It's hard to know if the tide is turning against King Campbell or not. There's no current polling to indicate what Newmanians are thinking, although a voluntary call-in segment this week on 612ABC indicates the King Campbell and his overstuffed court of ministers and members might not have as much support as they enjoyed back on March 24. Calls were categorised and counted. Of 57 calls, 24 were positive about King Campbell, and 33 were negative. You can - and should - listen to the calls here.
Earlier this week, the Courier Mail carried a story about King Campbell's bizarre notion that the anxiety around job security in the Public Service was the result of "leaks" from within the public service itself. Is King Campbell's regal crown too tight?
Is he completely unhinged?
The reason Newmania's 200,000+ public servants are scared witless is because their King has announced to all and sundry that Newmania is (a) broke, (b) borrowing funds to pay the public servants, and (c) re-evaluating the conditions under which public servants are employed and remunerated. We're not entirely sure how many roles have already gone, but it's around 6,000. How many will follow? We don't know because that's information King Campbell can never supply. Based on his earlier statement that we had 20,000 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) public servants in excess of what we could afford to pay, assume that King Campbell's axe will fall on another 14,000 or so Newmanian Public Servants.
Meanwhile, King Campbell told us that the good people of Ashgrove had expressed no negativity regarding the job losses; in fact, King Campbell let it be known that Ashgrovians were thanking him for making the tough decisions and cutting the waste. The only negative feedback King Campbell was aware of had been orchestrated by Union Fatcats, and was therefore unworthy of his attention.
It's fascinating that King Campbell finds that the voices of thousands of union members who rely on him for their paycheques are beneath is his notice, yet a similarly organised group who campaigns on a platform of Christian values drives King Campbell's policies.
King Campbell should compare the voice of the unions with the voice of the ACL, just to provide some perspective.
I don't doubt that a lot of Ashgrovians have faith in their King, and aren't directly effected by the public service job cuts. Those who aren't so happy might not bother to seek out the leader to express their displeasure, particularly if they've already signed a petition and attended a protest rally.
In any case, Ashgrove is close to the centre of things, and already, several thousand fewer people are working in the CBD. How many Ashgrovians work in businesses that exist to support the city workforce: cafes, parking garages, retail, medical, hairdressers...? It's Newmanian trickle-down suffering and a anxious CBD.
It's not only the CBD of Brisbane that's nervous; jobs are in danger in all of the major regional centres. 200,000+ public servants are nervous, regardless of location. They're unsure about their futures, and they're hating every moment of the present. QR employees are particularly anxious: 2,000 of them are about to join the ranks of the unemployed.
So skant is the information about future job cuts that the Police Union fears that King Campbell's commitment to increase police numbers by 1,100 will be undermined by cuts to the Academy's budget. How is it possible to train and employ over a thousand new officers when the training budget has been massacred?
It'll all be okay though. King Campbell is denying that his bloody solution to a fictitious crisis is unpopular yet necessary, and Prince Lawrence of Borg says he feels the pain of retrenched public sector workers because state politicians have had what amounts to a pay freeze.
On behalf of Newmania's public servants, I say to Prince Lawrence "Diddums".
This mess is not the fault of the public servants, though. It's Kevin Rudd's fault, according to Prince Larry. Of course a new LNP government would blame a Labor Federal Government. Note to everyone on the planet: blaming achieves nothing.
Can a government creating this much personal upheaval remain popular? For now, popularity is irrelevant, which probably explains the lack of polling. The LNP has such an overwhelming majority, they can do whatever they want.
We're watching it happen.
Showing posts with label qld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label qld. Show all posts
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Newmania: Free Gift With Purchase
Don’t you love freebies? It's so rare to get anything for free these days, so when something comes along, you should get excited. I particularly love those promotions where if you buy something, you get a freebie. Cosmetics companies love to do it: Spend $75 and we’ll give you a bunch of sample sized potions and unguents and lipsticks to try for free. Or some big box retailers will give away a year’s supply of cleaning products if you buy a dishwasher, or a pair of luxury towels if you buy a front loader. That's what I'm talking about - those little extras that build brand loyalty.
I like to think of the new LNP Government of Newmania a bit like that. We voted them in, we 'bought' their policies, and along with all sorts of politically accessible generalisations around cutting the cost of living and ending public sector waste. In fact, the whole deal was neatly documented in a list that’s available in convenient PDF format. But here's the surprise: we’ve received an abundance of extras, things we weren’t expecting, all tied up and looking “gifty” for the Greater Good of Newmania.
Not entirely unexpected was the Grand Reshuffle at the top of the Public Service Tree. New appointees in the Newmanian Public Service include several former colleagues and friends from his days as Lord Mayor of Brislantis, plus well-known members of the Liberal Party. I'm not 100% sure if those gifts were for the electorate or for the folks who got the new jobs, but at least someone is getting something, and that's good, right?
In addition to some lovely new jobs for friends, King Campbell has been particularly kind to his friends at the Australian Christian Lobby. There was always the possibility that changes would be made to the Civil Partnerships legislation, but King Campbell took it over the top when he not only outlawed state-sanctioned ceremonies, and then admitted that decision was to appease his Christian friends who’d been offended that the Civil Partnership ceremony mimicked marriage. That's a rarity. With free gifts, you usually get what you get. The ACL got almost everything they asked for. They must be very special friends indeed.
He didn’t stop there though, he also changed the name to Registered Relationships, which might not sound like much until you ask the love of your life to “co-register” and realise you said something similar last week when you registered your car, your dog or your Twitter username. Clearly King Campbell is not a romantic, despite all the public pre-election smoochies with his Consort Lisa.
The cherry on top of the Christian Gift Bonanza was the prospect of banning access to surrogate pregnancies, not just for LGBTI, but also for singles, and for defactos who’ve been shacked up for less than two years.I hope Wendy Francis isn’t expecting anything else for Christmas! There’s not much else King Campbell can give her, unless he joins the Salvation Army.
As for the rest of us, well, we lost out on this one. It's a shame King Campbell had to steal from our LGBTI friends to give to the ACL. It doesn't seem fair: I already have more rights than they do, but King Campbell stole some of them away? We'll have to accept that Newmania is broke, so perhaps King Campbell is really the Robin Hood of Giftiness. He steals from the poor to give to the noisy, irrational minority. I know I didn't vote for that, so it must be a special gift.
The goodies keep on coming, though. The Unions must be rubbing their hands together with joyous abandon at the thought of all the rare and exceptional opportunities King Campbell has given them! Imagine all that lovely lovely money that the unions won’t be able to pass onto the Labor Party unless their membership has okayed it via a ballot. Labor potentially misses out and the unions may suffer, but hey, Newmania is cold, stony broke. This might be one of those special imaginary presents that really isn't anything but a lot of hot air and distraction...like those little cardboard boxes full of positive vibes, for the friend who has everything.
It's also a fairly convenient way of kicking your opposition while they're down. Not so much a gift as a declaration of war, then?
Yet as every good gift giver knows, you have to find little treats for yourself along the way. Congratulations King Campbell, you got some new toys to play with.
Hmmm. I don't think King Campbell understands this Spirit of Giving business at all. He promised us all sorts of things - lower cost of living, less waste, accountability, dignity, grace, humility, and we haven't received any of those yet. His Free Gifts with Purchase aren't all they're cracked up to be either...unless you're a very special friend or have a good imagination.
Sometimes, it's not the thought that counts, and it's not the gift either. Sometimes you just want to get what you paid for.
I like to think of the new LNP Government of Newmania a bit like that. We voted them in, we 'bought' their policies, and along with all sorts of politically accessible generalisations around cutting the cost of living and ending public sector waste. In fact, the whole deal was neatly documented in a list that’s available in convenient PDF format. But here's the surprise: we’ve received an abundance of extras, things we weren’t expecting, all tied up and looking “gifty” for the Greater Good of Newmania.
Not entirely unexpected was the Grand Reshuffle at the top of the Public Service Tree. New appointees in the Newmanian Public Service include several former colleagues and friends from his days as Lord Mayor of Brislantis, plus well-known members of the Liberal Party. I'm not 100% sure if those gifts were for the electorate or for the folks who got the new jobs, but at least someone is getting something, and that's good, right?
In addition to some lovely new jobs for friends, King Campbell has been particularly kind to his friends at the Australian Christian Lobby. There was always the possibility that changes would be made to the Civil Partnerships legislation, but King Campbell took it over the top when he not only outlawed state-sanctioned ceremonies, and then admitted that decision was to appease his Christian friends who’d been offended that the Civil Partnership ceremony mimicked marriage. That's a rarity. With free gifts, you usually get what you get. The ACL got almost everything they asked for. They must be very special friends indeed.
He didn’t stop there though, he also changed the name to Registered Relationships, which might not sound like much until you ask the love of your life to “co-register” and realise you said something similar last week when you registered your car, your dog or your Twitter username. Clearly King Campbell is not a romantic, despite all the public pre-election smoochies with his Consort Lisa.
The cherry on top of the Christian Gift Bonanza was the prospect of banning access to surrogate pregnancies, not just for LGBTI, but also for singles, and for defactos who’ve been shacked up for less than two years.I hope Wendy Francis isn’t expecting anything else for Christmas! There’s not much else King Campbell can give her, unless he joins the Salvation Army.
As for the rest of us, well, we lost out on this one. It's a shame King Campbell had to steal from our LGBTI friends to give to the ACL. It doesn't seem fair: I already have more rights than they do, but King Campbell stole some of them away? We'll have to accept that Newmania is broke, so perhaps King Campbell is really the Robin Hood of Giftiness. He steals from the poor to give to the noisy, irrational minority. I know I didn't vote for that, so it must be a special gift.
The goodies keep on coming, though. The Unions must be rubbing their hands together with joyous abandon at the thought of all the rare and exceptional opportunities King Campbell has given them! Imagine all that lovely lovely money that the unions won’t be able to pass onto the Labor Party unless their membership has okayed it via a ballot. Labor potentially misses out and the unions may suffer, but hey, Newmania is cold, stony broke. This might be one of those special imaginary presents that really isn't anything but a lot of hot air and distraction...like those little cardboard boxes full of positive vibes, for the friend who has everything.
It's also a fairly convenient way of kicking your opposition while they're down. Not so much a gift as a declaration of war, then?
Yet as every good gift giver knows, you have to find little treats for yourself along the way. Congratulations King Campbell, you got some new toys to play with.
Hmmm. I don't think King Campbell understands this Spirit of Giving business at all. He promised us all sorts of things - lower cost of living, less waste, accountability, dignity, grace, humility, and we haven't received any of those yet. His Free Gifts with Purchase aren't all they're cracked up to be either...unless you're a very special friend or have a good imagination.
Sometimes, it's not the thought that counts, and it's not the gift either. Sometimes you just want to get what you paid for.
Monday, June 11, 2012
How Embarrassing
I'm a relatively new Queenslander, having been here just ten years, but it's taken less than three months of the new Queensland LNP Government for me to feel embarrassed to be a Queenslander.
Don't misunderstand me; I wasn't always a happy Queenslander under the Beattie and Bligh Governments either. Yet in under three months, Premier Newman and his titanic team of baby MPs have annoyed me, disappointed me, frightened me, angered me and finally embarrassed me.
The Prime Minister, a handful of key federal ministers, most of the states' Premiers and swag of top tier business leaders will meet in Brisbane this week for a national brainstorming session on Australia's role in the changing global economy. If that sounds like a bit of a big deal, that's because it could be, if the delegates are prepared to leave their titles and egos at the door.
But Premier Campbell Newman won't be there. He is too busy to represent the state that he leads at a major summit to discuss the economic future of the country. Even when the talkfest is being held in his home town. Never mind leaving his ego at the door; Premier Newman's ego is so big at the moment that he can't see around it.
I'd like to see Premier Newman's diary for this week. I'm not denying that he has important work to do with his 100 Day Plan, yet how can he guide Queensland's future if he won't engage with the federal government, business leaders and his state counterparts? Furthermore, how can Queenslanders feel confident that we are being represented, if our most senior representative won't attend meetings being held literally up the street from his office?
Just a week after federal Environment Minister Tony Burke played a spiteful game of duelling press conferences with Queensland's Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, this appear to be nothing more than another round of He-Man chest-beating from the new Government. Alternately, it could be a display of personal disrespect aimed at Prime Minister.
