Media release
John Bjelke-Petersen, Queensland leader of the Palmer United Party, has criticized Senator Glenn Lazarus for copying his views and the Palmer United Party’s policy on CSG.
Prior to the Queensland Government State election earlier this year, Mr Bjelke-Petersen travelled to Roma and stood against CSG, calling for the tightest possible controls over the industry to protect Queenslanders and the state’s environmental and economic future.
Mr Bjelke-Petersen announced that, if elected, the Palmer United Party was committed to handing all Queensland agricultural landowners the right to refuse CSG exploration and production on their property.
Mr Bjelke-Petersen said he was disappointed to see Senator Lazarus trying to turn Palmer United Party policy into his own platform, especially when it concerns a state issue such as CSG.
“Senator Lazarus seems to have forgotten that he is a federal Senator and the CSG industry falls under state legislation,” Mr Bjelke-Petersen said.
“Threatening the Prime Minister won’t do Senator Lazarus any good when it’s the Queensland Premier and Government who should be doing everything possible to ensure the legitimate fears surrounding the CSG industry are addressed.”
He said he feared Senator Lazarus was trying to gain popularity for himself and his new party by piggybacking off the CSG issue.
“It’s concerning that we have a federal Senator who doesn’t know the difference between a state and federal issue,” Mr Bjelke-Petersen said.
Ends