LNP Government Pre-Empts CMC Inquiry

Media Release.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Premier and senior LNP Ministers are pre-empting the work of a bi-partisan parliamentary inquiry by calling for CMC chair Ross Martin QC to resign.
“The Premier and his Ministers down must butt out and let the all-party parliamentary inquiry find the facts,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The LNP has had a longstanding hostility towards anti-corruption watchdogs stretching back to the CMC’s predecessor — the Criminal Justice Commission — and further back to the Fitzgerald Inquiry itself.
“Statements by the Premier today and the menacing remarks by both the Attorney-General and the Treasurer in State Parliament this morning show the LNP government is acting as judge and jury on Mr Martin.
“If this attack on the CMC chair continues, then Queenslanders should start questioning the LNP government’s real agenda.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the Opposition supported moves to address problems arising from the mistaken early release of files linked to the Fitzgerald Commission of Inquiry.
“This is an extraordinary situation which I understand has never arisen anywhere in Australia, so we have an obligation to protect anyone who may be under threat from unauthorised release of Fitzgerald Inquiry files,” she said.
“The Opposition backs the inquiry by the bi-partisan Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee into this matter.
“But unlike the LNP government we have made no judgement about Mr Martin’s role except to say he needs to explain what went wrong. He will do so to the PCMC’s inquiry.
“The PCMC will report back in April but already the Premier, Mr Nicholls and Mr Bleijie have pre-empted that bi-partisan process by suggesting Mr Martin has to go now.
“Queenslanders must question why the LNP takes any chance it can to attack and denigrate the CMC,” Ms Palaszczuk said.