In this article, Saxon Davidson contextualises and disseminates the findings of the IPA’s research into the economic and societal decline of Queensland over the previous decade.
A government is only as strong as the action it takes in its first 100 days.
This is why it has been promising that the newly elected Crisafulli government has provided much needed leadership, early on.
New research from the Institute of Public Affairs shows that over the past decade Queensland has been in decline, with its per capita economic growth the weakest of all the states, new housing approvals now lower than in 2014, net state debt set to triple by 2028, and violent crime rising 45 per cent over the period.
Acting swiftly in its first weeks in government, the LNP’s abandonment of so-called ‘truth-telling’ and the commercially unviable Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project, as well as reviews into projected funding of the 2032 Olympics and the PsiQuantum computer were all positive signs.
The continued pursuit of ‘truth-telling’ after the outcome of the Voice to Parliament referendum was an utterly undemocratic response by Queensland’s political elites in a state where almost 70 per cent voted no to racial division.
This was the strongest no result in the nation. Not that the previous Queensland state government was alone in doing this; Victoria is implementing a treaty process, and the South Australian government still operates its statebased Voice to Parliament.
What it does demonstrate is the gaping disconnect between sections of the political class and mainstream Australians, given the nation voted against the Voice 60-40.
The decision by the LNP is a strong display of finally backing the views of mainstream Queenslanders over inner-city elites, which disproportionately supported and voted for the Voice referendum.
The rejection of the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project is a less obvious but even more solid step in the right direction for the state.
The previous Labor government’s plan to use pumped hydro projects as a way to reach net zero, while phasing out existing, affordable and reliable coal and gas baseload power generation from the state’s energy grid, was unviable from the start.
The costings of the Pioneer- Burdekin project found it would have cost more than double the $12 billion promised and would have faced significant delays in its construction.
This comes as no surprise considering Queensland has not built a new dam in over a decade.
And for that matter, the recent blackouts in Sydney showed the chaos that the loss of baseload energy’ generation causes.
The new government has also taken decisive action regarding construction in general, suspending the misleadingly titled ‘Best Practice Industry Conditions’ laws, which were drafted by the scandal-plagued CFMEU for contracts and enterprise agreements on government projects.
This sweetheart deal was forecast by Queensland’s Treasury to increase public project costs by 25 per cent by 2030, equivalent to $17.1 billion.
This strong start by the new government must be maintained, as much needs to be done to reverse Queensland’s decade of decline.
There is an incoming debt balloon left to the people of Queensland by the recently defeated Labor government, as well as projected budget deficits totalling $72 billion from now to 2028.
The recently announced reviews into specific government funding by new treasurer David Janetzki, and the suspension of expensive CFMEU laws, must be followed by serious budget reform.
The last thing Queensland needs to turn into is the Victoria of the north!
If the Crisafulli government is to oversee a genuine recovery in Queensland’s fortunes it needs to act fast, while its mandate to implement reform is fresh in the minds of the people.
