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This may pacify backbenchers, but is it good government in terms of the talent pool available?

Most importantly, this growth of executive numbers undermines the separation of powers between executive government and parliament. Independent parliamentary scrutiny of government is undermined when such a large proportion of parliament has jobs in executive government.

Some argue that as Queensland is a growth state it needs more ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

While between 1990 and 2007 the size of Queensland's executive government grew by 60 per cent, our population increase was 44 per cent. In Western Australia, another growth state, the comparable increase in executive government numbers was less than 10 per cent.

It would be refreshing to hear the Premier - and more particularly, the Opposition Leader - commit to reducing executive government and rationalising departmental numbers. At the most, we need 12 ministers heading a reduced number of departments.

Fewer departments could be achieved by amalgamating the existing ramshackle administrative arrangements into a more functional clustering and jettisoning activities that could be better performed by the private sector. This would reduce duplication between departments, improve service delivery, cut costs and stimulate the private sector and jobs.

These 12 ministers could be assisted by six parliamentary secretaries who would support the most important senior portfolios.

A smaller executive government would also allow premiers to be more selective in their ministerial choices and make it more competitive to be a member of executive government.

And just think of the administrative savings to be achieved with fewer government departments.