IN HIS televised address, Premier Campbell Newman warned Queenslanders that spending cuts were needed to rein in debt.
This follows his announcement that the state cannot afford to pay 20,000 public-sector workers.
But how can this be when Queensland is the second most resource-rich state in the middle of the biggest mining boom in Australia's history? Shouldn't the economy be booming?
In 2010, Queensland exported 186 million tonnes of coal, and this is expected to rise to 250 million tonnes by 2015. The state has $75 billion worth of projects that are either under construction or about to start.
While UNESCO has raised concerns about the increase in ship traffic through the Great Barrier Reef that some of these projects will generate, Newman responded by saying: "We're in the coal business." He is keen to see the coal and coal-seam gas industries grow.
Courier Mail
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