Queensland Resources Minister’s limp response to Keswick lease breaches

Keswick Island residents have been left flailing in open water by the Palaszczuk Labor Government after the Queensland Resources Minister effectively brushed off concerns about access issues on the island.

On 2nd February this year, State Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm and I penned a joint letter to Queensland Minister for Resources Scott Stewart requesting an investigation into multiple access issues on Keswick Island.

Last week, we received a response from the Minister which effectively denies there were any issues, with the exception of limited marine access.

But the Minister has failed to take effective action on this issue, claiming only that he ‘instructed rectification to comply with the lease’.

Sadly, this kind of limp and dismissive response is what we’ve come to expect from the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

State Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm said the Queensland Labor Government was treating the complaints from Keswick Island residents differently to if they were located on the mainland.

“Residents of Keswick and more broadly Queenslanders expect that our Island Communities are managed in the same way our mainland communities are, not to be ignored or treated as second class citizens,” Ms Camm said.

“I will continue to fight for transparency in these lease arrangements to ensure that Keswick Island and all Queensland Islands are managed to a high standard and the standard Queenslanders expect.”