Government report card reflects Labor’s highs and lows
The Courier-Mail
IT’S been 10 months in a leaky boat. And, to borrow from Split Enz, the Palaszczuk Government has been lucky just to keep afloat.
IT’S been 10 months in a leaky boat. And, to borrow from Split Enz, the Palaszczuk Government has been lucky just to keep afloat.
The absence of an overarching narrative, a decision-lite approach, Cook MP Billy Gordon’s forced resignation and the melodramas of trouble-prone police minister Jo-Ann Miller has left the Labor armada listing.
Interspersed between wave after wave of internal drama and a void of decisions, Annastacia Palaszczuk and several of her ministers have shown some handy skills at the tiller.
Today’s annual Report Card by The Courier-Mail, which comes only days before the Queensland Premier is due to reshuffle her Cabinet, reflects the highs and low of the Labor administration.
Their marks stretch from an “A” to an “E”, with some standout efforts by both experienced and new members of Cabinet along with several lacklustre and truly diabolical performances.
Palaszczuk herself receives a “B” after leading Labor to a dramatic victory over the LNP.
She’s also begun building a solid platform around innovation and taken on the insidious issue of domestic violence.
However, while an “A” was hers for the taking after such a result, the odium of Labor’s ongoing poor poll support, the malaise surrounding the Government’s decision-making and squibbing on personally punting Miller as a minister all eroded Palaszczuk’s mark.
Meanwhile her deputy, Jackie Trad, tops the table with an “A-”.
Despite an overloaded mix of portfolios in Palaszczuk’s pint-sized 14-member ministry, Trad always appears across the detail and proves she’s not a die-wondering type when it comes to decisions.
Cameron Dick and Kate Jones, who both return after three years on the political sidelines, are irreplaceable linchpins of the Palaszczuk Government and receive “B+” marks.
Dick delivers gravitas in Parliament against Labor’s experienced and tactically superior opponent while Jones has deftly handled a plethora of portfolios, which in other states are spread across three ministries.
Then there are talented newcomers, such as Shannon Fentiman and Mark Bailey, first-term MPs who have both shown the ability to perform higher duties.
Yet there are several lowlights and they’re led by Treasurer Curtis Pitt.
The Mulgrave MP is the first treasurer in more than a decade not to get a pass mark in the Report Card.
Labor’s lack of a credible economic agenda has been its most significant weakness.
While Pitt is a genuine and thoughtful individual, he hasn’t shown any sign he’s willing to put ideology aside and pull the necessary fiscal levers or do the work required to instil confidence or sell Labor’s economic message.
And finally former police minister Jo-Ann Miller, who quit Cabinet yesterday, has earned the first “E” in many years.
Miller’s own colleagues found her behaviour “reckless” and she has constantly created distractions that Labor could ill afford. Even in quitting she managed to leave the Premier with egg on her face given Palaszczuk had only committed to move her to a new ministry.
Overall, the Government has limped over the line with a pass mark but only just.
They end the year with barely more than one in three Queenslanders prepared to support them, according to the recent Galaxy Poll, which is extremely poor for a new government that should be surging under a popular and capable premier.
The bottom line of this year’s Report Card is that the Palaszczuk Government has the ability but isn’t applying itself properly.
They’ll need to sail in 2016 or they may sink.
The Palaszczuk Government
Overall
C-
Barely a pass mark for an administration that at times seems hellbent on reaffirming it is an accident. After 10 months in office, Labor has cobbled together only the bare bones of a narrative surrounding jobs and innovation. They’ve thrown their energies into tearing down Newman-era reforms and handing sops to their union bedfellows. Without a plan for infrastructure and jobs generation, and with a hide-and-seek approach to state debt, Labor could soon be exposed.
B
Palaszczuk has rightly earned a place in the annals of Labor history for kicking out Campbell Newman. Her friendly, homespun approach is endearing and it’s pushed up her popularity. But it’s not leading to a revival of the Labor vote given barely more than one in three people support the Government. Palaszczuk’s minders attach her to only positive issues. But she’s been left saying “I know nothing” too many times, making her look less than a leader.
A-
After Anna Bligh’s 2012 annihilation you’d imagined a generation would pass before a Left faction South Brisbane MP would be the next potential Labor leader. But Trad has tossed off that albatross and established herself as the clear heir should Palaszczuk perish. A rare conviction politician and a quality performer in Parliament. Producing and funding an infrastructure plan and ensuring decisions are made on all manner of reviews will be her true test.
