Question for the Prime Minister
There is one question which our Liberal Prime Minister needs to answer during his four-day tour of the whole of Queensland.
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Is his government going to sign a treaty between white Australia and the original inhabitants of the continent, Tasmania and the Torres Strait islands -- yes or no?
The easy thing to do is to shout the whole thing down, to bellow NO, NO, NO !
That's what happened to the plans for a Makarrata in the lead-up to the 1988 Bicentenary.
Or he could embrace the idea, because a treaty would be a once-and-for-all solution to the problems of land rights and everything else.
It would not only set a level below which the original inhabitants could no longer be pushed.
It would also bring an end to the special claims which they can make.
After all, the sinking of the Makarrata was closely followed by the landmark Mabo and Wik cases.
Many in Queensland are dead keen to avoid all further surprises of that kind.
So, Scomo -- a treaty, yes or no?
And by the way: just ignoring the whole question means No, because it also means the continuation of special claims.
The National Party, the LNP and One Nation, among others, are particularly interested in your answer.
G.T.W. AGNEW.
Coopers Plains
Electricity tariff crisis fast approaching
The Palaszczuk Labor Government is presiding over an electricity price crisis with Queensland farmers’ tariffs set to be switched off in 2020.
More than 10,000 customers on existing obsolete farming and irrigation tariffs such as T62, 65 and 66 will be worse off when they are phased out.
The difference between this Labor Government and the Liberal National Party is that we are working with agricultural industry groups on solutions that will mitigate the damage caused when the tariffs finally end.
It is quite clear that Labor have no plan at all.
The Liberal National Party’s Agriculture, Energy and Water Council continues to engage with key agricultural groups such as the Queensland Farmers’ Federation, CANEGROWERS, Cotton Australia, Growcom and AgForce to find industry-led solutions.
We are hearing loud and clear that the industry doesn’t just need a single new ‘Agriculture tariff’ to solve its concerns.
it needs a suite of new electricity tariffs that appropriately reflect the diverse needs of modern agricultural production in this state.
That’s why the Liberal National Party is calling for a complete overhaul and restructure of Queensland’s tariff structure designed to support our agricultural businesses.
The Liberal National Party understands how important water and electricity is to productivity.
We will continue to fight for lower electricity prices and increased access to affordable water for Queensland agriculture.
Unlike Annastacia Palaszczuk, a Deb Frecklington Liberal National Party Government will deliver a suite of tariffs that reflect modern agricultural production in this state.
We would end the divide between the southeast and the rest of regional Queensland by introducing competition into the retail electricity market.
We wouldn’t tell the agriculture industry how to operate.
We would work with the industry and listen to stakeholders, which is exactly what Labor isn’t doing.
Tony Perrett
LNP Shadow Agriculture Minister