Lies, Damn Lies, and Anna Bligh.

Oil washed up on prime tourist beaches.

During the latest cyclone on the Queensland coast, the cargo ship Pacific Adventurer lost around thirty containers overboard, one of which pierced the hull. As result, about 230 tones of oil was lost, resulting in the polluting of 60km of southeast Queensland beaches in what could to be a fairly serious environmental problem. Much of he oil has ended up on beaches in the states prime tourist areas.

Moreton and Bribie Island and southern parts of the Sunshine Coast have been declared disaster zones.

The Opposition Leader, Mr. Springborg said the spill would damage the tourism industry, and called for an urgent campaign to attract visitors for the Easter break. He has strongly criticized the government’s response.

Mr. Springborg claimed Labor had deployed "more spin doctors than clean-up crews."

Premier Anna Bligh has responded by throwing her best spin doctors into the action, and thus was able to go on the attack. Ms Bligh says it is up to others to judge if the oil disaster will cost her votes in next weekend's state election, but she has rejected the accusations that the Government was too slow to react.

"Mr. Springborg's constant criticisms of the people who are working overtime to clear this spill do him no credit," she said.

The only problem is that Springborg has not at any point criticized the clean up crews, but such intellectual baggage as honesty or ethics has never hampered Anna.