"Mr Garrett, a former protector of the environment and of the heritage of our nation, now siding with the developers," Senator Barnaby Joyce says.
Last week, Senator Joyce passed a motion asking the Minister to cease the destruction order of Cairns' historic Yacht Club building. The site is marked for a residential tower block.
Garret says that the building has already twice failed to be included on the National Heritage List and there is no new evidence for that to change.
Senator Joyce says Garrett is selling out. "He now believes in uranium mining, he now believes in the destruction of the yacht club. He has completely compromised everything he ever believed in."
However, organisers from the group trying to save the old building, say there is a wealth of evidence to support its retention. It's just that every Labor politician is lining up behind local member Desley Boyle. They are look as pathetic as a 3 ring circus. It's about time that they swallow their pride, and one of them stood up for the people.
Garrett has been awfully inconsistent in this debate. His history says one thing, but he's become a puppet to the State Labor government. How sad, he's lost any lingering respect from the far north Queensland community. He'll be far from welcome up here again.
Peter Garrett, hang you head in shame.
2 comments:
Federal Labor have continually ignored the False Cape issue and now suddenly they are acting. It should be seen for what it is – a pathetic attempt at a trade off to take the heat off their Queensland counterparts. One issue - the environment, for another issue-cultural heritage. Divide and conquer. If there were any doubts about the ethics and integrity of the Labor party they are now well and truly dispelled.
The Cairns Yacht Club is a totally separate issue and firmly in the Queensland Government’s ball park where it all began with the Cairns Port Authority, a public sector entity seemingly above the law.
The 2006 Cityport Land Use Plan contravenes the Transport and Infrastructure Act by failing to address the cultural heritage values of the CYC, in “valuable features” a core matter of land use plans. The CPA has also failed to address CYC’s “area of state significance (cultural heritage) designation under the 2003 Wet Tropical Coast Regional Coastal Management Plan a statutory law under the Coastal Protection and Management Act. State Interest Planning Policy for Cultural Heritage (Historical) has also been ignored. During the 2006-2007 period, Ministers Anna Bligh and Paul Lucas were both Shareholding Ministers of the CPA. With CPA also holding a 50% shareholding in Advance Cairns Limited an organisation well known in association with our former Council and Mayor, the Cairns Yacht Club never stood a chance. One can only imagine the pressure exerted on the club in relation to the Memorandum of Understanding.
If ever there was an issue worthy of a CMC investigation, this is it.
I wonder if Barnaby Joyce is still calling Peter Garrett a sell-out this morning, following the Minister's recent decisions on False Cape and Shoalwater?
Or is born-again heritage-conserver Senator Joyce, like other Coalition colleagues up here in FNQ, selective in his righteous indignation?
I don't want to be a kill-joy. It's nice to see some local conservatives get behind the protection of built heritage.
But to earn the right to call Peter Garrett a 'sell-out' takes a little more sustained effort, IMO - if it's not to be easily dismissed as hypocrisy and opportunism.
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