Newsroom

January 20, 2022

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) candidate for Herbert, Clynton Hawks, says the Herbert incumbent’s remarks with respect the federal government response to Palm Island’s COVID outbreak, reported in the Townsville Bulletin on Thursday, [1] are a deflection of government’s responsibility in supporting First Australian communities.

“Listening is all good and well, and it should go without saying that anything governments do should reflect what the people want,” Mr Hawks said.

“What we want to know, and the people deserve to know, is what preparations were made in support of the expected COVID wave, and are the measures now being undertaken good enough.

“The reality is that on the ground, with all the best intentions and understanding of their own community, that Palm Island leaders were at a loss as to how to respond to the outbreak, and support was slow in coming.

“Governments can sit back and wait for the other shoe to drop, or they can be pro-active, anticipating outcomes and providing guidance, resources and support—hoping for the best, planning for the worst,” Mr Hawks said.

Mr Hawks said he found the reports of “gotcha” politics and buck-passing between the federal and state politicians to be distasteful and indicative of why governments are failing at all levels in their omicron response.

“What we need is strength from both state and federal politicians but all we have seen from these elected officials is juvenile mudslinging.

“It might go down well in the party room but the public deserves better.

“After all these are the lives of the men, women and children of Palm Island we are talking about.

“What’s happening on Palm Island is just a microcosm of what’s happening everywhere else, and what do we have but politicians playing vaccine politics.”

Mr Hawks says the MP for Herbert’s admission that the government of which he is a member is “failing” on COVID is candid and refreshing, but says repeatedly admitting failure is not enough.

“The public is tired of the fighting among federal and state politicians and at those levels of government.

“What we want is a clear direction and sense of purpose coming from our leaders,” Mr Hawks said.

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[1] https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/stewart-calls-for-lnp-leadership-to-reign-in-christensen-as-politicians-battle-over-palm-island-crisis/news-story/6b185c97a61c93777b389de3870908c9