Thursday, June 18, 2020
New ABS figures revealing more than 174,000 Queenslanders have lost their jobs in the last three months is damning evidence of the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s disastrous economic response to coronavirus.
Queensland’s unemployment rate jumped from 7.0 to 7.9% last month, an increase higher than the national average.
LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said the staggering amount of Queensland jobs lost was the cost of Annastacia Palaszczuk keeping interstate borders closed and having no economic plan.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government has no Budget, no economic plan, and no commitment to reopen the interstate border,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk has turned a health crisis into an economic crisis and it’s cost 174,000 Queenslanders their jobs.
“Queenslanders flattened the coronavirus curve, but Labor is flattening our economy.
“I want to get Queensland working again and that means giving certainty on reopening our border.”
LNP Deputy Leader and Shadow Treasurer Tim Mander said Queensland now had the longest unemployment queue since records began in 1978.
“Without a full Budget, Labor is flying blind through the biggest economic crisis in nearly a century,” Mr Mander said.
“The largest council in Australia was able to deliver a full budget yesterday, but Labor still doesn’t have an economic plan and continues to hide from scrutiny.
“It says a lot that Labor was the last state government in the country to introduce an economic stimulus package but the first to cancel its Budget.
“The LNP has committed to deliver a Budget within the first 100 days of forming government to provide certainty and transparency for all Queenslanders and implement our plan to get Queensland working again.”
