Queensland is set to go to the polls in an election with more significance than most.If a week is a long time in politics then try four years, the new mandatory term decided by referendum in 2016.
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Labor has won 10 of the 11 state elections since 1989. Campbell Newman won the solitary victory for the LNP in 2012 though somehow managed to lose an unloseable election in 2015 losing his own seat to Kate Jones. Ms Jones was touted as a future leader so it was a shock to hear she won't contest again this time.
I suspect Labor will hang on, with most Queenslanders supporting Ms Palaszczuk in her hardline response to keeping the borders closed to COVID.
Despite her big announcement last week to spend half a billion duplicating the Bruce Hwy opposition leader Deb Frecklington has largely failed to cut through.
That Bruce Hwy play is especially geared towards the battleground seats in the north of the state but if seats are to change hands the winners may not be the LNP but the Katter's Australian Party.
The KAP won three seats in 2017 and will be confident of retaining all three in 2020. If Labor does lose seats the KAP could get the balance of power.
That will put the spotlight firmly on Traeger MP Robbie Katter.
Renominating a few months ago Mr Katter wants key investments in water, power, health and living affordability.
They would establish a North Queensland Future Fund, financed by the State Government's $5 billion Queensland Future Fund, to identify and build major infrastructure projects in the North including big dams such as Hell's Gates Dam and Big Rocks Weir.
He also wants the electricity transformer project CopperString 2.0 to connect the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market which will increase the longer-term viability of the Mount Isa copper smelter.
There is some action happening on all these things and more federally if his father Bob Katter gets his way with tomorrow's federal budget.
If the KAP fits, they will wear it regardless of who form government on October 31.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
