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GBRMPA have done themselves untold damage in the eyes of the public in making a decision on dredging dumping that flies in the face of all the science. Many people are understandably asking... are they just bending to the will of their Federal employers.
Tour operators have indicated that this decision will impact on tourism and our international reputation.
While spokesmen for the organisation have come out defending the decision, it is clear by their statements that the health of the reef has come a distant second. While stating that there are 50 conditions on this approval, it seems likely that there will be insufficient measures in place to ensure compliance. There have been staff cuts at the Environment Department and the Marine Park Authority themselves already with more expected to come.
The Newman government and Minister Hunt are clearly relying on their being insufficient oversight to ensure that the coal business continues unrestrained and unaccountable for the environmental and regional impact.
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Perhaps the Newman government have finally accepted that any one with half a brain won't be voting LNP at the next state election, so its time to target them.
It is clear that Newman's Federal counterparts have no idea what they are doing, after having made any and every promise they thought would get them elected, they now find themselves in a policy vacuum unable to deliver on the Mad Monk's pre-election brain waves. The Qld LNP are however quite different. There are incompetent ministers, such as Jarrod 'Trainer Wheels' Bleijie who needs to rewrite his legislation over and over again, but the government themselves know exactly what they are doing and are hitting all their targets.
They are targeting workers and minorities because they can. They have a large majority and Queensland doesn't have a house of review. Given that they can do as they please, now is the time to take a cold hard look at the Newman government, because what we're seeing is what we will continue to get while they are in power. In a matter of months they will start to enter re-election mode, with all the bribes and smokescreens that come with that, a time when they begin trying to spin all the damage they have done into some kind of victory for all Queenslanders.
The upcoming by-election and the subsequent state election result will tell us how far the Newman government have succeeded in taking us down the path to their vision for Queensland as the 'Dumb State'.