Jobs, power and safety matter more than casinos and rail
THE view in the North is simple – the jobs rhetoric is tiring the unemployed, small businesses and farmers are being hammered by power prices and families are becoming too scared to let their children play outside.
It’s a different playing field in North Queensland compared with the southeast, where casinos and billion- dollar rail lines are being prom- ised. And that’s because the State Government’s focus for too long has been on the metropolitan area.
They have the necessities for a comfortable lifestyle.
But in Townsville it’s taken three decades to secure basic water security.
It’s taken more than a year of out- of- control crime, which has left innocent people injured, frightened and out of pocket, to convince politicians that something needs to be done. And it has taken local families, who have built up small businesses over generations, to close before energy policies were proposed to help ease the burden of electricity bills.
Politicians have flocked to the North over the past month to pitch ambitious plans that they hope will secure them a future in George St.
But the major parties’ pledges – which at times have appeared desperate – are not convincing Townsville voters.
The capital of the North was always going to be a highprofile battleground, with both the LNP and Labor having readied their ammunition for the resurgence of minority parties.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation’s strength across Burdekin, Thuringowa and Hinchinbrook is both unsurprising to those frustrated by political correctness and startling to Townsville’s traditional left- leaning voters.
The party’s rise across North Queensland has taken shape despite minimal policy announcements during this election and Ms Hanson, while a federal senator, has only visited the region once.
Their unpolished and unscripted appearances in regional centres have resonated with fair- dinkum Queenslanders who are working hard to make a living.
One Nation’s image of standing up for the battler has resonated with North Queenslanders.
The latest Galaxy Poll re- vealed the party had 20 per cent primary support in the state’s regional areas.
Labor is relying on continued backing from its traditional supporter base in Townsville to retain the seat for Scott Stewart.
The LNP’s relentless, yearlong campaigning has shaken up Mundingburra, where Coralee O’Rourke is under pressure. There isn’t a great deal of certainty ahead of today, only that none of Townsville’s three Labor- held seats are safe.