Queensland election 2017: Premier finally begins to open up

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at Cairns State High School today. Picture: AAP

A new Annastacia Palaszczuk woke up in Cairns today, on Day 4 of the snap election campaign.

In this morning’s The Australian newspaper, concerns were raised that the Queensland Premier was being protected from scrutiny on the campaign trail.

LIVE: election coverage

For the first three days, Palaszczuk did just one press conference a day, coupled with a short public engagement, and a few FM radio interviews and morning television crosses. Her morning or afternoon walks were done in secret, and her interactions with members of the general public kept to a minimum.

Well, what a difference a day makes.

Today, Palaszczuk took 15 minutes of questions from journalists after taking a tour through the Cairns Aquarium, as sharks, rays and eels circled overhead. She seemed happier than in previous days to answer reporters’ questions on a variety of topics, including a new coal-fired power station, Adani, her errant former Labor MPs Rob Pyne and Billy Gordon, and tree-clearing legislation.

And in a break from what’s happened so far on the campaign, she then did two more campaigning events this morning — stopping to announce funding for new school halls at the Cairns State High School (electorate of Cairns, held by independent Rob Pyne but notionally Labor by 7.5 per cent) and the Caravonica State School (electorate of Barron River, held by Labor’s Craig Crawford by 3.6 per cent).

For the first time, the Premier rode on the campaign bus, rather than in a separate car away from the travelling press pack.

Palaszczuk’s campaign appearances tripled so far today, compared with the first three days. But they have been stage-managed, as is the unfortunate norm in modern campaigns.

Hopefully as time edges closer to election day, we’ll witness the Premier meeting ordinary people, in ways as unscripted as possible.

She excelled at dealing with odd, uncomfortable or critical encounters with punters in shopping centres during the last campaign. It would be a shame not to see the same this time around.

Palaszczuk is running on a platform of openness, transparency and accountability. Hopefully, her change of attitude lasts until election day on November 25 — and beyond.