Editorial: Steven Miles’ free school lunch plan is just sugar-hit socialism

Labor wants to spend $1.4bn on a free lunches scheme its own education minister said was trying to solve a problem that does not exist, writes the editor.

Premier Steven Miles in one of his “lunch box chats” on TikTok

Queensland Labor’s election slogan is “Doing What Matters”.

But as we learnt yesterday, the centrepiece of its pitch to voters will be to spend $1.4bn on a free lunches scheme its own education minister said was trying to solve a problem that does not exist when it was first proposed by the Greens three years ago.

Doing what matters? Not exactly. As that same education minister – now State Development Minister – Grace Grace reminded parliament in the debate over free school lunches in 2021, more than 720 schools across Queensland were already providing access to free lunches and breakfasts – and schools will continue to expand those programs where required.

Ms Grace said there was “not one skerrick of evidence to suggest that this (the unmet need for a free meal) affects children in school today …even in Indigenous areas”.

“People are already receiving this,” she said.

“I do not know of one school community that has come to me in relation to (this).

“We are doing a great job in this area.”

And yet according to Premier Steven Miles yesterday, his scheme to expand this program to every single child – no matter their family’s wealth or circumstances – would be the biggest reform to Queensland’s education system since Prep was introduced in 2007.

Mr Miles said the scheme would be delivered in partnership with the Queensland Association of School Tuckshops, school principals and non-government food providers – all of which lined up yesterday to ask variations of “how the heck do you think we can possibly do this?”

Mr Miles says he has wanted to do this for a long time.

But he was deputy premier when the Greens tried to make it law in 2021 and the Palaszczuk government rejected it.

Perhaps – like Labor’s attack on the LNP opposition over its shaky and far-from-explained approach to abortion laws – Mr Miles has simply stolen this from US politics.

Premier Steven Miles with minister Grace Grace

There, the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz famously made school lunches free for all children in his state when he was governor of Minnesota in 2023.

And like Mr Walz, Mr Miles is trying to present to voters an image of a relatable suburban dad rather than the career political operative that he is (prior to being elected he worked for a union, was a political adviser and a campaign strategist).

It would not be out of character for Queensland Labor to steal ideas from other elections. Indeed, even their central slogan – “Doing What Matters” – is the same one used by Dan Andrews in his successful 2022 Victorian state election campaign.

Perhaps Mr Miles has also been encouraged by the success of his weekly TikTok reels, where he makes his family school lunches while discussing the political events of the week (please ignore the fact that Mr Miles has spent much of this year warning of the dangers of social media use for children).

Whatever the motivation, voters are not stupid. They are certainly also far smarter than political leaders tend to give them credit for when announcing policies such as this one, which can be described, considering the reality as Ms Grace outlined when she was education minister, as nothing more than sugar-hit socialism.

The cynical reaction yesterday to the scheme from parents, teachers, principals – and the almost universal rejection of it on Labor MP Facebook pages – shows that Queenslanders understand what Mr Miles is trying to do here: to buy their vote with money the state does not have, to avoid any talk about the past nine years, or really, the future.

OPENNESS VITAL TO DEMOCRACY

Meanwhile, the man who could be even more likely to be premier on October 27 after yesterday’s school lunches debacle has blocked local reporters on the Gold Coast from asking him questions because his sole media appearance yesterday was a “press gallery only” one.

A what? For any elected official to block professional journalists from any media appearance is a terrible precedent, and one that must be called out.

Elections are quite rightly not about the journalists. But they are about the voters getting a sense of what kind of government they might be getting if they take the plunge and vote the opposition into office.

And the tight campaign controls over Opposition Leader David Crisafulli are a concern.

We believe strongly in a principle called Your Right to Know, which is not much more complicated than a belief in open government. This includes open access to premiers, ministers and elected MPs.

That the LNP is also denying its candidates the right to speak for themselves on topics such as their position on abortion laws – as we reported on Saturday is the case during this campaign – adds to our growing concerns in this space.

The media’s role in interrogating those elected to office is critical in a democracy. We hope yesterday was just a misunderstanding.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: Steven Miles’ free school lunch plan is just sugar-hit socialism