Annastacia ‘Palas­zczuk’s pensioners’ swayed by Premier’s grit

Elderly women impressed by Annastacia Palas­zczuk’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic are emerging as key supporters in her bid for re-election.

John and Susan Williams, enjoying fish and chips in Shorncliffe, Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Elderly women impressed by what they see as Annastacia Palas­zczuk’s plucky handling of the coronavirus pandemic are emerging as key supporters in her government’s bid for re-election.

For many of these elderly supporters, the way Queensland locked down so early and solidly gave them confidence the government was on top of a pandemic that was striking elderly people in particular all around the world.

Susan Williams, 70, of Strathpine on Brisbane’s northern outskirts, said on Sunday this confidence was particularly crucial at the start of the lockdown, and the Premier’s handling of coronavirus was definitely a factor in her voting — like many others in Queensland, she and her husband, John, have already voted.

“There were no ifs, no buts; right from the beginning there were very strict parameters around what you could and couldn’t do,” she said.

“Remember that at that time everyone was very insecure — we didn’t know what was going to happen. The way she and the Chief Health Officer were so ­definite gave us all a lot of ­confidence.”

ALP sources say the emergence of “Palaszczuk’s pensioners” was reflected very strongly in their focus group research, with a regular comment being “she kept us safe during COVID”.

They say that among women in the over-65 age group, support for Ms Palaszczuk and the ALP is around 65 per cent, but among males in that age group it is only about half that.

While older people generally are conservative in their voting, the level of support among elderly women could have an impact in seats such as Pumicestone, Bundaberg, Caloundra and Noosa, where there is a high proportion of elderly people.

ALP figures say Ms Palaszczuk is considerably more popular than LNP leader Deb Frecklington among elderly women voters, possibly because she has been attacked by male politicians such as Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton for not opening Queensland’s borders earlier.

The say another factor for the elderly was the party’s moves to fast-track a vote on euthanasia, with polls consistently showing support for the measure was strongest among older people.

The Williams, who emigrated from England more than 40 years ago, were well aware of the pressures of handling coronavirus in other parts of the world.

Mrs Williams said her sister, still in England, had been forced to work from home during the lockdown while her sister’s husband, a butcher, had to close his shop for a period and when it reopened, have only one customer at a time allowed inside.

“You look around the world and see how horrendous it has been. There’s over 220,000 Americans dead from it, and Britain and Europe aren’t going that well either” she said.

“You have to ask yourself — would it have been different in Queensland if we’d have had another leader, would we have been able to cope with it as well as we have?

“I understand the criticism from other premiers but you’ve just got to look at what’s happening in other states and countries.

“I think she’s done a very good job and I take off my hat to Jeanette Young as well.”