George St Beat: Shock YouGov poll sparks chaos in parliament

The Premier has set a dangerous precedent with a bizarre media strategy. THIS IS GEORGE STREET BEAT

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week refused an interview with The Courier-Mail’s newly appointed state political editor.

One year from an election and trailing in the polls, you’d think Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk would be tripping over herself to front the media and promote a vision for the state.

But Ms Palaszczuk’s media strategy last week has left many journalists – in and out of the Press Gallery – picking their jaws off the floor.

The Premier allocated just five minutes to each TV and print media outlet for rare one-on-one interviews.

The Courier-Mail got a timeslot, but when we informed the Premier’s office that the politics reporter who sent the first email requesting the interview would like our new state political editor to do it – per convention – she refused.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s bizarre media strategy left many journalists in shock last week. Picture: Tertius Pickard

The Premier’s office insisted the offer of an interview had been made in “good faith” to the reporter who had asked for it in the first place.

Later they said it was also because the Premier didn’t really yet know our newly appointed state political editor, Hayden Johnson – a pretty bizarre claim considering he has attended countless press conferences with her, including almost daily during the pandemic.

He was also there at the Tokyo Olympics interviewing her when Brisbane won the bid, and has travelled with her on the government jet to Gladstone for a press conference with her and Andrew Forrest.

We don’t take this personally, we just think it is a dangerous – and unacceptable – precedent for any politician to dictate who they will and will not be interviewed by.

This interview had already been agreed to, and a time confirmed – 1.40pm on Wednesday.

We ended up declining it, on principle, after her demand.

PARLIAMENT CHAOS AS POLL DROPS

It is hardly an uncommon sight to see Queensland’s ministers and Members of parliament busily texting on their phones in the parliamentary chamber.

But rarely do you see almost all 93 heads down tapping away in synchronicity – as happened shortly after 10am on Thursday when The Courier-Mail alerted our new exclusive YouGov poll result showing Annastacia Palaszczuk was, for the first time, not the preferred Premier.

Some were more obvious than others – with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman spotted trying to peer over to glance at neighbour Transport Minister Mark Bailey’s phone – but the result caused enough of a rumble for Speaker Curtis Pitt to pipe up and tell the pollies to pipe down.

David Crisafulli has surged ahead of Annastacia Palaszczuk in the battle for Queensland Premier.

“It is getting way too loud in the chamber,” he said.

The polling – which showed Ms Palaszczuk’s personal popularity has bottomed-out – was not raised directly in Question Time, but once it wrapped the MPs were forced to run the gauntlet of the waiting press gallery.

A confident Opposition Leader David Crisafulli made the walk first – but insisted these were “not the numbers that drive me”. Sure, David.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli parliament sitting on Thursday. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen.

The jovial Bruce Saunders was the first Labor MP to face the press pack, bizarrely claiming it was a “great poll’ – despite it having found the Premier’s net satisfaction had plummeted to negative 20.

Saunders – who is paid an extra $90,000 a year to be the government’s Assistant Minister for Train Manufacturing – said his biggest concern remained that if the LNP won they would “cut the train contract in Maryborough”.

Chief government whip Don Brown was keen to point out how popular the Premier was in his area of the Redlands, a theme taken up by Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper – who insisted Ms Palaszczuk was popular in Townsville too.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during question time during the sitting of state parliament. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen.

He barked at the gallery multiple times: “2.7 per cent unemployment in Townsville.”

Minister Craig Crawford was meanwhile delightfully candid, saying that while everyone backed the Premier there were other good options who could also lead Labor to victory.

One of those (presumed) options, Deputy Premier Steven Miles, twice refused to stop and chat with the fourth estate – only offering up a trademark giggle to questions about the poll.

IN A SPIN

Despite insisting to anyone who would listen that the numbers weren’t as bad as they expected, the Premier’s spinners were busy handing out a printed clipping of a 2017 news article which had the same 52-48 result, ahead of an election that was of course won by Labor.

But if you read a little further into that article you find that the LNP vote at the time was just 30.6 per cent – a long way off the 41 per cent this week.

Pollies looking at their phones during parliament.

That clipping also reveals how far the Premier’s net approval rating has fallen, with her 34 per cent of respondents then having an unfavourable view of her.

Today that is 52 per cent.

The Premier’s team was also keen to reiterate the “Newman era” cuts and chaos that they say would come with a Crisafulli government.

It suggests the ghost of Newman, who left office in 2015, will again be a feature of next year’s campaign – perhaps ironically considering Ms Palaszczuk is now less popular than he ever was.

WHINE TIME

After a long sitting week the parliament’s Stranger’s Bar was nearing a full-house on Thursday afternoon.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles.

Along with former Labor Minister Kate Jones catching up with Water Minister Glenn Butcher (saving the Great Barrier Reef – she says), the bar was stacked with members of the LNP crew.

But they were quick to insist they had only cracked open the white wine – not the champagne … yet, anyway.

LEADERSHIP SPILL

Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the week came on Wednesday when Education Minister Grace Grace was spotted frantically mopping up the water she had spilled on the lap of her parliamentary desk buddy, Deputy Premier Miles.

Originally published as George St Beat: Shock YouGov poll sparks chaos in parliament