Wednesday 5 May 2010

Mounting pressure from with QLD Labor about asset sales

A number of Queensland Labor MPs have now voiced their concern about the asset sales.

Police Minister Neil Roberts, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor; Cairns MP and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Desley Boyle; Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and Sandgate MP Vicky Darling, have all written to Treasurer Andrew Fraser with concerns.

In a Right to Information disclosure to the Courier Mail, letters were revealed that showed Boyle said sales proceeds should go to social and economic programs for indigenous people.

Additionally, the Labor member for Keppel, Paul Hoolihan says the State Government should reconsider the asset sales because of profits from the mining industry.

"A recent Access Economics report showing the mining industry is likely to generate more Government revenue than expected could mean privatisation may no longer be needed," Paul Hoolihan told the ABC. "The financial situation because of that increase in income which has been predicted - if it's there and if it's genuine - then I believe that it may well be able to be looked at."

1 comment:

Oliver Redlynch said...

Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick - but I was under the impression that money was not the motiviator for the sale of state assets, but bringing in "efficiencies" and loosening the stranglehold the Unions had on those operations? (Which doesn't sound very "labour"-like but what the Tories did in England years ago).