Border populist victory bought with federal treasure
The PM might take comfort from voters rewarding an incumbent government in a crisis. But the Queensland election result should trigger action to better align health and economic responsibilities in a pandemic.
In an era of political disruption that weighs against incumbents, and in a state prone to rural and redneck populism, it would be churlish not to give credit to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for winning a third term in office on Saturday.
However, the Palaszczuk government’s return was not a reward for principled leadership in a crisis, but the result of a shamelessly populist re-election campaign that relied on the popularity of Queensland’s medically unnecessary, highly parochial, fear-mongering, and economically damaging border closure policy, which has unjustifiably set back Australia’s economic recovery and COVID-safe reopening of the economy.
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