my letter from Fiona Simpson

THIS IS WHAT I WROTE TO FIONA SIMPSON

The Honourable MsFiona Simpson

Member for Maroochydore and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Queensland Government

Dear Madam Speaker,

Congratulations on your re-election to serve the electorate of Maroochydore.

Congratulations also on your appointment to serve the people of Queensland as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

The behaviour of the Queensland Premier this week in Parliament does not demonstrate the "humility, grace and dignity" that he promised in his Victory speech on winning the election in March 2012.

I find it a little hypocritical for the Premier to refer to cleaning up "Anna Bligh's mess" and "Anna Bligh's legacy" with a "pooper scooper" when he left Cr Graham Quirk and the people of the city of Brisbane with a legacy of debt as well.

I wonder what the visiting United Kingdom delegation thought of the Premier's decorum in the Parliament.

The question remains un-answered. Will the Queensland Government will provide funding for counselling services for those 20,000 public sector workers facing the unemployment and an uncertain future?  I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter and how you (as Speaker) might hold the Premier to his promise to conduct himself and the Queensland Government with humility, grace and dignity.

your's sincerely,

Rowan Barber

.....AND THIS WHAT SHE WROTE IN REPLY

 Mr Rowan Barber

Dear Rowan

Thank you your congratulations on my re-election as the Member for Maroochydore and

my appointment as Speaker. I consider it a privilege to serve my electorate, and the people

of Queensland.

Regarding questions you pose concerning funding for specific services, I refer you to the

Ministers of the relevant departments, rather than to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

The role of Speaker involves a number of aspects, including presiding over the Chamber.

Member from both sides of politics often engage in robust debate.  My role is to seek to

fairly apply the rules to both sides of the House and allow them the opportunity to
participate in debate.  You are free to express your personal opinion as to how Members
exercise their rights; however I am restrained from doing so due to my need to preside
with fairness. 

Yours sincerely

HON FIONA SIMPSON MP

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Parliament House

George St Brisbane Queensland 4000 Austrlalia

Phone: +61 7 3406 7374

Fax +61 7 3406 7308

email speaker@parliament.qld.gov.au

Web www.parliament.qld.gov.au

CanDo Poop

Taken from the Queensland State Parliament - Record of Proceedings (Hansard):


Palmer, Mr C
Ms PALASZCZUK: My question is to the Premier. He likes talking about Clive Palmer and now he has an opportunity to keep talking about him. Is the Premier aware that Clive Palmer, a life member of his own party, is so concerned about the Premier’s job-slashing program that he is considering providing funding for counselling services for those 20,000 public sector workers facing the sack?

Mr NEWMAN: They are showing so much flexibility, are they not? It is like they sit there in their little den and come up with questions. They have shown week after week that they will continue to drive the caboose over the cliff, even though I have already dealt with it.
Mr Palmer and China First have lots of plans. They have a plan for a mine in the Galilee Basin, they have a plan for a resort on the Sunshine Coast, they have a plan for Titanic II. And, no, I am not taking tickets because I saw what happened to the first one.

A government member: Labor should go on it!

Mr NEWMAN: I do not know if those opposite have bought tickets. Again I reiterate, in terms of this anxiety, very seriously for a moment, that we understand—

Ms Palaszczuk interjected.

Mr NEWMAN: Madam Speaker, they asked the question. The people who are the victims at the moment are public servants who have been employed by the people opposite when there was not money to pay their salaries. Unfortunately we are the ones who are cleaning up Anna Bligh’s mess. It is Anna Bligh’s legacy. We get the pooper scooper out every day of the week. We have to make these tough decisions. We know there is fear and anxiety and we are sorry about that. It will end as soon as possible.
In relation to Mr Palmer—and those opposite need to hear this—if he is indeed the Labor Party’s newest best friend, if that is the case—

Ms Palaszczuk: No, I am not saying that at all.

Mr NEWMAN: The Leader of the Opposition is saying now she is not supporting Mr Palmer.

Ms PALASZCZUK: No.

Mr NEWMAN: You are supporting Mr Palmer? Yes or no? Is Mr Palmer the Labor Party’s new best friend? Is Mr Palmer going to be providing electoral funding contributions to the Labor Party? Is he going to be providing money to the Katter’s Australian Party? Is he going to be building a statue of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen in South Brisbane? And will those opposite support it? Because, fair dinkum, Mr Palmer wants to build a statue to the former Premier in South Brisbane. Will they support that proposal or will that cause great anxiety for the member for South Brisbane. They support counselling services, but will they support the statue? That is what I want to know.
We have no problem with statues to former Premiers—perhaps not Anna Bligh at the moment. A lot of members here might not agree, but I am prepared to think about a statue of Peter Beattie. He was on a traffic signal box while I was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. I am not overly combative about these things. The rhetorical question that I have for those opposite is: will they have any sort of anxiety about the statue in South Brisbane?

Interruption.