Branch has ‘some wins’ at Conference

The Annerley Branch obtained two key wins at this years State Conference, held recently at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The long sought after abolition of the controversial fuel subsidy, first raised by the Branch in 2003, was finally accepted by Conference after the Bligh Government had announced it would be part of its new budget.

The subsidy, frequently identified by many as financially unsustainable, was dumped because of its growing cost to taxpayers.

The abolition of the fuel subsidy scheme now means that subsidies will not be paid on any fuel sold by a fuel retailer or used by a bulk end user after 30 June 2009.

The Government believed that Queensland taxpayers and the motoring public were not getting value for their money, with recent research strongly supporting that view.
"We also know that NSW motorists are crossing the border to take advantage of this subsidy”, Premier Bligh stated in support of the measure.

Despite this, the move has been heavily opposed by a number of business and retail groups, who continue to petition for its re-introduction.

In another win for the Annerley Branch, State Conference agreed to hold off amending rules relating to membership and Party unit structures.

After a number of delegates, including those from the Annerley Branch, had indicated that further consultation was required before radically changing party units, key decision makers agreed to the deferral.

Although some of the more controversial proposals were not debated at Conference, there was overwhelming support for changes to the way the Party interacts with its members. This included improving the Party’s online presence and overhauling the existing training program.
For more information about State Conference, contact Rod Beisel on 0403 570 733.