Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is to cut the number of government departments from 23 to 13 in a major overhaul of the public service.

Ms Bligh and her 17 ministers - eight of whom are new to cabinet - were on Thursday sworn in at a ceremony at Government House in Brisbane.

She told reporters later a second tier of her plan to renew government was to trim the number of departments by 10, in six cluster areas.

But she said public servants' jobs would be guaranteed.

Captain Bligh is using her mighty sword to cut ten government departments from her public service. This is good start to the new Queensland government, as Anna works to balance the budget. Let's hope we don't see a public service mutiny.

"We've got the highest-ever statewide vote for the Greens, we're seeing spikes in the Green vote in places where you wouldn't necessarily have expected a strong Green vote."

Mr Lee said the Greens were deprived of parliamentary representation by Queensland's unicameral system.

"There's no doubt that in an electoral system similar to every other state in Australia where there is an upper house that the Greens would have had several members elected," he said.

"But what this result means is that the Greens will almost certainly elect a senator from Queensland at the next federal election, and that will ensure that the Greens federally are in the balance-of-power in the Australian senate in their own right after the next federal election."

8.2 per cent of Queenslanders voted one for the Greens. This will mean that the Greens should get a Senate seat in Queensland. The Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate.  No more nonsense from Fielding and Xenophon.

We are witnessing the rise of the Greens and the end of the two party system.

The people of Queensland had no other choice. They certainly didn't want a return to LNP control and there is no other viable option, just like the rest of the country. Bligh won by default, just as Rudd may well do next time and Howard before that.

The entire campaign was empty of anything to sanely guide the future, just gonna's and meaningless promises she knows she has no intention or ability of fulfilling for the people. The only thing talked about was maintaining the current bizarre economic direction and status quo, something we are all witnessing as having failed.

I knew Bligh would romp it in because the Cyborg is unelectable and as boring as batshit.

The nail in his coffin was one sentence from Kevin Rudd on Friday evening which had Paul Walter and myself in hysterics while trying to talk on the phone.

Serfchoices had just died and Rudd said "and with that, I declare this parliament adjourned".

And Turnbull looked like he had just eaten a massive shit sandwich.

Looks like Bligh was able to stem the haemorrhage and win a unique victory. For Borg it'll be a case of doing a Moses - his lot are back in the game, but it may be too late for him personally, given the fizzer the anticipated swing has turned out to be.

Not much joy for the Greens and indies, but Bligh has gained a second chance.

With the impetus a win as leader gives her, she must revitalise Labor and have it throw off the hangers-on responsible for infrastructure and environmental cock ups and rorting, not continue to remain rabbit-like, as in transfixed by traffic headlights. With the win under her belt, she ought now to have the self confidence to get on with things and to do so more on her own terms with a reasonable mandate.

The first thing she should do is send emails of thanks to Rudd and Gillard.

On a lunch break from the local polling booth at the moment.

In Cairns usually during elections all parties get along, often swapping drinks and sun tan lotion. Today it was different. It started last night at about 6pm. I went down to the local primary school to tie the banners to the fence. Surprised that I was the first to place placards so I managed to place the Greens signs in a prime position. While I was doing this the LNP candidate for Mulgrave drove up and told me it was illegal to place banners before midnight. I believed him and removed the banners. I then went home and phoned the Green candidate, who rang the returning officer. The returning officer said there was no such law and that we were entitled to place the banners as soon as the school closed. I went back and retied the banners. I left the school planning to return at 6am to guard our position.

When I arrived this morning one of the green placards had been removed and replaced with a LNP placard. Most of the Labor placards had been removed. I think I saved ours because I caught them in the act.

A few minutes later the Labor team turned up. They first accused me of removing the placards and pinching their position. I quickly assured them that I had not removed any placards.

The LNP had been up to dirty tricks, any sharing of drinks or sun tan cream was not on this year. If this bully tactics is an example of what to come if the LNP wins the election, God help us.

I have had a good response handing out Green How to Vote cards, lets hope the people have the sense to say no to the LNP and its thugs.

Firstly, John Pratt's observation concerning internal ALP friction.

