George Street Beat: Qld politics news and gossip

Doorknocking is a tough enough job on its own, let alone to punters who can’t actually vote for you as this hopeful found out, who garnered votes in the wrong electorate. THIS IS GEORGE STREET BEAT

LNP candidate for Mount Ommaney, Lisa Baillie has accidentally been garnering votes in the entirely wrong suburb. Picture: Facebook

An overzealous political hopeful campaigning to snatch a Labor seat in October has accidentally been garnering votes in the entirely wrong suburb.

LNP candidate for Mt Ommaney Lisa Baillie has been hitting the campaign trail hard in a bid to unseat Labor’s Jess Pugh in the southwestern Brisbane electorate.

In a recent social media post Ms Baillie told her supporters she had been chatting and waving to locals at Oxley train station then “door knocking in Chelmer meeting some friendly locals”.

The problem? Chelmer is considerably outside the Mt Ommaney electorate. Indeed it’s deep in the Miller electorate, currently held by Labor’s Mark Bailey.

Former Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey, who holds the Miller electorate.

“Old mate is lost by a few suburbs” as one social media sleuth put it.

Doorknocking and campaigning in order to reach 30,000 odd voters before October 26 is a tough job on its own, let alone reaching out to punters who can’t vote for you. Whoops.

CONFISCATE THE PHONE

First-term Labor MP Rob Skelton seems to be at it again, suggesting a local business owner critical of his unhelpfulness in getting power connected to their new premises “have a go in court”.

David Mares, owner of popular bakery Walter’s Artisan Bread, has struggled to get electricity to a new bakery and sought Mr Skelton’s help in raising it with the energy minister and Energex.

Mr Mares argued Mr Skelton was aware of the matter and claims by the MP he has “seen nil correspondence” was incorrect.

“You are wrong. If you’re right have a go in court,” Mr Skelton responded in a now-deleted Facebook comment.

Nambour MP Robert Skelton has made yet another social media outburst. Picture: Patrick Woods.

It’s the latest social media outburst for the MP who holds Queensland’s second-most marginal electorate of Nicklin on just 0.1 per cent.

In March Mr Skelton attacked a business owner who questioned whether there was support available to clean up the mess left by people sleeping rough in the Nambour CBD.

The MP bizarrely responded to the seemingly honest question with: “Don’t lecture us on our obligations”. That snowballed into a social media tit-for-tat that ended with Mr Skelton accepting defeat. “Oh well. One less vote,” he wrote.

Mr Skelton secured right faction boss and Deputy Premier Cameron Dick to launch his campaign on Friday night - with tickets $50 per person including finger food - at Club Hotel Namba.

Perhaps Mr Dick could confiscate his phone for the next two months.

WHAT DOESN’T MATTER

Promotional banners appear to be a comfort for Premier Steven Miles and his cabinet colleagues - who now rarely hold a press conference without standing in front of one.

GSB hears the pull-up banners are in demand among ministers, who have to lodge a request with the premier’s office to take them around the state.

One promoting the $1000 electricity bill rebate is the most popular, followed by 50c fares in southeast Queensland and then cheaper rego.

Premier Steven Miles with his second most popular banner. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The banner GSB hasn’t seen since it was rolled out once in August was the government’s promotion of its publicly-owned fuel stations.

Mr Miles and Cheshire cat-grinning Deputy Premier Cameron Dick stood in front of a bright red banner on August 6 which read “driving down fuel prices”.

It was then the premier announced 12 servos would be owned by the state government if he’s re-elected on October 26.

One minister could only offer a cheeky smile when asked why they weren’t keen to use the banner to remind Queenslanders of that $36m policy and we’ve heard little about it since.

LIQUID MEDALS

Alternative premier David Crisafulli is often accused of not having a plan for Queensland, but he had a few 2032 Olympic ideas for Luttsy, Sauce & Burkey’s Off Field Drama podcast this week.

Queensland Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli. Picture: Dan Peled

While Paris organisers put a piece of the Eiffel Tower in their medals, Mr Crisafulli suggested a “vial of liquid from the brown snake” could be added as a memento in 2032.

Another tongue-in-cheek suggestion was housing the athletes at the Caxton Hotel.

“Now competing in the 400m … nobody because they’re all absolutely bent from last night,” Mr Crisafulli suggested to fits of laughter.

MINI VAN TO SEDAN?

Spare a thought for Labor’s pint-sized old guard faction, which has just nine members and faces a fight to survive at this state election.

For comparison, Labor’s left is in charge with 24 MPs and the right has 18.

That makes the Old Guard faction a kingmaker.

MP Grace Grace is Labor’s kingmaker. Picture: John Gass

It’s headed by ageless minister Grace Grace, who flexed her powerful muscles in December’s leadership change by getting her eight MPs into line barely hours after Annastacia Palaszczuk bid farewell.

The loss of Ms Grace to the Greens in her inner-city electorate next month would seriously threaten the future of the faction that produced Queensland’s longest-serving Labor premier Peter Beattie.

Three of its members - Curtis Pitt, Barry O’Rourke and Julieanne Gilbert - are retiring at this election while Ms Grace and Cooper MP Jonty Bush face a challenge from the Greens.

The worst-case scenario would see the Old Guard reduced to just four members and likely force it to merge with the left or right.