Bligh avoids protesters

Union organiser Jason Young didn’t get chance to talk to Anna Bligh yesterday but he made sure she heard how angry he is about the asset sale policy. Hundreds travelled to Emu Park to have their say and there was a carnival atmosphere among the protesters.

CHRIS ISON

ANNA BLIGH had plenty to say about Queensland Rail and the controversial asset sale policy yesterday, but not to the hundreds of angry protesters who gathered outside the community cabinet in Emu Park.

The Premier decided not to risk a confrontation when she arrived at the town’s state school shortly before the event was due to start at 1.30pm.

With a policeman at her side, and with other officers anxiously monitoring her progress, she ignored the chanters and flag-wavers and moved swiftly into the venue by a side entrance.

ETU state organiser Jason Young, who had travelled from Brisbane, led the cry of “shame Anna shame” with a loud hailer as the subject of his fury disappeared from view and into the relative safety of the school’s main hall.

And despite his disappointment at not being able to engage Ms Bligh in direct debate he said he was thrilled at the numbers who had turned out to campaign against the sale of the state’s coal train business.

“I am very impressed with the turn out, it shows just how dissatisfied people are with the government’s betrayal.

“Rockhampton is a big railway town and people are voicing their disgust. Anna Bligh darted straight past and ignored us.”

Jason said if he had got the chance to speak with the Premier he would have said that times had changed, the economy was on the up and the way she was determined to sell “our kids’ futures” was a disgrace.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union said it estimated more than 1000 had joined the protest and the Premier had received a vocal reception when she arrived in contrast to the warm cheers for Paul Hoolihan, the Member for Keppel who has questioned the sale of assets.

Craig Allen, the Central Queensland organiser, said: “It’s time for the government to take an honest look at the figures. Queensland needs the ongoing revenue that these public assets provide for our state and should not be sold off.”

But inside the community forum Ms Bligh launched a robust defence of the government’s decision to seek a buyer for QR.

She said it was one of the hardest decisions her cabinet had ever had to take.

Over the next 15 years she said Queensland’s mines would increase export production from 180 million tonnes a year to 400 million tonnes a year. It would require huge ongoing investment in the rail network, in new lines and wagons, to keep up with demand and she would much rather spend taxpayers’ money on hospitals, schools, roads and looking after the vulnerable than on coal trucks.

“If we can’t increase capacity, we can’t keep our customers and if we can’t keep our customers we can’t keep our workers,” she said.

Earlier yesterday she announced Queensland Rail was launching its biggest ever recruitment drive for apprentices. There would be 120 new apprentices, 20 of them in the Rockhampton workshops.

It was evidence, she said, that job security was extremely strong in the rail industry because of the coal business and the number of jobs in the industry would continue to grow irrespective of who ran or owned Queensland Rail.

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Premier Bligh put on the spot