QUEENSLANDS Labor leader has cried in parliament while speaking about her grandfathers seven years in a German work camp in Poland during World War II.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk was under fire after Labor frontbencher Jo-Ann Miller compared fly-in, fly-out accommodation with “mining concentration camps”.

Ms Palaszczuk, who is of Polish decent, became emotional as she spoke out against a government motion condemning Ms Miller’s comments made in Tuesday night speech to Parliament.

She broke down after recalling how a state government ministerial staff member had described the Nazis as “very admirable people” when he edited a National Party newsletter during the 1990s.

“These were the people that almost killed my grandfather, who also made my grandmother ...” she sobbed.

“I can’t believe that people on this side of the House ... about Nazis being admirable people.” The Opposition Leader said her grandfather’s seven years in a labour camp were “very, very tough days” which almost killed him.

Ms Miller is standing by her comments, despite their allusion to the Nazi Holocaust which killed six million people across Europe. But Ms Palaszczuk apologised for the comments.

“Her comments made in the House may have been regrettable but she was merely conveying ... the thoughts and views of people on the ground,” she said.

“I have no problem with apologising for anyone who has taken offence.”

Earlier, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman unfavourably compared Ms Palaszczuk with her father Henry, a Beattie government minister.

media_camera Coppabella Village is one of The MAC's largest accommodation villages boasting more than 1700 en-suited rooms for mine workers.

In January 2005, Mr Palaszczuk asked the Speaker to withdraw his ministerial oath of allegiance to the Queen after Prince Harry wore a Nazi uniform costume.

“Her father took a stand on a matter of principle, he showed ticker, he saw somebody do something inappropriate ... that mocked the historic outrage of the Holocaust,” Mr Newman said.

Ms Miller had earlier today maintained her refusal to apologise.

Ms Miller took to radio this morning to explain herself but repeatedly stopped short of issuing an apology, instead saying she had not intended to cause offence.

She said she was simply repeating comments made to her during a visit to mining towns and denied she had a responsibility to censor those comments.

“I was asked by the people in Moura, in Blackwater, in Middlemount, in Dysart and Moranbah to raise these issues in parliament and I raised them exactly the same way as it was told to me,” she said.

“There was no intention to cause any offence whatsoever.”

Ms Miller said the controversy over her comments was “simply a diversion of this government”.

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday morning, Premier Campbell Newman urged Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk to show some “ticker” and discipline her MP over the offensive comments.

media_camera Mining accommodation facility near Dalby, Queensland. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

media_camera Front page of London’s The Sun newspaper, featuring a photo of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi shirt while attending a fancy dress party.

“It is now the second day since these utterly inappropriate comments were made by the Member for Bundamba,” Mr Newman told State Parliament on Thursday morning.

“The Leader of the Opposition needs to show leadership. Leadership is more than confected outrage. Leadership is about taking a stand when people in your own team do utterly and totally the wrong thing.

Mr Newman, who was today himself accused of doing something “inappropriate” in Parliament, said Ms Palaszczuk needed to follow her father’s example and take a tough stance against Holocaust insensitivity.

Ms Palaszczuk’s father, former Bligh Government primary industries minister Henry Palaszczuk, sought special permission to have his allegiance to the Queen withdrawn during a parliamentary sitting in protest against photographs of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi costume.

“Back in 2005 her father took a stand on the same issue. Her father took a stand on a matter of principal. He showed ticker, he saw somebody do something inappropriate that mocked the historical outrage of the holocaust and he acted. He did something about it and the leader of the Opposition needs to do something about it now.”

Earlier today, Mining Minister Andrew Cripps also demanded Ms Palaszczuk admonish Ms Miller.

“The real question this morning, given the Member for Bundamba has continued to demonstrate that she doesn’t understand the inappropriateness of her comments and that she doesn’t understand why the community is concerned, is the failure of the Leader of the Opposition to act,’’ Mr Cripps said.

“The Leader of the Opposition has a responsibility now to take action to discipline the Member for Bundamba or else this issue will become a problem for her.’’

Mr Cripps said Ms Miller had offended the Jewish community and the wider community with her comments and had refused to acknowledge the inappropriateness of what she had said.

“What she has demonstrated, even this morning in continuing to talk to the media, is a refusal to acknowledge the inappropriateness of her comments and a refusal to apologies to the Jewish community and the wider community who have taken real offence to her inappropriate remarks,’’ he said.

Earlier it was reported, gyms, golf courses, bars and Olympic-sized swimming pools - these are among the luxuries on offer at the mining camps Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller describes as “concentration camps”.

Both the state’s Jewish community and the Newman Government have taken aim at the Bundamba MP for linking compounds frequented by workers earning an average of more than $130,000 to the death camps used by the Nazi regime to commit genocide.

The Opposition mines spokeswoman drew fire after referring to conversations she had had with workers or locals in Dysart, Moura, Middlemount, Blackwater and Moranbah.

HAS JO-ANN MILLER GONE TOO FAR WITH HER COMMENTS? TELL US BELOW

“To say that mining ­companies are engaging in fly-in-fly-out postcode Apartheid is no exaggeration,” Ms Miller told State Parliament.

“Workers are being kept in what can only be described as mining concentration camps,” she said on Tuesday night.

“They are being told that they are not free to leave or to mingle or to talk with locals. In fact, some have to fill out a form and get written permission to leave these concentration camps.”

