Thursday 28 May, 2020
The Palaszczuk Labor Government’s ‘buy local’ plan has been exposed as a con after it was revealed Cairns Convention Centre contracts are being awarded to firms based outside the region.
LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said Labor was now taking construction jobs out of Cairns as well as closing businesses and costing jobs through its tourism ban.
“The last thing Cairns needs is another hammer-blow to the economy from Labor,” Ms Frecklington said.
“This is more proof that Labor’s ‘buy local’ policy is a sham.
“Cairns has wall-to-wall Labor MPs but they don’t make a blind bit of difference.
“The only way to deal with Cairns’ jobs crisis is to back the LNP and our plan to get Queensland working again.”
LNP candidate for Cairns Sam Marino said Labor was focused on Brisbane, not Cairns.
“It’s crazy that Labor has banned southern tourists from Cairns but is hiring southern workers to come here,” Mr Marino said.
“Labor should rename their ‘buy local’ policy ‘buy Brisbane’ because that’s all it is.
“Cairns cannot trust Michael Healy.
“Labor and Michael Healy have abandoned Cairns. It’s time for Cairns to abandon them.”
LNP candidate for Barron River Linda Cooper said Labor’s procurement policy was all spin.
“The Cairns Convention Centre expansion is already years late and now local workers are losing out on precious work,” Ms Cooper said.
“Labor are more interested in keeping Brisbane union bosses happy than in creating jobs here in Cairns.”
