Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Opinion: Barry Haase on ‘hand puppet’ ministers’ visit
Barry Haase MHR
Local member Barry Haase is highly critical of ministers Fergusson and Garrett after their visit to Broome.
He describes them as “hand puppet ministers”.
You can read his statement here:
14 April 2010
The Hand Puppet Ministers
Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett’s much lauded visit to Broome on Monday to announce that the Kimberley was the 10th inclusion in the Australian Government National Landscapes Program turned out to be nothing more than a media exercise.
If the ministers had got their priorities right they would have first visited Exmouth to sort out the mess they have created there with their irregular declaration of national heritage impacting on the livelihood of locals”, said Mr Haase, Federal Member.
“On 6th January 2010, rather than fly to Exmouth to announce that listing, the Minister for Environment Protection only got as far Perth to make the announcement and despite requests from myself and concerned stakeholders, and even now he has still not bothered to respond, let alone meet with aggrieved parties”
“Mr Ferguson who is also the Minister for Resources and Energy is travelling around Western Australia with the Environment Protection Minister in toe big noting tourism in the region having forgotten his words from just weeks ago, ‘Our aim is to be the region’s premier supplier of minerals and energy resources and of related services’
Mr Ferguson has stated that in Western Australia, tourism directly employs more than 45 000 people and contributes $3 billion to the Western Australian economy each year yet he has failed to acknowledge the involvement of the resource sector in this area. ABARE forecasts export earnings for Australian mineral and energy commodities will increase by 18.6 per cent to $154 billion in 2010‐11. Western Australia is responsible for approximately 48% of Australia’s mineral and energy exports.
“The North West is the economic saviour of the nation, that status is achieved through sustainable policies that includes resource development. I believe declarations of heritage areas put insurmountable hurdles in the way of sustained resources development”, said Mr Haase.
“Environmentalists know they can pin their hopes on the Environment Protection Minister blocking any development, such as the James Price Point”, says Mr Haase. “The Minister’s track record speaks for itself, ‘greenies’ are safe in the knowledge the Minister will listen to them no matter where they are in Australia and not local industry or residents. This of course is in direct contrast to Minister Ferguson’s comment that the James Price Point would present “billions of dollars of investment in Australia”.
“Minister Garrett’s ‘Heritage Halo’ is out of step with the Resource and Energy Minister. Is this a case of the Ministers having two left feet or the Rudd Government’s left hand not knowing what its right hand is doing? “
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