From the 'How Stupid Can A Federal Government Be' file

This year the Gillard Labor Government signed off on a reduction of ‘green tape’ between the federal government and state government over approval of development projects.

The results were always predictable – monumental state defaults.

“Prime Minister Julia Gillard has written a strongly worded letter to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, accusing his Government of undermining community confidence in the approval process for major resource projects.

The letter is a further escalation in the war of words between the Commonwealth and the Queensland Government over a multi-billion-dollar mining project in central Queensland.

The Alpha Coal Project's location in the Galilee Basin means it could have an impact on the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

The state and federal governments had been working together on a single environmental approval process for the $6.5 billion project, but Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke says Queensland has not upheld its end of the deal.

He says the Queensland approval process had been "hopeless" and falls "abysmally short" of what is required under the bilateral agreement.

In a letter to Mr Newman, Ms Gillard writes that any "breach of this agreement is unacceptable to the Commonwealth".

"I am particularly concerned that Queensland's decision has immediately put at risk community and business confidence in the ability of Queensland to work with the Commonwealth," she wrote.

"The Commonwealth will, as a result, work directly with Alpha Coal to complete the assessment process and resolve any remaining uncertainties for the project."

Now watch Gina do Julia over!

The real losers in all this are The Great Barrier Reef and the Australian electorate.

Pic from Google Images