Tony Abbott, Leader of the Opposition. Credit: Tony Abbott
By Rich Bowden:
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has turned up the heat on the Queensland Labor Government, calling its proposed legislation to protect a number of wild rivers in the State’s north “outrageous.”
Mr Abbott promised to introduce a private members’ bill into the federal Parliament which would would reverse the Queensland Government’s efforts to preserve a number of rivers under the State’s Wild Rivers Act.
“It’s my intention to introduce private member’s legislation as soon as parliament resumes in order to overturn the Queensland government’s Wild Rivers Act, at least in so far as it impacts on Cape York,” Mr Abbott was reported as saying in a statement.
The act was introduced to protect a number of wild rivers in Queensland’s north from farming, mining and aquaculture, however a number of Aboriginal groups have said the law prevents them from making a living.
Mr Abbott told reporters today that he believed the act was discriminatory.
“The Queensland government says that it supports a better life for Aboriginal people, but it has effectively locked them out of their land by making economic development on Cape York almost prohibitive through over regulation and red tape.”
Commenting on Mr Abbott’s statement, Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said the Federal Government was committed to improving relations with Indigenous people.
“We in the government are committed to closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians,” she said.
Mr Abbott has said he has discussed the matter with Indigenous leaders, who he claimed had been ignored over the issue.
“Aboriginal people in Cape York have been protesting long and loud to the Queensland Government about this legislation,” he said.”They’ve been ignored.”
“I don’t expect that I would be listened to anymore by the Queensland Government than local people would be listened to.”
However Queensland’s Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson rejected the Opposition Leader’s claims.
“This is typical of Tony Abbott,” Mr Robertson said.
“[It is] an overreaction to a complex issue and one that, whilst he might play it out as some sort of stunt in Federal Parliament, I suspect [it] won’t change a thing in terms of the ongoing campaign by some individuals against our Wild Rivers legislation.”
Abbott appears to be up to his (and his former master's) old tricks of playing wedge politics. This is a very sensitive issue, which Abbott knows about and is not as simple as he is trying to portray in the media. He is trying to avoid having any serious discussion about the Coalition's policies because he knows they don't have what it takes to win the next election.