Practical vision to kickstart economy

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold Ms Palaszczuk has played the hardline role of protector-in-chief. But frustration is growing in business and political circles about why Queensland is maintaining strict border closures despite states outside Victoria having low community infection rates, writes the Editor.

Nothing sets one’s mind at ease in this modern age more than a pinned tweet from a politician.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk Twitter handle attempts to assuage the fears of voters with a series of quotes where she is at pains to tell us her focus is on jobs, jobs and more jobs.

The obligatory #Istandfor (jobs/the economy/Queenslanders) in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is delivered with a terribly serious grimness that must surely be synthesised by her audience in equally grim seriousness.

And yet it doesn’t take too much digging to suggest that perhaps her actions speak louder than words.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold Ms Palaszczuk has played the hardline role of protector-in-chief.

In her words, every decision has been to protect the health of Queenslanders.

Centre to this is the state’s hardline border closure with the nation’s two largest economies – New South Wales and Victoria.

Frustration is growing in business and political circles about why Queensland is maintaining this strict border closures despite states outside Victoria having low community infection rates.

Each day the border remains closed the tougher it is for many tourism and hospitality businesses.

Flight Centre boss Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, perhaps the most prominent opponent to the hard lockdown of the state’s border, says states must learn to live with the virus and get people back to work as quickly as possible.

He says businesses, whether they’re the $2.5bn Flight Centre Travel Group or a Great Barrier Reef dive operator, are crying out for certainty and a plan to re-open the nation.

From the Gold Coast to Cairns tourism businesses – the lifeblood of Queensland’s economy – have reported serious revenue falls with no end in sight.

Ms Palaszczuk has repeatedly insisted Queensland’s border closure has little to do with politics, however, it’s hard to argue the politics were not canvassed inside her office – particularly given the Premier’s election success is likely to be married to her handling of the virus.

The battle against COVID-19 will eventually shift from a health fight to an economic one.

On Twitter Ms Palaszczuk has insisted the government is serious about jobs and growth.

“We are absolutely focused on getting people jobs and getting them into work and don’t think for one moment that I don’t know there are people out there that are hurting … every single job is vital to our economy.”

Outside Toowoomba more than 10,000 Queenslanders have expressed an interest in working at New Hope’s Acland Mine once the State Government gives it the green light to proceed.

Ms Palaszczuk argues all jobs are precious yet appears to be recycling its Adani game plan by kicking the approval can down the road until political conditions improve.

With the Darling Downs in the grip of the worst unemployment in the country and the state facing a post COVID-19 economic disaster, there’s never been a better time to approve Stage 3 of the mine.

Queensland is at an economic crossroads.

We were before COVID, but now the problem is much worse.

COVID-19 has cut billions of dollars from the balance sheets of our biggest companies, forcing them to sack thousands of workers, close offices and slash salaries.

It is tough for the largest business and perhaps even tougher for the smallest.

That’s why The Courier-Mail tomorrow begins a new campaign with a bold vision that will deliver practical ways to kickstart Queensland.

We will look at the projects, the investments and the opportunities that will flow if a genuine focus on job-creating projects are rapidly identified and executed.

These will be real-world ideas and plans that will deliver genuine employment. Now is not the time to be extolling plans on Twitter.

STILL BIG HOLES IN NBN’S NET

IT’S good to know that after 11 years and $51bn, NBN Co is taking its job seriously.

It has admitted as much today after The Courier-Mail reported that more than 126,000 households on the NBN – including 30,333 in Queensland – are dealing with download connection speeds as slow as one megabit a second, compared to the 25Mb a second they should be receiving.

“We recognise we have more work to do,” a spokesman said. No doubt. This comes after NBN Co assured Australians the network build had been completed in June.

The reasons for the poor connections might be complex – copper connections, line faults, bad wiring and distance from fibre to the node – but if a household is coughing up a premium, it deserves to get what it pays for.