D+
The most important portfolio in which governments need their minister to perform. Yet his colleagues are convinced Pitt is under performing. A genuine, decent bloke in an indecent profession, Pitt’s Budget debt switch and superannuation payment delay were clever politics but stopgap measures. He risks losing control of expenses through wage agreements. He’s simply not doing the hard work to hammer home the Government’s economic message, whatever that is.
B+
Palaszczuk pinched from Newman’s playbook and handed a leadership rival the poison chalice portfolio. However, Dick took over a hospital system in good health and it has not infected his ambition. A more nuanced narrative about his health priorities would have earned him an even higher mark. The Government’s best performer in Parliament who can cut through with a message. He would be a more valuable asset in an economic portfolio.
B+
Three years out of the political arena in Ashgrove may have been the best thing for Jones. She’s returned with a much more confident and mature approach that has made her integral to the administration. Handed a mega ministry, Jones has needed every ounce of her energy to keep across her portfolios amid some trouble events. With a penchant for policy, relieving her of some responsibilities would help the Government deliver a much broader agenda.
C+
Mixing doctors and politics has proven a prescription for misfortune in the past. Yet Lynham’s non-politician persona has been a breath of fresh air, particularly with the Government’s booze crackdown. But Lynham hasn’t developed a pointy end to his politics, leaving him vulnerable to opponents. While he appears across his portfolio, losing control of vegetation management laws was a sign his colleagues aren’t convinced he can prosecute an issue.
C+
D’Ath’s management of former chief justice Tim Carmody and his replacement were handled with aplomb. Her decisions are considered and consultative. The stark contrast with the Newman-era handling of justice is a stand out for this administration. However, after snaring a second political life and spending only a brief time in opposition, D’Ath comes across as angry all the time which is hard to understand and could prove problematic when a difficult issue arises as it inevitably will.
E
Calamity Jo became like comic relief in a bad spaghetti western. Just when the heroes of this story looked like winning the day, Miller repeatedly managed to ignite another stick of dynamite on her own side. With a talent for turning molehill issues into mountains and an inability to admit error, Miller was clearly unfit for Cabinet. She boasts of being Labor to her bootstraps but the best thing for the party would have been that she be uninvited from the ministry months ago.
D+
Like the daggy uncle you only catch up with for Christmas, Byrne seems always on the verge of saying something inappropriate. Not out of his depth in the ministry but seems to be treading water without floaties. The lack of any Labor agenda for agriculture and its distaste for the racing industry hasn’t helped Byrne establish himself as a worthwhile contributor. Sub par parliamentary performances have made him an opposition target.
C+
Bailey has turned himself from a liability into an asset. His early decision to delay electricity deregulation and talk of people switching to blankets and BBQs because of power prices was a poor start. But opposition attacks on him have dried up as Bailey has gained a solid grip on his portfolio and sharpened his rhetoric around a clear narrative. After his mid-career sojourn, Bailey’s training as a councillor has aided his transition from first-term MP to capable minister.
C
Passion and enthusiasm aplenty made Miles the perfect fit for this portfolio. He has a broad depth of knowledge and significant respect in a sector tired of having the environment ministry used as a stepping stone. However, Miles is yet convince Cabinet that the Government should take major steps in the environmental arena. With key decisions and improved Parliament performances, Miles has the potential for an improved mark next year.
C-
Given innovation is a key priority for the Palaszczuk Government, it’s a wonder Queenslanders haven’t heard more from their Innovation Minister. Some might even be surprised to learn we have one. Not without ability, Enoch is showing the tell tale signs of being prisoner to her department’s mandarins and put this on display when she praised an employee for their diligence when they double paid a contractor millions of dollars.
B-
Watching Fentiman’s Parliament performances can be like being at a high school debating contest and not being able to sneak out the back door. But she has talent to burn and given she holds what should be a safe seat, will be a key player for her party for many years to come. As a first-term MP, Fentiman has done an invaluable job leading domestic violence reform. A prime candidate for promotion in the future.
D
If Cabinet’s 14th minister set out to prove the ministry doesn’t even need 14 ministers, O’Rourke has done an outstanding job. Geography was one of the main reasons O’Rourke earned a ministry. And in 10 months O’Rourke has not managed to put herself or the issues in her portfolio on the map. Being a minister is more than talking about holding talks. However, there have been times in Parliament when Labor has wished she’d stopped talking altogether.
Steven Wardill is The Courier-Mail’sstate political editor
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