Opposition Statement: Labor blocks LNP access to Caloundra South info

[ozbob]

http://www.fionasimpson.com.au/Media/LocalNews/tabid/69/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/553/Labor-blocks-LNP-access-to-Caloundra-South-info.aspx

Labor blocks LNP access to Caloundra South info

Friday, 5 November 2010

The long term Labor Government has been accused of being "arrogant" and "secretive" about the Caloundra South Development.

Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads Fiona Simpson blasted the Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe for cancelling an Opposition briefing on the Caloundra South Development at the last minute.

Ms Simpson said she gave nearly a week's notice for the meeting, which she requested following concerns about the impact of the development on the already strained Sunshine Coast transport network.

"This refusal to be open, transparent and timely shows the growing arrogance of the long term Labor Government and raises real concerns about the abuse of the Ministerial Call-In power," said Ms Simpson.

Shadow Health Minister and Caloundra MP Mark McArdle said Minister Hinchliffe had yet again shown contempt for local people on the Sunshine Coast with his top down, 'like it or lump it' approach.

"While he was willing to call-in the Caloundra South Development with no notice to the local community, he is unwilling to brief MPs despite almost a week's notice," he said.

"Yet again the long term Labor Government has refused to be transparent and inform the community through their representatives in Parliament.

"The people of the Sunshine Coast deserve some real answers about what impact this development will have on the local community and why this project was called in by the Minister."

Ms Simpson said MPs had a right to see what planning the State Government had done.

"The fact Government ministers are trying to block and delay appropriate briefings is unacceptable," she said.

[#Metro]

The LNP are obviously in election mode or gearing up for it.
Read their "policy paper".

It contains no definite measures (i.e. it does not answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why, how and how much $$$).

What public transport improvements, exactly?
When will these improvements come?
How much will they cost?
Where will they go?
Who will pay for it/organise it?
etc..

SEQ 2031 is a bit better, as at least we know what projects are going where and and have a vague idea about when. No idea about how much though. The motorway bits were out of the spotlight and not talked a lot, but in the absence of $$$ numbers we cannot tell whether "front loading" of the report has occured.

(front loading is where you spend all the time/pages talking about PT while in the back pages, you find out later that all the $$$ are going into road projects).

[Stillwater]

The Opposition continues to disappoint.  The 'policy paper' seems to have been written over the weekend after it received a knock-back on a briefing about Sunshine Coast public transport issues.  However, it is a pledge to develop a transport policy for the Sunshine Coast before the next election.  That has to be a plus.  But it has to be comprehensive, not just motherhood statements and vague timetabling, and should be free of words like 'in the interests of fiscal responsibility, these timings and are subject to budgetary considerations at the time the LNP gains government.'  RailBOT holds the government to account over its promises and strategies.  We should treat the Opposition no differently.  If only the LNP has committed to more than to havea policy before the next election.  And none of this releasing it on the Thursday/Friday before the election so it can't be scrutinised.  That won't wash.  Nor will the excuse that 'we won't release it early because the government may steal our ideas as their own'.  They are big boys and girls and should have faith that a group like RailBOT will try and keep everyone honest -- government and Opposition alike.

[#Metro]

More detail required. Even RailBOT's media releases have a greater level of specificity and depth.
You read it and you know- right- it's CAMCOS and it needs to be built at X date or its X more bus services or a rail shuttle from Gympie North or a toilet on train X.