Against a worsening jobs crisis in the Fitzroy, further evidence has emerged of the damage caused by Bill Byrne’s shutdown of the local seafood industry.
Rockhampton’s Glenmore Seafoods has shed two full-time and two part-time staff as a direct result of Labor’s ‘net-free’ zones which local Member Bill Byrne promised would deliver tourism jobs.
Shadow Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Deb Frecklington said Mr Byrne had refused to listen to well-founded warnings from Glenmore Seafoods owners Mark and Vicki Bush when he was the Minister responsible and now locals were paying the price.
“The owners of Glenmore Seafoods warned Mr Byrne his decision would cost their business as much as $1 million in cash flow a year and that jobs would be lost,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“Sadly, those warnings from the owners of an established business have borne out and there is only one person to blame, and that’s Bill Byrne.”
Mrs Frecklington said latest figures showed 3,800 jobs were lost in the region in the past year and thanks to Bill Byrne the local, sustainable seafood industry was really hurting.
She repeated her calls for the Palaszczuk government to reverse its poorly thought-through policy, if at the end of 12 months, the Fitzroy ‘net-free’ zones had not delivered any jobs in tourism.
“Mark and Vicki Bush are local business owners who know their industry and their community and what makes it tick and they’ve been snubbed by Bill Byrne and the Palaszczuk Labor government who treated them and their employees with contempt,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“Labor refuses to accept not every tourist who likes seafood wants to physically fish.
“Shutting down a local sustainable industry and destroying local jobs makes absolutely no sense.”
Mrs Frecklington said the Palaszczuk Labor Government was frozen at the wheel, beholden to union bosses and green groups.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk is a know-nothing Premier leading a do-nothing government that is holding Queensland back,” she said.
“Only the LNP has the competence, experience and stability to take out great state forward and unleash its true potential.”
