Anna Power - Toobeah latest (6 March)

0:00Rural Queen's ended, I bend over with you this morning. And look, the Tobier land grab from the Big and Bull people has really, it's probably gone a little quiet at the moment because of the legal action that is being taken place against Michael Offordale. And obviously there's a lot going on in that place. Anna Power has been on the show before. She's completely frustrated with the whole situation. She's been very passionate about a community and what they need and what has been going on in that part of the world. She joins me this morning on Rural Queen's ended, a good morning and how are you? Hi, Ben. I'm really good. I'm coming to you from Sandtop where the Appling Great Festival is happening at the moment. And I highly recommend going to anyone's interested. Big big. Finish it up this weekend. Big festival this weekend as well. Disappointing would be an understatement I suspect for how you're feeling at the moment. Well, Ben, it's 16 months after since I talked to you last,

1:01I think it's have only got worse. Things have actually only got worse, the entire country. And to be it to me is an example of everything that's happening in this country. I did tell Michael Offordale, who has settled with defamation case with Lawrence Springborg, to be very careful about what he says publicly and the actions he takes, the reason being, it's been in the news a lot lately. These hate speech laws that keep getting strengthened. The LNP actually strengthened them at the beginning of this year. Obviously that's not defamation, but defamation, vilification laws, they're all about, I think, shutting people up who speak truth power. So I'm really happy that you've given me the opportunity to have another say on this matter because it is actually really hard for people like me to get any media. So I appreciate that, Ben. What's the truth in your opinion? Okay, so I've said everything that Michael has said,

2:04I will say everything I'm saying today is my opinion. If I say it's my opinion, if I say I alleged, that means that I can't be souped for defamation. Lawrence can sue me for defamation, I will win because I will stand by everything I've ever said. I've listened to the interview I had with you. October 24, and I stand by everything I said, Ben. And what I said was pretty much what Michael Offerdale has said, I just said it in a different way. So just a few facts I'd like to point out, Ben, is that the Spring Borgs and Bingham Bull go back to 2009 when their first native title claim was rejected. So when a native title claim is put in, people who are affected by the claim can actually be joined as claimants. So the Spring Borgs have a 28,000 acre lease hold, a wet store that joins their property. So they're actually on the first native title claim

3:05and probably giving reasons for it not to go ahead. That's in a federal search. So once again, I have all the paperwork like last time in front of me. So that was rejected, but the Bingham Bull kept going. Russell Doctor, who was one of the instacators, was removed. I've talked to him personally. He's not happy about how he was removed. He has misappropriated funds, but that's a whole another story. And Justin Saunders came along. So by 2017, they got a 17,134 square kilometre area of crown land, which wet stone, which is the Spring Borgs lease hold was part of. And that was declared Bingham Bull Country, which, when native title originally came about, it was supposed to be just for cultural activities. It sent more to commercial agreements. So we have Indigenous Land Use Agreement. So it literally says the native title is for cultural activities, but somehow over the years this has changed.

4:08And now these IELUAs have to be done. So if you have a forestry lease or a pastoral lease or the government wants to put so the inland rail through, they actually have to do a confidential commercial agreement with the native title corporation, or if the native title has not been settled, they have to actually do it with acclaimant. Yeah. So it's gone from this cultural activity to actually a commercial use of one's crown land, which makes it very complicated because these renewables companies, things like anyone who wants to use one's crown land now has to negotiate a commercial agreement with whoever the native title. So it's very interesting that Lawrence also had broken river hydro and a wet stone solar. So his whole defamation was around Michael

5:08and this wet stone solar deal. But the fact of the matter and once again I have it in front of me is that wet stone solar farm, Lawrence, it was a director of and a past director was Peter Burstland. Both those people were mentioned in the post-Michael put up and he actually took it straight down when he received the legal letter, but he didn't do the other things that the lawyer asked of him. You can talk to him about that. But anyway, it's very interesting that these renewables have been coming along. They're all subsidised by our taxes. Obviously politicians are privy. Remember, this is my opinion. A privy to a lot of information that we don't have, the regular spray and taxpayer doesn't have. So it's interesting how a lot of these politicians and I'm talking about a lot of politicians seem to have financial interest in things that we didn't know were coming. So broken river hydro, wet stone solar, Lawrence now has gallowate energy.