In a last minute attempt to get a seat at the table, Premier Newman offered to send a couple of junior ministers, but was told that registration for the event had closed. That's a shame, and possibly another example of politicians playing silly games, but equally, offering up a pair of junior ministers to sit at a table with the Prime Minister and her ministers, and the heads of some of our most influential businesses, insults the rest of the participants. In any case, it wouldn't have been necessary if Mr Newman had done the right thing and accepted the invitation to represent Queensland's interests.
Premier Newman is a new player at this level; he still needs to secure those relationships. Even though the Labor Government looks like being rolled, the private sector representatives at this summit won't be.
Premier Newman was offered a seat at the table and declined it, as did the Premiers of New South Wales and Western Australia...but this summit is not being held in Sydney or Perth. It's here in Brisbane, but it might as well be on the moon.
Common wisdom within a democracy suggests that if you don't participate in the process, you lose the right to complain if you don't like the decisions made in your absence. Decisions are made by those who show up. Premier Newman's decision to not show up undermines Queensland's position, and makes our new Premier look like an uncooperative prima donna.
How embarrassing.
Don't misunderstand me; I wasn't always a happy Queenslander under the Beattie and Bligh Governments either. Yet in under three months, Premier Newman and his titanic team of baby MPs have annoyed me, disappointed me, frightened me, angered me and finally embarrassed me.
The Prime Minister, a handful of key federal ministers, most of the states' Premiers and swag of top tier business leaders will meet in Brisbane this week for a national brainstorming session on Australia's role in the changing global economy. If that sounds like a bit of a big deal, that's because it could be, if the delegates are prepared to leave their titles and egos at the door.
But Premier Campbell Newman won't be there. He is too busy to represent the state that he leads at a major summit to discuss the economic future of the country. Even when the talkfest is being held in his home town. Never mind leaving his ego at the door; Premier Newman's ego is so big at the moment that he can't see around it.
I'd like to see Premier Newman's diary for this week. I'm not denying that he has important work to do with his 100 Day Plan, yet how can he guide Queensland's future if he won't engage with the federal government, business leaders and his state counterparts? Furthermore, how can Queenslanders feel confident that we are being represented, if our most senior representative won't attend meetings being held literally up the street from his office?
Just a week after federal Environment Minister Tony Burke played a spiteful game of duelling press conferences with Queensland's Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, this appear to be nothing more than another round of He-Man chest-beating from the new Government. Alternately, it could be a display of personal disrespect aimed at Prime Minister.
In a last minute attempt to get a seat at the table, Premier Newman offered to send a couple of junior ministers, but was told that registration for the event had closed. That's a shame, and possibly another example of politicians playing silly games, but equally, offering up a pair of junior ministers to sit at a table with the Prime Minister and her ministers, and the heads of some of our most influential businesses, insults the rest of the participants. In any case, it wouldn't have been necessary if Mr Newman had done the right thing and accepted the invitation to represent Queensland's interests.
Premier Newman is a new player at this level; he still needs to secure those relationships. Even though the Labor Government looks like being rolled, the private sector representatives at this summit won't be.
Premier Newman was offered a seat at the table and declined it, as did the Premiers of New South Wales and Western Australia...but this summit is not being held in Sydney or Perth. It's here in Brisbane, but it might as well be on the moon.
Common wisdom within a democracy suggests that if you don't participate in the process, you lose the right to complain if you don't like the decisions made in your absence. Decisions are made by those who show up. Premier Newman's decision to not show up undermines Queensland's position, and makes our new Premier look like an uncooperative prima donna.
How embarrassing.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The UnFairer Sex
This time a month ago, you could line up our Prime Minister, Queensland Premier, Tasmanian Premier, Governor General and the Governor of Queensland, and you'd have wall to wall women. In fact, every Australian state except South Australia has had at least one female Premier. These women are high achievers, role models, imperfect, but proof that women can make it to the top in public office.
Undoubtedly, the corporate glass ceiling becomes more just a little more fragile each year. Gail Kelly is CEO of Westpac. The top spot on Australia's rich list is held by Gina Rinehart. The Spotless group includes three female General Managers.
So everything is good, then? Men and women have equal opportunity to achieve in both public and private sectors?
Er, no. Some extraordinary women do make it to the top. The overwhelming majority of women do not. There are as many reasons for that imbalance as there are women, and yet themes exist. Physically and culturally, the family demands of women are greater. Most corporations reward a culture which is subtly skewed to favour men. Equal opportunity initiatives don't extend to internal promotions. Old-fashioned prejudices and traditional expectations still exist.
Here's the result:
Women have opportunity, but it is not equal.
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, son of Jocelyn Newman, who served Prime Minister John Howard twice as Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women, has no Minister in his cabinet whose chief responsibility is women's issues. In fact, Premier Newman has rolled responsibility for women's issues into a crazy mishmash portfolio, best described as the Department of Touchy-Feely-Handle-With-Care Issues.
Tracy Davis MP is Queensland's new Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, which includes such responsibilities as Homelessness, Youth Affairs, Women's Policy, Seniors, Adoption, Disability Services, Carers, and the Registration of Charitable Organisations.
In fairness, these portfolio areas are ones with which she is familiar, having covered many of them in her one previous parliamentary term when she served as Shadow Minister for Child Safety, Disability Services and Mental Health.
She is also experienced at promoting women's causes. According to her own website,
Well, Ms Davis, the Sisterhood wants to know why you let your boss get away with this? Only 3 members of Premier Newman's cabinet are women. Sixteen percent. Queensland's population is 50.4% female.
Campbell Newman has effectively devalued the status of women in Queensland to that of a minority or special interest group. Perhaps as he looked at his predecessor, he assumed that all was well with the status of women.
I dream about that day; the day when we won't need a special ministry dedicated to making women less unequal. That day isn't here. It's not even close.
* For more terrifying stats on violence against Australian women, click here.
.
Undoubtedly, the corporate glass ceiling becomes more just a little more fragile each year. Gail Kelly is CEO of Westpac. The top spot on Australia's rich list is held by Gina Rinehart. The Spotless group includes three female General Managers.
So everything is good, then? Men and women have equal opportunity to achieve in both public and private sectors?
Er, no. Some extraordinary women do make it to the top. The overwhelming majority of women do not. There are as many reasons for that imbalance as there are women, and yet themes exist. Physically and culturally, the family demands of women are greater. Most corporations reward a culture which is subtly skewed to favour men. Equal opportunity initiatives don't extend to internal promotions. Old-fashioned prejudices and traditional expectations still exist.
Here's the result:
Only 8% of senior executives in Australia are women.
Women make up less than 15% of Australia's military.
The average wage for women is about 16% lower than the average wage for men, and the gap is increasing.
43% of women reported surviving violence by a previous partner*
23% of women reported enduring violence by their current partner*
76% of domestic homicides involved a male offender and female victim*
More than 4 in 5 single parents are mothers.
Women have opportunity, but it is not equal.
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, son of Jocelyn Newman, who served Prime Minister John Howard twice as Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women, has no Minister in his cabinet whose chief responsibility is women's issues. In fact, Premier Newman has rolled responsibility for women's issues into a crazy mishmash portfolio, best described as the Department of Touchy-Feely-Handle-With-Care Issues.
Tracy Davis MP is Queensland's new Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, which includes such responsibilities as Homelessness, Youth Affairs, Women's Policy, Seniors, Adoption, Disability Services, Carers, and the Registration of Charitable Organisations.
In fairness, these portfolio areas are ones with which she is familiar, having covered many of them in her one previous parliamentary term when she served as Shadow Minister for Child Safety, Disability Services and Mental Health.
She is also experienced at promoting women's causes. According to her own website,
"Tracy has an ongoing commitment to encouraging women’s political participation at organisational and parliamentary levels. She has held the position of Vice-President of Liberal Women’s Council QLD, and until her election to Parliament was the Policy Chairman of LNP Women."
Well, Ms Davis, the Sisterhood wants to know why you let your boss get away with this? Only 3 members of Premier Newman's cabinet are women. Sixteen percent. Queensland's population is 50.4% female.
Campbell Newman has effectively devalued the status of women in Queensland to that of a minority or special interest group. Perhaps as he looked at his predecessor, he assumed that all was well with the status of women.
I dream about that day; the day when we won't need a special ministry dedicated to making women less unequal. That day isn't here. It's not even close.
* For more terrifying stats on violence against Australian women, click here.
.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Hajnal Black: Movie Of The Week
Hajnal Black. If you're not in the South East corner of Queensland, you might not know of Ms Hajnal Black. Let me fill you in on some of the salient details. Hajnal, pronounced Highnal, is an attractive naturalised Australian of Hungarian/Israeli origin who's lived a life that's so much more than many of us can imagine.
Hajnal is a very clever lady. She has a double degree in Law and International Business, is a Barrister, has written a book or two under an assumed name, served as a local councillor, married another member of Council, contested the 2007 and 2010 Federal Elections for the LNP, is associated with Australian Tea Party, had her legs lengthened in Russia, is a convicted criminal, and as of tonight, looking quite unemployed.
All this and she's only 34.
Hang on, she had her legs lengthened? In Russia? Didn't that set off some alarm bells?
Apparently not. In 2002, instead of kicking off her career as a legal high-flyer, she travelled to Russia and had her legs lengthened in an experimental process that must have been crazy-painful. The entire process took about a year, during which time, Hajnal wrote a book "God Made Me Small; Surgery Made Me Tall." If you're wondering, she gained 8cm in each leg. Now she could really kick her legal career into overdrive.
Er...no. After returning - with her longer legs - to Australia, she did the media rounds, talking about her leg lengthening, but under the name Sarah Vornamen. Hajnal's book was published, again under the name of Sarah Vornamen. Surely her family and friends knew that Sarah was Hajnal, but it stayed a secret until 2009.
Hearing those alarm bells yet? They're about to get louder.
Last year, a strange story emerged, featuring Ms Black and a former legal eagle who was now suffering from senile dementia. Ms Black was assisting in selling the gentleman's property. The trouble started when it became known that proceeds from the sale - over $1.3million - were transferred to Ms Black's bank account instead of being held in a trust account. She was found guilty of failing to act properly on behalf of the dementia patient, whom she described as a friend.
Added to that, she failed to disclose to council that she was in possession of the additional funds. By now, it was clear that Ms Black's dual careers in law and politics were not progressing as she had planned.
We've moved out of eccentric and into criminal behaviour now.
So last month, Ms Black must've decided it was time to show the Courts who was boss. The Courts disagreed with her assessment that she was boss, and the next thing, we have tears, tantrums, media stakeouts and bizarre car chases. Oh, and she stormed out of Court. Two warrants were issued for her arrest.
Protip: Don't antagonise judges. Be polite, courteous, punctual. They like that better than long legs.
Next came the runaway. Ms Black went into hiding. Even her husband didn't know where she was. After a week, she resurfaced, claiming tearfully that the whole ordeal was destroying her marriage. Um...yeah.
Finally fronting Court, she was found guilty on four of the five charges, fined $5000 and had a conviction recorded. She is first person in public office in Queensland prosecuted under register of interest legislation.
The latest chapter occurred tonight, when it was confirmed that Ms Black will not be a candidate in next week's elections for Logan City Council. Unfortunately for confused voters, Ms Black's name will appear on the ballot, but no, she's not standing.
In fact, reports are that she was literally not standing, but leaning on a crutch. I am concerned about her artificially un-shortened legs.
That's a lot of living for just 34 years: an intelligent, attractive woman had it all in front of her, hers to lose. She's well on her way to losing it all.
I wonder who should play her in the telemovie? Asher Keddie perhaps? Lisa McCune? Melissa George...?
Update April 19 2:30pm
The Brisbane Times reports that this morning, Hajnal Black lost yet another legal bid to retain her rights to one of two multi-million dollar properties.
Hajnal is a very clever lady. She has a double degree in Law and International Business, is a Barrister, has written a book or two under an assumed name, served as a local councillor, married another member of Council, contested the 2007 and 2010 Federal Elections for the LNP, is associated with Australian Tea Party, had her legs lengthened in Russia, is a convicted criminal, and as of tonight, looking quite unemployed.
All this and she's only 34.
Hang on, she had her legs lengthened? In Russia? Didn't that set off some alarm bells?
