The LNP this week introduced changes in a bid to protect farmers in reef catchments who are doing the right thing.
Shadow Environment and Great Barrier Reef Minister Sam O’Connor moved amendments to Labor’s Reef Regulations to remove the State Government’s powers to penalise farmers who are accredited under best practice programs.
If passed, farmers who are signed up to a recognised accreditation program and who are following the rules of that program, would be protected from being slapped with an offence under the Reef Regulations.
Mr O’Connor said removing this threat would not only incentivise the take up of industry-led, evidence-based best practice programs, it would go a long way towards making farmers feel like they are genuine partners in protecting our Great Barrier Reef.
“Farmers and landholders are our true environmentalists and this should be acknowledged in law,” Mr O’Connor said.
“We are not going to achieve any improvements in water quality if farmers are not valued and respected.
“We can have a more efficient, more productive agricultural sector at the same time as doing all we can to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.
“It’s not one or the other as Labor believes.
“The State Government has even acknowledged these programs have standards consistent with, or better than, the standards set in the Reef Regulations.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Perrett welcomed the proposed reform following significant consultation with primary producers, advocacy groups and industry bodies.
“Farmers need to be recognised as genuine environmental partners in protecting the reef, and this amendment will do just that,” Mr Perrett said.
“The LNP’s solution embraces advances in farming that will promote Queensland growers as being at the cutting edge of technology and sustainability, something many growers are already doing.
“The LNP’s plan will also see a greater investment in industry-led best practice programs, like Canegrowers’ Smartcane BMP and AgForce’s AgCare initiatives. Programs run by farmers, for farmers.
“Many Queensland cane farms are already reaping economic, environmental and productivity benefits from the implementation of industry-led, best practice programs.”
“Our plan is a common sense one that futureproofs our vital sugar industry.”
Pressure is mounting on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to reveal what her involvement was in the events before and after the raid on the Integrity Commissioner’s office.
The Premier claims she first became aware a laptop was seized and wiped of potentially explosive evidence of illegal lobbying when she read media reports in September.
But the Premier’s diary reveals key meetings with her most senior government official took place months earlier as the biggest integrity scandal in three decades unfolded.
The Premier’s 2021 diary shows:
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the Premier must explain what she really knew about the laptop raid when she referred Ms Stepanov to the Committee.
“It beggars belief that the serious matters raised by Dr Stepanov with the Premier’s Director-General would not have been raised with her before September,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“If those matters were not raised at those meetings, then the Premier needs to answer why her most senior inner sanctum doesn’t trust her.
“There is nowhere to hide.
“The evidence in her diary speaks for itself.
“The Premier must tell Queenslanders the truth.”
FACTS:
A toxic culture of bullying and intimidation at a high-level is being blamed for the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service’s poor performance, in a damning letter to Director-General Dr John Wakefield.
The letter, obtained under a Right to Information request, was a “desperate plea for direct intervention and help” which was ignored by Queensland Health.
It claimed the “punishing, chaotic and dysfunctional” work environment was “without a doubt impacting the health service’s performance.”
Shadow Minister for Open Data and Member for Buderim Brent Mickelberg submitted the RTI after being made aware of the toxic culture.
Former CEO Naomi Dwyer resigned six weeks after the RTI was submitted.
24 senior staff members left the health service while Ms Dwyer was in charge. There is no way this went unnoticed.
During Ms Dwyer’s 3-year reign, there were five different heads of the People and Culture Department.
Last year, two brave whistleblowers had their employment suspended.
“Staff were too scared to complain, and those who did were shown the door. This State Government has lost all integrity,” Mr Mickelberg said.
“Claims that the Hospital Board and Queensland Health knew about the appalling treatment of senior staff and failed to act is shameful.
“This toxic culture was allowed to continue for almost three years and has directly impacted the people of the Sunshine Coast.
“SCUH and Nambour are the two worst performing public hospitals in Queensland for elective surgery wait times. One in three patients are not treated on time at SCUH. It’s a disgrace.
