A FEDERAL Cabinet Minister has used the financial woes of Clive Palmer’s Queensland Nickel to justify why people should not vote for minor parties.
Christopher Pyne told Channel Nine this week that Queensland Nickel’s voluntary administration was; “an example of why people shouldn’t play with independents and minor parties, because of the instability they create.”
The comment angered Katter’s Australian Party State Member for Mount Isa, Rob Katter.
Mr Katter said; “I had steam coming out of my ears when I heard that.
“It is absolute nonsense and it’s part of the game for the major parties to really remove proper debate from the parliaments and operate as it’s intended to.
“Christopher Pyne sadly confuses simple government with stable government now.”
Mr Katter said a parliament kept to only two parties was not necessarily stable or effective.
For example, the Queensland Labor Government has been spending the first 12 months of its term undoing policy decisions made by the former LNP government.
“The poor people of Queensland keep getting this whole revolving door of policy,” he said.
Mr Katter said the two major parties in the Queensland Parliament had for at least 10 years tried to bring in ethanol mandate legislate but it took the KAP as recent as last year to get it passed.
“It got the whole house support, what better example do you need of that?” he asked.
Mr Pyne also told Channel Nine: “Quite frankly, whether it’s Labor or Liberal, we have the processes in place to ensure that we don’t have the kind of outcomes that happen with PUP or One Nation or whatever political party is passing at the time.”
Federal Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer’s Townsville based Queensland Nickel went into voluntary administration and recently made 237 workers redundant.
Media states more than $20 million was donated by Queensland Nickel to the Palmer United Party.
Fairfax Media reports that Mr Palmer promised to one day write to every Townsville home to explain what happened at Queensland Nickel.
“The issue is not a political one,” he said.
Source: http://www.northweststar.com.au