Editorial: LNP’s small-target strategy will only go so far

Despite appearances David Crisafulli shouldn’t, in fact, be too comforted by the UK election result, writes the editor.

David Crisafulli should be chuffed by the UK election results – even though Labour demolished his side of politics, the Tories.

If ever he needed evidence that his preferred small-target approach to campaigning for this October’s state election might work, this was it.

It’s pretty clear voters handed the Keir Starmer-led Labour Party a massive majority for the simple reason voters were fed up with a 14-year-old, very tired and increasingly disunited Tory government.

All Mr Starmer really had to do was promise “growth” and to “stop the chaos”, without offering much detail on how he might achieve these goals, and then stand back and let the other side continue its own self-destruction.

It continues the worldwide political trend of anger towards incumbents – the French are seeing this play out right now as well.

And that could be bad news for Queensland voters if it encourages Mr Crisafulli to double down on his small-target tactics.

Just yesterday in this space we urged Mr Crisafulli to start moving beyond the making-big-promises phase of the LNP’s election campaign and begin spelling out how they will be achieved.

We understand why Mr Crisafulli might want to avoid the detail for as long as possible – and focus instead on reminding voters of Queensland Labor’s record in office over the past decade.

But as we noted yesterday, he must resist the temptation to treat voters like dills.

He can make all the big promises he likes and bag Labor forever, but he also needs to convince Queenslanders the LNP is actually ready to govern.

A big part of that is showing us how he and his team plan to achieve what they’ve promised and how they will pay for it.

In any event, we’d argue that Mr Crisafulli shouldn’t, in fact, be too comforted by the UK election result.

Queensland’s Labor government has, by now, accumulated enough baggage to make it an easy target for the LNP – from various crises in housing and youth crime and soaring construction costs, in part because of its failure to stand up to the CFMEU.

And while messy, it doesn’t compare to the Tory Party which has had five different prime ministers since 2016, and ongoing international divisions on everything from Brexit to migration.

By comparison, Queensland Labor has changed leaders only once in office – from Annastacia Palaszczuk to Steven Miles.

It also should be flushed with cash – thanks to the highest coal royalty rates in the world – to spend whatever it needs to woo voters in marginal seats with ever-more blatant pork-barrelling.

History tells us not only that the LNP knows plenty of ways to lose elections, even when it’s the hot favourite, but also the Labor Party machine is always formidable, whatever the odds.

In short, the evidence of the UK poll aside, it’s not enough for Mr Crisafulli to rely on the “we’re not them” tactic that worked so well for Mr Starmer.

For a start, this is certainly not going to be the preordained slaughter of the UK Conservatives that everyone saw coming from months ago.

And second, voters deserve better than that.

ALBO’S COST-OF-LIVING GAMBLE

It’s a bold move for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to promise Australians the cost-of-living crisis is “going to get better”.

Economists are increasingly of the belief there will be a rate rise next month – which will potentially throw thousands of households across the country into mortgage stress.

His promise is also cold comfort to the 32,000 Queenslanders on payment plans for their electricity.

Energy rebates from the state and federal governments will start flowing through and ease this issue for many.

But they still have to find the money to pay for the groceries, school fees, insurance and other necessities.

Interestingly, Mr Albanese would not comment on how devastating another interest rate rise would be to Labor’s re-election chances.

Quite simply, many families won’t cope.

Mr Albanese says the government has “deliberately designed our cost-of-living relief to provide support for people who most need it without putting further pressure on inflation.”

That may be the intent – but the jury is still out on whether it will put further pressure on inflation down the line.

Mr Albanese will have his fingers crossed it won’t, and that his words won’t come back to bite him before the election.

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