Apparently not. In 2002, instead of kicking off her career as a legal high-flyer, she travelled to Russia and had her legs lengthened in an experimental process that must have been crazy-painful. The entire process took about a year, during which time, Hajnal wrote a book "God Made Me Small; Surgery Made Me Tall." If you're wondering, she gained 8cm in each leg. Now she could really kick her legal career into overdrive.
Er...no. After returning - with her longer legs - to Australia, she did the media rounds, talking about her leg lengthening, but under the name Sarah Vornamen. Hajnal's book was published, again under the name of Sarah Vornamen. Surely her family and friends knew that Sarah was Hajnal, but it stayed a secret until 2009.
Hearing those alarm bells yet? They're about to get louder.
Last year, a strange story emerged, featuring Ms Black and a former legal eagle who was now suffering from senile dementia. Ms Black was assisting in selling the gentleman's property. The trouble started when it became known that proceeds from the sale - over $1.3million - were transferred to Ms Black's bank account instead of being held in a trust account. She was found guilty of failing to act properly on behalf of the dementia patient, whom she described as a friend.
Added to that, she failed to disclose to council that she was in possession of the additional funds. By now, it was clear that Ms Black's dual careers in law and politics were not progressing as she had planned.
We've moved out of eccentric and into criminal behaviour now.
So last month, Ms Black must've decided it was time to show the Courts who was boss. The Courts disagreed with her assessment that she was boss, and the next thing, we have tears, tantrums, media stakeouts and bizarre car chases. Oh, and she stormed out of Court. Two warrants were issued for her arrest.
Protip: Don't antagonise judges. Be polite, courteous, punctual. They like that better than long legs.
Next came the runaway. Ms Black went into hiding. Even her husband didn't know where she was. After a week, she resurfaced, claiming tearfully that the whole ordeal was destroying her marriage. Um...yeah.
Finally fronting Court, she was found guilty on four of the five charges, fined $5000 and had a conviction recorded. She is first person in public office in Queensland prosecuted under register of interest legislation.
The latest chapter occurred tonight, when it was confirmed that Ms Black will not be a candidate in next week's elections for Logan City Council. Unfortunately for confused voters, Ms Black's name will appear on the ballot, but no, she's not standing.
In fact, reports are that she was literally not standing, but leaning on a crutch. I am concerned about her artificially un-shortened legs.
That's a lot of living for just 34 years: an intelligent, attractive woman had it all in front of her, hers to lose. She's well on her way to losing it all.
I wonder who should play her in the telemovie? Asher Keddie perhaps? Lisa McCune? Melissa George...?
Update April 19 2:30pm
The Brisbane Times reports that this morning, Hajnal Black lost yet another legal bid to retain her rights to one of two multi-million dollar properties.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Fact and Fiction: My Five Cents Worth
It’s not that I can’t balance a cheque book, it’s that I can’t be bothered balancing a cheque book. I have a pretty accurate idea of where I’m at financially, day to day, month to month, and when I need to double check my mental arithmetic, I can handle online banking with the best of them.
Having said that, I don’t think I’d like to be trying to manage the debt that is, if you believe the tabloids, forcing Queensland to stagger. In just eight years, Queensland’s public debt – that owned by the state – has more than quadrupled, and is expected to hit about $90billion by the time our new LNP State Treasurer Tim Nicholls hands down his first budget in a couple of months’ time.
With a $90billion dollar debit to juggle, I’m really pleased to see that Premier Campbell Newman and Ros Bates, his brand new Minister for Science, IT, Innovation and Arts have decided to save the $240,000 earmarked for the Premier’s Literary Awards by cancelling the grant. There’s no doubt that Queensland’s writers are feeling good about being able to discharge 0.00027% of the state’s debt.
So, we each owe the equivalent of a fairly modest new car.
So that’s a number that means something, but it’s still not relevant because we’re not going to be billed $19,401.46 each. The state has many sources of income, and some of those will ultimately come back to you and me in the form of increased taxes and tolls.
So as consumers, residents of Queensland, we really don’t know what all these numbers mean to our standards of living, or what that standard of living is going to cost us. We do know that the decision to end the Premier’s Literary Awards is saving each one of us in Queensland about five cents. Each.
Having said that, I don’t think I’d like to be trying to manage the debt that is, if you believe the tabloids, forcing Queensland to stagger. In just eight years, Queensland’s public debt – that owned by the state – has more than quadrupled, and is expected to hit about $90billion by the time our new LNP State Treasurer Tim Nicholls hands down his first budget in a couple of months’ time.
With a $90billion dollar debit to juggle, I’m really pleased to see that Premier Campbell Newman and Ros Bates, his brand new Minister for Science, IT, Innovation and Arts have decided to save the $240,000 earmarked for the Premier’s Literary Awards by cancelling the grant. There’s no doubt that Queensland’s writers are feeling good about being able to discharge 0.00027% of the state’s debt.
The scrapping of the Literary Awards has sparked a vibrant debate around Queensland, taking us right to the heart of philosophical issues like the role of the arts in society versus the responsibility of government. Who knew that the readers of the Courier Mail would be ready to delve into discussions about such lofty topics. (There's a selection at the end of this blog; please add your own comments below.)
The thing about public debt is that it makes little sense to most people. How many of us can relate to numbers in the millions or billions. Let’s work with the numbers we already have and say that Queensland owes $90 billion dollars. If we divide that by today’s population, estimated to be 4,638,827, it comes out at $19,401.46 per Queenslander.So, we each owe the equivalent of a fairly modest new car.
So that’s a number that means something, but it’s still not relevant because we’re not going to be billed $19,401.46 each. The state has many sources of income, and some of those will ultimately come back to you and me in the form of increased taxes and tolls.
So as consumers, residents of Queensland, we really don’t know what all these numbers mean to our standards of living, or what that standard of living is going to cost us. We do know that the decision to end the Premier’s Literary Awards is saving each one of us in Queensland about five cents. Each. I hope my five cents is being spent on something worthwhile.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Hive Mind Games
The good people at the Courier Mail seem determined to give us a piece of their collective mind. Like The Borg ship warping through space without so much as a tumble-turn, the Courier Mail has set its sights on the Beattie family with an inexplicable singlemindedness.
On Saturday, Madonna King was on a mission to make Peter Beattie accept more than his share of the blame for the ALP massacre last weekend, while stubbornly ignoring the context in which we live and vote. Madonna's article is here and my response is here.
Ms King's attack on Peter Beattie wasn't enough for the Courier Mail Hive Mind. This morning, they circled back for another attack, this time launched by the professionally opinionated Mike O'Connor, and aimed at Dr Heather Beattie. "Beattie Answers ALP Call" is the headline, accompanied by an image of Peter & Heather drinking from a keg labelled 'The Public Payroll". Subtle.
So, did Heather Beattie answer a call from the ALP, or did she simply make a decision to run, as grownups of independent minds do? Why is it so hard to imagine that nurse and educator Dr Heather Beattie might be ready for a new challenge? She's a highly intelligent woman, she is practical and capable, with a unique understanding of Queensland politics. If this is what she wants to do, bravo.
And was Mr Crowther, the candidate preselected for the Brisbane Central ward, pushed aside to make way for Dr Beattie's latest ambitious whim? Was it an accusation, an assumption or a guess from The Hive Mind?
I'd like to know what Mike O'Connor thinks is so wrong with public office? It's a bloody hard job, usually thankless, and I don't see Mike O'Connor or Madonna King or David Fagan or me (or most of you) lining up to run a chook raffle, much less having the strength of character and community focus to stand for election.
Perhaps Mr O'Connor thinks that the ALP in Queensland is having a problem with nepotism...or inbreeding. He cites Qld's new ALP Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk's call for a larger ALP gene pool as though it is evidence of an unspoken one-politician-per-family doctrine that the Beatties are breaking.
On the other hand, I don't recall Mr O'Connor expressing such sentiments about Campbell Newman, whose parents were both Federal Liberal Party Ministers.
I don't recall bitchy op-eds about Robbie Katter, a third generation politician, running for a seat in Queensland's Parliament in his father's new party, while his father is still serving as a Independent, then Katters Australian Party member in Canberra.
And then there's Mr O'Connor's obsession with money. Apparently the position of Brisbane City Councillor pays about $130K. Is he suggesting to me that the salary for a councillor is too high? If so, why attack Heather Beattie over it? Isn't that a matter for council, and one that applies equally to Labor and LNP councillors?
What was Campbell Newman paid as non-parliamentary LNP Leader? If I recall correctly, it was $12K/month - or $144,000 per year. I guess that's okay because it didn't come from state coffers. Still, it's a pretty good salary for a job with key performance indicators based on his ability to stay out of trouble while getting his head on tellie.
But no. The real problem is with Peter. He said he wouldn't take another role where his salary was paid by the people of Queensland. Resistance was, as always, futile, and he's back as a commercial consultant. Mike and the Hive Mind are determined that having Peter employed by the Queensland Government and Heather potentially paid by Brisbane City Council is just too much to bear.
I think the Hive Mind is twisting the words of the newly appointed Leader of the Opposition. By all means, let's diversify the ALP gene pool, but let's not throw out obvious talent because it might have a familiar name.
The great thing about the progressive side of politics is that people are expected to think for themselves, create, innovate, evaluate and learn. Hive Minders rarely understand that.
On Saturday, Madonna King was on a mission to make Peter Beattie accept more than his share of the blame for the ALP massacre last weekend, while stubbornly ignoring the context in which we live and vote. Madonna's article is here and my response is here.
Ms King's attack on Peter Beattie wasn't enough for the Courier Mail Hive Mind. This morning, they circled back for another attack, this time launched by the professionally opinionated Mike O'Connor, and aimed at Dr Heather Beattie. "Beattie Answers ALP Call" is the headline, accompanied by an image of Peter & Heather drinking from a keg labelled 'The Public Payroll". Subtle.
So, did Heather Beattie answer a call from the ALP, or did she simply make a decision to run, as grownups of independent minds do? Why is it so hard to imagine that nurse and educator Dr Heather Beattie might be ready for a new challenge? She's a highly intelligent woman, she is practical and capable, with a unique understanding of Queensland politics. If this is what she wants to do, bravo.
And was Mr Crowther, the candidate preselected for the Brisbane Central ward, pushed aside to make way for Dr Beattie's latest ambitious whim? Was it an accusation, an assumption or a guess from The Hive Mind?
I'd like to know what Mike O'Connor thinks is so wrong with public office? It's a bloody hard job, usually thankless, and I don't see Mike O'Connor or Madonna King or David Fagan or me (or most of you) lining up to run a chook raffle, much less having the strength of character and community focus to stand for election.
Perhaps Mr O'Connor thinks that the ALP in Queensland is having a problem with nepotism...or inbreeding. He cites Qld's new ALP Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk's call for a larger ALP gene pool as though it is evidence of an unspoken one-politician-per-family doctrine that the Beatties are breaking.
On the other hand, I don't recall Mr O'Connor expressing such sentiments about Campbell Newman, whose parents were both Federal Liberal Party Ministers.
I don't recall bitchy op-eds about Robbie Katter, a third generation politician, running for a seat in Queensland's Parliament in his father's new party, while his father is still serving as a Independent, then Katters Australian Party member in Canberra.
And then there's Mr O'Connor's obsession with money. Apparently the position of Brisbane City Councillor pays about $130K. Is he suggesting to me that the salary for a councillor is too high? If so, why attack Heather Beattie over it? Isn't that a matter for council, and one that applies equally to Labor and LNP councillors?
What was Campbell Newman paid as non-parliamentary LNP Leader? If I recall correctly, it was $12K/month - or $144,000 per year. I guess that's okay because it didn't come from state coffers. Still, it's a pretty good salary for a job with key performance indicators based on his ability to stay out of trouble while getting his head on tellie.
But no. The real problem is with Peter. He said he wouldn't take another role where his salary was paid by the people of Queensland. Resistance was, as always, futile, and he's back as a commercial consultant. Mike and the Hive Mind are determined that having Peter employed by the Queensland Government and Heather potentially paid by Brisbane City Council is just too much to bear.
I think the Hive Mind is twisting the words of the newly appointed Leader of the Opposition. By all means, let's diversify the ALP gene pool, but let's not throw out obvious talent because it might have a familiar name.
The great thing about the progressive side of politics is that people are expected to think for themselves, create, innovate, evaluate and learn. Hive Minders rarely understand that.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Pointing Fingers
Peter Beattie's friends, family, supporters and detractors are, according to Brisbane commentator Madonna King, flooding her inbox in response to her article in yesterday's Courier Mail.
