George Street Beat: Qld politics weekly news and gossip
It was one minister’s Utopia moment as she donned hard-hat and hi-vis for a photo opportunity – with just one problem.
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There’s perhaps nothing more loved by Queensland pollies than donning a hard-hat, some high-vis and throwing some shovels of dirt in the air for a media stunt.
Except last weekend someone forgot to invite the media.
It was like a scene from ABC political satire Utopia as Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, local MP Ali King and the usual cast of thousands donned the right gear for “shovels in the ground” at the site of Bribie Island’s new satellite hospital.
But despite journos usually welcomed at the opening of an envelope – let alone a major milestone on a key election promise – pics and footage of the site were shared instead on the two members’ social media.
Perhaps the government has realised their flagship satellite hospital program has morphed into a poisoned promise, given much of the electorate thought these hospitals would be, well, hospitals, rather than flash medical clinics.
The fact they’re already $110m over budget and at least two of them will open a year later than expected – including Bribie Island – is also on the nose. Apparently one way to avoid any uncomfortable scrutiny is to instead constrict announcements to the echo chamber of your own Facebook page. And who can be shocked at this strategy, ever since the Premier’s own bizarre declaration that “social media is media”.
For the record, the Health Minister’s post got 23 comments (the majority critical) and 52 reactions – hardly setting the world on fire.
BAILEY IS SCOOPED
Speaking of announcements, we hear Transport Minister Mark Bailey and his office were less than pleased about the government’s decision to slash the cost of learner licences being made public before he could stand up and reveal the change.
The government published the updated legislation last Friday, which was quickly reported by The Courier-Mail that very morning.
Unfortunately, Mr Bailey had intended to make the big announcement on Saturday.
But the reporting led to a last minute scrambling within the government, with the Transport Minister called in as a late addition to a press conference with Deputy Premier Steven Miles at the XXXX factory.
Before he could do that, a raft of MPs apparently got their orders to blast the change all over their Twitter pages – an interesting decision regardless, given the change had been pushed by the LNP for months.
Perhaps the government should assume things which are publicly published are, in fact, public.
STACIA THE LAWYER
We are pretty used to a multitude of politicians questionably claiming the coveted “Dr” title, but it seems the Premier is also taking notes.
At this week’s Path to Treaty event, Ms Palaszczuk kicked off her speech by noting “buried in my distant past, I am, in fact, a lawyer” – raising a few eyebrows.
Of course the Premier holds a law degree and was admitted as a lawyer – a couple of weeks after being sworn in as an MP in 2006 – with her own biography even omitting any practical experience in law.
Instead, it says her work prior to being elected to Queensland was “as a part-time sales assistant; a tutor with the Aboriginal and Island Students Service at the University of Queensland; tutor at the Australian National University; and as an adviser to federal and state MPs and ministers”.
PASSING THE PUB TEST
Our ears certainly pricked up during Thursday’s federal Question Time in Canberra, when Resources Minister Scott Stewart was given a shout-out by Speaker Milton Dick.
With a terrible mining disaster unfolding northwest of Cloncurry, just what the man in charge of mining in the state was doing down south in Canberra’s parliament was a hot topic.
Turns out Mr Stewart was on the plane to the capital when the incident at the Dugald mine first came to light, and had travelled there to meet with federal counterpart Madeleine King.
Apparently discussions were largely around the gas industry, though he did also brief her on the incident.
We understand he flew back to Queensland Thursday afternoon, but if there was ever a time to cancel a meeting and skip a Question Time stickybeak, this was probably it.
NO STONE UNTURNED
The Premier’s one-time sparring partner Channel 7 reporter Bianca Stone has resigned from the network after 18 years – interesting timing, given the persistent rumours she’s being pursued for a run for the LNP. Ms Palaszczuk blasted the journo during a Covid-19 press conference in 2021, firstly asking “what is your name”, and then telling her she was “being very rude”.
For several months now we’ve heard chat the LNP have been wanting the reporter to consider throwing her hat in the ring come 2024.
While Stone has laughed off those suggestions this week, our sources say it is certainly a topic with members of the LNP – and even more so now she’s given up her journo job.
Originally published as George Street Beat: Qld politics weekly news and gossip
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