Shadow Minister for Community Services & Housing and Shadow Minister for Women Rosemary Menkens, who introduced a private members bill to recognise grandparents providing care, said the situation in which grandparents were becoming primary carers for their grandchildren was increasing.

“There are many reasons why grandparents are assuming care for their grandchildren,” Mrs Menkens said.

“Many grandparents are not in a position to be able to assume care for their grandchildren without suffering financial hardship.

 “Some are caught in a generation gap, simultaneously providing for elderly parents as well as grandchildren.

“They need recognition of the situation they are in, which is why the LNP has introduced a private members bill to ensure their interests are considered when decisions are made which will impact on their ability to care for their grandchildren.”

 Mrs Menkens said the bill would target those seniors who were doing it tough.

“It is not easy for people who are settling into retirement or semi-retirement to have to start looking after young children again,” she said.

 “It needs to be recognised that grandparents who provide full-time care to their grandchildren become primary care givers and deserve the same rights and benefits as other primary care givers.

 “The bill the LNP has introduced recognises the vital community service those grandparents perform and through the Grandparent Carer Charter (attached) provides a framework to ensure they are considered in any decision-making that affects them.”

 Schedule 1 The Grandparent Carers

LNP Shadow Transport Minister Fiona Simpson said the reports were a damning indictment of the Bligh Labor Government’s response and preparedness for such an environmental disaster.

“What is clear from these reports is that the Bligh Labor Government was not prepared for an oil spill of this magnitude,” Ms Simpson said.

 “While Maritime Safety Queensland had the knowledge and expertise to respond to the oil spill it couldn’t manage the clean up alone.

 “It is shocking that it took eight days for a clean-up plan to be formed, and another four days for it to be implemented, while the oil spill did more damage to a larger area.”

 Ms Simpson said the Premier’s disaster declaration actually made the departmental confusion worse.

 “The Premier gave every impression that her department had taken control of the clean up after the disaster declaration, but Ms Bligh failed to formally activate the declaration.

 “As a result, some believed Marine Safety Queensland no longer retained command and control of the clean up resulting in further delays and confusion.”

LNP health spokesman Mark McArdle said that questioning in parliament today revealed that State Labor was all too willing to hand over billions in GST money to Kevin Rudd without seeking answers to important questions – including whether regional hospitals and services will be shut down.

“If New South Wales senior health officials are correct, the Rudd reform could force the closure of more than 100 NSW hospitals, which begs the question – how many Queensland regional hospitals will close,” Mr McArdle said.

“Surely Queensland Health has performed a similar impact study, but the Minister denies such an ‘at threat’ list exists.

 “It’s bad enough having decisions made from Brisbane, let alone Canberra.

 “The LNP is in no doubt that we need to change the way the public hospital system is run.

“But the LNP will not agree that handing over billions of dollars of Queensland’s GST money is the right way to go given Rudd can’t even manage to put a pink batt in a roof – particularly without asking even seeking a guarantee of no hospital closures.”

LNP Shadow Transport Minister Fiona Simpson said Labor should stop playing politics and pass the LNP’s Alcohol Interlock Bill.

“Labor has been promising to introduce these devices since 2002 — eight years later they are still finding delays and excuses,” Ms Simpson said.

“The LNP Bill has been ready to debate for four months, but instead of preventing drink driving and saving lives the Bligh Labor Government has scrambled around to put an almost identical bill together.”

 Ms Simpson said the LNP Bill would mean - 

•  High level drink drivers (BAC over 0.15) who reoffend must install an alcohol interlock on their vehicle when they regain their licence.
• Repeat drink drivers and first time high level drink drivers (BAC over 0.15) may be ordered to have an alcohol interlock.
• Drivers caught with a BAC higher than 0.15 three times in five years will lose their licence for good under a three strikes and you’re out rule.
• Drink drivers who are subject to an alcohol interlock order will be required to undergo a rehabilitation course.

“The LNP is committed to stopping repeat offenders from once again getting behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of alcohol.

“In contrast the Bligh Labor Government would not stop drivers who have been caught with high BACs three times from driving again.

“The LNP is committed to saving lives — but all the Bligh Labor Government has is more broken promises, delays and excuses.”

LNP primary industries spokesman Ray Hopper said all of regional Queensland and communities associated with the Ag Colleges were sick of the long wait to find out from the Minister of their futures.

In State Parliament this morning Mr Hopper questioned the Minister on the sale of Dalby and Burdekin Ag Colleges and how many staff would be made redundant.

 “The best the Minister could do was skirt the issue,” Mr Hooper said.

 “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Mr Mulherin’s greedy fingers are already signing-off on sale of the land surrounding the Dalby Ag College and the Burdekin College.

 “The Minister will try and hide behind his ‘de-invest to re-invest’ mantra, but the rumours are so strong that I fear the decision to sell has already been made.

 “It’s clear Mr Mulherin has bowed to pressure from Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser to sell …at the expense of rural training.

 “This is about selling assets to prop-up a severely debt-ridden government that has racked up $85 billion and counting.”

 Mr Hopper called on the Minister to stop the sales and enhance what was left of his Department and the Ag Colleges.

 “All the spin the world won’t excuse him for what he’s about to do.”

 Mr Hopper said if Tim Mulherin went ahead with the Ag College sales, he would long be remembered as the Minister who gutted DPI&F, dumped staff on Christmas Eve, destroyed grains research and sold-off the Ag Colleges.

In State Parliament today, LNP Leader John-Paul Langbroek tabled an email a solar hot water supplier sent to the Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor on 10 April 2009 warning of potential problems with the scheme.

