Published Thursday, 24 July, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
Opposition “confused and under pressure’’
The Member for Toowoomba South “hears but never listens,’’ Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said today.
“He asks questions to which he already knows the answers and then goes on and on like a cracked record,’’ Mr Mulherin said.
“Today’s Estimates Hearings merely provided yet more examples of his fixation on a headline rather than an issue.
“He asked questions about Equine Influenza and Hendra Virus – two topics on which he has been extensively briefed.
“He then attempted to link an Environmental Protection Agency ban on the shooting of fruit-spoiling flying foxes to Hendra Virus.
“Despite being told very clearly by the Department’s Chief Biosecurity Officer Dr Ron Glanville that the issue of damage to fruit crops and issues to do with Hendra Virus are very different, it didn’t appear to sink in.
“Dr Glanville quite rightly pointed out the impracticality of shooting flying foxes as a way of mitigating against outbreaks of Hendra Virus but still the Honourable Member canvasses the ‘shoot ‘em and ask questions later’’ approach.
“The Honourable Member then moved on to question an independent survey of stakeholders and staff,’’ Mr Mulherin said.
“We responded to that survey with the recently launched ‘fresh approach’ to service delivery – a concept that only last month was ‘welcomed by the State Coalition’.’’
“Tenuous links, hypotheticals and blanket statements might grab a cheap headline somewhere, sometimes but the Member for Toowoomba South knows full well that the facts paint a very different story.’’
“The only one ‘confused and under pressure’ about their role is the Opposition.’’
Media: 32396530
“He asks questions to which he already knows the answers and then goes on and on like a cracked record,’’ Mr Mulherin said.
“Today’s Estimates Hearings merely provided yet more examples of his fixation on a headline rather than an issue.
“He asked questions about Equine Influenza and Hendra Virus – two topics on which he has been extensively briefed.
“He then attempted to link an Environmental Protection Agency ban on the shooting of fruit-spoiling flying foxes to Hendra Virus.
“Despite being told very clearly by the Department’s Chief Biosecurity Officer Dr Ron Glanville that the issue of damage to fruit crops and issues to do with Hendra Virus are very different, it didn’t appear to sink in.
“Dr Glanville quite rightly pointed out the impracticality of shooting flying foxes as a way of mitigating against outbreaks of Hendra Virus but still the Honourable Member canvasses the ‘shoot ‘em and ask questions later’’ approach.
“The Honourable Member then moved on to question an independent survey of stakeholders and staff,’’ Mr Mulherin said.
“We responded to that survey with the recently launched ‘fresh approach’ to service delivery – a concept that only last month was ‘welcomed by the State Coalition’.’’
“Tenuous links, hypotheticals and blanket statements might grab a cheap headline somewhere, sometimes but the Member for Toowoomba South knows full well that the facts paint a very different story.’’
“The only one ‘confused and under pressure’ about their role is the Opposition.’’
Media: 32396530