Listen to message from Qld: Chalmers

LABOR’S most senior Queenslander, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers, has told his colleagues they have ignored the Sunshine State for too long and must heed the message sent by voters who shunned them.

As Anthony Albanese assembles his new front bench today in Brisbane, Dr Chalmers declared Labor needed to overhaul policies that cost the party seats in Queensland.

“We’d be crazy to ignore one of the big messages out of the election which is that Queenslanders want their views to be more prominent in our party and its policies,” Dr Chalmers said.

“They sent us and we heard it.

“Getting the shadow ministry together in Brisbane is the start of fixing that problem, not an end in itself.”

Dr Chalmers, who considered running for the leadership, has risen rapidly in Labor’s ranks to the treasury portfolio where he will be in charge of overhauling some of the most contentious tax policies that were rejected by voters.

Shadow cabinet is to begin this process today, which is the first opportunity for front benchers to discuss how to review the most contentious policies on negative gearing and franking credits.

Options on the table include whether to run these reviews internally or externally as well as the length of time to allow before jettisoning the most unpopular measures.

Multiple Labor sources said the meeting, which will include outer shadow ministers, will likely canvass initial feedback on why the party fared so poorly in Queensland.

Mr Albanese has promoted five Queenslanders to his front bench, which is more than half the current nine in the Caucus, after Labor lost two seats and is likely to be down one Senator.

He has also told front benchers he wants them to travel frequently to regional Queensland. a message