Qld election: Big ideas are desperately needed now
Rather than money being thrown at projects and problems, the state’s business and community groups are asking our political leaders to stump up big ideas that will transform the economy, writes Jessica Marszalek.
QLD Votes
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This will be a strange election campaign.
Thanks to COVID concerns, there will be no kissing babies, no crowded rallies and less of the colour we’re used to when our leaders take their month-long tour of Queensland to convince voters their ideas are what the state needs going forward.
There is an AFL grand final just a week before the poll — an event Labor at least is hoping distracts voters enough for them to run its small-target campaign.
Then there’s a look-over-here US presidential election raging throughout, with voters there going to the polls just three days after Queensland.
Very importantly, there’s no cash in the kitty for parties to throw around which they would usually use to make big-ticket promises.
All this aligns as thousands of Queenslanders are out of work, propped up by JobKeeper, or staring down the prospect of losing their job in the coming months, with the state’s unemployment rate predicted to rise even higher.
But because of this, this election is one of the most important in living memory.
The winner will have the critical task of shepherding the economy through, and out of, this pandemic-induced recession, for better or worse.
Rather than money being thrown at projects and problems, the state’s business and community groups are asking for big ideas that will transform the economy and remove some of the hurdles holding business back at a time when COVID presents enough obstacles as it is.
The time for debate is now. And Queenslanders have a solemn duty to listen and be informed when they vote.
Originally published as Qld election: Big ideas are desperately needed now