SEQ pipes made in China - Anna wishes she was there ...

The Courier Mail is running a fairly uncomplimentary digitally altered image of Deputy Premier Bligh here - Anna - tell us another one - as part of the following story:

Excerpt from the Courier Mail:

Tell us another one

22 May 2007

Anna Bligh is lucky the story of Pinocchio is only a fairytale.

Because if a nose really did grow longer every time its owner told a fib – the fate that blighted the little wooden puppet – the Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister could be in danger of acquiring a very prominent beak.

Ms Bligh has repeatedly embarrassed the State Government by misrepresenting the severity of the water crisis and the attempts to alleviate it.

There was more potential humiliation for the minister yesterday when it was claimed pipes destined for the Western Corridor pipeline were manufactured from inferior steel plate from a non-accredited factory in China.

The claim comes after a series of recent embarrassing setbacks for the recycled water pipeline, including a section being dug up and an admission that the pipeline will deliver less water than originally promised.

A government contractor, who did not want to be named, told The Courier-Mail that information from government supplier Orrcon that sub-standard pipes lying on a wharf in Wollongong originated in South Korea were incorrect.

He said the steel plate the pipes were made from was sourced by a non-accredited Chinese factory before the pipes were welded together in Korea. The steel was too soft and some of the pipes could not be bent as required.

Photos of the pipes taken by The Courier-Mail confirmed the steel was made in China.

See - Courier Mail - Tell us another one.