“The project is designed to deliver improvements to rail services in the metropolitan area and the Gold Coast by tackling forecast rail congestion,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“The LNP and Campbell Newman have backflipped and shifted position on this project enough. They need to say clearly if they support it or not.

“The cross-river rail project is ready to go once federal and state funding can be negotiated.

“Gold Coast commuters in particular will be disappointed if a project designed to improve services on the south coast line is scrapped or reduced in its scope.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Newman had so far declared a range of positions on the project:

• in July 2010 as Brisbane Lord Mayor, Mr Newman supported the project and said it “should have priority”,

• in March 2011 Mr Newman opposed the project and favoured building a subway system for Brisbane saying: “I’d like to see this cross-river rail project completely stopped right now.”

• in the 2012 state election campaign Mr Newman promised to release a policy on cross-river rail but three days before the poll reneged on that commitment.

“In the wake of all those backflips nobody should be confident that the LNP will support the project,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“Instead of a review all we need is a clear statement of the government’s position.”

Media contact: 0417 263 791

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Newman Government is setting record low standards for secrecy by hiding its intention to change the role of the Speaker of State Parliament.

“The cloud of secrecy in which the Newman Government operates gets thicker every day,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I think Queenslanders would be disappointed that on the day the Premier nominates the new Speaker and sees her elected, he has not had the courtesy and decency to disclose the new powers he has planned for her.

“His actions show disrespect for the new Speaker, Fiona Simpson, whose election was today supported by the Opposition. He is also displaying contempt for the people of Queensland and their Parliament.

“Mr Newman’s continued ‘wait and see’ response to questions about what are likely to be far-reaching changes to the Speaker’s role seems to be the new version of ‘don’t you worry about that’.

“His attitude is a far cry from the ‘humility, grace and dignity’ he promised before the election.

“Mr Newman also promised he would ‘restore accountability in government’ and that his decisions would be ‘open and transparent’.”

Ms Palaszczuk said as of today (Tuesday) the Opposition had still not been informed of the business expected to be transacted by Parliament on its first full sitting day on Thursday.

“We are still in the dark about what we are expected to debate on Thursday, including what are likely to be massive changes to the way our current bi-partisan committee system operates, and now the powers of the Speaker,” she said.

Media contact: 0417 263 791 OR 0459 162 226

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the latest CommSec State of the States report, released today, highlighted the strength of Queensland’s economy overall.

“In the wake of Queensland’s worst ever natural disasters last year, the previous government invested in rebuilding infrastructure and the enormous recovery effort,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“That commitment is now paying dividends, with the Queensland economy strong overall, however more work can be done, particularly for the housing sector.

“Premier Campbell Newman and Treasurer Tim Nicholls have delayed the State Budget until September, so there will be no new initiatives to help the housing sector for six months.

“That’s why the $10,000 Building Boost, due to expire next Monday (April 30), should be extended until the 30^th of June at least.

“The housing sector cannot afford for the Premier and Treasurer to sit on their hands for six months while the sector struggles.

“Extending the Building Boost will help keep thousands of tradies in work at a time when conditions in the housing sector are still weak.

“Funding of $140 million was allocated in the 2011-12 State Budget for the Building Boost and the best way the government can help the housing sector is to ensure these funds are fully spent.”

The Queensland Building Boost is a $140 million initiative to provide a $10,000 grant for all Queenslanders building or purchasing a new home up to the value of $600,000.

Ms Palaszczuk said the State of the States report indicated that Queensland’s economy was benefitting from the reconstruction activities being undertaken in response to last year’s natural disasters.

“But the housing sector, which is weak across Australia, still needs support and extending the Boost will guarantee that support,” she said.

“The Housing Industry Association has recognised the positive effects that Labor’s $10,000 Building Boost has had on the sector since it was introduced last year.

“The Opposition will provide the government with bipartisan support to extend the Building Boost.”

Media contact: 0417 789 208 or 0459 162 226

Ms Palaszczuk said the Opposition team was under no illusions about the tough task ahead of it, given the Government’s unprecedented parliamentary majority.

