Category: Steven Miles

Queensland Floods Caused an Estimated $7.7 Billion Worth of Damage: Report

This year’s devastating floods in South East Queensland will cost the state an estimated $7.7 billion (US$5.3 billion), according to an independent Deloitte Report recently released. The report looked into the financial, economic and social costs of the severe rainfall and flooding events that occurred between late February and early April and impacted 23 local…


Queensland Mothballs $223 Million Quarantine Camp Just 6 Months After Opening

The Queensland state government will shutter a $223 million (US$154.6 million) COVID-19 quarantine facility in Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba, just six months after it was opened. In the same announcement, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said another multi-million dollar, federal government-funded quarantine facility in Pinkenba, Brisbane—due to be finalised in a few weeks—would not be opened. On…


Australian Coal Mining Companies Accuse State Government of a Lack of Transparency on Royalty Rates

Currently, coal mining companies are calling on the Queensland government to be transparent about how much the state government will tax them in 2022-2023, even though the new financial year is approaching. Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said that the tax on each tonne of coal sold, also known as royalties, imposed on miners would rise…


Queensland Calls for Home Buyback Package for Flood Victims

The Australian state of Queensland has put forward a new support package to financially enable the state government to buy back homes of up to 500 flood victims. Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said on March 19 that the state had asked the federal government to jointly fund a $771 million (US$572 million) support package…


Australian PM Criticises Premier for Holding State ‘Hostage’ to Extort Hospital Funding

The Australian Prime Minister said the state of Queensland should take responsibility for their state health system rather than hold the federal government to ransom for money over domestic borders. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not respond to “shakedown politics” during a pandemic and criticised Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for threatening to keep…


State Leader ‘Disgusted’ by Anti-Lockdown Protests on Queensland Border

Queensland state deputy leader Steven Miles has labelled protests against COVID restrictions on the state border as “shameful and reckless,” after over 1,000 residents from Coolangatta and Tweed—which saddles the state border—gathered to protest against tighter border restrictions. Deputy Premier Miles said the protests were very “un-Queensland like.” “We have gotten through this because Queenslanders…