Change brings business as usual
IT did not take long for the jury to come in.
The Campbell Newman team by its actions has made absolutely clear that Queenslanders may have a new government but not the change in governance they so craved.
The Premier and his Minister for Local Government David Crisafulli were on the Coast last week to sign an agreement with mayors and their deputies from across the state that they would work together as equal partners and return planning powers to local authorities.
At the same time Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney was putting the necessary final signature to the Urban Land Development Authority's approval of Caloundra South.
As one observer put it, it was a move right out of Peter Beattie's play book.
Sunshine Coast LNP politicians - Wyatt Roy federally and state ministers Mark McArdle, Jarrod Bleijie and Andrew Powell - have done nothing to halt this planning disaster.
In fact their government has rewarded Paul Eagles - Labor's pick as the architect of its plan to shift developers' costs to the public - with a cushy, highly-paid job as deputy director general of planning.
Eagles, a former senior Lend Lease executive, faces Supreme Court action brought by Logan City Council which claims he gave his old bosses a $13 million break on infrastructure to improve the commercial outcome of their 50,000-population Yarrabilba development at the expense of ratepayers.
Logan wants a full judicial review of the situation. Former Sunshine Coast mayor Bob Abbot wants the same here.
It's a shame his council did not stay the course on similar action it brought last year.
New mayor Mark Jamieson wants an harmonious relationship with the LNP Government.
Just how and in whose interests that can be achieved remains to be seen.
The LNP's do nothing approach means it now owns the Caloundra South decision which threatens to cost ratepayers more than half a billion dollars.
Elsewhere Boot Camp Bleijie has shown that youth is no barrier to cold-edged cynicism.
The Member for Kawana has justified, in the name of fiscal responsibility, cutting $97,000 in recurrent funding from the Environmental Defenders Office which assists community groups and individuals to understand and exercise their legal rights.
At the same time he defends his government's decision to spend $300,000 to help Fortescue Metals Group, the company of one of Australia's richest men, mount a High Court challenge to the Minerals Resource Rent Tax.
"We can't just sit back and let the federal government continue to tax the people of Queensland," Mr Bleijie said.
It's a pity he has no such similar qualms about having the people of Queensland underwrite the profits of a small club of property developers whose influence remains untempered, regardless of who is in power.
