This coming Saturday Queenslanders will go to the polls to choose their next state government. With federal Labor politicians popping up everywhere, and the PM nowhere to be found, what difference can, or should, they make?
The latest controversy surrounding Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his decision to knight Prince Philip has the airwaves crackling and ‘electronic graffiti’ abuzz. But happily for Queensland State Premier, Campbell Newman, he is easily able to distance himself from the furore as he is campaigning robustly on his own ticket, having steadfastly refused to ask the PM to join him on the hustings. It is highly likely that the Queensland LNP will retain government – it’s hard not to when your opposition has just nine seats – but it’s also quite possible Mr Newman will lose his own seat.
The Queensland election comes just two months after the late-November polling in Victoria in 2014, which saw a first-term government swept from office. Mr Abbott did join the then-Premier, Denis Napthine, for a few short bursts of campaigning in Victoria, but his appearances were few and far between. As was the case with federal Labor politicians. Then Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews preferred to run his own race and he was vindicated with a strong win on 29 November.
So with a New South Wales state election due to be held on 28 March, it will be interesting to see if Premier Mike Baird decides to cut the federal Liberal politicians loose – or if he invites them in to help spread word of his government’s achievements and future plans.
Opinion: Leave it to the locals
If, success has many fathers, then political victories have more than their fair share. And when the chill winds of defeat blow through, no one really wants to claim ownership. Similarly with popular federal leaders. Remember back to when Kevin Rudd was the most popular PM ever? Yes, it’s difficult, but that he was. He was invited everywhere, on every campaign trail, to drink cups of tea and kiss many a baby’s head. But then came the dark days when both Mr Rudd and his successor Julia Gillard were considered political poison and definitely not wanted or needed at local events.
Nothing has really changed. We now have a Prime Minister who seems to place his foot in his mouth after surprisingly little consultation with the cooler heads in his party. So leaving him off the Queensland state election invite list makes a lot of sense.
The more interesting question is whether the sustained politicking by the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, is able to influence Queenslanders, considering how they will vote this weekend, to change the government. I doubt that the Shorten/Plibersek presence carries much weight at all. Most state elections are fought on issues such as law and order, education, health and local infrastructure needs. So bringing in the big guns from Canberra hardly alters the record of the current state government, nor the policy direction of the would-be rulers.
So I suspect that the Sir/Prince Phillip controversy is unlikely to have much impact at all up north. And the Labor Party may as well have kept Bill and Tanya in Canberra – or more to the point, at home with their kids in the school holidays. Mr Newman will be returned if Queensland electors believe, on balance, that he deserves another chance. It’s as simple as that.
What do you think? Is there a place for federal politicians in state elections? Or should they stay right away and let the electorate cast their vote on purely state-based issues?
