OPPORTUNITY MISSED BY LIBS ON LAW AND ORDER
TOWNSVILLE’S three marginal seats were ripe for the LNP’S picking, yet they failed to cut through in a devastating result for the party that will require deep examination. Coronavirus and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s admirable management of the pandemic played a major role in Queensland Labor’s return to government. As a general rule voters tend to stick with incumbents during times of crisis.
But the swings toward the government in Townsville speak of deeper problems within the LNP and a failure, or inability, for the party to resonate well enough at state level.
There is no denying that Townsville struggles with law and order, spates of shocking break-ins, car thefts and the like.
This is not new. It has come up at every federal, state, and local government election held here since the early 2000s.
In fact former Herbert MP Peter Lindsay, a Liberal, is credited as the original author of the tough on law and order election rhetoric back in the 2004 federal election.
The LNP campaigned in Townsville, throughout the last term, as the party that would be ‘ tough on crime’. It held numerous crime forums and town hall meetings that became echo chambers of outrage.
Yet when it came time to offer a solution, all the party could come up with was a police helicopter and an illthought out youth curfew plan. It’s the same plan the party had first announced at the 2017 election, which it also lost.
Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. Naivety is assuming lessons from this election will see less weaponisation of law and order for political gain.
Looking forward, Townsville’s three Labor MPS, now with Les Walker among their ranks, must advocate for the best interests of the region.
The Premier, who made a point this campaign of paying particular attention to Townsville, must not forget the region that helped install her for four more years.
As one Labor member described, the seats in this city are “tighter than a fish’s a---hole” at nearly every election.
But North Queenslanders do reward effective MPS who put in the hard yards. This is evident in the election results in the Burdekin and Hinchinbrook.