Like so many Queenslanders, Ms King is looking for reasons for last week's enormous LNP victory over the Queensland Labor. I'm one of those, and I am nowhere close to knowing what happened last week. What I do know is that in attempting to apportion blame between two Premiers, Anna Bligh and Peter Beattie, is an oversimplification. To assume that all responsibility lay with the party leaders is to ignore the context in which we operate.
Although some Labor supporters tried to convince themselves that miracles are possible, they were never going to win last week. They shouldn't have won on 2009 either. To understand Labor's appalling defeat, we have to look at the unlikely 2009 victory, and as Madonna did, peer even further back, but also closer to home.
After compiling a pithy list of Labor crises during Beattie's years in power, Ms King writes
Madonna, you've ignored a few facts too, and I'll admit that I'm about to commit the same sin. There is a vast array of factors that contribute to a government being bollocksed in the polls.
But let's start with a little Root Cause Analysis. It's so much more useful than blame.
The turning point that changed Anna Bligh from Labor Premier to Public Enemy was the Asset Sales decision, just a matter of weeks after winning the 2009 election. Asset Sales had not been suggested during the campaign. People hated the idea, and hated Premier Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser for the decision. "See Queensland before its all sold off" read the bumper stickers. Voters felt betrayed, bitter, and the government's credibility was shredded.
So why move forward with such an unpopular decision? Doesn't really matter. There was a GFC that hit mining $ tourism hard, and we sold off some state owned assets to pay some bills.
Then there was the little matter of a credit rating being downgraded. More proof of a government unable to manage the economy? Read it for yourself.
Yes, Premier Beattie should have spent more on state infrastructure. He didn't. Premier Bligh had to catch up. Really, does pointing the finger help?
And then there was Queensland Health. Just where does the buck stop? The DG? The Minister? The Premier? Doesn't matter: the ALP was in government when Jayant Patel was at Bundaberg Base Hospital. The Health Minister was Gordon Nuttall. Patel and Nuttall are both serving time.
The pain continued with the Queensland Health Payroll Debacle. Let me introduce you to an acronym many of you won't know: UAT. User Acceptance Testing. It's an incredibly important phase of IT project work, where the client tests the new developments against a comprehensive range of real-world scenarios to ensure the product is fit for purpose. UAT is often the Go/NoGo for taking the project live. Guess which step was missed in the Qld Health Payroll project. Yep: UAT. The system wasn't tested, or wasn't tested well enough. Why? My guess is that someone had a large bonus riding on a GoLive target date being met. This kind of disaster tends to reflect the culture of the organisation, yet throwing blame at the Premier misses the target and helps no-one.
To completely destroy what was left of the Qld Health morale and reputation, there was the incident where a middle manager alledgedly helped himself to a few million dollars. This was the result of a systemic failure to conduct background checks, and one alledgedly greedy criminal.
I don't think anyone is denying that Qld Health is experiencing a series of crises. Beattie's fault? Bligh's fault? Hard to say. It's a bigger question around the relationship between the government and the public service.
I'm not a fan of blame. I think it's wasted effort.
We can, and should, be looking at 'why' rather than 'who', and the ALP will be doing plenty of that. Some of the 'why' will involve the issues Madonna King listed in her article, and the ones I mentioned here. Many more are harder to pin down: the "it's time" factor, the continued movement of the ALP to the right, backwash from Federal Labor, differences between the ALP and their union base...it's a long list of complex issues.
Peter Beattie is not blameless. Neither is Anna Bligh, Tim Fraser or anyone else from Qld Labor. Yet in this, as in most circumstances, finding people to blame has no benefit beyond making the blamer feel superior.
Like so many Queenslanders, Ms King is looking for reasons for last week's enormous LNP victory over the Queensland Labor. I'm one of those, and I am nowhere close to knowing what happened last week. What I do know is that in attempting to apportion blame between two Premiers, Anna Bligh and Peter Beattie, is an oversimplification. To assume that all responsibility lay with the party leaders is to ignore the context in which we operate.
Although some Labor supporters tried to convince themselves that miracles are possible, they were never going to win last week. They shouldn't have won on 2009 either. To understand Labor's appalling defeat, we have to look at the unlikely 2009 victory, and as Madonna did, peer even further back, but also closer to home.
After compiling a pithy list of Labor crises during Beattie's years in power, Ms King writes
"Now he makes the point that he's been gone more than five years but many of the problems Bligh's government faced were of Beattie's making. And to sheet home the entire blame for the election loss to the woman he groomed to replace him is to skew history, and ignore the facts."
Madonna, you've ignored a few facts too, and I'll admit that I'm about to commit the same sin. There is a vast array of factors that contribute to a government being bollocksed in the polls.
But let's start with a little Root Cause Analysis. It's so much more useful than blame.
The turning point that changed Anna Bligh from Labor Premier to Public Enemy was the Asset Sales decision, just a matter of weeks after winning the 2009 election. Asset Sales had not been suggested during the campaign. People hated the idea, and hated Premier Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser for the decision. "See Queensland before its all sold off" read the bumper stickers. Voters felt betrayed, bitter, and the government's credibility was shredded.
So why move forward with such an unpopular decision? Doesn't really matter. There was a GFC that hit mining $ tourism hard, and we sold off some state owned assets to pay some bills.
Then there was the little matter of a credit rating being downgraded. More proof of a government unable to manage the economy? Read it for yourself.
Yes, Premier Beattie should have spent more on state infrastructure. He didn't. Premier Bligh had to catch up. Really, does pointing the finger help?
And then there was Queensland Health. Just where does the buck stop? The DG? The Minister? The Premier? Doesn't matter: the ALP was in government when Jayant Patel was at Bundaberg Base Hospital. The Health Minister was Gordon Nuttall. Patel and Nuttall are both serving time.
The pain continued with the Queensland Health Payroll Debacle. Let me introduce you to an acronym many of you won't know: UAT. User Acceptance Testing. It's an incredibly important phase of IT project work, where the client tests the new developments against a comprehensive range of real-world scenarios to ensure the product is fit for purpose. UAT is often the Go/NoGo for taking the project live. Guess which step was missed in the Qld Health Payroll project. Yep: UAT. The system wasn't tested, or wasn't tested well enough. Why? My guess is that someone had a large bonus riding on a GoLive target date being met. This kind of disaster tends to reflect the culture of the organisation, yet throwing blame at the Premier misses the target and helps no-one.
To completely destroy what was left of the Qld Health morale and reputation, there was the incident where a middle manager alledgedly helped himself to a few million dollars. This was the result of a systemic failure to conduct background checks, and one alledgedly greedy criminal.
I don't think anyone is denying that Qld Health is experiencing a series of crises. Beattie's fault? Bligh's fault? Hard to say. It's a bigger question around the relationship between the government and the public service.
I'm not a fan of blame. I think it's wasted effort.
We can, and should, be looking at 'why' rather than 'who', and the ALP will be doing plenty of that. Some of the 'why' will involve the issues Madonna King listed in her article, and the ones I mentioned here. Many more are harder to pin down: the "it's time" factor, the continued movement of the ALP to the right, backwash from Federal Labor, differences between the ALP and their union base...it's a long list of complex issues.
Peter Beattie is not blameless. Neither is Anna Bligh, Tim Fraser or anyone else from Qld Labor. Yet in this, as in most circumstances, finding people to blame has no benefit beyond making the blamer feel superior.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Election Fatigue
I admit it. I have no interest in the upcoming Queensland Local Government elections. I don’t know if it’s election fatigue, the relative lack of excitement of local government in general, or the underwhelming nature of the candidates, but right now, I’d be hard pressed to rouse a skerrick of interest.
I suspect I’m not the only one. My partner asked me yesterday who the ALP candidate for Brisbane City Council Mayor is. I answered that it was Ray Smith, who’d been on Brisbane’s 612ABC’s breakfast show in the past few days. Funny thing is, I remember that he was on radio, not from actually noting anything that he said on air, but because I’d noticed it on Twitter.
Then last night, Mr Smith announced via Twitter (@RaySmith4Mayor) that he was campaigning with Kevin Rudd (@KRuddMP) at Garden City Shopping Centre, Mount Gravatt. That stuck in my mind because yesterday was the opening of the extension at Westfield Carindale, just ten minutes away, and every man and his dog (and cat and bird) were at Carindale. Perhaps Mr Smith is dodging Westfield Carindale because he opposes paid parking, which Westfield Carindale is about to introduce.
The thing is, I know that Ray Smith is running for Mayor, representing the ALP. I cannot tell you a single thing about the man, or his policies, or his party’s policies, other than that he opposes paid parking in shopping centres.
Off to Google I went, where I found his website .
There are four policies listed under the ambiguous title of Get Active, although there are more suggested in the media releases on his website. Four policies seems like a fairly thin platform, and “Get Active” sounds like a slogan for a gym, not a Mayoral candidate.
So I think can assume something else about Mr Smith. He’s getting bad campaign advice.
Mr Smith’s opposition is the incumbent Ray Quirk, who replaced Premier Campbell Newman about a year ago. Lord Mayor Quirk has worked hard to lift his profile above that of, well, undercoat. I guess the campaign worked, in so much as I now know his name. But ask me anything at all about the man, his achievements as a Councillor and Lord Mayor, his background, his policies…I simply don’t know. Or care. As Campbell Newman’s successor, Graham Quirk is an LNP councillor, but I don’t know what that means for a local councillor or Mayor.
His website [ http://www.grahamquirk.com.au/ ] trumpets a few achievements: roadworks is big, a new park is planned for the old Milton Tennis Centre site, and there’s a bikeway…in case you need somewhere to ride one of Former-Lord-Mayor-Campbell-Newman’s under-utilised yellow CityCycles. They make interesting urban sculptures when lined up in the racks. Honestly though, I can’t see anything there that is above and beyond what you’d expect of a Mayor of a decent sized city. If I was doing a Performance Review, I’d have to say he performed to expectations, but not beyond them. No performance-based bonus for you this year, Mr Quirk!
Closer to home, he’s opened the new Carindale Library. Forgive me if I don’t get excited; he had no choice, as the old library was located in the redeveloped Westfield Shopping Centre, and if I’m not mistaken, the old one was demolished to make way for more retail temptations. I’m pretty excited that the Library has been upgraded, and will be lending fully loaded iPads though!
Check out Mr Quirk’s website and you’ll find an online facility for requesting a Birthday e-card from the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. It’s one of the more naff ideas I’ve seen lately. Of more use is the online Fix-O-Gram, yet these online facilities would most likely be continued regardless of who the mayor is.
Does the Mayor not see a connection between his website and his campaign for re-election?
The whole Mayoral election doesn’t stop with just the two major parties. There are five candidates chasing the Mayor’s gig: Most high profile of all five Candidates is former Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett, running for the Greens. His page on the Greens website lists a masterful five policies, which are a little more innovative than those of the two major party candidates. It seems to be more about people and less about “stuff”.
Rory Killen appeared to be running as an independent, but he’s not. It looks as though he’s running for the Australian Sex Party, which is why his name is familiar; he ran for them in Victoria last year too. At just 27, he’s surprisingly experienced at campaigning – but what does the Sex Party have to offer a local council? If this guy is serious about forging a career in politics, he needs to get seriously away from the Sex Party. Rightly or wrongly, the party name alone robs candidates of credibility.
Chris Carson is running as an independent. He’s largely unknown, and seems determined to stay that way.
And then there’s my local council ward. Our current councillor is Adrian Schrinner, an up-and-coming LNP man. I didn’t know who was running against him, or even if he had an opponent. So again, I went Googling. There is an ALP candidate in Chandler – Liz Starr – but Liz isn’t listed on Ray Smith’s website as part of his team.
Is that an oversight, or is Ms Starr an ALP candidate who is not part of Mr Smith’s Team?
DRIVEN TO TEARS - LIVE by FRKS
I know we’re still several weeks away from the election, and just past the State Election, but really. Looking at the five Mayoral candidates and the two candidates in my ward, I wonder if they’re any more engaged than the public is. The general level of interest is incredibly low, and the degree of knowledge is even lower.
The sheer intensity of last week’s state election campaigns is a hard act to follow. If these candidates don’t lift their respective efforts, we might as well do away with local government completely.
