Editorial: Jim Chalmers and Labor’s tough budget sell in Qld

A plethora of politicians will be coming to the Sunshine State to sell the budget’s story. Trouble is, there’s not a lot to sell, writes the editor.

Everything is nothing, with a twist, Kurt Vonnegut once wrote – and this is a philosophy the Albanese government will need to embrace when its ministers hit the ground in Queensland for a post-budget blitz this week.

A plethora of politicians will be coming to the Sunshine State to sell its story; to a state which has been wary of Labor at a federal level in recent times. Mr Chalmers says the message will be: “Whether it’s our energy rebates, bulk-billing incentives or our energy-efficiency package – we’ll be talking to Queenslanders this week about what’s in the budget for them.”

The trouble is, for a lot of people, there’s not a lot to sell. There are no tax cuts to spruik – in fact, they’re going up. And many of the cost-of-living measures at the heart of the budget are so highly targeted that middle Australia largely misses out.

Neither is there anything in the way of congestion-busting road and rail funding announcements. Worse still, the 90-day audit of the $120bn infrastructure pipeline will likely see some of the 130 projects that have already been pencilled in for Queensland erased. That puts a range of upgrades under a cloud, whether it’s upgrading the Centenary Bridge in Brisbane, Bruce Highway funding up the East Coast or smaller projects dotted about the state.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games certainly get a look in, but the $3.4bn for stadiums and venues was announced back in February.

Despite all this, there is a story to tell as federal Labor MPs do their tour of duty across Queensland. Expect a focus on manufacturing opportunities for the regions, how doctor bulk-billing will be made easier for parents, pensioners, people on concession cards – as well as regional Queenslanders. And that’s a relevant point: the blitz won’t be focused on the South East of the state, but will extend out through the regions, from Coolangatta to Cairns.

The targeted action, led by Logan-based Treasurer Jim Chalmers, shows the importance Labor still places on winning back support in the state.

It has struggled in winning seats since the 2007 Rudd-slide victory. It went backwards in Queensland in last year’s election, from six seats to five, despite taking government.

Traditional political reasoning was that to hold government, a party needed to win Queensland. Labor defied this in 2022 with its significant gains in WA and Victoria. Despite this, it is clear that it has not decided to cut and run from the state. Instead, it is continuing to work out what went wrong, and how to win it back.

It faces an uphill battle, as the Greens work hard to ensure they hold on to their three Brisbane seats and the regions remain sceptical to Labor’s charms.

The Albanese government, then, faces a difficult balancing act, both politically and economically.

Politically, it needs to fend off the Greens encroaching in the city, while winning back the regions from the Coalition.

Economically, it faces a difficult task of cutting cost-of-living, without adding to inflation.

It is a tightrope Mr Chalmers has sought to walk with last week’s budget. How much success he and colleagues will have here, well only time will tell. In the meantime, he and his colleagues will be touching down in Queensland to sell the budget as they try to win back support. There is definitely a story for them to tell. It’s just about how you twist it.

DOCTOR WOULD BE ASSET FOR LNP

While it is ultimately a decision for LNP members on the Gold Coast, Dr Dinesh Palipana seems like the perfect candidate for the safe federal seat of Fadden.

The Coalition is still reeling from the loss of Aston in Victoria following the retirement of Alan Tudge, and cannot afford to lose another “safe” seat, such as the one currently held by Stuart Robert.

Dr Palipana has put up his hand. The former Queensland Australian of the Year recently demonstrated his courage and character when he blew the whistle on appalling conditions at Queensland’s only dedicated spinal unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital. Speaking out in The Courier-Mail, Dr Palipana shamed the state government into taking action.

He is also a great example of the sort of representative democracy we should all be striving for.

Dr Palipana’s achievements are inspirational, including being the first person in Australia with a spinal cord injury to graduate as a doctor.

He is not just another candidate who has spent their working life in political offices, as is so often the case when it comes to these things.

Sadly, it is because of this he could struggle to compete if it comes down to a branch member vote.

Dr Palipana, however, represents a rare opportunity for the LNP to change their image while bringing a passionate advocate into parliament.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here