LNP Axes First Nations Truth Telling and Hydro Project

Queensland’s new Liberal National Party Premier David Crisafulli has hit the ground running, quickly cancelling the Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry, which was established under the Path to Treaty Act 2023, and would have been an inquiry into the effects of colonisation through the first-hand accounts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their descendants. The LNP cancelled its support for the Path to Treaty process due to the division caused by the Voice to Parliament referendum last year where Queenslanders overwhelmingly voted against the constitutional amendment.

With regards to the Inquiry’s truth-telling events scheduled for December this year on Stradbroke Island, Mr Crisafulli said, “We won’t be allowing those to go ahead, but it will be done with respect and decency. I don’t think there’s anyone under any illusions about the fact that we’re not continuing that process. We’ve made a decision. It’s the right decision, and we stand by it. But I don’t want to cause angst to people.”

Of course, this decision has not been welcomed by the inquiry members shown onscreen: “‘Kick up the guts’: Indigenous Queenslanders devastated by decision to halt truth-telling inquiry”, “Aboriginal communities ‘profoundly disappointed’ by cancellation of Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry”. Barrister, and Chairperson of the Inquiry, Joshua Creamer, said he has not had any communication from the new government but will pause the inquiry’s work in response to the premier’s comments. He said, “I had no contact with the premier or his office before the press conference, or subsequent to that, so to find out through the media yesterday was pretty disheartening. There is a lot of suffering, a lot of pain, a lot of hurt in relation to this decision. To cease that in the very early stages of our work is a significant step back on the road to reconciliation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. I am really genuinely concerned about the trauma of this decision.”

Noting that the LNP promised, prior to the election campaign, to end the state’s path to treaty process, with this inquiry being the first part of that process. At the time, Crisafulli said, “We won’t support more division and uncertainty”. So the Premier has actually kept his word, exactly as he should. Some people might not like it, but that’s democracy I’m afraid. In response to it being labelled “divisive”, Mr Creamer said, “People sharing their stories to capture an accurate history of our state is not divisive and I’m hopeful the inquiry can remain in some form to continue this critical work before it’s too late. If the inquiry is formally stopped, it will be a lost opportunity for the state. We are not going to get another opportunity at this in the next decade, two decades, in my lifetime.”

Despite the Government axing the Truth-Telling Inquiry, according to the Courier Mail, the local Aboriginal community on North Stradbroke Island say they will be going ahead with the planned events. It’s been labelled as an “act of defiance”, but from my perspective, people can do what they like. As long as no taxpayer money is involved, then the Premier has kept his promise, and of course, the local residents can have as many truth-telling sessions as they like. I don’t see a problem with that. The issue was always with whether Government should be involved or providing funding from our taxpayer dollars, which the current Premier has said, no, they will not, as per his promise prior to the election.

In other news from Stradbroke Island, apparently the Palestinian flag is now flying next to the Aboriginal flag, or certainly had been. If this is on private land, so be it, but if this is on public land, what the hell has the Palestinian flag got to do with the administration of North Stradbroke Island?

While the new Premier was scrapping truth-telling inquiries, he has also been putting the axe to the controversial Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project. In 2022, then premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the project would cost around $12 billion. Then during her successor’s, Steven Miles’, reign, it was slated to be $18 billion. Then Queensland Treasury found there was a 90% chance the project would cost over $24 billion, and now the most recent estimates by Treasury are saying almost $37 billion. Anyway, the project has since been found to be commercially unviable, and the current Government have consequently scrapped it.

So yes, the new Premier has taken little time to trim the fat so to speak, as well as hopefully keep division at bay, although it seems like some people are not willing to take No for an answer.

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