Editorial: Not pretty, but was it pretty effective?

Annastacia Palaszczuk still has some work to do to win back those colleagues who believe her days as an electoral asset are in the past, writes the editor.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s defiant media conference on Monday was certainly not pretty.

And based on the private reaction to her 35-minute performance, 14 hours after returning from a two-week break in Europe, she still has some work to do to win back those colleagues who believe her days as an electoral asset for Labor are now in the past.

One telling moment was when Ms Palaszczuk was asked toward the end of the media conference to respond to a text message they had just received from “someone within government” asking: “Would she seriously rather lose than swallow her pride and stand aside?”

Ms Palaszczuk batted that query away, challenging her critics to put their name to the sledges. She then insisted that not one colleague had raised any concerns with her, before issuing a thinly veiled criticism of those who had been posturing while she was away, by declaring: “Politics needs good people, not selfish people, not ruthless people, not ambitious people.”

That was a solid take-down, but the rest of the press conference did not appear a ringing endorsement in terms of a re-election pitch.

For instance, when asked to outline what issues would be most dangerous to her government’s re-election chances, Ms Palaszczuk said: “I think there are a lot of issues out there, and I acknowledge that there are a lot of issues out there at the moment. Cost of living is a big issue. You’ll see that government has addressed that by increasing that rebate that has proved to be very popular. Minister de Brenni briefed us that 50 per cent of people applying for (the government’s appliance) rebate are from low- income households, so that’s good. It’s getting targeted to the right place. Um, and of course, we know that there is housing stress, there is housing stress out there. And we have a big job with our Big Build about getting all those hospitals built. All our satellite hospitals will be opened before the next election. That will take the pressure off our emergency departments. But these national issues are happening across the board, and we are doing the best that we can on each of these different areas.”

Direct quote.

It was certainly not the clarity of messaging you would expect in an election campaign. But Ms Palaszczuk was open about that, conceding the legendary Labor party machine has not “even kicked into first gear” in preparing for the October 2024 poll.

OK, well until that’s figured out – why should she remain premier?

“I believe I’m the best person because I believe that we have plans – policy plans – for this state. You’ve heard me say it, and I’ll say it again, Queensland’s best days are ahead of us – I’m even more convinced about that. We’ve got the strongest economy in the nation. We’ve got our renewable energy jobs plan.”

It was all very clunky. But that is Ms Palaszczuk’s peculiar style – a style that has always attracted criticism from the chattering class but does not bother Queenslanders, who have voted her premier at three consecutive elections.

That being the case, a polished performance yesterday would not have mattered one iota to the party powerbrokers who will decide Ms Palaszczuk’s future in the coming weeks and months. The thing that matters to them is whether she is still the best person to turn things around for Labor. Right now, that answer remains a cautious yes – but they will be looking for a return to Ms Palaszczuk’s discipline, as well as her remarkable common touch.

PERILS OF SCARING OFF PROPERTY INVESTORS

Property investors in Queensland are fleeing the market in greater numbers than any other state in Australia – and it’s not hard to work out why.

An annual survey by Property Investment Professionals found almost 40 per cent of landlords in Queensland have offloaded at least one property in the past year.

Such a reduction in the rental property pool can only push rents higher – as well as leaving those who have had units sold out from under them high and dry in an incredibly tough market.

And while Queensland remains No.1 with interstate investors, our appeal is dwindling.

Just 33 per cent of potential investors prefer Queensland, down from 58 per cent two years ago.

Last June, the Palaszczuk government attempted to introduce new land tax arrangements for interstate investors, before eventually scrapping the proposal in September when other states said they would not hand over the relevant information to the Queensland government.

But it seems the damage had been done.

InvestorKit founder Arjun Paliwal said even governments talking about changes to property investment regulations was enough to scare off investors.

“You’re likely to see the trend of investor sales continue this year, but that will come down,” Mr Paliwal said.

We hope he’s right. And we hope Treasurer Cameron Dick has learnt his lesson.

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