Public Should See Secret Costello Report

Media Release.

 

Acting Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin says the final report of the Costello Audit is likely to put the future of public assets at risk, including port authorities, state schools, and power industry bodies.

Mr Mulherin said the LNP’s head-long rush to sell public assets was the reason it had kept secret the second instalment of the Costello Report since receiving it at the end of November.

“The fact the Education Minister this week failed to rule out the future sale of state schools is an ominous sign for communities across Queensland,” Mr Mulherin said.

“The LNP is on a path to sell off as many public assets as possible, even schools just because developers would like to get their hands on their prime sites.

“This is a government that sees only dollar signs when looking at schools when they should be seen as vital components of the communities they serve.

“The LNP has already shown it has no hesitation in selling public assets. It is offloading an unknown number of publicly owned office blocks just to help fund its one and only capital works project — a new Executive Building for the Premier and his Ministers.”

Mr Mulherin said the LNP should immediately release the secret second instalment of the Costello Report.

“The government will excuse its secretive behaviour by saying the final full Costello Report will be issued in February,” he said.

“But Queenslanders — who incidentally are paying Peter Costello $3,300 a day — deserve to see the still-secret second report in full before the government sanitises its contents for inclusion in the final report.

“Let’s see what Mr Costello is recommending for the future of government-owned corporations such as regional port authorities, power industry assets, government office blocks, and schools.

“Put simply: What is the government hiding and why is it so afraid to release the second Costello Report?”

Mr Mulherin said the first report of the Costello Audit had been roundly criticised as being politically motivated and based on wild and false assumptions.

“Everyone knows the Costello Audit has never been ‘independent’,” he said.

“The Treasurer Tim Nicholls initially offered to brief the Opposition on behalf of the ‘independent’ audit team when the first Costello report appeared in June. That offer was rightly rejected.

“But Mr Nicholls later sat in on a briefing the Opposition did receive last August by the ‘independent’ audit team members including Mr Costello.

“Everyone knows there is nothing ‘independent’ about an audit commissioned by an LNP government from a still-active Liberal Party politician,” Mr Mulherin said.