Backroom Baz: Annastacia borrows tricks from Dan’s playbook

If you’re going to copy your mate’s homework, at least make it look like your own work. That’s the advice for the Palaszczuk government as it borrows tricks from Victorian Labor’s playbook.

The Palaszczuk government is borrowing tricks from Daniel Andrews’ playbook. Picture: Tertius Pickard

If you’re going to copy your mate’s homework, at least make it look like your own work.

With an election looming next year, the Palaszczuk government obviously cares more about winning votes than looking original and has borrowed a few tricks from Victorian Labor’s playbook.

This week two of the biggest selling points in the Queensland budget was the state’s very own “Big Build” and a “free kindy” program (northern slang for kinder). Sound familiar?

Even the social media posts from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk spruiking the budget have started to copy the format and grammatical style of Daniel Andrews or, more accurately, Andrews media team.

Fortunately for Queensland they didn’t copy everything from Victoria.

The state posted a budget surplus of $12.3bn, a pretty enviable result given our net debt is set to hit $171.4bn by 2027.

We're making kinder free.

We're opening 50 government-run centres in the parts of the state that need them most.

And we're introducing a year of Pre-Prep learning.

All so that every kid in Victoria gets the very best start. pic.twitter.com/yeMQ1M3cnY

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) June 16, 2022

Some big news.

We’re making kindy free – for everyone.

It will save families around $4,600 a year, easing national cost-of-living pressures.

And it'll give every little Queenslander the best start in life. pic.twitter.com/p3HyDkiBjh

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 12, 2023

Suspect camping claim

Speaking of Warrandyte, the ALP is still to confirm if they’ll field a candidate. But they’re certainly keeping a toe in the water. How else to explain the ministerial appearance in the township last week, where Harriet Shing announced continued half-price camping fees?

Government sources said no conspiracy theories could be read into the decision. Rather, a campsite close to Melbourne was chosen. That would have been more believable if the press conference was held at a campsite. Not a site where camping is specifically banned. Oops.

Who would wanna remain here?

While it might be all friendly between Queensland and Victoria, there’s no such love from our cousins to the west.

It was a couple of months into the pandemic when in June 2020, Daniel Andrews smirked and quipped: “I don’t want to be offensive to South Australians but why would you wanna go there?”

Well, Victorians were given quite literally billions of reasons this week, with news the South Australian government would will launch a campaign to lure investment away from Victoria with lower and fewer taxes that would save companies mega bucks.

Unlike the Victorian budget, which slapped a range of new levies on business, there were no new or raised taxes in South Australia’s budget this week. Who’s smirking now?

Hip, hip, hooray

Sending only good wishes to Police Minister Anthony Carbines who notched up the big 5-0 this week.

This picture clearly taken before his beloved Cats got walloped by Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on his birthday.

South Australia, smirking again.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines celebrated a milestone birthday this week. Picture: Supplied

Overheard

“It is one day to go and we are all getting cranky” – Nationals MP Danny O’Brien after a long two weeks of budget estimates committee hearings.

Guess who?

Has the brother of a senior minister failed to keep his register of lobbying interests up do date, as required by Victorian law?