Labor seeks to overcome self-inflicted problems

There’s no doubt this year has been a challenging one, ALP state secretary Julie-Anne Campbell told the Labor faithful.

Treasurer Jackie Trad at the State Conference at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Picture:

THERE’S no doubt this year has been a challenging one, ALP state secretary Julie-Anne Campbell told the Labor faithful yesterday.

And she is not wrong.

For Queensland Labor, this year has been one of its worst since winning the keys to the executive building back from Campbell Newman in 2015.

The fallout from the Federal Election loss in May was bad enough.

But amid the recriminations and the carnage, there was some gain, with the Palaszczuk Government finally casting the Adani albatross from around its neck.

Then, just weeks after that, the first of two integrity sagas struck when it was revealed Treasurer Jackie Trad had failed to declare a Woolloongabba investment property – smack bang in the Cross River Rail corridor – on time.

Then the second struck when the LNP blindsided the Government at Budget Estimates by revealing a company part-owned by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s chief of staff had received in $267,500 in taxpayer-funded help to create a smartphone app.

No matter what the Government does right now, it is struggling to cut through as those issues drag on.

And on.

Ms Trad’s woes threatened to overshadow this weekend’s Labor Conference, with the CFMEU using her political vulnerability to gain traction as they push for changes to the conditions for Cross River Rail construction workers.

The Crime and Corruption Commission delivered another blow on Friday when its boss, Alan MacSporran, revealed any announcement on whether it would investigate Ms Trad was still likely two weeks away.

That is the last thing the Government needed – at least two more weeks of pain.

The question is whether at the end of it all there will be any gain for a Government that needs to turn things around as the clock ticks down to polling day on October 31 next year.