Comment: Palaszczuk’s image makers have nailed the brief as Queenslanders lap up her home style charm
Queenslanders can’t seem to resist the carefully engineered combination of home-style charm and hard line Covid policy Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s team has moulded, writes Peter Gleeson.
Peter Gleeson
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Often referred to as the “accidental’’ premier, there’s nothing flukey about the way Labor mandarins are shaping the image and personality of premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
When it comes to voter appeal, Labor have unearthed a good old-fashioned unicorn - a once in a generation politician who is an election winning machine.
The reality for Labor is that the premier is the only thing they have going for them. The Cabinet lacks intellectual rigour and there are a number of Ministers who wouldn’t hold down a job in the private sector.
But that matters little when you have a powerhouse like Ms Palaszczuk. Labor bosses have been able to combine Ms Palaszczuk’s homespun charm with an “on message’’ policy mantra. There’s up to a dozen people working on that public depiction.
Is it morally and ethically bankrupt? Probably. But Queenslanders seemingly dismiss this sort of stuff “as long as she keeps us safe’’ from coronavirus.
This says much about modern-day politics and the fact most elections are now presidential-style battles where the leaders are front and centre.
Coming off the back of her significant and pivotal role in delivering the 2032 Olympics, plus her hard line pandemic response, it is little wonder the premier now has her own coterie of image makers.
Throw in taxpayer-funded research into voter thoughts on the way the government is handling the pandemic and you can understand why the Labor Party is so heavily invested in the premier’s public persona.
Labor are incredibly good at this stuff. It is a warning to the LNP that to beat Ms Palaszczuk, they must be united and all rowing in the same direction.
What it also clearly indicates is that Ms Palaszczuk has no intention of going anywhere any time soon.
Right now, she will run again as leader in 2024. Remember Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was premier for 19 years. Ms Palaszczuk, just 52, has done six years and is as popular and resilient as the former national Party leviathan.
If she wins in 2024 and steamrolls to victory in 2028, she will be premier for the 2032 Olympics. Now that’s a Cinderella story.
