General News
16 January, 2025
Premier in Mount Isa: Interview with David Crisafulli
The Queensland Premier flew into Mount Isa late on Thursday for a whirlwind overnight stay.
Premier David Crisafulli landed in Mount Isa on Thursday evening – the first time he's been here in almost two years.
No media events were planned for the trip, his office said, which meant the best we could be offered was a phone interview while he was in Mount Isa.
North West Weekly editor Matt Nicholls, sitting in his lounge room watching Brisbane Heat rack up a total in the Big Bash League, spoke with the Premier just before 7pm on Thursday.
In a 10-minute interview, Mr Crisafulli spoke about the crime problem facing Mount Isa, the beleaguered Mount Isa Rodeo, the pending job losses at Glencore's underground copper mines, and the appointment of the Cross-Border Commissioner.
On Friday morning, the Premier will meet with Cloncurry Shire mayor Greg Campbell, who is driving to Mount Isa to meet face-to-face, before sitting down with Mount Isa City Council and officers at Mount Isa Police Station.
Here is the interview in full:
MN: So Premier, what brings you to Mount Isa?
DC: I want to make sure that every part of the state knows that they matter. And I was determined to get out here early (after the election). So, nothing like a visit early in the calendar year to kick things off. But the main reason I'm here is to go and speak to the police and just in general just talk to locals about what's unfolding with the crime scenario. It is a community at breaking point at the moment so I'd like to come out and firstly thank the men and women from the Queensland Police, but also to tell the community that we're serious about turning things around.
It's a pretty short trip. How much time do you think you'll have to talk to locals while you're here?
Well, I just went to the Irish Club and I've had a bit of a chat there and I'm on my way to the Buffs Club now and tomorrow I'm meeting the council and I've got another community meeting and then I'm heading to the police. I'm going to catch up with your local member (Robbie Katter), too while I'm here. He's got his finger on the pulse on the ground, so I want to spend some time with Robbie while I'm out here as well. I'll get a reasonable appreciation (for the city). And look, I'm no stranger to this place, I spent a bit of time out here when I was on council – I was part of MITEZ in those days. So I'm no stranger to the place. But I did want to come out early in my time in the new role to just say g’day and see things first hand.
Premier, it has been a little while since you've been here, I think it's almost two years, but a lot's happened in that time. Obviously, Glencore made a big announcement about job losses – there will be 1200 direct job losses and quite a few more indirect job losses in the community. What do you say to the people of Mount Isa because they feel a little bit forgotten at the moment? Mount Isa is just not feeling the love.
Yeah, and we can't just let a great community wither on the vine and it doesn't have to be that way. So our new Mines Minister, Dale Last, has got it at the top of his list on trying to find a way through as effectively as possible to try and ensure that there is a future for what is a proud industry and a proud community. I do want the city to know that we see a future for it and we have to find a way to get some common sense to prevail and ensure there is a future.
Robbie Katter's been quite strong on the use-it-or-lose-it mantra and I know you spoke to media in Brisbane late last year about fielding calls from investors and you had a message for Glencore about not sitting on (the mine) and holding the town to mercy. Has your position changed on that or where are things from your perspective?
My position remains exactly the same and that is that we've got to find a way through in all of this. My concern for Glencore and their commercial needs runs a million miles behind the needs of working people who want to keep a roof over their head and feed their families. So that's my priority. Now there is always a balance in making sure that you know people's rights are respected. But I do want to find a way through. I'd like that way through to be finding a way to work with Glencore to do exactly what you say, and that is make the most of the asset. Work's underway, and look, we've been in government for a very short period, but I've already met the company. I've had a couple of meetings with your local member about it and it's at the top of Dale Last’s list about trying to find a solution to make sure that there's a viable future for the community. I'd like to think in a short period of time we've flagged our interest in finding a way through.
Just before Christmas your government announced it was redirecting $2 million of the Mount Isa Transition Fund back to the local council. The deputy premier said it was to help the Mount Isa Rodeo, which has obviously gone into administration. The council here said it was only committing $1 million of that funding towards the rodeo, leaving a bit of an impasse between the administrator and the council. Do you have any thoughts on the situation?
Well, I'm meeting the council tomorrow (Friday) and it'll be discussed. We put that money forward in good faith because we think that the event's worth saving. I'm mindful that long before it was an economic drawcard, it was also a hell of a big deal for the community; for the social fabric of what made this city so proud. And that to me is as important as the economic flow on, which is why we wanted to put that money forward. I think that shows, well, I'd like to think that shows, that we understand the importance of events for the fabric of a community and for the sense of wellbeing and a presence. So that was the first thing, that's why we put it there. I think that money is a hell of a lot better use than some of the things that I've heard discussed. I think it's just such an iconic event for, you know, for the future of how this place sees itself as much as how it's seen from the outside. So that money is put across in good faith. I'll talk to the council tomorrow. I'm relatively confident we can find a way through and bring the event back to what it always was.
Just finishing up, the former Miles government appointed a Cross-Border Commissioner not long before the election. Ian Leavers has made a couple of visits to Mount Isa and seems to have been received quite well. Do you back that position and have you had any conversations with the Cross-Border Commissioner about what might work in terms the issues we're facing in our border communities in Queensland, particularly with alcohol?
Yes I have. The difference between me and the former government is I'm actually going to resource him to do his job properly and I've already had conversations with Ian about that. If you've asked whether I've met Ian, the answer is yes, but more than that, he's reporting to me. So, the Coss-Border Commissioner is domiciled in (the Premier’s office) and I think there are some red-hot issues about crime and I look at communities like the Isa and also Goondiwindi and many of the problems are generated on the other side of that line. I think Ian's the right person for the job. So I back the position. In fact, if you go back you'll find that we first called for a Cross-Border Commissioner, well I'm tempted to say half a decade ago but you'll get that if you do a Google search. So we called for it for a long, long time. The former government, at two minutes to midnight, said it was going to be a good idea. So yes, I back it. Yes, I back his role, yes I've met with him and yes I see a big need for it for places like Mount Isa.
This will be the last one because I know you've got a busy schedule, but there's some thinking around some sort of alcohol restrictions in border communities as a deterrent, like maybe even working in partnership with the Territory government and their banned alcohol register list. Have you got any thoughts on whether that's viable?
Let's see what Ian puts forward. I won't pre-empt his work, it would be unfair for me to do that. He's an independent thinker and he deserves the ability to put forward solutions without me giving him my guidance. He should put forward suggestions without fear or favour and we'll consider them. But when Ian Leavers speaks about law and order, I listen. I think he's someone who's proven that over the years.
Lastly, what will be your message to the beat cops, the rank and file police officers in Mount Isa tomorrow? What can you say to them to either lift their spirits or to provide resourcing?
Hang in there because change is coming. There'll be a continual improvement in the youth crime laws. We're working on a new way when it comes to domestic and family violence so that they're able to help more vulnerable people without being bogged down in paperwork. You've got a government that's got your back and we're going to give you the resources and the laws to do your job and police have been leaving at record numbers and we need to deal with the attrition as much as we need to deal with the pipeline and I'm just asking them to hang in there. It's a noble calling and we very much respect it.
Premier, thanks so much for your time.