“It’s clear the culture of cover-ups is so pervasive within the State Government, it has resulted in Queensland Health workers being bullied, harassed and victimised.
“Health Workers and the Sunshine Coast residents they care for, deserve better.
“Time and time again we have seen matters of poor integrity covered up by the State Government.
“The culture of cover-ups must be exposed to ensure it does not continue on the Sunshine Coast or anywhere else in Queensland.”
Queenslanders deserve a world-class health system no matter where they live.
The “Unleashing the Potential: an open and equitable health system” report released today by the Health Minister doesn’t provide any solutions towards fixing the Queensland Health Crisis.
It doesn’t even provide a timeline for recommendations to be implemented.
All Queenslanders want to see is a better healthcare system in Queensland.
There are no practical, tangible solutions in this report that could be implemented right now to fix the Queensland Health Crisis.
Queensland is in the grip of an ambulance ramping crisis, the likes of which we have never seen before.
Queenslanders have died in the arms of their loved ones waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The stories are harrowing and tragic.
This report doesn’t even mention the ambulance ramping crisis. Not once.
It talks about delivering equitable healthcare, yet in rural and regional Queensland, dozens of birthing suites have been shut down by successive Labor Governments.
Just last week a baby was born on the side of the Warrego Highway because the local birthing suite was shut.
How is that fair or equitable for expectant mums in the bush?
The State Government can’t just keep talking about these problems and hoping they’ll go away.
The problems plaguing Queensland Health are too big for that.
The State Labor Government is losing control of Queensland Health and Queenslanders are paying the price because of their inaction and unwillingness to fix the Queensland Health Crisis.
Queenslanders deserve better from this government.
Damning system failings have been identified in the first annual Child Death Review Report which examined the deaths of 55 children known to child safety.
Shadow Minister for Child Protection Amanda Camm said it’s clear the State Government is failing to keep Queensland children safe.
“The death of every child is tragic, and we owe it to every single one of these innocent children to act,” Ms Camm said.
“Heartbreakingly, recent events further reiterate why we need action now.
“This report confirms the system is failing.
“Children are being returned to unsafe situations like parents using the drug ice, domestic and family violence and guardians unwilling or unable to protect the child from harm.
“It found workload pressures led to shortcuts being taken with obvious patterns of harm being missed.
“In almost a quarter of the cases reviewed, cumulative harm was not recognised or responded to appropriately by the department.”
The report was tabled in Parliament along with the QFCC 2020-21 Annual Report - Deaths of children and young people Queensland which found the mortality rate for children known to Child Safety officials was almost twice that of the Queensland child mortality rate.
“When a child becomes involved with Child Safety we should be confident they will be kept safe,” Ms Camm said.
“The State Government’s track record speaks for itself.
"They are failing to keep Queensland children in their care safe.
“All Queenslanders deserve to know that children in the care of child services are being protected.”
The LNP is urging the State Government to introduce immediate and genuine solutions to the fix the Queensland Health Crisis.
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the health system has been in decline for the past 7 years and the State Government isn’t keeping up with population growth and demand.
“For more than a year the LNP has been putting forward positive solutions to fix the Queensland Health Crisis,” Ms Bates said.
“The LNP has been pushing for real time data in our hospitals, improving triaging, an investment in more beds, and empowering front line clinicians to make local decisions to ensure hospitals run smoothly.
“The Premier fails to consult when making decisions and is only interested in controlling how things look, not how things are.
“The number of Queenslanders shoved onto the waiting-list-for-the-waiting list has hit a record high of 245,000 patients.
“Under this government ambulance ramping has soared, ED department wait times are through the roof and the surgery waiting lists have ballooned.
“All of this was happening before COVID came to Queensland.
“The Gold Coast is today short 420 beds and will rise to 731 beds by 2031.
“The LNP has been pressuring the State Government about the need for a new hospital on the northern Gold Coast.
“This region only has 1.87 beds per 1000 population, which is well behind the national rate of 2.5 beds per 1000 people.
“Our dedicated doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals are the ones holding our hospitals together while the State Government fails to properly resource them.
