Poll results lead to Beattie backdown ...
Premier Beattie sees devastating polls results and bows to Federal Labor pressure over amalgamation ...
Excerpt from the Courier Mail:
Merger backlash against Rudd
20 August 2007
Queensland ratepayers have vowed vent their fury over forced council mergers on Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd at the upcoming federal election.
Four in five respondents to a Courier-Mail online poll said Premier Peter Beattie's decision to slash local council numbers had made them less likely to vote for the Labor Party.
Almost 5000 voters overwhelmingly opposed the changes, which will slash the number of shires by more than half next March.
Mr Beattie yesterday said the mergers would not cost Labor a vote at the upcoming election, likely in October or November.
"That's up to the electors of Queensland but I've always had the view that they would hold me personally responsible," Mr Beattie said. The Premier has drawn criticism from Mr Rudd and Prime Minister John Howard over his threats to sack councils that held referendums on the issue.
But Mr Beattie has dramatically backed down, admitting he "stuffed up".
Labor needs to win six federal seats in Queensland to take government. Key seats affected by the council changes include Herbert, Longman, Petrie and Flynn.
From 4169 respondents in affected councils, 3388 said the issue made them less likely to vote Labor. In the must-win seat of Petrie, where Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro holds a 7.4 per cent margin, almost 70 per cent of respondents from Redcliffe said they had been turned off Labor.
Howard Government Minister Mal Brough's margin in Longman also may be boosted courtesy of the issue.
Noosa residents were the most vocal about the changes, with 98 per cent against their merger with Maroochy and Caloundra.
See - Poll results lead to Beattie backdown.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 9:03 AM
2 Comments:
PM Howard press release:
Media Release
19 August 2007
Queensland Local Government Amalgamations
Today's announcement by Premier Beattie that he would withdraw threats to sack councils if they conducted amalgamation ballots, represents a victory for the people of Queensland.
The Queensland Government has backed down on its plan to stop Queenslanders from participating in referendums on the local government amalgamations.
Mr Beattie's decision to withdraw his legislation has come in response to sustained pressure from my Government to give Queenslanders a say on the amalgamation issue. If my Government had not acted as we did, Mr Beattie would have continued to act in an arbitrary jackbooted fashion, trampling over the rights of the people of Queensland.
In flagging plans last week to change the Commonwealth Electoral Act to ensure Queenslanders could participate in plebiscites in local government areas, my Government cleared the way for the Queensland people to express their views without penalty.
The Australian Government's offer to fund the conduct of the ballots remains on the table. It should be remembered that the Government is not expressing a view as to whether or not an individual merger should occur.
Rather, the Commonwealth believes that people should have the right to express a view on the actions of a government without threat of penalty.
However, if there is a strong expression of opinion in local government areas that choose to go ahead with the ballots, the Queensland Government may be forced to reconsider those amalgamations.
1:10 PM, August 20, 2007
He really is a bully - we need somebody to be as obnoxious as him to take him on from the opposition - Rob Messenger I believe nmay be the man for the job
7:32 PM, August 22, 2007
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