Opinion: Why are Qld’s ministers so often found lacking?

Why are Queensland’s government ministers routinely found lacking, and why do they say one thing but do another – or do nothing at all, wonders Kylie Lang.

How many Queensland ministers are completely out of their depth?

Actually, there’s no need to count them. The failure to act swiftly and sensibly on problems is as contagious as a nasty bacterial rash.

Some have the itch worse than others, but name me one Queensland government minister who is capably and decisively handling their portfolio. No? Me neither.

I want to have faith in our government – because good government is good for Queensland, and sitting ministers make decisions that impact our lives.

Even Labor’s love-in with the unions doesn’t change the fact that the performance of its politicians is hugely influential.

So why are these ministers routinely found lacking?

Why do they say one thing but do another – or do nothing at all?

And how can they so comprehensively fail to understand their job, yet keep their job?

What is clear is that Annastacia’s army must take us for mugs, and you can’t necessarily blame them when they keep being voted in.

But seriously, how much are we expected to swallow? Each week more pathetic blunders are added to the litany of errors that have already made our public health, education and child safety systems a laughing stock.

On Wednesday Police Minister Mark Ryan was exposed for breaking his promise to step up security at Wacol’s pedophile housing precinct.

Two months ago, after this newspaper revealed a convicted sex offender in the precinct had been charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl and making child exploitation material with her, Ryan talked tough.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk flanked by her ministers. Picture: Lachie Millard

So did the Premier, who assured us that “no stone is left unturned in relation to the review” of the breach.

It would never happen again, we were told.

Now we learn that violent pedophile Douglas Jackway and another sex offender were sent back to prison after a woman was caught visiting them.

Not to worry, though, because as Ryan said this week, “more stringent protocols” are in place. Yeah, right.

Adding to the distinct smell of BS this week, the government announced a breakthrough in our state’s housing crisis: Griffith University’s vacant student accommodation would be repurposed into short-term housing.

Except that we’ve heard this idea before, back in September, when the Premier said such housing would be available in March. Huh?

The “new” plan – same as the old plan – now won’t see the light of day until the middle of this year (if at all, I hear you say).

Meanwhile, battlers are sleeping in their cars while those in the cushy offices of 1 William Street pretend to be doing something.

Youth crime is another crisis this government has failed to address with any urgency or competency.

Frustrated Queenslanders want action, but all we get is rhetoric and, at best, poorly conceived kneejerk reactions.

Palaszczuk refused to reconvene Parliament early despite community outrage over the senseless killing of North Lakes woman Emma Lovell, who died while protecting her house from young intruders on Boxing Day.

Yet now that Parliament is sitting, whatever measures the government is hoping to rush through to placate a furious public will not meaningfully address the youth crime epidemic.

They do not target the root of the problem, and like a weed, if its root is left in the ground, it regrows, often stronger than before its stem was cosmetically chopped off.

Retired judge Margaret McMurdo this week said the proposed laws would tip more kids into prison in a misuse of taxpayer dollars.

“Whatever your politics are, it’s just a no-brainer,” McMurdo told The Australian.

“It’s a terrible waste of public money to be locking kids up and then having them reoffend and then moving them into the adult criminal justice system.

“It is crazy. It just doesn’t work.”

She has called on the government to invest in early intervention strategies as in NSW and Victoria, where this approach is producing good outcomes.

Why is Queensland not taking note?

On every fundamental issue that concerns our wellbeing, this government is a spectacular disappointment.

A major reason is that the hallmarks of good leadership are absent: transparency; trust; learning from failure; humility; decisiveness; confidence and creativity. These key elements of leadership are needed for any organisation to be most productive, according to US university Florida Tech.

“The best leaders possess an open mind and flexibility and are able to adjust to new ways of thinking or alternative methods when necessary,” it says.

“These leaders take criticism in their stride and view it more as an opportunity for growth than an assault on their character.”

Wouldn’t it be grand if Queensland could have such a leader?

Instead, we have a Premier who, whenever called to account for the poor performance of her government, tries to reapportion blame and pretend people, including journalists, are out to “get” her.

Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail

LOVE

* Another coup for the arts in Queensland, with Liane Moriarty’s novel Apples Never Fall to be filmed here, with Annette Bening and Sam Neill to star.

* Fines being slapped on rogue fishers, including those who caught undersized fish and trawled for prawns without a proper licence. Overfishing and illegal behaviour threaten sustainable supplies for future generations.

LOATHE

* A father forgetting his three-year-old son was in the back seat, resulting in the child perishing after six hours in the car on a 35C day. Just tragic.

* Tough times ahead for folks with big mortgages following the Reserve Bank’s ninth consecutive interest rate rise – a harsh lesson on why you shouldn’t overextend in the first place.