Peter Beattie shows leaders how it’s done

Despite retiring 13 years ago, Peter Beattie has come up with the answers both Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deb Frecklington should have given last week when asked about what happens if Queensland gets minority government, writes Jessica Marszalek.

And just like that, Peter Beattie has shown us why he’ll always be one of Queensland’s best politicians.

Despite retiring 13 years ago, he’s come up with the answers both Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deb Frecklington should have given last week when asked about minority government.

Peter Beattie: ‘Minority government can work’

“All of the leaders have got an obligation under the Constitution and the Westminster system to form a government to reflect the will of the people,” he says.

The Labor and LNP leaders could have stated that irrefutable fact, and then asked the people to deliver them a strong mandate because their plans were the best and needed to be implemented fully.

Instead, both have woven a ridiculous tale of refusing to make deals to form minority government, even leaving open the possibility of stepping down to keep this promise.

Palaszczuk says minority governments “don’t work”, despite having led a stable one from 2015 to 2017. Ms Frecklington has refused to accept supply – support to govern – even if offered without a deal. This scenario is actually impossible under the Westminster system.

If Queenslanders deliver a hung parliament on October 31, there’s not much anyone can do except work with it. The voters are always right.

Palaszczuk is no “accidental Premier” and she has shown she is a tough campaigner with a keen knack for judging the electorate.

And if she wins on October 31, she will be on track to surpass Beattie as the longest-serving Labor premier since World War II. But she (and Frecklington) have still got a long way to go to match him.