Coronavirus: LNP can’t afford to dodge any more policy fights in Queensland

Deb Frecklington let Peter Dutton into her state air space to lead the attack over the Palaszczuk government’s Virgin Australia bid because of politics. The Queensland Opposition Leader is facing a state election in October and needs to win a swag of Labor-held marginal seats to have any hope of becoming premier.

Now that Jackie Trad — the divisive former treasurer who famously told coalminers last year that demand was falling and they needed to reskill — is out of cabinet, the LNP’s plan to use her as a weapon against Labor is less effective.

Trad’s replacement, Cameron Dick, is a capable retail politician and his Virgin bid is partly a pitch to the communities up and down the Queensland coast doing it tough. Townsville and Cairns, where there are marginal seats, have been savaged by the lockdown and are desperate for the return of air services.

The LNP believes any rescue should be left to the private sector, particularly with an airline already in a spiral before COVID-19 struck.

Frecklington was wedged. Not wanting to be seen to be killing a Virgin rescue, she left it to Dutton to lead the attack before she later offered to use the same $200m in Dick’s plan on tourism advertising.

It might have worked, this time, but Frecklington is facing pressure in her party to rely less on Labor losing government and to start a policy push that will convince voters to make a switch in these uncertain times. It’s a long way to election day, but she can ill afford to dodge too many chances to show she is willing to fight over policy.