Queensland's LNP is no opposition, let alone alternative government

It means accepting continuing allocation of funding over the next four years for projects that have already been shown to be exceeding original estimates or being of questionable value.

It means accepting the Miles Government's announced $26 billion over four years for the State's transition to zero emissions.

It means accepting the Government's current tax levy on the mining industry which has aroused criticism from the sector.

It means accepting the existing size and number of the current departmental structures of having 19 ministers and 8 assistant ministers and the existing high levels of ministerial and media staff.

It means accepting current levels in the Queensland Public Service employment which and conditions of employment has been growing greatly in recent years.

It means accepting in key areas like education where Queensland is not reaching its required share of spending under the School Resourcing Standard for the State school sector until 2032.

It means accepting the Miles Government's decisions to reject the March 2024 Quirk Independent Review of Brisbane 2032 Olympic Infrastructure Games even if these decisions are neither cost nor policy effective.

And so it goes …

It means Queensland does not have an effective Opposition.

Why has the LNP adopted this strategy?

All this is explained by the LNP's 'small target' strategy where it is making no specific policy statements and has been focusing on four issues – youth crime, hosing affordability, the cost of living, and health related issues especially concerning ambulance ramping. The LNP promises it will "do better" without telling us how.

This low target strategy is based on the premise that these days Oppositions do not win elections, but rather governments lose them because of their mistakes, maladministration and just sheer longevity in office – the 'it's time' factor. The same low target approach was made by the federal Labor Albanese led Opposition in the run-up to the 2022 elections when it defeated the nine year Coalition Government.

The key driver of this strategy in Queensland is that the LNP is operating under the shadow of the last LNP government in Queensland led by Campbell Newman that won spectacularly in 2012 but fell just as spectacularly in 2015 where it lost 35 seats. This was primarily because of its severe and rushed cuts to public expenditure and the public service and other controversial issues concerning health, law, public service appointments and the courts. The LNP lost more seats at the 2017 and 2020 election and so now needs 14 seats to win office.