Why I believe state’s best days are ahead of us
ON 25 November I will be asking the people of Cairns and Far North Queensland for their support so my government can continue working with, and for them.
Queenslanders now have a choice to make between a stable Labor Party government with a solid track record of delivery or a chaotic and risky rabble comprising the LNP and One Nation.
I promised Queenslanders there was a better way and as Premier I have led a government that’s proved it.
We have governed for all Queenslanders and all parts of Queensland.
My government Labor has a clear vision for Queensland and the experience, drive, and commitment to deliver it.
Our economic plan and three State Budgets in surplus have already seen growth up, jobs up, confidence up, and our unemployment rate down.
We have cut our unemployment rate and created 122,500 net new jobs. The 5.6% unemployment rate for the Cairns region is the lowest for nearly nine years, with 9,300 net new jobs created in Cairns under my government. We are restoring frontline services cut by the LNP – in our hospitals, our schools and in our communities.
In Cairns and the Far North we have employed more than 500 doctors, nurses, and other health professionals on the frontline. We funded the new Cairns Special School – something the LNP refused to do.
We are delivering major projects such as the Smithfield Bypass, investing in the Port of Cairns, expanding the Cairns Convention Centre, and establishing a Global Tourism Hub.
Queenslanders know that what I promise, I deliver, because I keep my commitments.
We have already delivered will highlight Mr Nicholls’ roll as part of the troika of leadership, along with Campbell Newman and Jeff Seeney, in the last government,” Dr Salisbury said.
“He carries some baggage and even since he took over the leadership, that has hurt him, after Mr Newman made some statements about how big of a role Mr Nicholls played in the asset sales policy.”
Dr Salisbury said voters needed to look to Mr Nicholls’ work as treasurer and Opposition Leader to understand his leadership style.
Griffith University state politics expert Paul Williams said voters preferred consultation but still wanted decision making.
He said voter preference for consultation or decisiveness often followed the south-east versus regional Queensland split.
“Voters outside the southeast 505 or 91% of our 553 specific commitments made to Queenslanders at the last election.
My Government has made a strong start on repairing the damage done by Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls.
We have kept our electricity assets in public ownership to ensure our electricity supplies are secure and power prices are stable. We are working with business and industry to lift investment and innovation and create jobs now and for the future.
While we have achieved much, there is much more work to do. Queensland’s best days are ahead of us.
Our State is well positioned prefer more decisiveness than those in Brisbane,” he said.
“But the problem is politically that crash-or-crash-through style of government has a very short shelf life.
“We saw it with Campbell Newman. You don’t consult with groups and they start to band together against you, they start talking in the media for prosperity and jobs growth.
But it won’t fall into our lap. It will require focus, hard work and stability to take advantage of the opportunities before us.
We have a clear vision for Queensland and the drive and commitment to deliver it.
What we have achieved and what we have planned would be put at risk if there was a cobbled together LNP-One Nation government that would send our great State backwards.
An LNP-One Nation government will privatise our assets. They will weaken gun ownership laws. They will retreat on important health initiatives like vaccination. They will cut frontline services. They will and the voters turn away.”
Dr Williams said the Labor Government had failed to sell the number of policy commitments it had completed.
“The sorts of things this government has achieved – like expunging criminal records for homosexuality, or removing 17year-olds from adult prisons – these aren’t the things families talk about around the dinner table when they are struggling to pay their power bills,” he said.
“But they have managed to achieve a lot of their agenda despite the hung parliament and being hamstrung by some pretty patchy ministers and MPs.
“But when this government was elected none of us thought they would last a full term. At every scandal we thought ‘this will bring it down’. But here we are.” walk away from protecting the Great Barrier Reef. And they will not fight for our fair share of the GST from Canberra.
Queensland is at its best when we all work together. Our greatest asset is our people. We saw that in our response to Tropical Cyclone Debbie. I draw my inspiration from Queenslanders every day.
I ask Queenslanders to once again place their trust in my Government to put in place our plans for continued economic growth; more jobs now and in the future; for new investment; to continue protecting our environment; to steer our state to new frontiers; and to put Queensland first.