20 February, 2015. 15:05
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
QUEENSLANDERS HAVE made it clear that they want somebody competent to lead the state through Tropical Cyclone Marcia.
In a poll commissioned by The Northern Miner, 9 out of 10 people in the area want either Campbell Newman or Sir Peter Cosgrove to have executive powers during the storm.
Respondents also showed a lack of confidence in new premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her ability to “crack the whip” during a natural disaster – with most stating that they’d rather have somebody in charge who knows what they’re doing.
As Cyclone Marcia bares down upon Queensland, the focus will shift to the cleanup operation tomorrow as the winds begin to die down.
When Campbell Newman was Lord Mayor of Brisbane during the 2010-11 Brisbane Floods, he forced every man, woman and child out on to the streets with a broom or shovel – a controversial decision at the time but it ultimately defined his term in office.
Newman also led a crackdown on a game invented by students at Anglican Church Grammar School, where the goal was to see who could “lean on their shovel and do nothing” the longest without getting told to do something.
Back in March 2006, Cosgrove was selected to lead the Queensland Government taskforce of rebuilding communities damaged by Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that devastated the Innisfail region of northern Queensland.
Former premier Peter Beattie signed the executive order allowing Cosgrove to take control of the operation on the 23rd of March – two weeks later the job was done.
“I wasn’t in a place to beat around the bush,” said Beattie.
“The people of Queensland needed a hero,”
“So I gave them General Peter Cosgrove.”
The discontent for Premier Palaszczuk’s ability to handle such a blunt disasters was first raised by Yeppoon earlier this week.
A night duty manager at the town’s cultural hub, The Capricorn Hotel said that he doesn’t feel as safe as he did when Cosgrove was in control of things.
“I mean Annastacia Pali Palashoo P. probably knows not to privatise hospitals and prisons,” said the manager.
“But we really need a bloke to be in-charge of something like this,”
“It’s nothing personal. Army boys just get it done when everything goes to shit.”
The night manager at the Capricorn sounds like a sexist fool to me. I feel for them and the stressful situation everyone is in but it’s comments like that that make it so hard for women to get ahead! Remember how good Anna Bligh was during Queensland floods. Give Annastacia a go for God’s sake. She’s only been in the job a couple of weeks…..