“We have an enthusiastic team ready to get on with the important job of Opposition,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I believe we have a good mix of experience across the portfolio areas and spanning the state of Queensland.

“Our Shadow Cabinet team is raring to go and keen to get on with the job of keeping the Newman Government accountable.

“Premier Campbell Newman made a lot of extravagant promises during the recent election campaign and we will be ensuring he is held to account.

“We know we have a lot of work to do but the people of Queensland can be reassured that we will work as hard as possible to get the job done.”

Shadow Cabinet responsibilities include:

Annastacia Palaszczuk – Leader of the Opposition; Attorney-General, Justice and Industrial Relations; Education, Training and Employment; Tourism, Small Business, Major Events and Commonwealth Games; the Arts.

Tim Mulherin – Deputy Opposition Leader; State Development, Infrastructure, Planning and Racing; Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Local Government; Science, IT and Innovation.

Curtis Pitt – Leader of Opposition Business; Treasury and Trade; Energy and Water Supply; Main Roads; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Sport and Recreation.

Jo-Ann Miller – Opposition Whip; Health; Natural Resources and Mines; Housing.

Desley Scott – Deputy Opposition Whip; Disability Services; Community Services, Child Safety, Multicultural Affairs and Women; Mental Health; Transport

Bill Byrne – Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services; Construction and Public Works; National Parks, Environment and Heritage Protection.

Some positions may be revised depending on the outcome of the South Brisbane by-election.

Media contacts: 0417 789 208 or 0459 162 226

Jackie has lived in the South Brisbane electorate for nearly 40 years – she is a born and bred local.

Jackie grew up in East Brisbane where her parent owned and ran the local fruit shop. Jackie currently lives in West End with her husband Damien and their two sons, Leo and Vincent.

“I am honoured to be the ALP Candidate for South Brisbane. I am passionate about my local community and delivering for local residents and because I want to help to rebuild and restore the Labor Party in the Queensland Parliament.

I know there is a very tough road ahead for the Labor Party in Queensland however I have never been afraid of hard work and in doing what I believe is right.” Jackie said

Jackie is actively involved in community groups, kindergartens and child care centres in her local area and is currently the President of Scott Street C&K.

Jackie has considerable experience in public policy and was a public servant in education and disability policy for a number of years in Queensland.

“I want to work with local residents to improve local services while preserving what makes this community a very special place.” Jackie said

“As a mother of two boys, it is important to me that we have the very best education services in our schools and that we protect our local environment for the future. I also know that South Brisbane faces a tough time over the next few years with population pressure and increasing development. This development must be sustainable and I will work hard to get the balance right.”

I will work hard to represent the interest of the South Brisbane community hold the inflated Newman Government to account.” Jackie said

QUEENSLAND Labor has been a boom or bust party for the past 55 years – unfortunately more bust than boom over this period, with devastating losses in 1957, 1974 and last Saturday followed by lengthy periods in opposition.

The most common question I have been asked since Saturday is, does this mean Labor is out of power for three terms? My response is there doesn’t have to be a timeframe on how long this will take.

The lifecycle of a government is getting shorter. John Howard lasted 11 years and the Bracks and Brumby governments the same – both were generally considered competent administrations.

In Queensland, Labor hadn’t lost a general election since 1986. It is hard to see an extraordinary run like this occurring again. The demands of the media cycle mean that governments age quicker than they used to. The shorter electoral terms in Queensland also add to the wear and tear a government faces.

The task for Labor in Queensland is not to sit around and wait for the LNP administration to be on the nose and then capitalise with a time-for-a-change campaign as we have seen across Victoria, NSW and Queensland with the demise of long-term Labor governments.

For Labor to be successful at the state level again, we need to define the Labor way of governing a state jurisdiction. If the battle for control of a state is around service delivery, it means all we will be doing is sitting back and waiting for our opponents to make mistakes. Our recovery needs to be policy led and it needs to ensure there are still ideological differences in play within state politics.

