Opinion: Why ScoMo’s defeat is actually a blow for Palaszczuk
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has lost her favourite political tactic now that Anthony Albanese is in The Lodge, writes Peter Gleeson.
Peter Gleeson
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Anthony Albanese’s elevation to the country’s top job has gifted the LNP a golden opportunity in Queensland.
With economic headwinds, geopolitical tensions with China and Labor’s poor record on border protection, it will be a difficult few years for Mr Albanese and his team. It won’t be easy for
Albanese.
Voters are tough markers, as Scott Morrison found out yesterday. And with Labor in power in
Canberra, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has lost her favourite political tactic.
Queensland Labor blames all of its woes on Canberra and Morrison. It can’t help itself. It is so bereft of talent and vision that it has only one business model – to blame those terrible Tories in Canberra.
Now, with Albanese in The Lodge, that tool is gone. Labor’s inability to solve the health crisis around ambulance ramping will be exposed every day between now and the next election.
The fact that half of its Cabinet bend integrity rules will also be front and centre. The dysfunctionality of the public service and soft sentencing of our youth criminals will also get plenty of coverage.
Queenslanders tend to vote the opposite in state and federal elections. With Labor in power in
Canberra, the momentum will now likely swing to the LNP, under the leadership of young firebrand David Crisafulli.
The premier campaigned with Albo, but Labor made no gains in Queensland, suggesting her personal brand didn’t help.
Palaszczuk and Labor will now switch their attack to the fact Crisafulli was part of the Newman Government.
It’s a tired and lazy tactic and Crisafulli needs to demonstrate that he is his own man, looking
forward rather than backwards to 2012.
The other thing the LNP must acknowledge is Labor’s campaigning acumen. They are natural born killers during a campaign.
They are brilliant at defining the narrative, doing whatever it takes to get over the line.
The next election is still a long way off – October, 2024 – but Crisafulli will go into the campaign without the baggage of a Prime Minister who was deeply unpopular.
He will have no excuses.