I suspect I’m not the only one. My partner asked me yesterday who the ALP candidate for Brisbane City Council Mayor is. I answered that it was Ray Smith, who’d been on Brisbane’s 612ABC’s breakfast show in the past few days. Funny thing is, I remember that he was on radio, not from actually noting anything that he said on air, but because I’d noticed it on Twitter.
The thing is, I know that Ray Smith is running for Mayor, representing the ALP. I cannot tell you a single thing about the man, or his policies, or his party’s policies, other than that he opposes paid parking in shopping centres.
Off to Google I went, where I found his website .
There are four policies listed under the ambiguous title of Get Active, although there are more suggested in the media releases on his website. Four policies seems like a fairly thin platform, and “Get Active” sounds like a slogan for a gym, not a Mayoral candidate.
So I think can assume something else about Mr Smith. He’s getting bad campaign advice.
Mr Smith’s opposition is the incumbent Ray Quirk, who replaced Premier Campbell Newman about a year ago. Lord Mayor Quirk has worked hard to lift his profile above that of, well, undercoat. I guess the campaign worked, in so much as I now know his name. But ask me anything at all about the man, his achievements as a Councillor and Lord Mayor, his background, his policies…I simply don’t know. Or care. As Campbell Newman’s successor, Graham Quirk is an LNP councillor, but I don’t know what that means for a local councillor or Mayor.
His website [ http://www.grahamquirk.com.au/ ] trumpets a few achievements: roadworks is big, a new park is planned for the old Milton Tennis Centre site, and there’s a bikeway…in case you need somewhere to ride one of Former-Lord-Mayor-Campbell-Newman’s under-utilised yellow CityCycles. They make interesting urban sculptures when lined up in the racks. Honestly though, I can’t see anything there that is above and beyond what you’d expect of a Mayor of a decent sized city. If I was doing a Performance Review, I’d have to say he performed to expectations, but not beyond them. No performance-based bonus for you this year, Mr Quirk!
Closer to home, he’s opened the new Carindale Library. Forgive me if I don’t get excited; he had no choice, as the old library was located in the redeveloped Westfield Shopping Centre, and if I’m not mistaken, the old one was demolished to make way for more retail temptations. I’m pretty excited that the Library has been upgraded, and will be lending fully loaded iPads though!
Check out Mr Quirk’s website and you’ll find an online facility for requesting a Birthday e-card from the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. It’s one of the more naff ideas I’ve seen lately. Of more use is the online Fix-O-Gram, yet these online facilities would most likely be continued regardless of who the mayor is.
Does the Mayor not see a connection between his website and his campaign for re-election?
The whole Mayoral election doesn’t stop with just the two major parties. There are five candidates chasing the Mayor’s gig: Most high profile of all five Candidates is former Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett, running for the Greens. His page on the Greens website lists a masterful five policies, which are a little more innovative than those of the two major party candidates. It seems to be more about people and less about “stuff”.
Rory Killen appeared to be running as an independent, but he’s not. It looks as though he’s running for the Australian Sex Party, which is why his name is familiar; he ran for them in Victoria last year too. At just 27, he’s surprisingly experienced at campaigning – but what does the Sex Party have to offer a local council? If this guy is serious about forging a career in politics, he needs to get seriously away from the Sex Party. Rightly or wrongly, the party name alone robs candidates of credibility.
Chris Carson is running as an independent. He’s largely unknown, and seems determined to stay that way.
And then there’s my local council ward. Our current councillor is Adrian Schrinner, an up-and-coming LNP man. I didn’t know who was running against him, or even if he had an opponent. So again, I went Googling. There is an ALP candidate in Chandler – Liz Starr – but Liz isn’t listed on Ray Smith’s website as part of his team.
Is that an oversight, or is Ms Starr an ALP candidate who is not part of Mr Smith’s Team?
DRIVEN TO TEARS - LIVE by FRKS
I know we’re still several weeks away from the election, and just past the State Election, but really. Looking at the five Mayoral candidates and the two candidates in my ward, I wonder if they’re any more engaged than the public is. The general level of interest is incredibly low, and the degree of knowledge is even lower.
The sheer intensity of last week’s state election campaigns is a hard act to follow. If these candidates don’t lift their respective efforts, we might as well do away with local government completely.
Monday, March 26, 2012
What Campbell Newman Must Learn from Gough Whitlam
On the surface, you’d think CanDo and Gough would have little in common. In fact, CanDo might find that he and Gough Whitlam have a bit and he should learn from Gough’s explosive two-term reign in the early seventies.
When Whitlam came to power in 1972, it broke a 23 year streak of Liberal – Country Party rule. Campbell Newman’s victory this weekend in Queensland broke stretch of ALP domination in Queensland that had lasted for 22 years (with the obvious exception of Rob Borbridge’s short Liberal rule.)
Both Whitlam and Newman based their campaign themes around it being time for change. Whitlam’s used the famous “It’s Time” jingle, but Campbell Newman adhered more closely to Bob Menzies’ 1949 campaign “It’s Time for a Change” slogan. It works.
Usually a government is officially sworn in a week or two after the election is held, to allow time for all votes to be counted, and for the leader to choose his ministry. Whitlam was in a hurry, and asked the Governor General to swear him and his deputy as soon as the result was definite. Between the two of them, they controlled all of the portfolios until the full cabinet was sworn in.
Campbell Newman has chosen the same approach. Less than 48 hours after the polls closed, Newman has already been sworn in, along with his deputy, Jeff Seeney, and his Treasurer Tim Nicholls. They have formed an interim government. A full cabinet will be announced and in due course. It’s not known why Mr Newman was so determined to assume the role of Premier so quickly, but it could be so that he can make changes at the highest levels of the Public Service.
When Whitlam came to power in 1972, he actioned everything he could get away with: foreign relations with China, Taiwan and South Africa, blanket exemptions from conscription, equal pay issues, major funding for the Arts, brought the last troops home from Vietnam and removed the sales tax from the conceptive pill, among other things.
The public reaction was overwhelming; things were getting done, without the burdensome processes of parliament. Many years later, Whitlam’s speechwriter commented that “We did too much too soon.”
Whitlam was also determined to hold power individually. Aside from the the caucus-selected Cabinet, Whitlam maintained full control of the cabinet agenda, and formed cabinet committees.
Campbell Newman, if you learn nothing else from Whitlam, remember not to run too fast, and remember to share your power. With no oversight from an Upper House and no Opposition, you and your team will be solely responsible for Queensland for the next three years. Take your time, and listen to smart people (particularly those who disagree with you).
We probably don’t need any more Jackson Pollack art for a while, either.
When Whitlam came to power in 1972, it broke a 23 year streak of Liberal – Country Party rule. Campbell Newman’s victory this weekend in Queensland broke stretch of ALP domination in Queensland that had lasted for 22 years (with the obvious exception of Rob Borbridge’s short Liberal rule.)
Both Whitlam and Newman based their campaign themes around it being time for change. Whitlam’s used the famous “It’s Time” jingle, but Campbell Newman adhered more closely to Bob Menzies’ 1949 campaign “It’s Time for a Change” slogan. It works.
Campbell Newman has chosen the same approach. Less than 48 hours after the polls closed, Newman has already been sworn in, along with his deputy, Jeff Seeney, and his Treasurer Tim Nicholls. They have formed an interim government. A full cabinet will be announced and in due course. It’s not known why Mr Newman was so determined to assume the role of Premier so quickly, but it could be so that he can make changes at the highest levels of the Public Service.
When Whitlam came to power in 1972, he actioned everything he could get away with: foreign relations with China, Taiwan and South Africa, blanket exemptions from conscription, equal pay issues, major funding for the Arts, brought the last troops home from Vietnam and removed the sales tax from the conceptive pill, among other things.
The public reaction was overwhelming; things were getting done, without the burdensome processes of parliament. Many years later, Whitlam’s speechwriter commented that “We did too much too soon.”
Whitlam was also determined to hold power individually. Aside from the the caucus-selected Cabinet, Whitlam maintained full control of the cabinet agenda, and formed cabinet committees.
Campbell Newman, if you learn nothing else from Whitlam, remember not to run too fast, and remember to share your power. With no oversight from an Upper House and no Opposition, you and your team will be solely responsible for Queensland for the next three years. Take your time, and listen to smart people (particularly those who disagree with you).
We probably don’t need any more Jackson Pollack art for a while, either.
Labor - Whatever That Means
It’s 2012, and I’m struggling to define the ALP, or even recognise it. For over a century, the ALP has been Australia’s party of the left; an inclusive party of workers, for workers. I’m not sure it can claim that description any more, although it is still marginally to the left of the Nationals and the Liberal Party.
Just two days ago, Queensland voted to change governments, from the ALP to the LNP, in a victory from which Labor may not emerge. Vanquished Premier Anna Bligh has removed herself from the game, forcing a by-election in South Brisbane. Defeated ALP members are thick on the ground, yet they aren’t volunteering to lead the handful or so Labor members that survived Saturday’s massacre. Both Andrew Fraser – expected to be the next leader – and Grace Grace have confirmed that they won’t contest.
It’s not just Queensland. The entire eastern seaboard has rejected their long-serving ALP Governments and replaced them with Liberal/National Party Coalition Governments, or in the case of Queensland, the LNP.
On the federal level, Julia Gillard just scraped back into power with the assistance of the independents and Greens. She is phenomenally unpopular, and as was the case with Anna Bligh in 2009, snuck back into power in part due to an Opposition that was perceived to be worse than the Labor alternative. The Federal term has just passed the half-way mark. If Labor is to recover, it must start now.
Labor was never going to win these elections, and one has to assume that under Julia Gillard, the Federal ALP will fall too. The inevitable Labor soul-searching at all levels will be deep and it will hurt.
Can the ALP redefine itself, rebuild, and sell its new message before the next Federal Election is due in the second half of 2013?
It doesn’t matter how much time the ALP organisation spends contemplating its belly button, knowing what went wrong with the Queensland elections won’t help it win the Federal Election next year.
The first hurdle in rebuilding Labor is for Labor – by which I mean it’s members – to decide what it wants to be. Are the values that Labor built on a century ago still relevant? Should Labor reconnect with it’s Union roots, or is there a new vision? Given how far the ALP of the 21st Century is from its unionist / socialist roots, should it try to regain it’s base, or try to build a new one?
There’s an impressive gap between the ALP and the Greens, the two parties which are perceived as being left in today’s environment. Check out the Political Compass. In 2010, the ALP was considered to be Centre-Right, and the greens slightly left of centre. There’s an opportunity there, pretty close to the centre of the political map, and I suspect that if we were to examine the values of “old Labor”, it would fill that gap quite well.
The answers only take us half way.
Just two days ago, Queensland voted to change governments, from the ALP to the LNP, in a victory from which Labor may not emerge. Vanquished Premier Anna Bligh has removed herself from the game, forcing a by-election in South Brisbane. Defeated ALP members are thick on the ground, yet they aren’t volunteering to lead the handful or so Labor members that survived Saturday’s massacre. Both Andrew Fraser – expected to be the next leader – and Grace Grace have confirmed that they won’t contest.
It’s not just Queensland. The entire eastern seaboard has rejected their long-serving ALP Governments and replaced them with Liberal/National Party Coalition Governments, or in the case of Queensland, the LNP.
On the federal level, Julia Gillard just scraped back into power with the assistance of the independents and Greens. She is phenomenally unpopular, and as was the case with Anna Bligh in 2009, snuck back into power in part due to an Opposition that was perceived to be worse than the Labor alternative. The Federal term has just passed the half-way mark. If Labor is to recover, it must start now.
Labor was never going to win these elections, and one has to assume that under Julia Gillard, the Federal ALP will fall too. The inevitable Labor soul-searching at all levels will be deep and it will hurt. Can the ALP redefine itself, rebuild, and sell its new message before the next Federal Election is due in the second half of 2013?
The question was posed on Twitter yesterday:
“What did we (the ALP) do wrong?”
Contrary to Tony Abbott’s beliefs, the Queensland election was not a referendum on the Carbon Tax or the Mining Resources Rent Tax. Exit polling indicates that this election was fought on state issues, with Cost of Living topping the list.
The first of the two big issues for the Bligh Government was the attention span. The LNP campaign theme ignored all of the issues and emphasised the length of time Labor had been in power. Anything over ten years, and the electorate will start thinking about change. The Bligh Government should have been defeated in 2009, and would’ve been, had the Opposition been able to mount a coherent campaign with a charismatic leader.