So much of these battles is being left behind with increasing federalism. Traditional state battlegrounds like industrial relations and health are not as impactful due to the increasing powers handed to the Commonwealth.

For Queensland Labor to rebuild and recover, we need to ensure there are significant policy differences between Labor and the Conservatives across these fields.

You only have to look at the depth and variation of the swings against Labor to understand why this needs to be a policy-led recovery. The biggest primary swings away from us were in the traditional working-class areas of Ipswich and Logan, where the swing was 20 per cent. Clearly Labor had significant problems among its base.

The smallest swings against the party were recorded in the inner-city ring of seats Ashgrove, Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane Central, Greenslopes and Bulimba, where the average primary swing against was just 7 per cent.

There is clearly a growing disconnect between traditional blue-collar Labor voters in the outer suburbs and inner-city “progressive” Labor voters. To form majority Labor governments at any level of government, we need to secure the votes of both traditional blue-collar Labor voters and progressive inner-city voters.

Labor must develop policies that appeal to both groups of voters. We just can’t rely on our opponents driving those groups to vote Labor, we need to win them back on our own policy merits about what we stand for.

Obviously, the decision around asset sales drove a deep stake through the heart of those traditional Labor voters. We must focus on rebuilding that trust and developing policies that work to do this.

The longer Labor was in government, the more disconnected party members and supporters became from decisions by their government.

In opposition, we must build this up again. A strong membership and supporter base connected to the communities they live in with a meaningful say in policy direction will ensure the party rebuilds strongly and quickly.

This is the task that confronts Labor in Queensland. We can’t set a timeframe on how long it will take us but those people who depend on Labor governments mean we don’t have a second to waste.

It has been encouraging to see the determination of our new leader Annastacia Palaszczuk and her caucus to take on this task and I know there are thousands of branch members and Labor supporters out there who want to play their part.

Party reform is integral to giving a more meaningful say to branch members and I am sure this will be a powerful topic at party forums.

The challenge for Labor is to create an environment to ensure branch members and Labor supporters play their part in this rebuilding process.

This article appeared in the Courier Mail on Friday 30th of March 2012. 

This $1 million will continue the successful Healthy Country Program to improve rural management practices, restore major water courses and control erosion and sediment from private and public urban developments. This injection builds on more than $4 million already invested this financial year to improve waterway health.

Read the Media Release here: South East Queensland Waterway Health

The new program has been designed by the Department of Education and Training’s Brisbane School of Distance Education to cater for kindy-aged children who could not regularly attend a centre-based kindergarten program. This includes children who live in rural and remote communities as well as those with medical conditions or travelling throughout Australia with working parents or on extended overseas stays

The new e-Kindy program will include extensive online resources, parent information, iPad applications, USBs, interactive CDs and DVDs and opportunities for children to interact face-to-face with other children and their early childhood teacher. This purpose-built program is a ground-breaking initiative for early childhood distance education.

Read the Media Release here: Queensland Develops Pioneering e-Kindy Program

That’s why we’re investing a $1.9 million as part of the latest round of Safer Roads Sooner funding, delivering a further six projects in addition to the rest stop. These include:

• $500,000 to improve the entrances and exits to the Peak Creek rest area on the Diamantina Developmental Road, resulting in improved sight distances. This project will include widening the road, with improved roadside delineation, pavement, signage and drainage.
• $350,000 to deliver bridge barriers and guardrails on approaches to the Gilbert River crossing on the Gulf Developmental Road between Croydon and Georgetown
• $200,000 to deliver bridge barriers and guardrails on the Gulf Developmental Road at McMillan Creek – Einasleigh
• $170,000 to deliver bridge barriers and guardrails on the Gulf Developmental Road at Junction Creek, Mount Surprise
• $85,000 to deliver safety improvements for the Chirnside Street – Manuka Street intersection in Winton, including kerb relocation to improve the vehicle path and safety linemarking to warn motorists to Give Way.
• $75,000 to install more guideposts along the Eyre Developmental Road between Bedourie and Birdsville.

Read the Media Release here: Mount Isa Roads