Premier David Crisafulli riding high after bringing a welcome dollop of common sense to QLD politics - but greater challenges lie ahead

Premier David Crisafulli is riding high after returning a surprisingly rare commodity to Queensland politics. But how far will it take him, asks Keith Woods.

Someone once said that common sense was no longer all that common.

Which is probably why the public, when they’re delivered a great big dollop of it, react with something approaching giddy excitement.

Premier David Crisafulli last week served up an extra large helping of that increasingly rare commodity when he unveiled his government’s plan for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

A new stadium at Victoria Park to replace the Gabba? Tick, makes reasonable sense.

Holding swimming in a new nearby centre, delivering a legacy to that popular sport, as opposed to a temporary pool drained the day the Games are over? Also sensible, another big tick.

Holding hockey on the Gold Coast? A big tick for that one.

Sprinkling more of the Olympic magic across regional Queensland? Given all Queenslanders will pay the bills, that also makes perfect sense.

Making sure live music venues are at least partly funded by the private sector? Also deeply sensible.

It was a plan designed to provide maximum legacy, showing a respect for taxpayer funds uncommon in a profession where the real sport is spending other peoples’ money.

How very refreshing.

Premier David Crisafulli MP pictured at the Howard Smith Wharves on March 25 for the announcement of the Brisbane Olympics 2032 venues and infrastructure. Picture: Josh Woning.

It all followed a summer of firm and straightforward stewardship of major weather events across the state, which perhaps only the Gold Coast’s Donna Gates could match.

No wonder a survey by polling firm Redbridge only days later found the public held a rosy view of Mr Crisafulli’s performance.

“On the personal numbers, David Crisafulli is currently the most popular leader in Australian politics at net +29 (per cent),” the firm’s director Tony Barry told The Courier Mail.

Can it continue? Annastacia Palaszczuk was once the flavour of the month, before the lure of red carpets and corporate boxes divorced her from the worries of the hoi polloi.

Common sense can only get you so far.

It tells us that both light and heavy rail should be extended to Gold Coast Airport. But amid a sudden interest in fiscal rectitude, common sense also tells us that the price tags floated to even get light rail to the terminal door make the whole business extremely difficult.

That’s a problem that no amount of colourful renders or slick videos intoning the spirit of Queenslanders will solve to everyone’s satisfaction.

Ditto youth crime. Adult time for adult crime is a fine common sense idea in principle. Which might work if adult sentencing wasn’t also so woeful.

Our courthouses are a revolving door of people getting slaps on the wrist, no conviction recorded and fines smaller than Mark Bailey lined up for common road traffic infractions.

That’s not going to scare any kiddie crims.

On Tuesday, we also learned about the dire financial problems facing Queensland Health, stretched so thin that elevators could not be fixed at a Townsville hospital.

Such problems can bring anyone down. Just ask South Australia’s Steven Marshall.

But for now Mr Crisafulli’s steady hand, penchant for speaking to voters like grown-ups (as opposed to, say, believing an association with celebrity magpies is the key to their hearts) and above all, common sense, are standing him in good stead.

Long may it continue.

Who’d be a teacher these days, or a principal?

QUEENSLAND’S TOUGHEST JOB

Premier aside, what’s the toughest gig in Queensland?

Being on the emergency department staff at one of our busy hospitals would have to be up there. What those people do under pressure is simply astounding.

Being a frontline police officer is also no doozy, not least with the amount of domestic violence jobs they have to deal with.

But this column thinks there’s one profession that takes the rotten biscuit, one that really shouldn’t. School principal.

A survey by The Australian Catholic University showed 54.5 per cent reported threats of violence last year, 57.4 per cent were subject to “gossip and slander” and 49.6 per cent were subject to actual physical violence.

Which all led to one more statistic – 57.6 per cent of principals wanting to quit.

Does this tell us the kids are out of control? No.

Shockingly, the majority of trouble was coming from parents.

All this column can say is, principals, we salute you.

We don’t know how you do it.

Election observers tune in to the latest updates.

ELECTION SNOOZE-FEST

Kudos to Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton. Never say they don’t achieve anything for their electors.

Only a couple of days into the federal election campaign and already they have provided the Australian people with an answer to a problem too many are grappling with – an inability to sleep at night.

Struggling to get some shut-eye? Try listening to Mr Albanese bang on about supermarkets. Or Mr Dutton’s theories on gas prices.

You’ll be asleep in no time.

Your columnist hopes someone kindly wakes him up when the whole tedious show is finally over.

Follow @keithjwoods