Just in case you were wondering, former Queensland premier Campbell Newman is still a huge prick.
Newman is steadfastly refusing to show even an ounce of contrition after sharting out a tweet this morning that is – even at its most generous reading – horrendously tone-deaf.
There must be a better way for the Qld Police to deal with a tragic pedestrian death than to shut down the entire northern side of Brisbane and create total and utter chaos extending more than 5 km from the CBD.
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 21, 2018
The tweet followed the death of a woman after she was hit by a bus while crossing Ann Street in Brisbane‘s CBD. The Brisbane Times is reporting that the woman was identified as a 51-year-old from Samford Valley.
Ann Street was closed for two hours by police, which a spokesperson from the Queensland Police Service described to the ABC as standard operating procedure:
It is standard procedure to close a road where a fatality has occurred while investigators from the Forensic Crash Unit conduct thorough scene examinations without interference from traffic.
The QPS is also conscious of ensuring scenes of fatalities are managed with dignity and respect for the victims and their families.
On this occasion, a traffic alert was issued to the public within minutes of the incident and local diversions were put in place while the intersection was closed to traffic for two hours.
Instead of maybe clarifying his wording or apologising, Newman scrambled to defend himself, claiming (among other things) that QPS’ handling of the incident could have made school children late for exams:
And for those of you who don’t agree, what about the surgeons and doctors who didn’t get to the hospitals on time, the cancer patients who were heading for treatment, the kids who had exams, the people who missed job interviews etc. etc. ? https://t.co/dCPec2CVg0
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 22, 2018
He tweeted a few more times this afternoon, hitting back at reports that he had been criticised for his comments and even hitting back at criticism from MP Deb Frecklington, who now holds Newman’s former position as leader of the Queensland Liberal National Party.
Gee. What would they say if someone had died in the back of an ambulance this morning that had been injured in an incident elsewhere but couldn’t get to the RBH in time due to the traffic? Let’s stick to the point rather than name calling and invective https://t.co/5EK5HOBMau
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 22, 2018
Interesting to speak to a number of journos this afternoon about this sad and tragic incident. Even more interesting to note that a number said they fully agreed with me on the need to better manage. Pity that @DebFrecklington thinks its about politics. ‘Cause its not. https://t.co/eNgjCRZd0E
— Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) May 22, 2018
What a dickhead.