Late Wednesday night, Ms Miller approached media in State Parliament to further explain her comments - but no apology.

She did, however, say that the comments were “basically an adjournment speech late at night”.

“Basically what happened was, I was in the mining towns last week,” she told reporters.

“I went up there in my capacity as shadow minister for mines and the description used in the Parliament was as exactly as it was described to me by miners and the miners’ wives and other community representatives in the town.”

Ms Miller said the specific words were used by some in the community - even though she herself told the Parliament the camps could “only be described as mining concentration camps”.

“They were used by people in the local communities, that’s how they described it to me,” she said.

“If people want to contact me about it, I’m willing to talk to them about the conditions in the mining camps and in the mining towns themselves.”

Ms Miller said she thought it was “fairly clear” that she was quoting others.

When asked whether she understood why the comments were insensitive, she would only say that she would be happy to talk to anyone who wanted to discuss the comments.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney yesterday slammed the comments in Parliament as “appalling” and an “absolute insult to the people who suffered in concentration camps”.

“Mrs Miller should immediately apologise to survivors of World War II concentration camps for using their pain and suffering to score cheap political points in a campaign to help her union mates,” Mr Seeney said in a statement released later.

But Ms Miller offered up no apology and instead defended her remarks by pointing to anecdotes about workers not being allowed to play football with locals or drink alcohol while at dinner with family.

Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies spokesman Jason Steinberg condemned the original comments, saying they were “not acceptable” to either the Jewish or wider community.

“Any reference to concentration camps and the Nazi regime in this kind of context is totally inappropriate,” he said.

“Concentration camps housed six million Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals to be led to their slaughter.”

Ms Miller said the Opposition was “regularly contacted” by those expressing concerns - including one man who had to get permission to have dinner with family in a nearby town.

“In addition he was told by the company he could not drink alcohol at the dinner and the company also set a time for him to return to the camp,” she said in a statement.

“I was told that at some camps written permission is needed from the company even to leave to buy a newspaper in the nearby town.

“In addition, the change from community-based workers to FIFO workers has hit many sporting and community clubs hard because those residing in camps are not even allowed to play with the likes of the local footy club.”

The Electrical Trades Union, which faced its own backlash in Victoria recently after linking the Federal Government to the Nazis, distanced itself from her claims.

“We have issues every week with camps, but I wouldn’t go that far,’’ ETU state secretary Peter Simpson said. “I would not say they’re good. I’d say they’re satisfactory.’’

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said Ms Miller should visit a mine camp.

“Most of the accommodation villages in townships allow workers to come and go. They’re only responsible for turning up for their shift fit for work,’’ Mr Roche said.

He said politicians were too often bagging the impacts of mining when they should be talking up the communities as great places to live.

“The Member for Bundamba and the candidate for Mirani (Jim Pearce) are well known for their links to the CFMEU but I’m not sure what’s motivating her extreme comments.”

One accommodation provider, The MAC, services Dysart, Moranbah and Middlemount and offers menus on a “five-week cycle” and a bar that serves “gourmet pizzas”.

In Middlemount, standard rooms come with a private bathroom, desk, air-conditioning, flat-screen television, refrigerator and wireless internet. Buffet-style breakfasts are served.

The company’s Dysart facilities offer “an Olympic sized swimming pool, shopping centre, nine-hole golf course, bowls club and well maintained parks and ovals”.

SMORGASBORD LIFESTYLE OF THE FLY-IN FLY-OUT

By John McCarthy

Fat, divorced and lonely they may be, but FIFO workers are a long way from the tortured souls of concentration camps.

In making her claims Jo-Ann Miller was both breathtakingly offensive and wrong.

FIFO workers do it tough in terms of being away from home for extended periods. Divorce is common, loneliness and readjustment to normal life are big issues as are drugs and alcohol.

But concentration camps? Most FIFO workers often live better at work than they do at home, hence the readjustment issues.

The average wage is $138,000 a year. Highly skilled contractors can earn substantially more, but for that they can work up to four weeks straight with one week off.

While they there life is good, often too good.

The industry even has a term for it: the smorgasbord syndrome, or workers getting fat from eating too well at the camps and not getting enough exercise. Maybe Miller meant degustation camps rather than concentration camps.

Companies can’t afford to not have good accommodation because workers have little loyalty and have been known to switch companies just so they be in a camp where they get the same room every time.

There are some camps that are older and not as good as others but most FIFO workers have modern accommodation not unlike a hotel. Many have pools, air conditioning, free wi-fi, buffet meals and Pay-TV. It’s all free. It’s bloke heaven.

There are few restrictions to life in a camp, although the dining room at Curtis Island had a ban on muscle shirts.

Certainly none stop workers from visiting a town, although some towns are less welcoming than others and those in remote areas may be restricted by transport. Many workers are also reluctant and mining companies have been accused of flyover economics, where all the benefits miss local towns.

Even the Electrical Trades Union, whose Victorian branch recently had to apologise for linking the Federal Government to the Nazis, said it would not use the concentration camp analogy, although they get complaints every week from workers.

Qld camps: about 100 covering coal, metals, oil and gas. 23,000 non-resident workers in the Bowen Basin alone.

Wages: average $138,000

Roster: varies from 7 days on-7 off to 4 weeks on-1 week off. 12 hour days.

Facilties: free food, hotel style accommodation, air-conditioning, pay-tv, gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts

Free flights to and from designated centres.

Meals: Buffet style, hotel quality.