General News
5 September, 2024
CopperString fast becoming a political football
Treasurer Cameron Dick fuelled the fire in Townsville last week.
The political games over the $1.2 billion CopperString cost blowout began when state Labor Ministers arrived at a Powerlink office opening last week armed with media releases attacking LNP leader David Crisafulli.
The event was meant to be a goodwill celebration of the Townsville CopperString Experience Centre – which would provide the public with the opportunity to learn about the project through simulated helicopter flights, mineral displays and 3D printed models.
But the unrelenting election campaigning quickly hijacked the event as guest speaker, Deputy Premier Cameron Dick, tried to spin the revelation the $5 billion project had increased to $6.2 billion by casting doubt that an LNP government would continue to support CopperString.
As business owners and community leaders reliant on the project watched on, Mr Dick said the Miles government would not borrow the additional $1.2 billion prior to the election, thus further positioning the funds as an election ransom.
“David Crisafulli and the LNP say projects must not exceed their original budgets, and they say debt must be lower, which means CopperString will be cancelled unless the Miles Labor Government is re-elected,” the distributed media release stated.
Shadow Minister for Energy Deb Frecklington said while the LNP was committed to delivering CopperString, she cast doubts over the need to raise $1.2 billion in additional funds.
“You simply cannot trust Labor to deliver this project, given you can’t trust their numbers from one month to the next,” she said.
Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said he believed many within the major parties would prefer to divert the CopperString funds into the south-east corner.
“There is no doubt in my mind there are divisions in both Labor and the LNP about this project,” he told North West Weekly.
“It makes me very cynical about the whole thing – it is hard to fathom how a project could blow out by that much already.”