Negative feelings on future

SENTIMENT in Queensland has plunged in the past three months, with the mood particularly dark in the regions.

The latest Galaxy Queensland Index survey shows statewide sentiment in barely positive territory.

At a net reading of just +1, it is down sharply from the previous +9 result in the November quarterly poll. What the survey highlights is the deep divide between the southeast corner of the state and the rest of Queensland.

Asked whether they believe the state is “heading in the right direction”, only 34 per cent of respondents in the regions answered yes, while 47 per cent said “no”.

The story is markedly different in Brisbane and surrounding districts, where 48 per cent of people took an optimistic view of where the state is heading, against only 36 per cent be- lieving we are going in the wrong direction.

According to Galaxy principal David Briggs: “Those outside the southeast are feeling they’re missing out on development opportunities.

“You’ve got a reasonably unpopular Labor government, and that with the Brexit and Trump developments has tended to increase the antiestablishment vote.”

Economist Gene Tunny contends that while Brisbane and the southeast are doing fairly well – boosted by strong construction activity, retail sales, and spending associated with the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast – many regions face a long-term structural shift.

Prices of key Queensland exports such as coal, LNG, sugar and beef have recovered strongly from recent lows, but the jobs that might normally be associated with such a rebound are not there.