‘No Idea’ Seeney’s Excuses Run Out

 Media Release.

OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

WEDNESDAY  10 JULY 2013

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says information published in the official Government Gazette explodes the Deputy Premier’s excuses for not knowing the impact of pay rises on ministerial salaries.

“The Premier should sack Mr Seeney from Cabinet so he can never be left in charge of our state again,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“Mr Seeney is saying he didn’t know the full impact of the pay rise, especially its effect on the salaries of the Premier and Ministers."

“When announcing his backflip on Tuesday he said: ‘I had no idea what the calculation would be. I had no idea what the sums would add up to.'

“But last Friday 5 July the Newman Government gazetted notice of the pay rises."

“In black and white that notice shows the 41.9% pay increase would also apply to the additional salary components for ministers and other office holders."

“The responsible agency for the notice was the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Mr Seeney was Acting Premier.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Seeney expected Queenslanders to believe he had no knowledge of the impacts of the pay rise even though he should have read the submission taken to Cabinet on 1 July to approve the rises.

“He also expects us to believe he knew nothing of any details contained in the paperwork presented for approval by the Governor-in-Council last Thursday and the gazettal of the pay rises the following day,” she said.

“Either he is misleading Queenslanders or is too incompetent to hold the office of Deputy Premier and serve as Acting Premier or in any other ministerial role.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the Premier should dismiss Mr Seeney from Cabinet so he was never left in charge of the state again.

“Mr Seeney is the minister supposedly responsible for multi-billion-dollar major projects yet he admits he made no effort to satisfy himself about the details of the pay rise issue,” she said.

“If he can’t be bothered finding out the details of a sensitive issue such as MPs’ pay rises, he is not up to the job of overseeing major projects that can have enormous impacts on jobs, our state economy and our environment.”