The second issue is the Bligh Government’s perceived mismanagement of the Queensland Economy. A great deal was made of Queensland’s downgraded credit rating, and Premier Bligh’s decision to sell state assets, coupled with impressive increases in electricity charges and car registration costs. Even though it was back in 2009 that the asset sales were announced, that decision is still a talking point. Queenslanders have never forgiven Ms Bligh for that.
I’m one of the few who would back Ms Bligh’s decision to sell those assets. Why? Because the Queensland economy is reliant on mining and tourism, and both took an enormous hit during the depth of the GFC. Would anyone care to guess where our credit rating would be had we not realised the additional funds from those asset sales?
There were other issues, of course: the ongoing issues with the Queensland Health payroll system made the department – and hence the government - look incompetent. Jayent Patel’s trial during this parliamentary term just added to the perception of a key department in crisis. The Gordon Nuttal trial and sentencing was another blow.
Finally, there was the intense negative campaigning from the ALP, direct at Campbell Newman and his family’s financial affairs. There were, and still are, some questions I’d like to see answered; those questions were both relevant and timely. But they were also personal, they were aggressive, they were negative, and Australians don’t like that style of campaigning.
It doesn’t matter how much time the ALP organisation spends contemplating its belly button, knowing what went wrong with the Queensland elections won’t help it win the Federal Election next year.
The first hurdle in rebuilding Labor is for Labor – by which I mean it’s members – to decide what it wants to be. Are the values that Labor built on a century ago still relevant? Should Labor reconnect with it’s Union roots, or is there a new vision? Given how far the ALP of the 21st Century is from its unionist / socialist roots, should it try to regain it’s base, or try to build a new one?
There’s an impressive gap between the ALP and the Greens, the two parties which are perceived as being left in today’s environment. Check out the Political Compass. In 2010, the ALP was considered to be Centre-Right, and the greens slightly left of centre. There’s an opportunity there, pretty close to the centre of the political map, and I suspect that if we were to examine the values of “old Labor”, it would fill that gap quite well.
The three major parties are now crowded together with little to differentiate between them. It’s worth considering that if the major parties could demonstrate genuine ideological and policy differences, they would be better placed to campaign without the personal mudslinging and negativity.
But for now, there’s no party to represent those of us who favour a conservative approach to economics, but a more progressive social agenda. The balance of power is tilting ever so slightly away from the Capitalist/Christian paradigm that defined the 20th century. Role models from Ghandi to the Dalai Lama to Nelson Mandela would be unrepresented in Canberra. That must be a consideration for anyone developing an ideology in this, the”Asian Century”.
If there is one ray of hope to come from Labor’s ensanguined result in Queensland, it’s this: their destiny is within their control. They must take this opportunity to become meaningful again.
Whatever that means.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Part 2
Holy Flaming Shitballs, Queensland! The LNP has won the most astounding victory most of us can remember. In a house of 89 seats, it's looking like 76 seats will belong to the LNP, with a couple more from their conservative cousins in Katter's Australian Party. It doesn't get much better than this-just ask Clive Palmer, the LNP Godfather. He couldn't contain his excitement, referring to the humbled ALP as "gutless wonders".
It can't be all plain sailing for the LNP though. They have some mountains to climb, and with a mandate like this, the expectation will be enormous. That said, their emotional journey will be vastly different to that of the ALP. It's more akin to the situation that Kevin Rudd's team faced in 2007. We all know what happened there.
Since claiming victory last night, Campbell Newman has repeatedly pledged that his government will act with humility, grace and dignity. Sixteen or so hours in, he has kept that pledge, Clive Palmer notwithstanding.
Newman is wasting no time; he's already held a meeting with his key people, or at least those who were in Brisbane this morning. With the long months of campaigning, and polling solidly in the LNP's favour, they would have had a transition team in place, handling all those details.
Now, take a breath, close your eyes, and imagine the biggest success you can imagine. You and all the people you work with and all your friends get to walk out of your offices and into the executive offices. It's yours.
It's a crazy, heady thing. Those people who to work up there are vacating their offices in grief and shock. The ground is moving under them. Human decency demands that the LNP allow a little space for the old team to packing their bits and bobs into archive boxes and leave the building. Time is impossible when you're pulsing with triumph, adrenaline, and a mandate for drastic change.
The next few weeks will be a series of balancing acts for the new team: the LNP is forming its first government. Who gets the key ministries? (Mr Newman is announcing a few of those as I write this.) Almost 80 people will form the parliamentary team, along with their assistants, staff, egos and agendas. Newman's military experience should come in handy; those guys know how to form functional teams.
And what about the Public Service? Some will go with the Government Restructure - John Bradley, Director General of the Premiers Department, has already been punted. I can't imagine Greg Withers, Assistant Director General of the Department of Climate Change, and Anna Bligh's husband, would be likely to hold onto his job.
And what are the priorities? What can wait? Now versus later. Regional versus state. Liberal versus Nationals. Surety versus doubt. Confidence versus inexperience. Just working out where to start is an overwhelming task. The Government may be new, but the state isn't. Countless projects are underway, and some of those aren't on the LNP's To-Do Lst. Plough on, or abandon projects half-finished?
And what should the new government do about the status of the outgoing team, given the likelihood that the ALP won't win enough seats to be a legitimate Opposition under the Queensland Constitution? Frankly, the idea of such an incredible majority, no Opposition and no Upper House doesn't seem to be in the spirit of democracy.
As an Organisational Change specialist, I can only hope that the new LNP Government gets this right. As we saw last night, Queenslanders can be unforgiving.
But firstly and above all else, on behalf of the newbie-MPs, someone needs to find the loos.
Update: Outgoing Queensland Premier has announced her resignation from public life, forcing a by-election in her seat of South Brisbane. Campbell Newman has confirmed that the LNP will field a candidate in this by-election.
It can't be all plain sailing for the LNP though. They have some mountains to climb, and with a mandate like this, the expectation will be enormous. That said, their emotional journey will be vastly different to that of the ALP. It's more akin to the situation that Kevin Rudd's team faced in 2007. We all know what happened there.
Since claiming victory last night, Campbell Newman has repeatedly pledged that his government will act with humility, grace and dignity. Sixteen or so hours in, he has kept that pledge, Clive Palmer notwithstanding.
Newman is wasting no time; he's already held a meeting with his key people, or at least those who were in Brisbane this morning. With the long months of campaigning, and polling solidly in the LNP's favour, they would have had a transition team in place, handling all those details.
Now, take a breath, close your eyes, and imagine the biggest success you can imagine. You and all the people you work with and all your friends get to walk out of your offices and into the executive offices. It's yours.
It's a crazy, heady thing. Those people who to work up there are vacating their offices in grief and shock. The ground is moving under them. Human decency demands that the LNP allow a little space for the old team to packing their bits and bobs into archive boxes and leave the building. Time is impossible when you're pulsing with triumph, adrenaline, and a mandate for drastic change.
The next few weeks will be a series of balancing acts for the new team: the LNP is forming its first government. Who gets the key ministries? (Mr Newman is announcing a few of those as I write this.) Almost 80 people will form the parliamentary team, along with their assistants, staff, egos and agendas. Newman's military experience should come in handy; those guys know how to form functional teams.
And what about the Public Service? Some will go with the Government Restructure - John Bradley, Director General of the Premiers Department, has already been punted. I can't imagine Greg Withers, Assistant Director General of the Department of Climate Change, and Anna Bligh's husband, would be likely to hold onto his job.
And what are the priorities? What can wait? Now versus later. Regional versus state. Liberal versus Nationals. Surety versus doubt. Confidence versus inexperience. Just working out where to start is an overwhelming task. The Government may be new, but the state isn't. Countless projects are underway, and some of those aren't on the LNP's To-Do Lst. Plough on, or abandon projects half-finished?
And what should the new government do about the status of the outgoing team, given the likelihood that the ALP won't win enough seats to be a legitimate Opposition under the Queensland Constitution? Frankly, the idea of such an incredible majority, no Opposition and no Upper House doesn't seem to be in the spirit of democracy.
As an Organisational Change specialist, I can only hope that the new LNP Government gets this right. As we saw last night, Queenslanders can be unforgiving.
But firstly and above all else, on behalf of the newbie-MPs, someone needs to find the loos.
Update: Outgoing Queensland Premier has announced her resignation from public life, forcing a by-election in her seat of South Brisbane. Campbell Newman has confirmed that the LNP will field a candidate in this by-election.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Part 1
To the surprise of many in and around the Queensland ALP, the sun came up this morning. It must have felt like the end of the world last night as seat after seat fell to the LNP. Commentators recalculated and made new predictions and recalculated again, lowering the number of seats the ALP would retain, until the mind-numbing truth: they wouldn't crack double figures.
I hate to be the one to break it to them: for the few who scraped by and retained their seats, the worst is yet to come.
The Survivors
Close your eyes. Imagine your office or your school or your newsroom.Think for a moment about the people you work with. Good people, mostly; friendly, competent, familiar. You share most of the same values and priorities and sense of purpose. You've worked with these people for years.
Uhoh! Instant restructure and a major round of redundancies. When you go into your workplace tomorrow, more than 40 of the fifty-odd people in your team are gone. Think of the four people you work most closely with. Whoosh. You're the only one left. The others are literally redundant, as of last night.
Some of your former colleagues saw it coming, but many didn't. You knew something was up, but you're staggered by the magnitude of the devastation.
There's worse to come. You were in the department that made all the decisions. You were the where the action is. Presto-changeo! You and your remaining colleagues have been moved to the other side of the building, to the smaller offices. Your job description has changed. You're not making the decisions any more.
And now, the most galling of all: your former colleagues are being replaced by a group of mainly new recruits. They don't know the business. They don't even know where the toilets are...but they know better than you, and they'll be making the decisions. They'll be sitting in the good seats where you used to sit, looking at you, blaming you for everything that's gone wrong, even when it's not your fault. They'll criticise the achievements you're most proud of, and you'll sit by as they soak up the praise for the work your team started but was unable to finish.
Did I mention that you might be paid less than you were, and have to learn new areas of expertise...all while worrying about your former colleagues and trying to ignore the nagging survivor guilt, and that inappropriate little voice that wishes you'd been booted out like 85% of your mates.
Welcome to ALP Survivor Hell
The Vanquished
There are surely a lot of hangovers around Queensland this morning. A few well-known ALP MPs - now former MPs - have logged into Twitter to thank their supporters and remove the "MP" from their Twitter handles.
Fifty-one people have been judged, and for a whole range of reasons, more than 40 have been replaced.
Some, like Paul Lucas, knew this day was coming, and took the opportunity to retire. Others thought they'd survive this triennial performance review. Sadly, some excellent members of parliament were just in the wrong seat at the wrong time and were discarded, such was the appetite for change.
Some have plans, many don't.
But today they sleep, start to scrub away the emotional grime left after a long campaign, and be with their families and friends.
Yesterday was a catastrophic loss for the ALP in Queensland. Survivors and victims of the Blue Tide will grieve, mourn and find people to blame.
Denial...Anger...Bargaining...Depression...Acceptance. Coming soon to an ALP Branch Near You.
In case no-one else remembers, I'd like to thank these people for their service.
Thoughts on the LNP later.
I hate to be the one to break it to them: for the few who scraped by and retained their seats, the worst is yet to come.
The Survivors
Close your eyes. Imagine your office or your school or your newsroom.Think for a moment about the people you work with. Good people, mostly; friendly, competent, familiar. You share most of the same values and priorities and sense of purpose. You've worked with these people for years.
Uhoh! Instant restructure and a major round of redundancies. When you go into your workplace tomorrow, more than 40 of the fifty-odd people in your team are gone. Think of the four people you work most closely with. Whoosh. You're the only one left. The others are literally redundant, as of last night.
Some of your former colleagues saw it coming, but many didn't. You knew something was up, but you're staggered by the magnitude of the devastation.
There's worse to come. You were in the department that made all the decisions. You were the where the action is. Presto-changeo! You and your remaining colleagues have been moved to the other side of the building, to the smaller offices. Your job description has changed. You're not making the decisions any more.
And now, the most galling of all: your former colleagues are being replaced by a group of mainly new recruits. They don't know the business. They don't even know where the toilets are...but they know better than you, and they'll be making the decisions. They'll be sitting in the good seats where you used to sit, looking at you, blaming you for everything that's gone wrong, even when it's not your fault. They'll criticise the achievements you're most proud of, and you'll sit by as they soak up the praise for the work your team started but was unable to finish.