I see his point, but wonder if the attitude within Labor is all that good if they are prepared to scrap publicly on the eve of a poll. Am amazed at the incapacity of politicians to learn from the examples of their fellows, particularly in Queensland where Labor politicians have both the local coalition example over a decade and the recent downfall of the federal coalition as to the pernicious effects of public disunity.

Second, polls are funny things.

Here in Adelaide, we are treated to news of a new phenomenon, the collapse of the Liberal opposition vote in country areas, according to our one daily, the Advertiser.

Not so long ago there had been a swing back to the opposition, but this has gone south in country areas by something approaching the magnitude of twenty percent and pundits now wonder if they will get a chance at government before 2014.

I have sent survey questions to all candidates who are contesting the Queensland state elections and I am publishing the responses, together with any additional comments, at candobetter.org/QldElections/survey as they come back.

The questions are:

1. Oppose privatisation: Will you give electors a categorical assurance, if elected, that either you will oppose any further sell-off of public assets, such as Queensland Rail, water infrastructure, electricity generation and distribution infrastructure, ports, airports, schools, hospitals, etc., or you will not support any sales until such time as the Queensland public have shown support for privatisation through a referendum or public opinion polls?

2. Oppose population growth: If elected, will you act to end the Queensland Government's current policy of actively encouraging population growth. Will you make it a policy goal to stabilise Queensland's population as close as possible to current levels and act to prevent our population from doubling from 4 million in 2005 to 8 million by as early as 2031?

3. Oppose high immigration: If elected, will you act to make the Queensland Parliament prevail upon the Federal Government to dramatically reduce its current record high immigration program?

4. No increase in coal exports: Will you oppose any further increase in the rate of extraction of climate-changing coal? Will you oppose Premier Anna Bligh's stated intention made in July last year to triple Queensland's already record levels of coal exports by 2030?

5. Save the Felton Valley: Will you oppose coal mining in the Felton Valley agricultural region south west of Toowoomba?

6. Save Bimblebox: Will you oppose the destruction of the Bimblebox nature refuge by a planned massive open-cut coal mine?

7. No second aluminium smelter: Will you oppose the construction of a massive, polluting, global-warming, Chinese-government-owned aluminium refinery planned to be built on the wetlands to the north of Bowen?

8. Stop rent gouging: Will you take effective action to protect domestic renters and businesses from excessive rent increases?

9. Housing a human right: Would you support European-style legislation that would enshrine access to decent affordable housing as basic human right for all Queenslanders?

 

10. Water a human right: Would you support legislation that would guarantee access to water as a basic human right for all Queenslanders?

11. Government-sponsored full employment: Would you support, at the state level, the implementation of the Center of Full Employment and Equity's (CofFEE) program to provide full employment in socially and environmentally useful programs for all Australians needing work, fully costed at $9 billion per year?

James Sinnamon
Independent candidate for Mount Coot-tha
candobetter.org/QldElections/MountCoot-tha
candobetter.org/QldElections
candobetter.org/QldElections/survey

What an underwhelming election.

Bligh has had her opportunity to shine and had failed miserably. It leads me to wonder how much of modern politics is not about ideology or even policy, but about the ability to administrate effectively. On that count alone, I reckon Springborg deserves a chance.

But the Nationals (NLP, whatever) scare the shit out of me socially. They hate people, always have and always will. It's a shame the election campaign hasn't gone there but I for one have no doubt that under the LNP we'll see Christian tripe against homosexuals and women, general antipathy toward students and science, racial wedging and a politicisation of the police force.

And no I don't trust the Greens one bit. They'll get my first vote because they have an unfinished job to get ecology on the agenda, but as soon as they get anywhere near the ability to form government, I'll likely be putting them behind the conservatives. Before that of course they have a major split or two to get through because as it stands they are a coalition of loonies. Destroying the Democrats, who had a progressive and quite comprehensive environmental policy before the Greens were born, was no achievement for the nation or the environment.

What do I do?

Reluctantly on all fronts I'll vote 1. Green. 2. Labor. Best case scenario is a massively reduced majority for Labor followed by a leadership spill.

What a boring, demoralising election.

ANNA Bligh's leadership has been undermined by one of her own ministers vowing the Premier will not get her own way in a future cabinet reshuffle.

Tourism Minister Desley Boyle yesterday broke ranks and contradicted Ms Bligh's claims Labor's re-election would give her a mandate for "serious renewal" in her ministerial line-up.

