22 November 2010 in Mayo News, Media
Media Release - A Prime Minister without courage - Monday 22 November 2010
The Prime Minister has again turned her back on Woodside residents concerned about her government’s decision to turn the Defence housing site at Inverbrackie into a detention facility.
Today she refused to meet with five members of the Woodside Community Action Group who had payed their own way to Canberra to speak about this decision. This is despite her office indicating on Friday afternoon that a meeting at 4pm today would be arranged.
The local community and the members of the Woodside Community Action Group who are here today deserve to feel let down by the Prime Minister.
The total lack of consultation on this decision has been appalling.
The Prime Minister was in the Adelaide hills for a photo opportunity the day before she made the announcement on the detention facility but didn’t say a word about it.
It took the Immigration Minister two weeks to make a visit, but the token stage-managed meeting 20 kilometres away from Woodside did nothing to ease community concerns.
The Prime Minister should have consulted with the community before she made this decision. But as she didn’t, the least she could have done today is honour the community members who payed their own way to Canberra with a meeting.