April 30, 2014
The Electrical Trades Union and the Not4Sale campaign have thrown their weight behind a petition sponsored by Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller calling for a referendum on asset sales by the State Government.
The petition – both online and paper – will be launched today to coincide with Treasurer Tim Nicholls’ visit to the South Burnett.
ETU state secretary Peter Simpson said the call for a referendum was the only way to gauge public opinion because the government was “hiding behind spin and lies to further its agenda”.
“The government has failed to prosecute its argument for asset sales so it is now embarking on a $6 million PR campaign,” he said.
“Queenslanders deserve far better than that, they deserve a referendum on the issue of asset sales, they are their assets after all.”
Mr Simpson said the Treasurer’s “tightly scripted and limited attendance community forums” and a refusal to debate University of Queensland Professor John Quiggin over the need for asset sales was the last straw.
“Mr Nicholls is out there saying he is consulting with Queenslanders through his so-called Strong Choices forums, but in reality he is cancelling forums and playing to half-full halls because the registration processes are designed to limit attendance,” Mr Simpson said.
“On our reckoning he has met with fewer than 200 Queenslanders in his first five forums, hardly a representative segment.
“We are launching the campaign today because the South Burnett, like Ipswich and many other regional areas of Queensland has been hit hard by the government’s preparation for asset sales.
“The jobs lost at Tarong have had a massive impact on the region and we know that many people here are feeling betrayed by their Liberal National Party MPs.”
- External link: The online petition