In an interview with The Courier-Mail, Ms Boyle insisted the Labor caucus would choose who departed and stayed in cabinet ranks and not Ms Bligh.

As Anna struggles to remain in control of the good ship Labor mutineers are coming out of the woodwork everywhere. It is yet another example of the presidential style now favoured by our political leaders. Leaders who think they are the holders of all wisdom. One must pay homage to the leader or you will be sacked. Forget democracy – this is dictatorship.

Desley Boyle needs support – she has the courage to speak out. We elect our politicians to stand up for our region. We expect them to stand up to the political hierarchy.

Political commentator Paul Williams said serious issues had almost gone out the door in this year's campaign as voters concentrated on Bligh and Springborg.

"The issues don't seem as important as leadership and party image," said Dr Williams, a lecturer at the Griffith University on the Gold Coast. "That's both a shame and dangerous . . . it dumbs down politics."

Image has been everything during the campaign.

Bligh has been photographed cuddling babies, kissing dolphins, playing with footballs and wearing her familiar "we are building" hard hat.

Springborg, whose campaign photos were altered to remove the gap in his teeth, enjoyed a rare pictorial moment with wife Linda and his four children in Warwick last weekend.

Forget serious issues – this is an election where the focus is on Anna and Borg. With the Australia and Queensland facing some of the biggest issues of our generation, why do we have a Presidential style election campaign? Do these politicians really think we care about the number of dolphins or babies they kiss?

When we vote, think about the future of Queensland ten or twenty years from now think about the issues, not the personalities.

Dr Connors said that the Queensland Greens were committed to maintaining jobs and social infrastructure across the regions and job stimulation and job maintenance were highlights of the commitments.

1. Amend the Mineral Resources Act to prevent mining on premium agricultural land. Estimated cost $0; neutral effect on jobs.

2. Construction of two baseload 250 megawatt solar power stations in Townsville and the Darling Downs. Estimated cost $2 billion. 4000 jobs construction phase, 400 jobs ongoing.

3. Increased funding for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for the management of weed and animal pests, including the capacity to contract the work to neighbouring landholders and community groups. Estimated cost $15 million Estimated jobs 600 initial phase, 220 jobs ongoing

4. Increase state funding into soil carbon research with funding for cooperative research between DPI and regional university campuses. Estimated cost $45 million dollars. Estimated jobs 100.

5. Increased funding for natural resource management bodies, catchment groups and peak producer groups to cope with the challenges of climate change and innovative sustainability practices. Estimated cost $70 million, estimated jobs 100 over 5 years.

Dr Connors pointed out that the Greens were committed to stopping the Traveston and Wyaralong Dams which would immediately protect historic and productive farmlands in the Mary and Logan River valleys and make $2.5 billion dollars available to pay for Green commitments across the state.

The Greens would also divert funds from excessive state investment in the unachievable clean coal. This amounted to a drain of $300 million drawn from the Queensland Future Growth Fund in 2008.

‘The mining corporations should be funding their own research,’ Dr Connors said.

‘The Greens view is that it is far more important to channel research and support into agriculture to sustain our regional townsthrough the crises of climate change and global recession.’

Green policy that will make a big difference in Queensland to divert money from the coal industry and into alternatives is why many people in Queensland are leaving the LNP and ALP. The old parties just have not come to grips with the realities of climate change.

Cairns could be the key indicator of who will win the March 21 state election, called yesterday by Premier Anna Bligh.

As Ms Bligh said the global financial crisis compelled her to call an early election, political analysts yesterday predicted Cairns, held by Labor since 1904, could signal the winner.

"If the LNP can win Cairns, it has won government," said political analyst Dr Paul Williams, from Griffith University.

"There is about an 8 per cent swing needed across the state to win this election and that is about what is needed in Cairns.

"It is not probable but it is possible that Cairns may fall and if we're going to see a wild swing anywhere, I think it will be in North Queensland where there is built-up anger."

For too long Far North Queensland has been taken for granted. Labor has held the Cairns seat for over 100 years. On Saturday we may see that come to an end. In the federal election Jim Turnour ALP had the largest swing in Australia to claim the seat of Leichhardt from the Liberals.

