Forimmediaterelease8March2013

MEDIARELEASE

GillardsnubsMackayanotherbrokenpromise
Far from honouring their pre-election promise to hold a federal community cabinet meeting in Mackay, Julia Gillard has not even set foot in the city in the two-and-a-half years since the last election. Less than 24 hours before the federal election, Labor promised Mackay would host a Federal Government community cabinet meeting but instead, Julia Gillard has spent a week living in Western Sydney, trying to stave off electoral oblivion. Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said the snubbing was another broken promise on top of the broken promises on the carbon tax and the budget surplus. The Labor candidate said, at the 2010 federal election, that if Labor was elected they would hold a community cabinet here in Mackay, Mr Christensen said.* Were only six months out from the election and Julia Gillard hasnt even set foot in Mackay, let alone hold a community cabinet meeting. The fact that she can rearrange her schedule to parade around Western Sydney for a week but cant keep a promise to come to Mackay shows where Labors priorities lie. Everything Labor does is about holding onto power and there are no promises they arent prepared to break to do it. Liberal National Coalition leader, Tony Abbott, Nationals leader, Warren Truss, and Shadow Treasuer, Joe Hockey, have all visited Mackay twice since the last election. Tony Abbott and a host of other Shadow Ministers have visited Mackay but Julia Gillards planned visit to Mackay was cancelled at the last minute when she realised she was in for a hostile reception, Mr Christensen said. After the introduction of the carbon tax in July last year, Julia Gillard was scheduled to fly into Rockhampton, Mackay, and Townsville but cancelled the Mackay stop at the last minute. Initially, I was critical of her for not having the courage to drive the Bruce Highway to visit our region but, as it turns out, she didnt even have the courage to touch down at the airport, Mr Christensen said. Far from wearing out the shoe leather like she promised at the time, Julia Gillard completely avoided exposure to a hostile public critical of her carbon tax and mining tax by simply jetting over the top of Mackay and flying directly from Rockhampton to Townsville.

It is abundantly clear that the Prime Minister knows how North Queenslanders feel about her carbon tax and her mining tax. She knows that even a Community Cabinet would not be able to sell her toxic tax in Mackay so she scurried off to Townsville instead.
*http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/08/21/swanningintopushlocalpoint/ ENDS Forfurtherinformation,contactDaveWestmanon0402411984