Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Accidents do happen, if you let them

By Graham Young - posted Tuesday, 3 February 2015


If Annastacia Palaszczuk becomes premier of Queensland, it will be a colossal accident, but one engineered by the ALP and facilitated by the LNP.

It's also a result the federal Liberals ought to study closely.

Many Queenslanders woke up today wondering what they had done.

Advertisement

They wanted to scare the government, not sack it, and hadn't imagined the arc of their kick being around 12% two-party preferred against the government.

The ALP took a low target strategy, allowing the government with its "Strong Choices" grand plan to be the issue.

There is no doubt that it was a protest vote.

The fingerprint of a protest vote is that the smallest swings occur in the most marginal seats because voters in marginal seats know they can change the government, and are more careful.

Voters had plenty to protest about, and most of it came down to the personalities of Premier Newman, his deputy Jeff Seeney.

Ever since Newman announced the retrenchment of 14,000 public servants after promising the public service had nothing to fear from him his vote went into decline.

Advertisement

It was a solution out of the blue to a problem that voters weren't even sure existed, and it was delivered callously.

Yet the government achieved results.

After three years it had tamed the growth of the debt monster unleashed by Labor, which saw Queensland with per capita debt almost twice that of any other state.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. All

A version of this article was published in the Australian FInancial Review.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

73 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Graham Young is chief editor and the publisher of On Line Opinion. He is executive director of the Australian Institute for Progress, an Australian think tank based in Brisbane, and the publisher of On Line Opinion.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Graham Young

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Graham Young
Article Tools
Comment 73 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy