Faux election campaign gears up in regional QLD
The under-fire premier prepares a faux election campaign in regional Queensland, as the Teals target another LNP-held federal seat.
G’day readers, and welcome to the final edition for 2023 of Feeding the Chooks, your peek behind the scenes into the murky machinations of factional politics in Queensland, and all the intrigue that’s fit to print.
COME-FROM-BEHIND CAMPAIGN
Annastacia Palaszczuk and her crew will hit the hustings next week as part of a two-week trial campaign to see if they have any hope of saving the struggling government at next October’s state election.
Ministers were given a secret cabinet briefing on Monday to lay out the plan (although Chooks hears it was a bit “light-on”), and told they should do more to champion backbenchers at press conferences.
Chiefs-of-staff and media advisers were also given a rundown and were told government content on Chinese-owned social media company TikTok would be a big focus for the next fortnight.
Using secret taxpayer-funded polling to inform their election strategy, government strategists are hoping to splash ministers across regional media.
The brainchild of Palaszczuk’s deputy chief of staff Jon Persley – her likely successor in the ultra-safe seat of Inala – the election campaign test run comes as the Premier faced more questions about whether she would call time on her political career over Christmas.
On Friday, Palaszczuk said the summer break was a chance for her team to be “refreshed and re-energised” before the election year.
“I think you will see that everyone will be hitting the ground running at the beginning of next year; it is an election year,” she said.
“I think we are coming up to the end of the year and I think that everyone is tired – whether it is in government, opposition or the media.”
A final strategy meeting was held at parliament on Thursday. A Labor source tells Chooks that although there’s some “wishful thinking” the Premier might have a “change of heart” over the Christmas holidays and consider her position, at the meeting it was clear she was “all in” for another run.
RAY VS SHARKS
The sharks are circling long-serving Liberal National Party MP Ray Stevens for his ultra-safe Gold Coast state seat of Mermaid Waters.
As the LNP smells blood in the water, after six published polls showing Labor is at risk of drowning at next October’s election, Chooks is told there’s a mood for change in Mermaid Waters.
“Mermaid Ray” has been in parliament since 2006, and his internal rivals are keen to push for a contested preselection.
As one of Stevens’ colleagues told Chooks: “You have to keep your eyes on the branch”.
But the man himself is defiant. He doesn’t want to go anywhere and is confident he has the numbers.
“As John Howard said, it is all about arithmetic,” Stevens tells Chooks.
“I will certainly be running again.”
TEAL TAKEOVER
Still on the Gold Coast, sources close to the Teals tell Chooks that the progressive movement is eyeing off another LNP-held federal seat on the Glitter Strip: Moncrieff, held by the LNP’s Angie Bell since 2019.
As this column reported last week, Climate 200 and a McPherson Matters community group are already well-established in the LNP’s Gold Coast federal electorate of McPherson, where former Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is retiring.
The campaign machinery is also being put in place in Moncrieff, which takes in tourism hot spots including Surfers Paradise, Main Beach, and Miami.
Watch this space. The LNP certainly is.
REDLANDS RETURN?
Could former federal LNP MP and thwarted state LNP candidate Andrew Laming be considering yet another tilt at politics?
Chooks’ informants in Brisbane’s bayside insist Laming is red hot to run for the Redlands mayoralty at the local government elections in March next year.
It’s not known whether current mayor Karen Williams will recontest the poll, and Laming bowed out of contention for preselection for the LNP seat of Oodgeroo after failing to pass the vetting process. If he did put up his hand for the mayoralty, Laming wouldn’t be an endorsed LNP candidate. The party only officially endorses candidates in the Brisbane City Council race.
Laming, an ophthalmologist by trade, told Chooks: “I’m committed to getting back into eye surgery at the moment”.
MYSTERY OF MISSING MONARCHS
It’s no secret Liberal National Party deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie is an ardent aficionado of the British royal family.
The Sunshine Coast MP is the national spokesman for the Australian Monarchist League, publicly (and unsuccessfully lobbied the Palaszczuk government for a taxpayer-funded statue of Queen Elizabeth in January last year to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, and – as Attorney-General in the one-term Newman government – reinstated the title of Queen’s Counsel rather than Senior Counsel for the state’s silks.
Keen to share his regard for the royals, Bleijie brought to parliament a stack of prints of painted portraits of King Charles to distribute to his LNP colleagues.
Unfortunately, before he could do so, one of his republican partymates pilfered the pictures from his desk.
Charges of treason were threatened, before the prints were recovered.
Bleijie tells Chooks the thief was outed as Tim Mander, former LNP deputy and NRL referee, and his desk neighbour and a proud republican.
“Because the Queensland government has failed to produce an official portrait of His Majesty, the Australian Monarchist League came to the rescue, and secured the rights to republish the portrait,” Bleijie says.
“Many of my colleagues were requesting these portraits, so I produced one for each of them. Unfortunately, I was sabotaged, by a colleague.”
“Someone dobbed on him, I searched the corners of Parliament House, and I found them.”
When contacted by Chooks, Mander copped to the crime.
“His rabid love for the monarchy is extremely irritating, and I’ll do anything to promote the cause of an Australian head of state,” Mander says.
“I’m a rarity in my party.”
To add insult to Bleijie’s injury, Annastacia Palaszczuk has not invited King Charles III and Queen Camilla to visit Queensland.
In a sniffily worded Question on Notice to the Premier, Bleijie asked if an official invitation to the monarchs had been extended, and “if not, why not?”
The Premier consulted with her department, and was told it was up to the federal government to co-ordinate royal visits.
“In May 2023, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, reiterated to His Majesty The King that the Royal Family would all be very welcome to
visit Australia at a time of their choosing,” Palaszczuk said.
Bleijie tells Chooks the reasoning is “absolute rubbish”.
“Out of all Premiers in the country, I would have thought our red carpet Premier would have been the first to invite the Royal Family for a royal visit, but alas she has not.”
BAREFOOTED BATES
Ros Bates was in a hurry this week.
As the bells rang out throughout parliament on Wednesday afternoon, signalling a vote, the pocket-rocket LNP frontbencher was seen whipping off her high heels so she could speed up her dash to the chamber before the bars were locked.
Bates was itching to oppose a Labor motion about cuts and the public service. Her barefooted bolt was futile of course, as Labor dominates every vote with its 52-member gaggle of MPs.
Bates’ run reminded Chooks of Palaszczuk’s first term when a 2:30am division saw pollies fleeing from their upstairs accommodation half-dressed to make it down for a vote.
INDUSTRY EXIT
LNP state leader David Crisafulli, Opposition frontbencher Tim Mander, federal LNP MP Henry Pike, and Labor’s Assistant Minister for Treasury Charis Mullen were all on hand at the Property Council’s annual Christmas knees-up lunch to hear the bombshell news that Queensland executive director Jen Williams is quitting. Williams took up the role in June 2021, after being the deputy for six years before that. Williams has been with the organisation for 12 years.
“I’m relieved that it’s out there but it’s daunting to resign in front of 1,700 people,” Williams said.
It was a shock to many of the big-name developers and property players in the room.
The body’s national chief executive Mike Zorbas applauded her advocacy in fighting against the state’s land tax reform.
“Jen has run an inexhaustible race, launching eye-catching, hard-hitting high-profile campaign after campaign,” Zorbas said.
“More importantly, Jen has always been there as a compassionate leader for you, and for our team.”
Williams tells Chooks she has no plans, and is open to opportunities. She will finish up in February.
Annastacia Palaszczuk gave her apologies for the event, while Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick was across town meeting with federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his state and territory counterparts.
SPOTTED
Chooks’ spies saw Rockhampton Labor kingmaker Robert Schwarten darting into the Premier’s office at parliament on Wednesday at lunchtime.
Could the visit have something to do with the impending retirement of local MP and Schwarto acolyte Barry O’Rourke, and manouevering by Schwarto’s Old Guard faction to install O’Rourke campaign worker Craig Marshall as the next candidate?
Or perhaps he was warning Palaszczuk he was about to knife her in print, suggesting in a laboured and confusing metaphor-laden column in Brisbane’s The Courier-Mail newspaper on Friday that Labor should switch to a new model (of car, and presumably leader).
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