It’s been a bumper year for Queenslanders with a brand shiny new Premier as well as a PM. So what’s the report card on Anna Bligh’s time in office? So far, so good, I’d say – though the big problem with the Beattie administration was brand shiny new announcements without the necessary follow up in all cases.
Weird Queensland stuff
Well, we get fluoride in the water, but we don’t get daylight saving. I imagine the Premier is banking on the fact that people in SEQ don’t care enough about it, whereas the bush has to be politically pacified after the Council amalgamations stoush. It’s up to us to let her know she’s wrong (with our brand new shiny teeth smiles)… “It’s time to end the state of decay”, says Anna.
Climate Change
Good to see Tim Flannery appointed as head of the Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Council. Whether he has a real role in recommending on the disposition of the $430 million state climate change fund, I’m not sure. In little but significant initiatives, allowing public servants to make public transport tax deductible and offsetting the carbon cost of all government flights are good.
Edumacation
“Blueprint to improve numeracy in schools”.
Rivers of grog
Dunno why anyone is scared of the AHA. Bligh acted swiftly to stop pubs opening at 7am to get that all important “must lose all money on pokies before lunch” trade, and quietly introduced changes to licencing laws to allow more of those boutique bars all of us in the chardie set are longing for. (Note to culture warriors – they have wine bars and latte in teh suburbs now too…) Deciding whether to persist with alcohol management plans or a complete ban in Indigenous communities, and Indigenous affairs generally pose much bigger policy challenges.
Process stuff
Good to see David Solomon commissioned to review FOI laws and government accountability – something of a sore point for previous governments.
The big picture, of course, is how “coast to coast Labor” governments mesh in with the reign of Rudd. There’ll no doubt be some pointers at the first COAG meeting today, so feel free to comment on that too!
Is it just me or does she look like Peter Beattie in that photo? The friendly frown marks.
Daylight Saving? *Grrrrrr* Did I read correctly, you are supporting Daylight Saving?
JIHAD!!
Spooky!
Bligh has gone very well. Fluoride in the water is something Beattie wasn’t game to try. I notice that even Lord Jim has been quiet on the issue. Perhaps because Anna was a factional mate?
However the Cabinet as a whole is not very talented.
Dunno if I’d get too excited about Tim Flannery’s appointment.
As we’ve previously noted, he’s OK as a mouthpiece about the problem, but he’s not particularly well informed about the solutions. In fact, I reckon I know more about that side of it than he does.
You should give Anna’s office a call, Rob!
Newspoll respondents agree:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22951857-2702,00.html
Actually, it’d be interesting to do a whip-around of how the various state governments are going.
Victoria seems to be trundling along reasonably well; though there’s some looming issues with the continuing love affair with road-building running slap-bang into the federal climate change agenda.
There’s also some pissed-off people complaining about dredging up Port Phillip Bay to let bigger ships into the Port. I don’t know enough to express a strong opinion on the topic; my gut reaction is that Port Phillip Bay isn’t exactly pristine anyway.
What about the other states?
Electricity privatisation is going to be the enjoyable battleground of the first couple of months of NSW’s 2008. I’m looking forward to Michael Costa coming out of his Federal Election cone of silence; he’s by far the most intelligent and entertaining of the NSW Right toecutters and he’s got the turn of phrase characteristic of an ex-Trot. Leadership battles might even be on the cards, the Liberals are going to keep eating themselves, realy, everyone’s a winner from where I’m sitting.
Expect the NSW Labor Government to play a pantomime Richard III kind of villain, one you’re supposed to despise, but play along to, nonetheless. (Anyway, the princes had it coming).
Really, even.
Newspoll put out a poll yesterday. showing polling in Queensland.
http://www.newspoll.com.au/cgi-bin/polling/display_poll_data.pl?url_caller=&mode=trend&page=show_polls&question_set_id=13
Sean Parnell wrote a piece in the Australian based on this polling saying that the conservatives need a new leader in Queensland.
“QUEENSLAND Nationals leader Jeff Seeney will take a month off to contemplate his future and that of the state’s conservatives after the latest Newspoll revealed a year of wasted effort.
Recovering from root-canal therapy yesterday, Mr Seeney was in no mood to discuss his poor polling as the alternative premier, or how the Nationals ended the year with just 9 per cent of the primary vote.
He attended his office Christmas party and will formally be on leave from Monday, leaving the Liberals’ leader of two weeks, Mark McArdle, in charge of the Coalition until January 21.
By contrast, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who yesterday attended her first Council of Australian Governments meeting as Premier, will work through Christmas before taking 2 1/2weeks’ leave.
Labor did not lose ground in its primary vote or two-party-preferred result through the transition from Peter Beattie to Ms Bligh, while the new Premier recorded a satisfaction rating of 59per cent in her first Newspoll outing and 66per cent in the preferred premier stakes.
Mr Seeney declined to comment on the Newspoll yesterday, but a spokesman said the result gave impetus to the Nationals leader’s efforts to create a single new conservative party. Mr McArdle did not return calls.”
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22957226-5006786,00.html
I know absolutely nothing babout QLD politics, but I wish Bligh very well. Quite frankly, I would love to see a tsunami of sheilahs ocuupying political leadership positions right around the world. Bring on PM Gillard and President Hitlary!
You’ve plenty of women in the Queensland Parliament, John.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/members.asp?area=members&LIndex=1&Subarea=members
Steve – the trend started across the ditch didn’t it ?
A tsunami of sheilas – hmph – has a nice ring to it.