Another day, another jobs and infrastructure promise from Michelle Landry and her failed LNP colleagues.
It would be a bit easier to take this new promise seriously if we’d seen any of their earlier ones actually delivered.
After four years in government, all we’ve seen from Ms Landry and the LNP is empty promises, while jobs disappear across Central Queensland, or get replaced by insecure casual and labour hire positions.
But don’t worry – now we have a ten year action plan for infrastructure in Central Queensland.
Isn’t that what the LNP’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Plan was all about? That plan was announced nearly two years ago, and guess how much has been spent? Zero. Nothing. Not one dollar, even though $5 billion was put aside in the Federal Budget.
Then we had the Beef Roads and Northern Australia Roads Program. Again, how many projects are underway? Not one. Not one job created in Central Queensland.
And last election, we had the Bowen Basin
And let’s not forget the Shoalwater Bay expansion, which locals were tricked into voting for at the last election, but weren’t told would need compulsory farm acquisitions.
What Central Queensland needs is local jobs right now. That’s why Labor has promised to toughen the rules around the use of temporary overseas workers, so that locals get a look in. We’ve said 10% of the workforce on all Federally-funded projects should be apprentices. And we committed to use $1 billion of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund to boost tourism across the north.
If the LNP adopted just one of Labor’s policies, we could have more locals in jobs, today.
The time for empty promises from a failed LNP MP is over. Central Queensland needs action now.
Let’s see how that turned out.
Landry promised a $1 billion defence spend at Shoalwater Bay. What that actually meant was forced acquisition of land, something she conveniently forgot to mention before the election.
Landry promised a $30 million jobs package to get the Bowen Basin back on track. So far, not a single dollar has been spent and not a single new job.
Landry promised vital upgrades to Capricornia’s roads as part of the Turnbull Government’s Northern Australian Roads Program (NARP). And yet, two years on, not one job has been created or sod turned.
And all the while, we’re seeing jobs leave Capricornia in droves, and Landry’s not doing a thing to stop it. Just ask the 70 miners who were recently made redundant out at the Foxleigh Mine in Middlemount.
This announcement looks a lot like déjà vu to me. The LNP will say whatever they can to win back Central Queensland, and Landry will promise anything to keep her job.
Tim Nicholls, Leader of the State Opposition, said Central Queenslanders were sick of “Canberra style politics”. He and Michelle Landry should take a good, hard look at themselves.
Central Queenslanders are sick of pollies that don’t deliver.
