Des Houghton: Palaszczuk government is in death spiral

It must be now painfully obvious to nearly everybody in the Labor Party that the end is near for the Palaszczuk government, writes Des Houghton.

It must be painfully obvious to nearly everybody in the Labor Party that the Palaszczuk government is in a death spiral.

The betrayals, the blunders and the backflips leave little hope of recovery. Annastacia Palaszczuk herself can probably sense the end game has begun.

She is no longer the preferred premier. She has lost her gloss and is now sniping at the media when questioned about bad polls or policy failures. She did not do her homework before suggesting LNP links to Freshwater Strategies, the firm that found her leadership and her party to be in decline.

Dr Mike Turner, the Freshwater director who conducted the poll, is a Briton who has run polls for Labor, the Lib-Dems and the Tories in the UK and has degrees from the University of Oxford and universities in Vienna, Plymouth and Essex.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: David Clark

The Freshwater poll published in the Australian Financial Review backed up an earlier poll by YouGov for The Courier-Mail that also predicted a Labor loss.

That YouGov poll in May showed Palaszczuk’s approval rating was worse than the score voters gave Campbell Newman and Anna Bligh before their spectacular falls from grace. Freshwater found 39 per cent of voters have a “favourable view”
of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s performance compared with 47 per cent of voters who said they had an “unfavourable view”.

I read this as saying the people of Queensland are losing faith in her ability to break the vicious cycle of policy failures from crime control to housing affordability, cost of living and health and energy strategy.

And her red-carpet socialising hasn’t helped her image on struggle street.

Since Labor swept to power with its endless reviews and plans, crime has increased by 42 per cent in Queensland.

Car theft has surged by 110 per cent and break-ins are up 48 per cent.

There are 72 fewer full-time, frontline police officers in Queensland today than there were two years ago.

Police recruitment drives have been such a lamentable failure that Queensland is now trying to lure police from other states and nations that can ill afford to lose them.

Official figures show 52,000 Queenslanders were victims of crime in 2021-22.

Theft, other than car theft, has risen, and assaults are up.

Woke changes to the Youth Justice Act including “detention as a last resort” and the removal of the offence of breach of bail have sparked a young crime wave that seems to have no end.

Young hoons roam our streets in the knowledge they will suffer no consequences for their actions even if they are caught. And they undermine the authority of police, regularly taunting them on social media.

Is it any wonder the polls show Labor’s fortunes are in a continuous downward drift?

With the election due in 16 months, can Palaszczuk arrest the decline?

A leadership change may offer a fresh start for Labor.

Senior Cabinet ministers Steven Miles, Cameron Dick and Shannon Fentiman have been mentioned as possible successors, but they too have perception problems. The Freshwater survey asked voters to say whether they had ever heard of them, and if so whether they had a favourable, unfavourable or neutral view of them.

Treasurer Cameron Dick and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman tours Logan Hospital. Picture: Liam Kidston

Astonishingly, only 10 per cent viewed Fentiman favourably, with 56 per cent saying they had never heard of her. Dick was slightly better with 13 per cent giving him a “favourable” rating. Miles achieved a 15 per cent favourability rating but is still well behind Palaszczuk, who scored 39.

While LNP leader David Crisafulli’s support is rising, he, too, is battling for recognition.

Freshwater found 39 per cent of voters said they hadn’t heard of him.

Most successful in exposing Labor failures have been shadow health minister Ros Bates and deputy Opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie. Fiona Simpson, the LNP’s shadow minister for integrity in government, has also landed punches.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Bates has again challenged Labor to explain why 281,697 Queenslanders are still waiting to see a specialist. And 118,093 of those Queenslanders are waiting longer that the clinically recommended times for their treatment.Her tone is combative.

“Photo-Op Fentiman is more interested in announcements and promo tours than delivering results,” she says. “As a registered nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how frustrating it is for patients who are forced to wait years before seeing a specialist.

“Queensland is home to world- renowned specialists and frontline medical staff, but they’re being let down by this tired, third-term Government.’’ Agreed.