6:12Don't know what that is, but it's a registered company. He's actually deregistered broken river hydro and wet stone solar since the Tobia stuff kicked off. So I find that very interesting. And he was also taking money from cornerstone government relations, which is actually a company that uses ex-politicians and ex-government people to basically get insider information to sell on to people so they can get better deals or connections into the government. Is that a conflict of interest when you are being paid by the tax payer to represent our region? Actually, this is what cornerstone, you can look them up, go in front of me, what we deliver, clear strategy, delivered after consultation with our appropriation backed by experience. Access with purpose,

7:13relationships with, relationship dealing with ministers advise the senior officials, industry bodies, interest groups, policy influence, position development, submission drafting, targeted legislative engagement, reputation and trust issue preparedness, message discipline, and credibility with key stakeholders, leadership positioning, thought leadership and targeted communications to establish authority in your field. I mean, I alleged that's a direct conflict of interest. And if you look at cornerstone government relations, they literally have ex-politicians, but Lawrence isn't an ex-politician, he still is. How frustrated are you? This is a man who is taking out Michael Offerdale, who, as I said, I didn't approve of what some of the things he did and I told him, and I told him again yesterday, but he is a very small fish in a big sea of people with power and influence, and the fact of the matter is you speak up to these people,

8:13they come for you, I've been come for, I sent two letters to the council saying cease and cease, because they were defaming me, and I'll put a lawyer on to them, but they've got all my money and all the time in the world to fight, you know, to fight, they didn't fight me, because they know I'd win, but, you know, if they did, probably not their money, they're using, but our rape, no money, and whatever money they're taking at the time. So, yes, I am frustrated then. Can Lawrence Springborg, and I like Lawrence Springborg, when you say these allegations, these are alleged, as I say, in your opinion, but can he be held to account for what you're, you're alleging? Well, I don't know how, I mean, you try, you ring the triple C, you get an extra machine, and they say don't abuse us. I'm wondering why they're getting abuse,

9:13maybe it's because nothing ever happens. I mean, you know, the opposite, to say when a complaint goes to them, they literally just ring up the people that are being complained about and ask them. I mean, also, if you want to talk again about the liquor accord that was running illegal group bans, and they'll be delivered by the police station, by the sergeant, and the deputy mayor of our town, who has a long relationship with Lawrence Springborg, I emailed the council, because on the rules that they gave us, it said that the council was supposed to take the minutes. Well, I got a complete denial, I got words valid, the deputy mayor has involved. Lawrence has never once responded to one of my emails then. In two years, not once has he responded to my emails, not once has he run me and said,

10:13you know, it's the right thing in our community. You've volunteered. How can I help you, Anna? Not once, Ben. Not once. And yet, we pay, and he ran uncontested, so I didn't elect Lawrence Springborg. But, you know, we pay for these people to serve us. And I'm sorry, I'm not sure how after all these years you can say that's happening. I mean, not council, state, federal president, I mean, I think the council might not have said any help from our elected members. None. I just hope this can get, and I hope that this doesn't break Michael off at Albot Jesus a lot. There's a lot to this. There is a lot to it. We appreciate it. Well, and as I said at the beginning, Ben, the truth is complicated lies the easy to tell. And as I said, to Michael yesterday, you know what would have stopped all this, people based on their ancestry and identity.

11:16If it's destroying the country, you will continue to destroy the country. Thanks for being with us this morning and a power. I can hear the frustration in your voice. Thank you so much for being with us. Thank you very much for your time, Ben. I appreciate it. Good on you. We're going to take a break. Come back plenty more to get through. This is Rural Queensland today.