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UNCOMFORTABLE : Former PM Abbott and Ewen Jones
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Garrulous Herbert MP , Ewen Jones (LNP) , has praised the way the Greens have long been fighting for protection of the Great Barrier Reef, saying their efforts over the years had been "fantastic." He was speaking at a meet the candidates forum on Magnetic Island on the very day that The Australian led with a story claiming activists were "distorting " data on the reef . His praise for the Greens comes at a time when leading Coalition figures have been making disparaging comments about the Greens .
When tackled on the fact that Coalition deficits have blown out to record levels , the Jones boy, the party whip and former real estate auctioneer, went into an involved spiel in which he said he had not joined the party when John Howard was in power because he did not agree to handing out all those riches to the middle class and this played a part in the ongoing blowout , if we interpret correctly what he had to say .
Did he think his act of juggling a handgrenade , above, at an arms display when PM Malcolm Turnbull was in Townsville and then (Jones) announcing a $45,OOO Industry Skills Fund grant to the Sealink ferry company on which Lucy Turnbull ( Malcolm's wife/guy ) had been a board member up until October last year ( a point not picked up by the local media , but by Crikey via this blog ) had embarrassed Turnbull ? The grenade episode was dismissed with a shrug and the Sealink grant was simply described as being for indigenous employment ... not solely what was said on his own website and in local media reports - training staff, expanding tourism market and industry skills , in close collaboration with NQ indigenous communities , all this for just 45k .
When the high level of youth suicide was raised , Jones , strangely , recalled that when he was a young kid at Texas , Queensland , a once a year special treat had been fresh sand deposited under swings . Tough kids back then tried to swing out past the sand , until somebody broke a leg. The rambling speech seemed to imply that today children were too protected , his own son no longer going out into the front yard .
A woman pointed out that farmers were having a tough time , finding it hard to make ends might , some suiciding, nothing much being done to help them .
The Katter's Australia Party candidate for Herbert , economist Colin Dwyer , a former LNP candidate for the Queensland state seat of Mundingburra , finished off his speech by saying Townsville needed a voice in Canberra , not Canberra's voice up north .
This statement and Dwyer's switch from the LNP to KAP , is surely a clear vote of no confidence in Jones and the Coalition government.
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Jones performing in Canberra on a cold morning. It seems he may regard himself as a John Travolta Saturday Night dancer. When he recently handed over a cheque to the Townsville PCYC for a new dance floor to be used by budding ballerinas and new dancers , he , according to his own blog (including exclamation marks ) ,"resisted the urge to bust a move!!" More than 10 years ago, when it was said that Magnetic Island would become the " New Noosa, " real estate spruikers whispered that John Travolta was interested in buying land on the island . Neither happened , besides where would Travolta land his Qantas jet on Magnetic ?
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Doyle produced statistics showing the massive loss of jobs in the Townsville area , high youth unemployment , business flatlining , mentioned the many empty premises . In answer to a question , he said he was against leasing the Port of Darwin to Chinese when our Allies , the Americans, were building up their commitment there , and the proposed sale of the huge Kidman cattle empire to Chinese, as he was to the purchase of other major assets by overseas countries.
Challenging Ewen Jones for the ALP is Cathy O'Toole, above , who outlined the party's costed , broad plans to revive the Townsville economy. Born in Townsville , she has had a wide range of experience , starting as a trainee hairdresser with her mother. Then she and her husband went on to own and operate a range of small businesses in retail, hairdressing , vocational , education and training . A TAFE teacher , she also project managed and currently is the CEO of a not for profit mental health organisation in north and west Queensland , including Palm Island .
