Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The great state of Queensland will be making a decision in the next couple of months on who will run that fantastic state economy, which currently ranks fifth out of the eight jurisdictions in Australia on the Commonwealth Bank's State of the States report. This shows how much Queensland has suffered understand a do-nothing, small target Labor administration. I guess there is a truism in politics, isn't there, that a do-nothing Premier usually gets a second term? That is definitely what this Labor administration is banking on in Queensland. They can choose the election date whenever they choose—the fight will occur. You will find that all parties will be very ready to stand in judgement, as will the people of Queensland. They will judge on three things: power prices; jobs for their families; and whether there has been investment in road infrastructure, which is fundamental to the productivity of a great state like Queensland.

Decentralised as Queensland is, its free-standing, strong, thriving regional cities respect and understand the importance of jobs. We will be judging a Labor government that basically switched off the economy on Stradbroke Island to keep the greenies happy. They switched off mining because they couldn't chew gum and walk at the same time. There couldn't possibly be sandmining on Stradbroke as well as promoting ecotourism and Indigenous-run national parks. Do you know what? This great island is capable of being more than just one thing, more than being a scapegoat for Labor's attitude of 'whatever it takes to get a Green preference'.

On power bills, you might remember the famous caricature of former premier Peter Beattie—not a bad bloke—in which his face had been turned into a power point. Well, place that same image on top of the Labor Premier who happily skimmed $1.5 billion out of the pockets of Queensland householders in inflated power bills, which are 30 per cent higher than those in the rest of the country. It is appalling that air conditioners are not able to be switched on. Even more appalling—a bit like a corner store owner who has been ripping off kids for years—is offering to give a bit of the rip-off back and asking to be thanked for it. They reach into someone's pocket habitually and skim off the profits and use it to cover up bloated public servant agreements they have drawn up in order to get more votes and more union members. They are about to be exposed for having done that.

Lastly, investment in roads, which is vitally important, hasn't happened for years. This is a state that has not invested in roads, having had long-term Labor administrations that preferred to skim the money and put it into areas of frivolity for them rather than into necessities for Queenslanders.