{"id":65639,"date":"2014-04-30T00:25:10","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T14:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=65639"},"modified":"2020-08-31T16:18:23","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T06:18:23","slug":"mp-sponsors-petition-on-asset-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/04\/30\/mp-sponsors-petition-on-asset-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"MP Sponsors Petition On Asset Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ETU State Secretary Peter Simpson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 30, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The petition – both online and paper – will be launched today to coincide with Treasurer Tim Nicholls\u2019 visit to the South Burnett.<\/p>\n

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”.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government has failed to prosecute its argument for asset sales so it is now embarking on a $6 million PR campaign,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Queenslanders deserve far better than that, they deserve a referendum on the issue of asset sales, they are their assets after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Simpson said the Treasurer\u2019s “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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr 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.<\/p>\n

“On our reckoning he has met with fewer than 200 Queenslanders in his first five forums, hardly a representative segment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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\u2019s preparation for asset sales.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n