By JOLENE OGLE
MEMBER for Noosa Glen Elmes has hit back at claims he has let down the electorate by not attending the recent budget estimate hearings.
Noosa Today has received a number of letters from the community slamming the local member for travelling overseas instead of attending the hearings and voicing Noosa’s concerns.
In one letter, Tony Tilden of Noosa Heads said he was “staggered” Mr Elmes took holidays while the budget was being finalised instead of “pitching” for better transport and the removal of hulks from the Noosa River.
“He’s either past caring, is so ineffectual that he’s given up or doesn’t know when he should be in there pitching for our electorate,” Mr Tilden wrote.
In another letter, former Greens candidate Joe Shlegeris accused Mr Elmes of not caring for the local electorate.
“He doesn’t care enough about our electorate to attend the most important budgetary function of the year,” he said.
A third letter from Julien Cahn of Noosa Heads asked if anyone had seen Mr Elmes recently.
“He has not been in his office any day this month so far, which seems to be only half staffed and shuts early,” he wrote.
“But I know where he hasn’t been. He hasn’t been attending State Budget estimates committees to represent Noosa’s best interests.”
Noosa Today put the letter writers’ concerns to Mr Elmes, who said he didn’t attend the estimate hearings because he wasn’t required to as a local member.
“I wasn’t meant to be there,” he said.
Mr Elmes, who is the deputy chairman for the ethical committee, says local members can seek leave to appear at the committee hearings if they “have a line to push”, but it’s “not generally done”.
Mr Elmes said the most effective way to campaign for the local electorate was to lobby ministers on particular issues.
Mr Elmes said he had had numerous conversations with ministers about local issues, including the former TAFE site.
On Tuesday (2 August), Mr Elmes held a press call with the Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls, Deputy Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, and the Shadow Minister for Roads Andrew Powell to push for funding in the Noosa Shire to tackle a range of issues, including a bypass for Beckmans Road in Tewantin.
