Qld: Bligh looks forward to ending blame game at COAG

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2007
Qld: Bligh looks forward to ending blame game at COAG

BRISBANE, Dec 10 AAP - Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says she hopes Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd and state and territory leaders can breathe new life into the "dysfunctional"

Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Mr Rudd will meet with premiers and chief ministers for COAG in Melbourne on December
20, with health, climate change, water, education, infrastructure and business deregulation
on the agenda.

Ms Bligh said it was important for Mr Rudd to fulfil his election promise to "end the
blame game".

"The people of Australia voted for better commonwealth-state relations and whoever
descends into blame game will in my view find themselves punished by the electorate,"

she told reporters in Brisbane today.

"COAG has been dysfunctional and moribund for a number of years.

"The Howard government decided that they would get re-elected by demonising the states
of Australia - it was an electoral strategy that comprehensively failed.

"It will not reflect well electorally on any government, whether it's Kevin Rudd's,
or mine, or any of the states, if we allow ourselves to get caught in the blame game again."

AAP gd/pjo/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: COAG BLIGH

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