The supplier warned that “jobs will be lost” and “small business will close their doors leaving debts that can’t be paid”.

 The email also referred to an industry forum held with the State Government in April 2009 in which suppliers delivered similar warnings that the scheme would impact negatively on industry investment and could lead to “manufacturers boycotting Queensland”.

Mr Langbroek said the scheme was a “dud from day one” and it was the Bligh Labor Government’s version of the Peter Garrett foil insulation scheme.

“Less than one per cent of the promised 200,000 solar hot water systems installed before the scheme was dumped,” he said.

“Bligh and Labor claimed the program would create 500 new jobs but the cut price program decimated the established solar hot water industry as homeowners put off upgrades while waiting for the Bligh Labor Government to get its election promise rolling.

 “The Bligh Labor Government was clearly warned by industry this would happen, but typically these warnings were ignored.

“Bligh and Labor lied about their plans for privatisation, lied about their plans for a fuel tax and they lied about their plans to provide discounted hot water systems too.”

Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Glen Elmes said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s report on the oil spill showed that too much paperwork and the bureaucratic nature of the EPA had delayed the clean up.

“Important wetland areas, particularly Spitfire Creek, were neglected and the oil spill damage compounded, because it took the EPA 12 days to permit clean up work to start,” Mr Elmes said.

“There are unconfirmed reports that the department advised leaving the wetlands clean up for later, while the spilled oil sank and mixed with sediment at the bottom of the water holes placing animals at risk.

“Was this because the oil slicks on the beaches were easier to see from news helicopters than the rapidly deteriorating wetlands?

 “Or was the clean up delayed because there was not enough trained staff on the ground?

 “This report states the ‘EPA appeared not to have sufficient number of trained personnel with understanding of the National Plan or relevant knowledge and skills to perform the tasks required’.

 “This is not surprising considering the EPA had one ranger per 11,283 hectares in 1999, but each ranger now must cover an extra 4200 hectares each.

 “The Bligh Labor Government continues to boost the ranks of George Street bureaucrats while cutting funding and staff actually on the ground doing the work.

 “Bligh’s bureaucracy binge and red tape will continue to place important Queensland environments at risk.”

Shadow Minister for Education and Training Dr Bruce Flegg said the practice of recording and distributing images of violence against children had become all too common in Queensland schools.

“Cyber bullying in schools is a growing problem but Bligh and Labor seem to have no coherent plan to deal with the issue,” he said.

“It is becoming all too common to hear of school students staging brutal attacks just to record the violence on their mobile phones then share it with their mates or post it online,” he said.

“It is estimated one in 10 school children are victims of cyber bullying with mobile phones and social networking sites making it harder for school children to escape from their tormentors.

“Cyber bullying means the shame and anguish caused by a violent attack can continue even after the bruises have healed.

“It is important to send a message to the community that these sorts of actions are no more acceptable than any other form of intimidation.”

Dr Flegg said the LNP’s proposed anti-cyber bullying laws would allow for the immediate confiscation of devices used for recording or viewing images of violence against schoolchildren.

“This legislation will ensure that recording and distributing images of violence is an offence and empower police, principals and teachers to confiscate mobile phones and other technology used to cyber bully,” he said.

“Current laws are largely unused because there are no penalties that are appropriate for the age of the bully and their actions.”

“This will make it clear to all concerned that bashing or assaulting a child to photograph the assault and circulate it – or put it on the internet – is serious, and will be dealt with.

“Confiscating the technology is a practical, immediate penalty, fitting of the crime, which can easily be enforced by school principals and the police.”

LNP police and corrective services spokesman Vaughan Johnson said the attempt by Police Minister Neil Roberts to blame the courts was pathetic.

“Expert psychiatric evidence says Ruhland will carry his sexual attraction to boys for the rest of his life …and the best the Minister can do is say …not my fault …it’s the courts,” Mr Johnson said.

“It’s incredible Mr Roberts claims Queensland has the toughest regime against dangerous sexual offenders in Australia …but then washes his hands when a dangerous paedophile, who preys on boys, is released even though expert assessment says he is a high risk of re-offending.

“The Police Minister continues to ignore the fact that one-in-three sex offenders breach their sentence provisions while under surveillance.”

Mr Johnson said the facts were irrefutable. Of the 54 sex offenders subjected to this regime, 17 had breached the terms of their sentence.

“Why does Minister Roberts continue to support a program that releases offenders before they are able to prove their readiness for release?”

LNP primary industries spokesman Ray Hopper said widespread flooding was leaving sheep and cattle stranded on higher ‘islands’ with little or no feed.

 “A lot of stock would be suffering … and the need for action is now,” Mr Hopper said.

“The State Government needs to support landholders by helping with helicopters to properly assess the situation …helicopter runs should be made along every river system to fully assess the situation …to find stranded stock and drop fodder if necessary.

“This is a serious animal welfare issue that needs action. We don’t need Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin sitting on his hands till it’s too late.

“Sure, the usual call centres are up and running and Federal relief is there in the form of concessional loans and freight subsidies …but stranded stock will not survive weeks of bureaucratic procedure.”

Mr Hopper said landholders who had, or believed they had stranded stock that could be saved through fodder drops should be calling their local council representatives and local Member’s office to let them know they need help.

 “There may be opportunities to use helicopters to drop landholders and workers to push stock to higher ridges.

 “But we don’t need a repeat of the animal welfare disaster of the northern floods of last year …when nothing was done.”

 Mr Hopper said helicopter fodder drops were used successfully in the recent widespread floods in western NSW – where the State Government stepped in to help landholders save stock.