George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip
The woman Steven Miles beat for Queensland’s top job has revealed what she says voters will soon come to understand. THIS IS GEORGE ST BEAT
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The woman who could have been premier if the unions hadn’t shafted her says Queenslanders will soon realise Mr Miles is a “really lovely person” after new polling revealed he is the least popular premier in at least a decade.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman was the dark horse leadership contender after Annastacia Palaszczuk called time on her political career amid internal party pressure.
Ultimately Mr Miles came on top. But new Courier-Mail YouGov polling has revealed Mr Miles is the least popular premier in at least a decade.
Ms Fentiman, asked in Toowoomba if she would have been more popular as premier, backed in Mr Miles and said he had hit the ground running.
“I’m sure as Queenslanders get to know him, they will see that not only is he just a really lovely person, he is a really committed leader,” she said.
MAVERICK AND GOOSE
Premier Steven Miles still won’t reveal the cost of his aircraft caravan hop up the Queensland coast last week despite being hammered in parliament about it all week – nor who was on the plane.
But what we do now know is the tour was part of an elaborate plan that would culminate in the release of a slick new, campaign-like video promoting the government’s action on crime.
Footage was shot of the Premier, Police Minister Mark Ryan and Commissioner Steve Gollschewski’s travels to the regional Queensland towns of Cairns, Mackay, Townsville and Hervey Bay.
The jet caravan was a source of great comedy in parliament this week, with the LNP labelling Mr Miles and Mr Ryan ‘maverick and goose’.
Another of GSB’s favourite quips came from a constituent of Deb Frecklington who, she recounted in parliament, said: “They went to Townsville. They had to take two jets in case one got stolen”.
TOUGH ON PROMOTION
So what else did Queenslanders get for this uncoated Top Gun travel trip up north?
Thankfully it wasn’t just a slick video.
We also got fresh off the press a glossy, 38-page Community Safety Plan – the Gospel to Labor’s election hopes.
Mr Miles said the plan was informed by his travels across the state last week.
Presumably then, regional Queenslanders demanded the premier print a taxpayer-funded glossy document with as many photos of smiling police as possible.
And what a remarkable turnaround, given it was being handed out to the press gallery by first thing Tuesday morning.
For the record, we counted 14 images of jolly police officers, threatening handcuffs, police choppers and recruitment ceremonies.
With a headshot of Commissioner Gollschewski on the second page, we’ll make it 15 photos.
MEETING OF THE MINDS
New ministerial diaries have given a glimpse into the chaotic days leading up to the release of Graham Quirk’s review into Brisbane 2032 Games venues.
We now know, partly thanks to the recent senate federal inquiry, that about two weeks before the March 18 deadline, the government got wind that the independent review Premier Steven Miles himself had ordered wasn’t going the way he wanted.
And instead of waiting for the review to come back, the team in State Development Minister Grace Grace’s department was instructed to start on a plan to revamp the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre – an instruction, Mr Miles said the day after the inquiry, came from his Director-General Mike Kaiser.
Ms Grace’s diary released shows about a week before the official release of the Quirk review was due she met with Mr Kaiser and Mr Fraine.
A few days later – the Friday before the review was officially released – Ms Grace called Olympic heavyweight John Coates, federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, federal Sports Minister Anika Wells and Brisbane 2032 Games president Andrew Liveries.
The diaries don’t show what the topic was – but we can only assume she was attempting to canvas support for the government’s highly-panned decision to spend $1.8bn on upgrading the same stadium used for the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
BAKER FOR BURDEKIN
A long-time mining town Mayor has been chosen as Labor’s candidate in the state seat of Burdekin. Anne Baker, who spent 17 years in local government in Isaac Regional Council retired at the end of 2023.
The card carrying Labor member had lain low for months, though speculation about her future had been rife with political tragics in the area on both sides indicating Baker was likely to have a state tilt. She will go up against the LNP’s Dale Last, who holds the seat with a two party preferred margin of 7 per cent.
REAL VICTIMS?
The LNP has been eager to promote harrowing stories of Queenslanders affected by brazen crime, but case studies may be running a little low judging by their latest victims.
Mr Crisafulli and the parliament’s youngest candidate, 22-year-old Ariana Doolan, visited older couple Morrie and Sue in Pumicestone – an electorate the LNP hopes to win.
How have they been affected?
Well, in Mr Crisafulli’s words: “They used to keep their home unlocked, but now they’re kept awake at night worrying they’ll be the next target of crime”.
It’s unacceptable for people to feel unsafe in their home, but holding the ‘need to lock doors’ as an example of worsening crime has jumped the shark.
Queensland Police, since the dawn of time, have pleaded for people to lock their homes.
NO GABBA GABBA
And good to see the crew at Cross River Rail are avid of GSB.
After we pointed out they still had plenty of awkward signage around the new Woolloongabba promoting a brand new Gabba stadium – which has now been scrapped – we noticed this week it has been quietly replaced.
Labor’s strange sense of calm in face of certain oblivion
Labor MPs are privately holding hope that the third-term government is in with a chance at a fourth, despite all signs pointing to the opposite, writes Hayden Johnson.
‘Won’t stand up to him’: Premier’s claim on LNP’s nuclear plans
Premier Steven Miles has made a shock claim about the LNP’s plans for nuclear power should Peter Dutton become Prime Minister in response to a Courier-Mail reader question.