LNP Jokes About Loss Of 500 Regional Jobs

Media Release 

Deputy Opposition leader, Tim Mulherin, says the LNP government has shown its arrogant attitude to regional communities by joking about the loss of 500 jobs in Ergon Energy.

“These latest cuts to government jobs comes on top of the Newman Government recording a 6.3% jobless rate — worse than during the global financial crisis — and leaks from the LNP party room that Queensland faces unemployment of up to 8.5%,” Mr Mulherin said.

“Yet at a Budget Estimates hearing the Minister Assisting the Premier, Glen Elmes treated a serious question about these job cuts in a dismissive and flippant manner.

“He joked that he could not comment because the committee was discussing the multi-cultural affairs aspect of his portfolio.

“But Mr Elmes has direct responsibility for industrial relations within the public sector and Ergon is still a government-owned corporation until the Newman Government sells it off.

“The fact is the loss of 500 regional jobs directly contradicts the Premier’s claims that his program of mass sackings will not impact on frontline jobs and frontline services.

“Ergon Energy is a frontline service producer and all its employees feed their skills into frontline services.

“The loss of 500 jobs is especially worrying in the lead-up to the summer storm season when power supplies can be at risk.

“If Mr Elmes does not care about regional frontline jobs the Premier needs to explain why 500 people on the frontline of the state’s power system are going to be out of work when he promised their jobs would be safe.

“It is yet another broken promise by an arrogant government that simply does not care about regional communities,” Mr Mulherin said.