Robbie Katter incensed over Premier’s spending spree
The Member for Mount Isa, Rob Katter said he was incensed over the $80 million the Queensland Premier has spent in his marginal seat of Ashgrove, saying the money was earned in the resource centres of the State, such as Mount Isa.
“Mount Isa and Cloncurry in 2012-13 generated $213m in royalties and similar figures over other years. To have $80m of that prioritised for Ashgrove schools over projects such as the Mount Isa water or the Cloncurry Dam is an insult.
“This is perverse, taking money earned by the State’s producers and deliberately channelling it into the Premier’s own electorate,” Mr Katter said.
“Voters in Mount Isa should remember this when they come to vote; that the Premier has taken money meant for our schools, our roads, our water infrastructure, and used it to try and secure his own seat.”
Money spent in the Ashgrove electorate amounts to more than $2500 per voter, and includes a $5 million sports hall at The Gap State High School and $3 million on new classrooms for Ashgrove State School.
“Yet the Government couldn’t stump up the cash to keep the Gregory Downs School open in this electorate, and gave us a paltry $500,000 in Royalties to the Regions for our water treatment.
“That is no measure of a good government; that is simply trying to buy votes,” Mr Katter said.
“At the next election voters in the Mount Isa electorate need to look at the jobs lost, Royalties not returned to the regions, state assets lined up to be sold, laws rammed through with disregard to expert legal opinion, rural communities hung out to dry… and ask themselves, what kind of leadership is this?”
Mr Katter said he looked forward to mounting a vigorous campaign against both LNP and Labor in Mount Isa “to stop these major parties playing around with our hard-earned dollars”.