Peter Gleeson: Labor Left going after grey nomads

AN EMBOLDENED Left faction of the Labor Cabinet is targeting the biggest Queensland demographic since the victims of Campbell Newman’s reign. They won’t be impressed, writes Peter Gleeson.

IT TAKES a special type of brazen political arrogance to take on four-wheel-drive motorists and those who call themselves grey nomads, independent retirees who have invested a large chunk of their superannuation on a luxury caravan so they can enjoy their remaining days travelling around Australia.

The last politician in Queensland to alienate a significant proportion of the electorate was Campbell Newman, and we all know how that turned out.

Unfortunately we’re now coming to expect that same sort of hubris from the Left faction of the Palaszczuk Cabinet.

Fuelled by the backing of the unions, emboldened by the comfort of having at least another three years in government, drunk on the power of ministerial leather and with their actions seemingly rubber-stamped by a premier who either won’t or can’t pull them into line, the Labor Left ministers are having a lend of Queenslanders.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey has emerged as the latest Cabinet representative to uphold the Left’s tradition of picking on a group of people and treating them like dirt.

Mr Bailey is presiding over new laws which will stop 4WD vehicles from towing caravans, boats, horse floats and trailers because they exceed their legal carrying capacity. The new laws mean bullbars, winches, water tanks and extended fuel tanks take bigger vehicles over the weight limit allowed to tow.

Vehicles operated in excess of legal carrying capacity are declared unsafe and are not covered by insurance.

The new laws will affect up to 200,000 grey nomads in Queensland, as well as fishermen and horse lovers.

Illustration: Brett Lethbridge

Even police and SES vehicles will be affected. It means motorists wanting to continue to tow caravans, boats, horse floats and trailers will be forced to now buy large, powerful, expensive and fuel-inefficient imported utes and trucks. The reason? Well we don’t really know although it’s a fair bet it is safety-related.

The caravan association’s peak body and private operators who supply bullbars and winches to the industry have repeatedly written to Mr Bailey asking for a seat at the table to discuss the new laws, which take effect in two weeks.

They didn’t get a reply. It seems inconceivable that an industry peak body - representing hundreds of thousands of people — would write to a minister asking for information and be snubbed.

The problem for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is that Mr Bailey and his Left faction cohorts don’t care. This is the minister at the centre of the so-called Mangocube personal email affair, which was investigated by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

He was cleared by the CCC but the probe exposed a comfortable and cosy relationship with the Electrical Trades Union when he was Energy Minister. Are we surprised? This is the same government that appointed CFMEU thug Jade Ingham to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.

Getting 4WD motorists offside is a big political risk. One in two motorists now drive 4WDs. Queensland has eight of the top 10 postcodes in the country for caravan ownership. These are people who vote.

And the absurdity is that while the government is punishing Queenslanders by imposing draconian new rules around towing, if somebody from NSW or Victoria crosses the border they’ll be allowed to drive here without the same scrutiny.

It all sounds a bit fishy. Faceless bureaucrats have dreamt up new laws behind closed doors and they’ve been okayed by a Minister who’s clearly out of his depth. Surely, we deserve better.

Hugh Bowman rides Winx to victory at the weekend. Picture: Bob Barker/AFP

Silence the neigh-sayers

EVERYBODY loves a champion, and in Winx we may well be witnessing the best racehorse this country has ever seen.

How fortunate that as a nation we have seen the likes of Black Caviar, Makybe Diva and Winx in the past decade or so.

With her Queensland link being Brisbane part-owner Peter Tighe and the fact she was bought at the Magic Millions sales, Winx started her record-breaking 26 in a row with a win at the Sunshine Coast, ridden by jockey Larry Cassidy.

Nobody knew that day that we were about to be taken on the ride of a lifetime with a wonder horse.

Champions like Winx are not only great for racing, but they become part of our sporting culture.

They race into immortality. We saw the great Winx. Nobody can take that away from you. It was significant that when Winx won last Saturday at Randwick, there were many families there to see her race.

The next generation of racegoers.Which, of course, brings me to the reason that thoroughbred racing is such an important part of our national identity and psyche. Watching great racehorses makes us feel good.

It makes us marvel at their grace and style, their athletic ability and will to win. For the many people who watched Winx win, there was a nervous anticipation that only happens when champions race.

There was the sweaty hands. The willing her to win. The exaltation when she hit the front with 150 metres to go.

I watched Winx win at my local TAB, which was packed. Everybody clapped as she hit the line.

It was the same in pubs, clubs and racetracks throughout the country. That’s what a great champion will do: unite us, make us feel proud, make us feel happy, make us feel alive.

Here’s the rub. For those animal activists who want to close down racing in Australia because they say it’s cruel, please go and live somewhere else.
Your activism is wasted in this country. From Archer to Phar Lap, Tulloch to Bernborough, from Kingston Town to Black Caviar and now Winx, we love our thoroughbred champions. And no amount of lies and deceit perpetrated by activists can ever take that away.

We may have a prime minister Peter, we’ve had a Paul but not a Mary.

First time, for Pete’s sake

TRIVIA: If Peter Dutton rolls Malcolm Turnbull to become our next prime minister, he will be the first Peter of 30 prime ministers.

Turnbull is the second of two Malcolms (Fraser), while there have been three Johns (McEwen for less than a month; then Gorton and subsequently Howard) and a couple of Josephs (Cook and Lyons).

Labor supporters would be buoyed there has already been one Billy – Hughes, who served three terms.

Railing against route

DESPITE an uproar following former federal infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester’s announcement last September that the route from Yelarbon (near NSW border) to the Toowoomba/Wellcamp Airport section of the Inland Rail would go via Millmerran, his successor Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack appears to be sticking with the controversial route.

Darling Downs farmers are up in arms as the 2km-wide rail corridor is to traverse agricultural land on National Party heartland. McCormack’s Department of Infrastructure has reconfirmed the Millmerran route.

Pregnant pause on abortion time

THE 22-week “no reason’’ abortion policy is being questioned by some Laborites, especially with recent figures suggesting that migrant families are much more willing to abort a girl than a boy. My tip is it will come back to 18 weeks.

Money where it matters

WARNINGS are escalating about drought charities. I ran a warning a few weeks back about the property portfolio of one of the bigger drought charities. With drought relief running into the millions, ask where the money goes when donating.

More for coastal roads

NSW roads are fast becoming the best in the country. The $4.2 billion spent on the Pacific Highway between Ballina and Woolgoolga comes on top of work done between Chinderah and Ballina. If only our state could replicate such spending between Coolangatta and Noosa.

All out for Gabba management

THE State Government is looking to outsource the management rights at the Gabba. It follows a damning internal assessment of the venue’s performance.

The so-called Lee report said: “Analysis and stakeholder feedback has identified that performance of the Gabba could be adversely impacted by the management of the venue, which is viewed by hirers as being less entrepreneurial, too bureaucratic and risk averse.’’ Expect Suncorp Stadium manager AEG Ogden to tender.