The ALP, like the Liberals, has ignored the population growth in the Far North. Nothing highlights this more than the terrible under resourcing of the Cairns Base Hospital: the hospital is a mess with many emergency patients waiting admittance parked in ambulances for hours in the hospital driveway.

The union's Steve Crow says many of the region's ambulances were forced to wait hours on Monday to drop off patients at the Cairns Base Hospital and were unable to get to the man.

"The tragedy in Cairns again only goes to highlight the reality of what's going on around the state," he said.

"Cairns, with the ramping, has been an issue for quite some time and we've had discussions with health, but if we have our ambulance vehicles ramped at base hospitals like Cairns, then our paramedics aren't available to go to other cases."

Far North Queensland's roads are a disgrace with all roads north closed and hundreds of thousands completely cut off by road and rail for weeks during the recent floods.

The first trucks are passing through the north Queensland town of Ingham, bringing much-needed supplies to flood-ravaged communities that have been isolated for more than a week.

Floodwaters in Ingham are now dropping quickly and the highway into the town opened late yesterday.

The Bruce Highway has now re-opened to heavy vehicles and police are escorting the trucks in groups of 30 from Crystal Creek north of Townsville to Cardwell.

As many as 400 trucks are expected to travel from Townsville, with the Bruce Highway still closed to all other traffic for now.

Ingham Police Sergeant Geoff Bormann says it is important the trucks get through.

"We'll be policing the route along the way and once that backlog is clear then we'll reassess the situation and hopefully allow us to open the road up to all traffic," he said.

Police are not certain when the trucks will begin to move north to Cairns.

Essential food supplies were brought into Cairns last week by air transport and on sea barges but the flooded Bruce Highway prevented food trucks from getting through.

The Far North needs politicians who will stand up to the Brisbane clique. The people in Brisbane would not put up with this mess in health or transport, and neither will the people of the Far North.

I tend to agree that ALP is better than NLP, but the entertainment value of watching Borg taking over the galaxy and starting in Queensland would make up for Clive Palmer taking charge of the economy. They have had 11 years and the quality of all crops is always improved by a fallow period. Better a one term disaster by the NLP than to see the ALP successfully wrestling with its conscience over and over again? Corruption grows like weeds and a new administration woulds be a fine weed killer. The whole water commission thing smacked of state control. Oh yes it was..... But we have pricing controls and instead of increasing prices or letting local government solve it, we had the Commissars instead. But no rain seeding. Lots of dictatorial adverts instead. WE GET IT, we are not going to oppose NWO, OK? Maybe the NLP will be able to do something but even at worst, the ALP will gain from a few years wailing and gnashing of teeth, crying in the wilderness.....

And the cosy FED/State thing needs to be broken up, asap. NWO requires larger admin cantons so if we aren't used as a billet for troops in the war on terror, State governments may be abolished..... I feel FNQ, Far North Queensland, should be implemented. The border to be above Hervey Bay.

It would also leave us to adopt Daylight saving, maybe? 

Ain't play Democracy fun?

Just briefly: I am an independent candidate for the Seat of Mount Coot-tha standing against state Treasurer Andrew Fraser.

Whilst I have some sympathy for the Greens (and was a member back in 2003) I haven't been able to bring myself to be part of a Greens campaign machine that is doing essentially what is little different from what it has many times before and hence is unlikley to a result significantly better than what has been achieved in the past.

I also take issue with the Greens support for water recycling and its bone-headed decision back in 2006 to mobilise its members as well as anti-dam activists to oppose the grass-roots Toowoomba campaign against water recycling.

On the day of the vote, Greens and anti-Traveston-Dam activists actually handed out 'vote yes' cards outside Toowoomba polling places.

This has served to poison relations with a group of perople who should be their allies.

In spite of that, I hope Ronan Lee is returned and that Larissa Waters, the Greens candidate in my seat succeeds in toppling Andrew Fraser (a seemingly rather optimistic hope, I would concede, that was put to me yesterday, by a Greens member) and I hope they do well in other seats.

We have to show that the people of Queensland want better than what the two major pro-gig-busniess political parties ar prepared to give.

Pro-democracy independent
candidate for Mount Coot-tha

More information about my campaignis to be found at: http://candobetter.org/QldElections http://candobetter.org/QldElection/MountCoot-tha