This is part of a series of short briefings ahead of the October election.
The first week of the campaign saw the leaders of the major parties crisscrossing the state making their case directly to voters.
Housing was a clear theme for the Government this week.
Premier Steven Miles was joined by Prime Minister Albanese in Cairns to announce the biggest ever social and affordable housing project in the state, co-funded by the Federal Housing Australia Future Fund and the State Housing Investment Fund. Not a new policy, but a significant commitment for the region.
New Housing projects in Carseldine, Brisbane’s Northshore and fast tracked projects across the Gold Coast rounded out the week on housing from the Government.
This week also saw further funding commitments from the Government with the Deputy Premier announcing a tripling of funding to the Nature Future Fund to $140 million, stage 2 of the Alexandra Hills TAFE and funding for stage 2 of the Mackay Resources Centre of Excellence.
The Government also celebrated the first train moving through the Cross River Rail tunnels. A milestone achievement for a project that has not has not always delivered positive headlines for the Government.
David Crisafulli continues to show the discipline he has become known for during this term as Opposition Leader.
This week saw significant commitments to road projects in Caloundra and Rockhampton and a continued focus on Crime with the announcement of four Crime Early Intervention Schools in Queensland if elected in October.
The Opposition leader also went in hard on the Government’s stadium plan for the Olympics although he was short on details for his own plan.
Aside from the Youth Crime policy, which by Government standards is still relatively light on, there continues to be a real lack of policy detail coming from the opposition.
While it is unlikely to hurt them ahead of the election, with the LNP continuing their strong lead in all published polls, it is precisely this lead and the predicted outcome in October that should compel the opposition to outline their plans for government.
Ahead of the NQ Cowboys finals game the Opposition Leader brought out a video showing him in the stands at the first ever Cowboys home game win in 1995.
This serves to both humanise him while also clearly having a dig at the Premier for donning a Cowboys’ hat instead of his favored Bronco’s.
A subtle hit really, with the negative campaign not yet in full swing. Expect it to ramp up in the coming weeks.
Rounding out the week on his family farm the Opposition Leader survived the first week with his confidence likely to grow from a solid performance.
The sitting Green MP’s campaigned largely on local electorate issues while continuing to advocate for a publicly owned bank announced in August.
The Greens have stated their aim to win up to 10 seats at this election out of the 55 candidates they have in the field. Even with their increasing effective field organising model this aim seems ambitious.
The seats most likely in play for pick up by the Greens are Cooper held by ALP backbencher Jonty Bush and McConell held by ALP front bench Minister Grace Grace.
Voter trends show an increasing Greens vote in the seats of Greenslopes and Miller but these will likely stay with the ALP for now.
They will need a stronger central campaign to build a clear narrative to compliment the ground organising if they are to consolidate the work from the high-water mark of the 2022 Federal election.
The Katter Australia Party (KAP) is in the field in 10 target seats in the North and are working hard to increase the cross bench numbers after October.
A week into the campaign and they have again confirmed that if they hold the balance of power after the election, a new North Queensland state will be at the forefront of any discussions with the major parties.
KAP know how to grab a headline – proposing a separate state will do this – but increasingly the issues driving this conversation will need serious consideration by the next government.
Of note, this week also saw the first day of the historic Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry into the effects of colonisation in Queensland and forms a key part of the Pathway to Treaty process.
The Pathway to Treaty was a policy that formerly enjoyed bipartisan support with the opposition leader saying at the time:
“Path to Treaty offers an opportunity to address this – a fork in the road… This is a difficult path, a path that will mean governments can no longer act as though they are powerless observers. We are not. Governments are the bodies to enact change for these communities that deserve and yearn for change.It is a path where, working together, we can all shine a light on poor performance and ultimately lead to what we all want: real improvements in the lives of Indigenous Queenslanders.” David Crisafulli to Parliament May 9 2023.
Despite this strong commitment from the Opposition Leader, the LNP retracted their support shortly after the referendum last year, making the Pathway to Treaty one of the first possible policy changes for a new government.
With the final Queensland team falling out of the NRL finals and the Lions’ gusty win booking them a ticket to the AFL Grand final, strap in for a week of gratuitous references and well wishes from all political hopefuls.
The lead in will likely keep the stadium conversation and in particular the Gabba refurbishment top of the talking points while the Saturday game, and any celebrations that follow, will likely put announcements on hold for the weekend lest big commitments be drowned out by the excitement of the game in the nightly news.
Both leaders had a good week, with almost flawless execution of visits and announcements across the state and the few new policy announcements well received.
With the passing of each week, voters will start to switch on more and more. They will need to sustain this level of discipline for the rest of the campaign – much more difficult in practice than it sounds.
Policy In Focus
- The ALP announced they are tripling their investment to $140 million investment in the Bigger Nature Fund.
- The LNP announced if elected they will build four Crime Early Intervention Schools in Queensland.
- The Greens continue to advocate for Publicly Owned Banks.
McKell Policy
Vulnerable Queenslanders are disproportionately targeted by predatory financial practices.
Our report released last week – A Stronger Safety Net: The case for a community financial rights service for Queenslanders – argues the case for a dedicated financial rights service in Queensland.
Wonderful to work with Caxton Community Legal Centre + UnitingCare Queensland to bring this piece together.
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