Des Houghton: LNP’s fiercest attack dog Ros Bates has a new bone to chew

In quick time Ros Bates has visited Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Her political life has entered a new phase, writes Des Houghton.

Former nurse turned LNP Minister Ros Bates at Eagle Farm TAFE.

Ros Bates was at her fearsome best in the Crisafulli opposition uncovering scandals in child services and hospitals.

The LNP attack dog now has a new bone to chew.

And Queensland’s future prosperity – and the smooth delivery of the 2032 Olympic Games –depends on how well she handles her new challenge.

Instead of talking about Labor’s failures to protect vulnerable children, Bates is now hanging out in Japan with aerospace boffins discussing Queensland’s role in developing an emissions-free hydrogen fuel-propulsion system that Brisbane’s Elon Musk says will revolutionise the aviation industry.

Bates, 63, a registered nurse before entering Parliament, has been reborn as the Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training.

That puts her at the frontline of the battle to protect Queensland exporters struggling in the fragile new global marketplace created by the vagaries of Trump tariffs.

In quick time Bates has visited Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan (munching on Queensland Wagyu beef along the way) while drumming up support for beef and coal and gas and cotton and myriad other Queensland products from vinegar to honey, melons to macadamias.

Bates’ political life has entered a new phase.

Ros Bates, MP, the Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training. Photo Steve Pohlner

As a member of the elite Cabinet Budget Review Committee alongside Premier David Crisafulli, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and Treasurer David Janetzki, she has emerged asthe stateswoman of Queensland politics.

The fiery rhetoric that sent her opponents scrambling for cover has been subdued.

Her tone is measured as she talks about her new mission to enhance Queensland’s global reputation for excellence, innovation, and economic leadership. With Crisafulli, Bates set up the Queensland (Trump) Tariff Response Unit. Back in Queensland this week, Bates was on another mission. The state’s biggest challenge (and probably hers) is to upskill enough workers to build Olympic infrastructure, hospitals and schools while guarding the public purse.

I joined her this week on an official visit to the state government’s new $47.7m Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Centre, where she joined students teaching robots how to weld and perform a range of other tasks to increase productivity in factories.

The centre is part of the higgledy-piggledy TAFE campus at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.

I was welcomed by TAFE general manager Stephen Gates. We walked past smart new buildings that sit cheek-by-jowl with a glorious old 100-year-old red brick cotton ginnery that was re-purposed as a glassworks studio.

Our welcoming party was led by two voice-activated robots eerily like the R2D2 Star Wars droid.

Bates and I followed a small droid to the robotics, advanced manufacturing, telecommunications, process instrumentation, renewable technologies and electrotechnology workshops and labs.

Bates got to work teaching a robotic arm how to pick up objects.

Gates said there was already heavy demand for the new courses.

He said Queensland industries were crying out for more workers to be trained in areas such as instrumentation and advanced electrical trades.

Gates said more than 140,000 students trained at TAFE Queensland last year.

TAFE offers courses in mechanics, welding, cooking, construction, healthcare, nursing, aged care, hospitality and business. But the new buzzwords are applied technology and AI.

Manufacturing contributes $20bn annually to the Queensland economy. It is the third-largest employer of full- time workers – expected to eclipse 182,000 next year.

Gates said 3600 students would complete training on the Eagle Farm campus this year and it was not the biggest.

He is also responsible for TAFE Queensland’s Acacia Ridge campus, which he says is the largest trade training facility in the southern hemisphere. It covers 22ha and welcomes up to 1000 students a day.

“The most popular apprenticeship training on Acacia Ridge campus includes the construction, automotive, utilities, and engineering industries.”

The Janetzki Budget delivered $201.1m for TAFE including a set of new “centres of excellence” for specialist studies.

As the shareholding minister for government-owned corporations, Bates has to be sure the money is spent wisely.

“In finance, my job is to make sure we are spending money appropriately,” she said.

“My job is to ensure the departments are taking care of Queensland taxpayers’ money.

“We have found some incredible waste. Some programs have been axed, including pumped hydro.

“There are a lot of things that can and will be done differently.

“We know we are going to need an incredible number of tradespeople in the lead-up Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

“We already have a big road map of construction that has to occur. There are hospitals that should have been built but weren’t, and there are roads that should have been built that weren’t. We have already announced record funding for the Bruce Highway, which is the most important road artery to the north.’’

She said she was working closely with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie to work out a construction timeline.

Then a hint of anger returns to her voice.

Despite the rivers of gold from mining royalties the Palaszczuk-Miles governments failed to construct the houses or roads, or schools or hospitals the state needed.

But soon she’ll be back on the plane. The European Union and the United Arab Emirates want to expand trade links.

And on the way home Bates will swing by China again. Perhaps they will be requesting more of our coal.

Originally published as Des Houghton: LNP’s fiercest attack dog Ros Bates has a new bone to chew