Editorial: What David Crisafulli learnt as a minister under Campbell Newman

David Crisafulli is absolutely flying in terms of his personal popularity, and will not repeat the mistakes of some of his predecessors, writes the editor.

David Crisafulli (right) with Campbell Newman in 2013

David Crisafulli is absolutely flying in terms of his personal popularity just 150 days or so after taking office as premier, and he deserves it.

Having consigned an unpopular and tired administration to the political scrap heap, he moved quickly to exert his leadership over the more extreme elements of his party room – and then hardly put a foot wrong over summer in guiding the state through numerous floods, and a rare southeast cyclone.

And then – the very day after the opinion poll that we reveal today found he is now more popular than any other state leader was taken – he finally delivered the vision Queenslanders were desperately looking for in relation to our 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. And so there could be more upside.

It has been a strong start. But to students of Queensland’s unique political history, these poll results are not a shock. Fifty days after the 2012 election that his LNP won in a landslide, then-premier Campbell Newman was basking in a +45 net satisfaction rate – and his party still enjoyed a yet-to-be matched lead over Labor of 67-33 in the two-party preferred measure.

Similarly, 70 days after her 2015 ascension to the premiership at the election that saw Mr Newman lose not only government but his own seat, Annastacia Palaszczuk was found to have a net satisfaction rating of +29 – with 53 per cent of Queenslanders, a clear majority, thinking she was doing a good job. The big difference for her in that YouGov poll (taken for The Courier-Mail) was that Labor and the LNP were tied at 50-50 on the two-party-preferred measure.

David Crisafulli and Campbell Newman.

In this latest poll, by RedBridge, Mr Crisafulli also boasts a +29 per cent net favourability rating – with 46 per cent of respondents thinking he is doing a good job, compared with just 17 per cent thinking otherwise.

The LNP’s two-party-preferred lead is at 56.5 per cent – a lead Ms Palaszczuk’s party never got even close to during its decade in power (it peaked at 53 per cent, in the second half of 2018).

Ms Palaszczuk hung on to her high personal popularity for only the first year or so, before a Covid-19-led bounce got her to a peak of +30 in the last YouGov poll before the 2020 pandemic election she won.

Mr Newman, meanwhile, slipped quickly into the negative as his combative style and decision to charge ahead with cuts to the public service turned voters off him.

It was only in that first post-election poll that his satisfaction rating as premier was ever positive.

Mr Crisafulli – a junior minister in the Newman government – has learned those lessons.

His first act as premier was to write to every state public servant to express his support and commitment.

Mr Crisafulli’s personal style is a far cry from Ms Palaszczuk’s folksy manner. He is far more disciplined in the way he communicates.

But he is better studied than Ms Palaszczuk ever was – and he has been around for a long time, dreaming of this.

He has every chance to become a long-term premier that notoriously fickle Queenslanders will support.

WE REALLY ARE FOR YOU

Buried deep in the 217-page report of the recent 100-day review of Games venues is an interesting document: the formal letter sent by Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie to the review team at the completion of its assessment of the options.

In it, Mr Bleijie firmly rules out any support from the government for a recommended new inner-city entertainment centre. He says the arena is unnecessary for hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and he does not “wish to see time and effort diverted in the seven short years ahead on non-Games projects”.

Fast forward just 18 days, and Premier David Crisafulli stood on stage at The Courier-Mail’s Future Brisbane event and announced that an arena would be progressed by the government – by giving the old GoPrint site at Woolloongabba and the current Gabba site (post-2032) to a private proponent, so long as it built a new 17,000-seat indoor arena there as part of the deal.

What changed their mind? The powerful advocacy of many in the Brisbane community, whose voices The Courier-Mail amplified over those two uncertain weeks. As we said a few times in this column between that letter on March 7 and that event on March 25, a new inner-city arena to replace the 40-year old Brisbane Entertainment Centre is vital for our capital city – regardless of the Games. And yet the Games also delivers a deadline to get this thing finally built, after years of talk and no action.

We congratulate the Premier on his decision, and Mr Bleijie for being willing to change his mind.

We say every day next to our front page masthead that “we’re for you”. This is not some flippant marketing term. Unlike the social media giants, we live in the same community as you. We believe in using our unique platform to fight for outcomes we can all benefit from. This is just the latest example.

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