor’s effort in the Parliament tonight was a desperate attempt to achieve some relevancy in regional Queensland where they have attacked and undermined rural industries and local communities for decades.”
Mr Byrne said there was no doubt that the Coalition deliberately withheld details of the plan before the federal election.
“Michelle Landry won (Capricornia) by 1111 votes and her election gave the coalition the one seat majority by which it holds government today,” he said.
LNP Member for Hinchinbrook, Andrew Cripps, said Mr Byrne was engaged in hypocricy, pointing to the Labor botched attempt to build the Traveston Dam in the Mary Valley.
“That failed project saw Labor compulsorily acquired 500 properties and waste half a billion dollars of taxpayers' money in Queensland as a result,” Mr Cripps said.
“Then there is Labor’s track record of seizing grazing land for national parks, the ridiculous Delbessie Agreement and its punitive vegetation management laws.
“You (Labor) are a bunch of disgraceful hypocrites and I cannot believe that you would come out and move this motion tonight with a track record of hypocrisy that is beyond belief. You have to have a shred of credibility to move these motions, and those opposite have none.”
