WORKERS NEED SUPPORT FROM QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

Media Release

Queensland workers need support from Campbell Newman in the face another of round of massive job cuts in the state’s resources industry, Shadow Mining Minister Jo-Ann Miller said today.
Mrs Miller said news that BMA had axed 700 jobs from Queensland coal operations pointed to further trouble for the state’s unemployment rate.
“Campbell Newman’s statements that people who have lost their job today need assistance to find new work flies in the face of his record on cuts to jobs and cuts to job programs,” Mrs Miller said.
“It was the LNP Government that cut Labor’s Rapid Response Team which focussed on helping people transition to new jobs when large scale sackings like this happened."
“It was the LNP Government that cut the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program and has failed to recognise Labor policies like Jobs Queensland."
“Here we have a Government that is happy to take $2 billion in coal royalties this year after a record hike to coal royalties in their first budget but refuses to help workers."
“If Campbell Newman wasn’t so focussed on selling Queensland’s assets, perhaps he could offer real help for people who have lost their jobs today.”
Mrs Miller said mining towns across the Bowen Basin would suffer the run-on effects of the job cuts.
“Men and women worried about how they are now going to make ends meet need action and retraining opportunities from Campbell Newman,” she said.
“They want to save their towns and the services in their towns."
“Many small businesses are already closing down, health services are suffering, and mining companies are leaving hundreds of houses vacant."
“It will also affect those miners in regional Queensland who choose to fly and drive to their workplaces."
“Many families will suffer right across the state as they sell homes and cars.”
Mrs Miller said Campbell Newman needed to explain why he was missing his 4% unemployment target by so much.
“Tim Nicholls told us in April last year that ‘the worst was behind us’ when it came to slowing resource sector investment and job losses in the mining industry,” she said.
“Queenslanders are still losing their jobs in such large numbers so Tim Nicholls was clearly wrong.”