Editor’s view: Labor maxing out the credit card on socialist policies

The Premier’s $1.4bn pledge to provide free school lunches for all Queensland state primary school children is a bold move, but a sign Labor is just maxing out the credit card on socialist policies that are short-term sugar hits.

Steven Miles has pledged to give each state school child a free lunch everyday.

The viral TikTok videos of Steven Miles making school lunches for his kids now suddenly make sense.

Not only was he personalising himself to the electorate, coming across as the “daggy dad” who put bacon on his kids sandwiches, he was setting the scene for what would be his signature policy of this election campaign.

A $1.4bn pledge to provide free school lunches for all Queensland state primary school children.

That’s 326,000 children across the state that will have access to a free meal, no matter where they live in Queensland.

FOLLOW OUR COMPLETE ELECTION COVERAGE HERE

That’s a lot of parents who would no longer have to pay for and spend time making lunch.

The Premier himself says that like his other big cost-of-living policy – 50 cent public transport fares – it is something he has wanted to do for a long time.

“Free school lunches for our littlest Queenslanders is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” he said.

“But I need a mandate to do so in my own right.’’

Now all these TikTok posts make sense. Picture: TikTok

One of the Premier’s lunch box chats. Picture: TikTok

The Premier is doing everything he can to convince voters he is not Annastacia Palaszczuk and that a Labor government, if re-elected on October 26, would be radically different under his leadership.

He is also squarely putting cost-of-living front and centre of his re-election campaign.

It is the second major policy announcement in two days that has a direct impact on the daily lives of millions of Queenslanders.

And it comes on the back of the 50-cent fares, state-run petrol stations and electricity companies, to drive down fuel and energy prices and bulk-billing GP clinics – announced on Saturday.

And for the mums and dads heading out to the supermarket this morning like Groundhog Day to stock up on food to fill their kids’ lunches for the week, it will sound very appealing.

Labor estimates it will save households about $1600 per child each year.

It is a bold move – and expensive – but it makes more sense on the surface than the out-there fuel, electricity and GP plans.

And it is no coincidence these significant announcements of bulk-billing GPs and free school lunches have come on the eve of pre-polling opening on Monday.

In contrast, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli announced his party’s water strategy, including a new dam for South East Queensland.

Despite a 2023 report warning the region needed a new drinking water source by 2035, most people haven’t had to contend with water restrictions for years – and it likely wouldn’t factor into their vote.

For them, the policies from Mr Miles and Mr Crisafulli are chalk and cheese.

Labor is not talking about the bigger picture – they’re just maxing out the credit card on socialist policies that are short-term sugar hits instead of a vision to set the state up for the future.