Labor Premier is slammed for taking TWO private jets to the same destination just days after passing emissions bill
- Queensland Premier slammed for taking two jets for identical routes
- Comes just days after bold emissions targets enshrined into QLD law
- READ MORE: Anthony Albanese slammed for taking two private jets
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has sparked outrage by chartering two private jets to simultaneously travel to the same destination - just days after passing a bill enforcing a cut in carbon dioxide emissions.
Mr Miles and staff flew in one jet while Police Minister Mark Ryan and Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski used another for a trip to Townsville to hold a press conference about youth crime.
The private jets, which cost around $6500 an hour to hire, left Brisbane within 15 minutes of each other on Monday afternoon for the 2,800km round-trip.
Mr Miles and his staff flew in a Embraer Phenom 300 while Mr Ryan and Mr Gollschewski travelled in a Cessna Citation CJ2+, the Courier Mail reports.
After holding the press conference trumpeting new measures to address Queensland's youth crime epidemic, the trio returned to their separate jets and flew on to Cairns.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has been blasted for taking two jets to the same destination
Mr Miles took a separate plane to Police Minister Mark Ryan and Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski (pictured) despite the jets taking identical routes on the 2800km round-trip
Mr Miles appeared on breakfast TV on Tuesday morning before the trio returned to Townsville and travelled down the coast to Hervey Bay.
The jets finally returned to Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon with plans for the premier to return to Cairns on Wednesday.
A government spokeswoman said commercial flights were used when possible but had not been suitable for that journey and it was important he visit regional centres.
'Labor is a government for all of Queensland, not just the South East, so it's critical that both the Premier, ministers and the Commissioner travel into the regions,' she said.
It comes just weeks after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Energy Minister Chris Bowen were blasted for taking separate jets to the same destination and just days after a new emissions bill was passed.
Two bills passed in Queensland state parliament on Thursday, the Energy (renewable transformation and jobs) Bill and the Clean Economy Jobs Bill.
The bill locks in 50 per cent emissions reductions targets by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2035.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is seen boarding a private jet with his fiancé Jodie Haydon
An eagle eyed local revealed two Royal Australian Air Force planes waiting on the tarmac at Scone Airport on Thursday, sparking the saga (pictured)
The reforms also lock in an 80 per cent renewable energy generation target by 2035 and entrench public ownership of energy assets.
Mr Miles said the passing of the new legislation was a 'historic day for the Sunshine State' in a post to X on Thursday.
'For me, it's the combination of more than 16 years of work, first as an activist, then as a minister and now as the state's premier,' he said.
'Just as previous generations used our natural resources to lock in the prosperity that we enjoy today, we can use our renewable energy resources with deep storage to deliver that same kind of prosperity to future generations.'
Mr Albanese and Mr Bowen took separate planes to a $1billion climate announcement late last month.
Mr Bowen said the runway at Scone Airport was not sturdy enough for the prime minister's larger jet.
He said the number of staff who accompanied the pair on the trip also had to be scaled back due to the weight restrictions.
'The Prime Minister always travels with the Royal Australian Air Force… that's for security reasons and quite appropriate,' Mr Bowen said.
'The runway at Scone wasn't strong enough to take the large jet so the Air Force recommended, took a decision, for two small jets.'
