George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip
This is the photo the state government says is proof that the Premier’s director general Mike Kaiser has not prematurely cleaned out his desk. THIS IS GEORGE ST BEAT
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Has the Director-General of Premier and Cabinet done his dash?
Rumours were rife on election campaign buses Mike Kaiser had prematurely cleaned out his desk before we could even say caretaker mode.
It wouldn’t be the biggest confidence booster for his Labor colleagues to see their top public servant already preparing for the exit.
So, GSB put the claim to Mr Kaiser through his media minders in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, who were emphatic.
“This is not accurate,” a spokeswoman said.
“The Director General DPC, Mike Kaiser will continue working throughout the caretaker period.”
To reinforce their response, the spokeswoman even sent a picture of Mr Kaiser’s desk complete with two coffee cups, an open diary and scattered paper.
Seems the wheels of government are still turning.
HIGHER POWER
David Janetzki, the man on-track to become treasurer, has been doing his homework for the job and scored advice from someone who knows it best.
The shadow treasurer met arguably Queensland’s greatest ever public servant, Sir Leo Hielscher, multiple times in recent years to ask him for tips.
Despite retiring as Queensland Treasury Corporation boss in 2010 Sir Leo, so esteemed the twin Gateway bridges are named after him, is still as sharp as a tack.
So what was Sir Leo’s top tip to Janetzki? Control the spending habits of your Cabinet ministers.
Widely regarded as one of the nice guys of Queensland politics, Mr Janetzki says he will do that through persuasion, logic and argument instead of the usual head kicking.
He will also demand ministers do their homework before coming into Cabinet Budget Review Committee meetings.
Mr Janetzki has also spoken with several former treasurers on both sides, but won’t say who.
BEST RESPONDERS
Minor party politicians are the best-responding to urgent community matters, tracking agency Votergram has revealed.
The end-of-parliament report card by the mass-communication and campaign agency labelled Katter’s Australian Party MP Stephen Andrew, Greens’ MPs Amy MacMahon and Michael Berkman the best-responding pollies.
Police Minister Mark Ryan and Labor’s Mount Ommaney MP Jess Pugh were next best ahead of Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and LNP frontbencher Brent Mickelberg.
Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen, KAP’s Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto and LNP Gympie MP Tony Perrett rounded out the top 10.
Among its list of advocacy achievements, Votergram credits its efforts with securing “world first smoking bans on commercial airlines” – in 1987.
FORGETFUL FRIDAY
Premier Steven Miles has forgotten one of his candidates’ names for the second time during the election campaign.
Labor candidate for Kawana Jim Dawson was a no show at the government’s press conference on Friday where Mr Miles announced $20m in additional funding for women’s health.
Asked what the candidate’s name was, the Premier fumbled and responded with “good question”.
He then spent 11 seconds flipping through his briefing notes, scrambling to find the name, before turning to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman for help.
Ms Fentiman, a frontrunner for the next party leader, stepped in to help, but didn’t have the name either.
Accepting defeat, Mr Miles awkwardly said he would “get that information”.
LNP candidate for Rockhampton, Donna ‘abortion is a human rights abuse’ Kirkland, also had a clanger on Friday.
She ended her press conference spiel by saying commitments to deliver for Queensland were “only possible if you vote for Labo … vote for LNP this election”.
Whoops.
WHERE’S MY ELECTORATE?
Aspiring politicians accidentally crossing electoral lines while doorknocking? We’ve seen it.
An aspiring politician forgetting which seat they’re vying for by the end of a news article? Now that’s new.
Logan City Councillor Jacob Heremaia is fighting to oust Health Minister Shannon Fentiman in the relatively safe Labor seat of Waterford.
Writing in free community paper My City Logan, Mr Heremaia said the state government had taken the area “for granted” for too long. “Let’s get our government working for Waterford”.
Mr Heremaia, fresh from a tough television interview about his business holdings, seems to get lost easily.
By the end of the article Mr Heremaia declared he was looking forward to “working to deliver solutions on behalf of all residents of the Springwood electorate”.
DAVID, DAVID, OR DAVID?
Leaders run the risk at every campaign of running into a random punter on the street who has no idea who they are.
But what happens when a punter mixes them up for someone else?
David Crisafulli was in Sarina, south of Mackay, campaigning on Thursday at the town’s famed sugar shed tourist attraction.
The visit by the travelling media circus coincided with another tour group — which included tourist Daphne.
On the sidelines Daphne was heard saying “oh I know him, he’s my neighbour”.
For accuracy this column probed where in the southeast she meant.
“In the Darling Downs,” she said.
Considering Mr Crisafulli’s electorate is on the Gold Coast and his family live in Bulimba to be closer to his daughters’ schools, the Darling Downs seems an improbable location.
Perhaps she was confusing this David for the other two LNP Davids — shadow treasurer David Janetzki or Nationals Leader David Littleproud, both of whom live in Daphne’s Darling Downs area
NAUTICAL NUANCE
Premier Steven Miles promoted himself as a quintessential “boatie” this week in a bid to show voters he’s the kind of daggy dad who just hates it when it takes too long to pack the family into the tinnie for a day out on the water.
Announcing Labor’s boating, camping and fishing policy, including more ramps for boaties, Mr Miles declared nothing was nothing more frustrating to us ordinary boaties than a queue to get in the water and then not having somewhere to park.
While we’re sure all boaties unite in this impatience, it turns out that Mr Miles is more of a jetskier, not a fisher.
He also donned a lifejacket for the cameras for a little putt in smooth water – where a lifejacket isn’t required.
FRIENDSHIP IS EVERYTHING
It seems the carefully crafted preferencing alliance between the Katter’s Australian Party and LNP has begun to resemble cooked spaghetti after Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto came across an LNP election flyer telling voters he was the same as Premier Steven Miles.
The flyer instructed his electorate to make “Ingham boy” David Crisafulli premier, but the extra blow came when it also accused Mr Dametto of not being serious on crime.
The angry KAP MP called the material “propaganda” and, taking a line out of the Godfather playbook, issued his own words of warning on Facebook: ”Not the smartest move, from one Italian to another, given you may have to ask a favour very soon to form a minority government to become premier.”
And while Mr Crisafulli may not need the KAP preferences, Mr Dametto cautioned him not to get too cocky. He will need his Northern friends come 2028.
An offer he can’t refuse?
Premier’s abortion laws swipe as LNP’s sidestepping goes next level
Premier Steven Miles has announced a $20m funding boost which includes expanding training for termination of pregnancy services as an LNP candidate’s controversial abortion post comes back to bite.
Migrant’s son to Premier? The day I told my wife I wanted to be leader
In his most candid interview yet, David Crisafulli takes us back to his family home in Ingham, opening up on his upbringing, his political rise and the day he told his family he wanted to be leader.