Did I mention that you might be paid less than you were, and have to learn new areas of expertise...all while worrying about your former colleagues and trying to ignore the nagging survivor guilt, and that inappropriate little voice that wishes you'd been booted out like 85% of your mates.
Welcome to ALP Survivor Hell
The Vanquished
There are surely a lot of hangovers around Queensland this morning. A few well-known ALP MPs - now former MPs - have logged into Twitter to thank their supporters and remove the "MP" from their Twitter handles.
Fifty-one people have been judged, and for a whole range of reasons, more than 40 have been replaced.
Some, like Paul Lucas, knew this day was coming, and took the opportunity to retire. Others thought they'd survive this triennial performance review. Sadly, some excellent members of parliament were just in the wrong seat at the wrong time and were discarded, such was the appetite for change.
Some have plans, many don't.
But today they sleep, start to scrub away the emotional grime left after a long campaign, and be with their families and friends.
Yesterday was a catastrophic loss for the ALP in Queensland. Survivors and victims of the Blue Tide will grieve, mourn and find people to blame.
Denial...Anger...Bargaining...Depression...Acceptance. Coming soon to an ALP Branch Near You.
In case no-one else remembers, I'd like to thank these people for their service.
Thoughts on the LNP later.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Election Morning Through The Eyes of Twitter
The Queensland Election has been a trending topic on and off all morning. Here are a few tweets that caught my eye.
7am:
The feeling in the air these last days of campaigning suggests that the ALP has all but given up. Almost. Politics is like sport: you don't give up until...well, you don't give up. Ask Karen Struthers.
@KarenStruthers Anna's Labor want a future Qld that is strong &fair - dont risk an all too powerful LNP #dontvotenewman Support your local MP?
8am
CanDoCampbell, the fake Twitter account and star of the extended campaign on Twitter, had an unexpectedly zen moment! Que Sera Sera?
@Can_Do_Campbell My thought for today. What ever happens &who ever wins, it's democracy in action, &on Monday life goes on. Just be grateful we get to vote
9am
Unbelievable. The nasty has started early in the day. There's no need for this. In fact, there's never an excuse for this, and it may even be illegal.
@4CThinking Imbecile #LNP nutter ripping #ALP election banners off fence at Yeronga SS - way of the future for this mob with massive majority? #qldvotes
10am
What is it about Kevin Rudd & hope? I see his name...and I feel hopeful. That's how it was in 2007, and for some of us, it still is.
@KRuddMP Kate Jones has done a great job for her community, now she needs their support. That's why I'm working to help #KeepKate KRudd
Against all reason, I felt a tiny surge of hope, that if Kevin is there, helping, maybe Kate will get her miracle.
Kevin isn't the only federal Pollie from the Government who is lending support via Twitter. I haven't seen any from the Liberal side (and I do follow both sides). Is that LNP confidence, complacency, or disinterest?In the meantime, some support for the ALP:
@JuliaGillard Ashgrove, Keep Kate today. @KateJonesMP is a local who has fought for your community for a long time. #QldVotes JG
@MikeKellyMP Find it funny that Campbell Newman can't even vote for himself in today's election. #auspol
11am
I spoke too soon. Tony Abbott has tweeted. Twice. I can't decide if his tone is so different because his team has this election locked, or if it's just his personality. Even in victory, he sounds less than engaged:
@TonyAbbottMHR @Campbell_Newman has run a great campaign. He will get Queensland back on track #qldvotes
@TonyAbbottMHR Every vote in every seat in Qld matters. The only way to end Labor's 20 years of neglect is to vote for your local LNP candidate #qldvotes
And one of my favourite Tweeps has some words of wisdom.
@SuperTriviaGuy When you go to vote please remember this is not a war. You don't win by being rude to people handing out How To Vote info. Be polite.
It's not all about the voting though. A lot of it is about the sausage sizzles and lamington stalls. Perhaps the food incentives should be compulsory.
@totalquailure: Ooh, cake stalls. I mean, DEMOCRACY Dammit #qldvotes
@its_Mella @couriermail there's cupcakes?! I'd rather cupcakes then snags. Gimme sweets any day!
And when you get crowds of people forced together, stuff happens.
@Couriermail LNP candidate David Chrisafulli's wife, Tegan, fainted after seeing an elderly voter, known as “Joy”, trip and fall, cutting her knee open.
But really, it's all about the voters.
@MurrayWattMP Nice couple just told me they normally vote LNP but are with me because of what I've done locally. Now that's #electiondayfun!
A final note of TwitWisdom:
@scottspark Avalanche of angst over #qldvotes outcome on Twitter - guys, dolls, remember - politics does not rule your life unchecked. Breathe.
7am:
The feeling in the air these last days of campaigning suggests that the ALP has all but given up. Almost. Politics is like sport: you don't give up until...well, you don't give up. Ask Karen Struthers.
@KarenStruthers Anna's Labor want a future Qld that is strong &fair - dont risk an all too powerful LNP #dontvotenewman Support your local MP?
8am
CanDoCampbell, the fake Twitter account and star of the extended campaign on Twitter, had an unexpectedly zen moment! Que Sera Sera?
@Can_Do_Campbell My thought for today. What ever happens &who ever wins, it's democracy in action, &on Monday life goes on. Just be grateful we get to vote
9am
Unbelievable. The nasty has started early in the day. There's no need for this. In fact, there's never an excuse for this, and it may even be illegal.
@4CThinking Imbecile #LNP nutter ripping #ALP election banners off fence at Yeronga SS - way of the future for this mob with massive majority? #qldvotes
10am
What is it about Kevin Rudd & hope? I see his name...and I feel hopeful. That's how it was in 2007, and for some of us, it still is.
@KRuddMP Kate Jones has done a great job for her community, now she needs their support. That's why I'm working to help #KeepKate KRudd
Against all reason, I felt a tiny surge of hope, that if Kevin is there, helping, maybe Kate will get her miracle.
Kevin isn't the only federal Pollie from the Government who is lending support via Twitter. I haven't seen any from the Liberal side (and I do follow both sides). Is that LNP confidence, complacency, or disinterest?In the meantime, some support for the ALP:
@JuliaGillard Ashgrove, Keep Kate today. @KateJonesMP is a local who has fought for your community for a long time. #QldVotes JG
@MikeKellyMP Find it funny that Campbell Newman can't even vote for himself in today's election. #auspol
11am
I spoke too soon. Tony Abbott has tweeted. Twice. I can't decide if his tone is so different because his team has this election locked, or if it's just his personality. Even in victory, he sounds less than engaged:
@TonyAbbottMHR @Campbell_Newman has run a great campaign. He will get Queensland back on track #qldvotes
@TonyAbbottMHR Every vote in every seat in Qld matters. The only way to end Labor's 20 years of neglect is to vote for your local LNP candidate #qldvotes
And one of my favourite Tweeps has some words of wisdom.
@SuperTriviaGuy When you go to vote please remember this is not a war. You don't win by being rude to people handing out How To Vote info. Be polite.
It's not all about the voting though. A lot of it is about the sausage sizzles and lamington stalls. Perhaps the food incentives should be compulsory.
@totalquailure: Ooh, cake stalls. I mean, DEMOCRACY Dammit #qldvotes
@its_Mella @couriermail there's cupcakes?! I'd rather cupcakes then snags. Gimme sweets any day!
And when you get crowds of people forced together, stuff happens.
@Couriermail LNP candidate David Chrisafulli's wife, Tegan, fainted after seeing an elderly voter, known as “Joy”, trip and fall, cutting her knee open.
But really, it's all about the voters.
@MurrayWattMP Nice couple just told me they normally vote LNP but are with me because of what I've done locally. Now that's #electiondayfun!
A final note of TwitWisdom:
@scottspark Avalanche of angst over #qldvotes outcome on Twitter - guys, dolls, remember - politics does not rule your life unchecked. Breathe.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Bob's Kattastrophe
Try to remember your response to the announcement that outspoken independent Bob Katter was starting his own political party. I can recall having at least three responses simultaneously: cautious optimism, mocking laughter and a barely suppressed groan. All at once - quite a feat! I'm guessing I wasn't alone. A brand new political party had been announced, and it was being founded and headed by a "colourful" independent from outback Queensland.
Now, with just a week left to run before the election, Katter’s Queensland campaign isn’t living up to the hype. Rather than being a third force, Katter’s Australian Party is polling in most electorates with the also-rans, the “others”. Perhaps those who laughed and mocked were right.
Remember that while this formidable force in Queensland and Australian politics was forming his new party, he was still a member of the Australian parliament too. That suggests the kind of determined effort that would floor men half his age.
Katter’s first challenge was with candidates. He failed to find suitable candidates to contest all 89 seats in Queensland’s parliament. High profile state independent Rob Messenger considered joining the party, but backed away when the party’s views on Sharia Law different from his own. On the other hand, Shane Knuth, the sitting member for Dalrymple, jumped ship to KAP after becoming disillusioned with the LNP.
Everything seemed to be running fairly well to plan, although quieter than I'd anticipated, until we saw the appalling television advertisement that ran under his party’s name last weekend.
It wasn’t news that Katter disapproved of same sex civil unions. Last year, he dumped a candidate who was in favour of conscience votes for members, on values issues issues like gay marriage. So that would be a 'no' then: everyone in the Katter party is expected to honour the party line, regardless of their personal beliefs. This was not a loose grouping of independents, leveraging each other's reach and buying in bulk. This was a values-based political party.
That’s not that unusual in political parties. Look at poor Campbell Newman: if elected, he’ll be leading the push to rescind the existing civil partnerships laws, despite having close friends who are lesbians and who want to be married, and despite his support of gay marriage, a stance emphasised in Katter’s advertisement. Why? Because that's the policy of the party to which he belongs and which he expects to lead.
Speaking of Newman, the ad was clearly designed to highlight Newman’s personal views and differentiate the KAP as the only truly morally conservative party. It's been almost universally criticised. In fact, it’s awfulness was the only point of agreement between Anna Bligh and Campbell Newman at last night’s Queensland Forum. Despite the condemnation from across the country, he won’t back down.
He also doesn’t admit that the ad that carries his name is homophobic.
Homophobic by intent or not is barely relevant any more. It was perceived as homophobic…in the cities, at least. Out in Katter Kountry, it was probably received with far more equanimity.
Will it win any votes though? In the city, very few; it's more likely to lose votes. In the bush, it may, although as a policy, opposition to gay marriage can’t be taken in isolation as a vote winner, particularly as the LNP shares that policy. It’s not a point of difference, and unless you are directly impacted by gay rights, it's probably of little interest.
Look at Coal Seam Gas mining activities though, and there’s more votes in it. Questions around the issue of Coal Seam Gas Exploration were asked of both leaders last night; both leaders were openly in favour of continued CSG and mining activities, because without the revenue from the industry, Queensland could be in financial difficulty.
One of the KAP’s key policy planks is a one year moratorium on CSR Mining activities to allow time to reassess and study the industry. That will play well with farmers whose properties are in the sites of the mining companies. More importantly, it’s in opposition to the LNP’s support for CSG. That’s the point of difference so many conservatives are looking for. In this instance, Katter has given conservative voters a choice.
So amongst all the side issues, the mud-slinging, the distractions and the hoopla, and the policy-talk about cost of living and Queensland Health waiting lists and roads and schools, two issues have emerged as the ones we're all talking about: Civil Unions and Coal Seam Gas. Here's how they break down.
Katter’s Australia Party may do better than expected this election. There’s a good chance that the KAP will hold the two seats they already have: Beaudesert and Dalrymple. They have a better than average shot in Nanango, which has been held by conservative independent Dolly Pratt for over a decade. Dolly’s retiring, and the KAP’s candidate in Kingaroy is Carl Rackemann, former Aussie faster bowler. Combine name-recognition with the conservative bias of the seat, and it’s doable. Meanwhile, up in Katter Kountry, Bob’s son Robbie Katter will be running for the seat of Mount Isa. They love Bob up there. It’s another possibility. I’m even willing to concede that they might pick up a couple of random seats that no-one is really talking about.
At best, that would give the KAP 6 seats in the new Parliament. It's unlikely that the KAP will take votes from the ALP, but the conservative votes are in play. Six seats to Katter's mob is six less seats the LNP can win.
