Queensland premier repeats claim that Labor gets funding from bikies as opposition leader badges the claim ‘ridiculous, offensive and just desperate’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Queensland premier has accused the Labor party of accepting donations from bikies but when asked for evidence has told journalists to “Google it”.



Campbell Newman first made the claim in the people’s forum with opposition leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk, on Friday night asking her if Labor’s donation money was “clean” and to guarantee she had not accepted donations from bikies. Palaszczuk dismissed the claim as “ridiculous”.

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Newman repeated the claim on Saturday saying it was up to the Labor party to prove they did not accept donations from bikies, not up to him to prove it.

He claims the money is being funneled through the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).

“I’ve asked the question and isn’t it time that they assured people that there isn’t a problem? It’s time for the CFMEU to open their books,” he said.

“Look, again, let’s be very clear. The bikies have said that they back the Labor Party. The links between the bikies and the CFMEU are absolutely clear and the Labor Party have said that the laws that they’ve protected Queenslanders go. So what is this support that’s being offered?”

Asked if he had any specific evidence, Newman responded: “I can say it again if you like.”

“You’ve got a smartphone there right now, try it, try Googling CFMEU bikie links and see what comes up. There’s a report when I looked at that by an ABC journalist reporting on a senior Victorian police officer talking about the infiltration of the CFMEU and the linkages between the bikies,” he said.

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The LNP introduced the toughest anti-association laws for bikies in Australia, banning them from being in groups of three or more. Labor initially supported the laws but have since said they would wind them back, prompting accusations bikies support the Labor party.

Palaszczuk said if Newman had any evidence of bikies donating to the Labor party he should take it to the police.

She labelled the allegations “ridiculous, offensive and just desperate”.