Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt says Far North Queenslanders wanting to see the contents of the secret final report of the Costello Audit should ask their local LNP MPs for a copy.
“It is up to LNP MPs like the Members for Cook, Cairns and Barron River to explain why the report taxpayers funded is being covered up by the Newman Government,” Mr Pitt said.
“They have been briefed on the report so they will know what bad news the government is hiding in the report and why it can’t be released publicly.
“If there is nothing to hide, why not release it today?
“Taxpayers in FNQ paid $3,300 a day to a still-active Liberal Party identity, Peter Costello, to draft politically motivated recommendations for his mates in the Queensland LNP.
“Taxpayers deserve more than a summary, they should be given access to the full 1,000 pages of the final Costello Report.
“We are already seeing the privatisation of our hospital system being put in place even though the government claims it has not yet considered the Costello Audit report’s recommendations.
“That’s why local LNP MPs must be asked why the full version of the final Costello Report is not available to the people who paid for it.
“By supporting the government’s efforts to keep the report under wraps, LNP MPs are just as hypocritical as the Premier and the Treasurer when it comes to their claims of running an open and accountable government.”
Mr Pitt said the Newman Government had developed a reputation for secrecy not openness.
“We still haven’t seen the second instalment of his report that Mr Costello handed to Treasurer Tim Nicholls in November,” he said.
“The LNP did not pay for the Costello Audit report, taxpayers did just like taxpayers paid for the health blueprint launched on Thursday as the centrepiece of an LNP fundraising event.
“The Newman Government views the public purse as its own plaything and believes taxpayer funds are theirs to be spent on LNP activities without question,” Mr Pitt said.
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