“Our health workers are doing an incredible job while Labor is losing control of our hospitals.
“This State Government is more interested with how things look rather than fixing the Health Crisis.
“Frontline staff are exhausted.
“The LNP will not stop fighting for better patient care and properly resourcing our hospitals.”
Statement from Pat Weir, Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
It’s now been two months since the Land Court handed down its decision on the Acland Mine’s expansion.
The Premier has always hidden behind the court’s decision as a reason for her own inaction.
Hundreds of workers have lost their jobs because of the Premier’s failure to make a decision.
There are serious questions the Premier must answer as to why she is holding this up.
Is the Premier waiting for more time-wasting objections to give her a reason to force further legal action and keep holding this up?
Or is it because the Premier has given up on governing, too focused on the long list of integrity scandals embroiling her Government and Ministers?
I again call on the Premier to get out of this project’s way.
Her time is well and truly up.
These displaced workers, their families and the great rural communities I proudly represent deserve better from this State Government.
Statement by Ros Bates, Shadow Minister for Health and Ambulance Services
I am appalled at reports a baby was born on the side of a busy highway because of a lack of maternity services in Chinchilla.
We’ve been saying for months that Queensland Health is in crisis, and this again proves the State Government is losing control of our health services.
No expectant mother should have to face the prospect of delivering their baby on the side of the Warrego Highway.
It’s dangerous and absurd.
We know that this Labor State Government has closed dozens of rural maternity services in Queensland and this case at Chinchilla is no different.
So where does that leave expectant mums?
The Rural Maternity Taskforce report completed in 2019 must be sitting on a shelf in the Minister’s office collecting dust.
The Health Minister must be held accountable.
She’s stopped listening to the needs of rural communities and expectant mums.
They deserve better.
CCIQ PULSE SURVEY FAST FACTS:
The LNP is calling on the Premier and Treasurer to take urgent action after the Chamber of Commerce Institute of Queensland’s quarterly survey revealed a drastic drop in business confidence.
The survey released today lays bare the sad state of Queensland’s small and family business sector.
Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki said that the government's obsession with how things look rather than how things are has real impacts on Queensland taxpayers.
"The Treasurer has repeatedly ignored the pleas of small and family business owners for support in this crucial hour," Mr Janetzki said.
"I have grave fears for the mental health of our business people who have given everything to their business, staff and community.
"Business owners list 'discontent with political leadership' as a key influence leading to their shattered confidence.
“We need clear and consistent messaging to restore confidence and give business owners hope for their future."
Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business Brent Mickelberg says the sector is being ignored.
“Where is the Minister for Small Business? She is in hiding when Queenslanders need her the most,” Mr Mickelberg.
“The lack of action has left small and family businesses with nothing but more uncertainty.
“Revenue has been slashed and employment is down, and we have a government with no plan.
“To see the rise in the number of businesses and their staff experiencing mental health challenges is extremely distressing. The Premier’s lack of action is cruel.
“The Opposition has been listening to businesses. That’s why we put suggestions forward for a support package, like targeted grants and payroll tax relief.
“Confidence is crashing. Businesses need a lifeline.”
Today’s damning allegations from yet another former independent officer adds further fuel to the fire of the crisis that is burning through this State Government.
The time for ducking and weaving and attempts to deflect, distract and attack is over.
The claims made by the former Director of Forensic Disability Vanda Wieczorkowski is more evidence that there is an integrity crisis burning through the Queensland Government.
Here is another former senior member of the public service who has been heavied and intimidated for speaking up.
Instead of listening to her concerns and fixing a rotting system, the powers that be forced her out.
This is the behaviour of a dodgy, rotten government.
Over the past month we’ve heard damning allegations from multiple senior integrity officers.
Let’s recap.
Nothing short of a full blown Royal Commission into the integrity crisis burning through the heart of this government is required.
When a government gives up on integrity, they give up on governing for you in place of their mates.
After the darkest period for integrity in more than three decades anything short of Royal Commission is a cop out.