What about the rest? My best guess is three independents…so that’s nine candidates from outside the two major parties, leaving just 80 seats for the ALP and LNP to fight over.
Notice that I haven’t mentioned the Greens at all? Know why? Because they’ve been so low profile this election it’s almost like they aren’t here at all.
I think both Bobs (Katter and Brown) will be disappointed with this election campaign.
Question: Earlier this week, while federal parliament was in session in Canberra, Bob Katter wasn’t there. Does anyone know where Bob was, or why he wasn’t in Canberra, representing the people who elected him?
Originally he wanted his new party to be called The Australian Party, but was denied the right to register that name. So he added his own surname, recruited a Queensland independent from state politics, and announced to the waiting world that Australian politics now had a legitimate third banana.
With a bizarre mix of policies ranging from Tea Party-esque right wing religious conservatism through to agrarian socialism, Katter boasted of his plan to run a candidate in each of the 89 electorates in the upcoming Queensland election, and to shake up the latte belt socialists with his down to earth policies and fearless campaigning.
Now, with just a week left to run before the election, Katter’s Queensland campaign isn’t living up to the hype. Rather than being a third force, Katter’s Australian Party is polling in most electorates with the also-rans, the “others”. Perhaps those who laughed and mocked were right.Remember that while this formidable force in Queensland and Australian politics was forming his new party, he was still a member of the Australian parliament too. That suggests the kind of determined effort that would floor men half his age.
Katter’s first challenge was with candidates. He failed to find suitable candidates to contest all 89 seats in Queensland’s parliament. High profile state independent Rob Messenger considered joining the party, but backed away when the party’s views on Sharia Law different from his own. On the other hand, Shane Knuth, the sitting member for Dalrymple, jumped ship to KAP after becoming disillusioned with the LNP.
Everything seemed to be running fairly well to plan, although quieter than I'd anticipated, until we saw the appalling television advertisement that ran under his party’s name last weekend.
It wasn’t news that Katter disapproved of same sex civil unions. Last year, he dumped a candidate who was in favour of conscience votes for members, on values issues issues like gay marriage. So that would be a 'no' then: everyone in the Katter party is expected to honour the party line, regardless of their personal beliefs. This was not a loose grouping of independents, leveraging each other's reach and buying in bulk. This was a values-based political party.
That’s not that unusual in political parties. Look at poor Campbell Newman: if elected, he’ll be leading the push to rescind the existing civil partnerships laws, despite having close friends who are lesbians and who want to be married, and despite his support of gay marriage, a stance emphasised in Katter’s advertisement. Why? Because that's the policy of the party to which he belongs and which he expects to lead.
Speaking of Newman, the ad was clearly designed to highlight Newman’s personal views and differentiate the KAP as the only truly morally conservative party. It's been almost universally criticised. In fact, it’s awfulness was the only point of agreement between Anna Bligh and Campbell Newman at last night’s Queensland Forum. Despite the condemnation from across the country, he won’t back down.
He also doesn’t admit that the ad that carries his name is homophobic.
Homophobic by intent or not is barely relevant any more. It was perceived as homophobic…in the cities, at least. Out in Katter Kountry, it was probably received with far more equanimity.
Will it win any votes though? In the city, very few; it's more likely to lose votes. In the bush, it may, although as a policy, opposition to gay marriage can’t be taken in isolation as a vote winner, particularly as the LNP shares that policy. It’s not a point of difference, and unless you are directly impacted by gay rights, it's probably of little interest.
Look at Coal Seam Gas mining activities though, and there’s more votes in it. Questions around the issue of Coal Seam Gas Exploration were asked of both leaders last night; both leaders were openly in favour of continued CSG and mining activities, because without the revenue from the industry, Queensland could be in financial difficulty.
One of the KAP’s key policy planks is a one year moratorium on CSR Mining activities to allow time to reassess and study the industry. That will play well with farmers whose properties are in the sites of the mining companies. More importantly, it’s in opposition to the LNP’s support for CSG. That’s the point of difference so many conservatives are looking for. In this instance, Katter has given conservative voters a choice.
So amongst all the side issues, the mud-slinging, the distractions and the hoopla, and the policy-talk about cost of living and Queensland Health waiting lists and roads and schools, two issues have emerged as the ones we're all talking about: Civil Unions and Coal Seam Gas. Here's how they break down.
Katter’s Australia Party may do better than expected this election. There’s a good chance that the KAP will hold the two seats they already have: Beaudesert and Dalrymple. They have a better than average shot in Nanango, which has been held by conservative independent Dolly Pratt for over a decade. Dolly’s retiring, and the KAP’s candidate in Kingaroy is Carl Rackemann, former Aussie faster bowler. Combine name-recognition with the conservative bias of the seat, and it’s doable. Meanwhile, up in Katter Kountry, Bob’s son Robbie Katter will be running for the seat of Mount Isa. They love Bob up there. It’s another possibility. I’m even willing to concede that they might pick up a couple of random seats that no-one is really talking about.
At best, that would give the KAP 6 seats in the new Parliament. It's unlikely that the KAP will take votes from the ALP, but the conservative votes are in play. Six seats to Katter's mob is six less seats the LNP can win.
What about the rest? My best guess is three independents…so that’s nine candidates from outside the two major parties, leaving just 80 seats for the ALP and LNP to fight over.
Notice that I haven’t mentioned the Greens at all? Know why? Because they’ve been so low profile this election it’s almost like they aren’t here at all.
I think both Bobs (Katter and Brown) will be disappointed with this election campaign.
Question: Earlier this week, while federal parliament was in session in Canberra, Bob Katter wasn’t there. Does anyone know where Bob was, or why he wasn’t in Canberra, representing the people who elected him?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Lesser of Who Cares
A political campaign is just another marketing campaign with a few twists.
So how on earth has this Queensland Election managed to deliver such a bunch of negative, dysfunctional and demoralising messages?
Let’s try something: imagine a new world where every advertisement you saw for, say, an airline, was honest?
Which brings us back to the Queensland election campaigns. I said in a recent blog that I don’t think these campaigns have been particularly dirty, but they continue to be appallingly negative, to the extent that if I didn’t have such a brilliant local member in Steve Kilburn, I’d have a hard time caring enough to make a decision. My colleagues who don’t live in Chatsworth are having that problem. There’s very little to inspire us, but plenty to infuriate us, disappoint us and make us want to disengage from the whole process.
Why? Because the messages about us just aren’t cutting through.
So what’s the purpose of an election campaign?
The short answer is to gain votes. Each party wants to secure the highest number of votes for their candidate and/or party.
My old Foundations of Buyer Behaviour lecturers would probably start talking about the Differential Advantage now. Each of the campaigns is trying to make itself different from all of the others. Note – different, not better. The hope is that by being different, they’ll be better for some.
The ALP has experience – that’s its difference. It’s governed for most of the last two decades, and it knows how to govern.
The LNP is throwing around a few differences: it’s the only party other than Labor that can govern, it’s time for a change, and it has Campbell Newman almost at the helm.
The Greens are just a step to the left, a bit more progressive and they don’t apologise for it.
Katter’s Australia Party were trying to position themselves as an alternative to the two big parties, but a lack of candidates, lack of support in the cities, and that unfortunate advertisement which has tarred them all as homophobes has killed that.
This is what we already know. Now, factor in a month or so of campaigning. Where are you and I, the voters, in amongst all of this?
Well, if we were a marketing department in an airline, we’d probably be talking about the CVP: The Customer Value Proposition. It’s the be-all and end-all for too many marketers these days, and too often, it’s a meaningless buzzword. Listen out for it though: the Cuuustomer Vaalue Proposition. It sounds so special, like it has a cherry on top, and I think it applies to voters even more than it does to customers.
The problem is that very few people actually know what it means. *removes cherry now*. Wikipedia thinks the CVP can be defined as follows.
A customer value proposition is a business or marketing statement that describes why a customer should buy a product or use a service. It is specifically targeted towards potential customers rather than other constituent groups such as employees, partners or suppliers. It is a clearly defined statement that is designed to convince customers that one particular product or service will add more value or better solve a problem than others in its competitive set.
So how on earth has this Queensland Election managed to deliver such a bunch of negative, dysfunctional and demoralising messages?
Let’s try something: imagine a new world where every advertisement you saw for, say, an airline, was honest?
Virgin Australia – because we’re not QantasNow, let’s try the same thing where the airlines are all choosing campaigns that criticise their opposition:
Jetstar – If you want to be snooty, fly with someone else
Qantas – Cheap seats now, because after last year, we need to suck up
Virgin Australia – because we’re not QantasBoth of these approaches are pretty honest, and both of them are unlikely to win that many new customers. Frankly, if this was the best on offer, you’d have to think about travelling by train. Or bus. Or staying home.
Jetstar – We’re cheap
Qantas – So much classier than those cheap and nasty airlines
Which brings us back to the Queensland election campaigns. I said in a recent blog that I don’t think these campaigns have been particularly dirty, but they continue to be appallingly negative, to the extent that if I didn’t have such a brilliant local member in Steve Kilburn, I’d have a hard time caring enough to make a decision. My colleagues who don’t live in Chatsworth are having that problem. There’s very little to inspire us, but plenty to infuriate us, disappoint us and make us want to disengage from the whole process.
Why? Because the messages about us just aren’t cutting through.
So what’s the purpose of an election campaign?
The short answer is to gain votes. Each party wants to secure the highest number of votes for their candidate and/or party.
My old Foundations of Buyer Behaviour lecturers would probably start talking about the Differential Advantage now. Each of the campaigns is trying to make itself different from all of the others. Note – different, not better. The hope is that by being different, they’ll be better for some.
The ALP has experience – that’s its difference. It’s governed for most of the last two decades, and it knows how to govern.
The LNP is throwing around a few differences: it’s the only party other than Labor that can govern, it’s time for a change, and it has Campbell Newman almost at the helm.
The Greens are just a step to the left, a bit more progressive and they don’t apologise for it.
Katter’s Australia Party were trying to position themselves as an alternative to the two big parties, but a lack of candidates, lack of support in the cities, and that unfortunate advertisement which has tarred them all as homophobes has killed that.
This is what we already know. Now, factor in a month or so of campaigning. Where are you and I, the voters, in amongst all of this?
Well, if we were a marketing department in an airline, we’d probably be talking about the CVP: The Customer Value Proposition. It’s the be-all and end-all for too many marketers these days, and too often, it’s a meaningless buzzword. Listen out for it though: the Cuuustomer Vaalue Proposition. It sounds so special, like it has a cherry on top, and I think it applies to voters even more than it does to customers.
The problem is that very few people actually know what it means. *removes cherry now*. Wikipedia thinks the CVP can be defined as follows.
A customer value proposition is a business or marketing statement that describes why a customer should buy a product or use a service. It is specifically targeted towards potential customers rather than other constituent groups such as employees, partners or suppliers. It is a clearly defined statement that is designed to convince customers that one particular product or service will add more value or better solve a problem than others in its competitive set.
Yeah, okay…but what does that mean for you and I?
In terms of the election, it’s the bundle of stuff that each party is offering us, in an attempt to get us to vote for them. It’s a combination of all sorts of goodies: policies, experience, personal appeal, attitude, reputation, accessibility, heritage… It’s policies, plus a whole heap of less tangible things. The problem for us – and for the campaign managers – is that the focus has been on the intangibles, and not on the policies, so that’s what we have to work with when making our voting decisions.
For example, what do you actually know about the ALP’s campaign? The tables below summarise the small chunks that I remember of these crazy campaigns.
So what’s the Voter Value Proposition from each of the major parties? When packaged up, what are these political campaigns offering us?
• The ALP will stoop to mudslinging to win, but they’re the devil we know.
• The LNP is probably dodgy, pretty conservative but at least they’re not Labor.
• The Greens are progressive, but not relevant in Queensland, other than as an alternative to Labor.
• Katter’s Australia Party is a very conservative, untried, unpredictable and unlikely to make much of an impact.
I’m reminded of Leo McGarry’s eternal wisdom, particularly his speech from In The Shadow Of Two Gunman (The West Wing):
If Queensland was the airline industry, all fleets would be grounded.I'm tired of it: year after year after year after year having to choose between the lesser of who cares. Of trying to get myself excited about a candidate who can speak in complete sentences. Of setting the bar so low, I can hardly bear to look at it.
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