2016 a bumpy ride for MPs
Labor hangs on, Palmer bows out, and LNP changes horses
THE question of whether Queensland’s Labor government could hold on plagued 2016.
The year began with questions hovering over the loyalty of Cairns MP Rob Pyne. It ended with one minister under fire for a faltering train system and another stepping down after revelations she had been years behind in her rates and needed the Labor Party to bail her out. But despite its troubles the Palaszczuk government finished the year in power and able to pass legislation the LNP opposed. The Opposition had its share of hard times as well with a leadership change and a federal senator labelling his state LNP colleagues and Labor “mediocre”.
Equal footing
IN THE government’s first year Labor MP Billy Gordon quit the party in disgrace to sit on the crossbench. In March of its second year fellow far north MP Rob Pyne joined him.
Mr Pyne had been a constant pain for the Labor Party – repeatedly calling for investigations into local governments and making statements the government would have preferred he internalised.
But with the government needing every vote, its leader was unable to bring him into line. In March Mr Pyne quit the party to become an independent.
This left the government with an equal number of MPs as the Opposition. But the crossbench, including Mr Pyne and Mr Gordon, continued to support Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government.
Clive’s QNI collapse
AFTER the Queensland Government refused to bail out Clive Palmer’s struggling Queensland Nickel plant in Townsville, the company fired 237 people before entering voluntary administration. The collapse began a big year for Mr Palmer. He did not stand for re-election at the Federal Election and had to testify in Federal Court about how QNI was run. In court Mr Palmer was quizzed about a green notebook that he claimed was a log of six years of QNI meetings – often only consisting of himself.
Lawrie loses leadershiop
IT WASN’T just the Labor government which struggled for stability in 2016.
When the LNP lost the 2015 election, its leader and a historic margin, they turned to the “Father of the LNP” – Southern Downs MP Lawrence Springborg. But after leading the LNP through the first year of opposition Mr Springborg was knifed – as has become the tradition for Australian political leaders – and sent to the backbench. Former LNP government treasurer Tim Nicholls took over as Opposition Leader with Nanango MP Deb Frecklington his deputy.
Jo’s revenge
BUNDAMBA MP Jo-Ann Miller resigned as Police Minister in late 2015. She waited until 2016 Budget Estimates to extract her revenge. Ms Miller requested to sit on every estimates committee to interrogate ministers on their portfolio’s spending.
While her fellow Labor MPs asked prearranged softball questions to ministers, Ms Miller lobbed hand grenades.
For much of the estimates process she did more damage to the government than the Opposition.
But as the government and Opposition remained on the same number of MPs, Ms Miller had the government over a barrel.
If she was reprimanded she could quit. And if she quit it could cost the government power.
Voting changes
WHEN the LNP suggested expanding parliament from 89 to 93 seats with the KAP on board, it had the government trapped. The move would keep more seats in rural areas where the two conservative parties dominate.
But in a political manoeuvre more like House of Cards than George Street, Labor amended the bill to reintroduce compulsory preferential voting – ending the “Just Vote One” campaigns.
The KAP agreed to the amendment as long as the parliament still expanded to 93 members.
Observers and the Opposition condemned the move, which had not been previously suggested or evaluated in a committee. But the unexpected popularity of One Nation at the Federal Election has led to questions about whether the preference system was a good idea for Labor.
Black lung
THE number of Queensland coal miners diagnosed with black lung continued to climb throughout 2016, with the total confirmed cases reaching 16 to date.
A Monash University report into the re-emergence of the disease found there had been a “major system failure at virtually all levels”. The report found “clear deficiencies” in x-ray and lung capacity test reading and reporting. Following the report Queensland’s parliament came within a whisker of establishing a Royal
Commission to find how the disease had been allowed to re-emerge after 30 years without a case. But instead a select parliamentary committee was set up to investigate the disease.
The mine with no coal
A DARLING Downs mine warned it could run out of coal after the reintroduction of water licences for mines. Despite agreeing with the goals of the legislation, miner New Hope said reintroducing water licences would mean the company’s decade-long plan to expand its New Acland mine outside Toowoomba could again be challenged in the courts.
Hundreds of New Hope workers rallied outside Queensland Parliament the week before the vote, calling to be exempted. But they were not successful. The government only exempted mines that had a Land Court decision in their favour.
Donaldson’s demise
WITH two parliamentary sitting weeks left most observers thought Stirling Hinchliffe could be the next minister to fall due to QR’s cancellation of hundreds of services.
Few were expecting Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson to be the one to tender her resignation. But after it emerged the Bundaberg MP was nearly three years behind in her rates and had driven her car when it was unregistered, Ms Donaldson stood in parliament and tendered her resignation. A week later Ms Donaldson said she had suffered depression following the collapse of her marriage. She said depression hit her so hard she did not want to get out of bed – and paying bills fell by the wayside.
Senator’s smackdown
AS THE year wound to a close even politicians in other states were asking how things were tracking in Queensland. When Victorian Liberal Party heavyweight Michael Kroger asked Federal Attorney-General, and LNP senator, George Brandis how the Queensland party was looking, he didn’t hold back. Not realising he was being broadcast Mr Brandis described his state colleagues and the government as “very, very mediocre”. He questioned if the LNP merger would need to be rolled back in the wake of the reintroduction of compulsory preferential voting and rise in One Nation’s popularity.
If she quit, it could cost the government power...