David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Boswell for the question and congratulate him on his initiative and leadership in taking up the baton on behalf of rural and regional Queenslanders who are having their lives turned upside down by this crazy proposal of the Queensland Premier to amalgamate local councils. The federal Labor spin doctors are very hard at work and in full damage control over this issue to the point of issuing a full-page newspaper advertisement in Central Queensland attacking the Beattie government over planned council amalgamations. Here we have federal Labor attacking a Labor premier.

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating was absolutely right: this is a spin driven opposition. It is utterly focus group motivated. The focus group results and the latest polling information have obviously shown the spin team in the opposition that this is a significant issue. They did not need to look at focus group research because Senator Boswell and other Queensland government members have been shouting from the rooftops about this crazy Beattie proposal ever since it was proposed in April. The spin campaign has an advertisement in Central Queensland News on 8 June with the Labor candidate for the new federal seat of Flynn appearing with the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Kevin Rudd, urging the Premier to change his mind. This is how the Leader of the Opposition talks to his own state’s Premier: through an advertisement. Surely if he was worth any salt at all he would be able to say to the Queensland Premier, ‘This is not the way to go.’ But no, he has to run an advertisement; he has to try to pretend to the world—at least until after the federal election—that this proposal is not what he wants. That is what it is about: the phoney spin campaign, a smokescreen, painting a broadbrush picture that completely misrepresents things.

The Labor candidate in Flynn said that he is not sure if the amalgamation issue caused Labor support in Queensland to drop in the latest opinion poll, but he says people are concerned. People are saying it is an issue for them and that they will seriously consider this issue when the federal election rolls around. Oh dear! And so the Leader of the Opposition must talk to the Queensland Premier via an advertisement. The unrest in rural Queensland over this proposal to amalgamate local councils is gathering momentum and is the issue in rural and regional Queensland. The arbitrary and unilateral way that the Beattie government has determined that 83 of the state’s local councils are financially weak is a cause for great concern. This is being set up for a classic backdown. It will be advertised; you will read about it because the Leader of the Opposition, as we all know, does not get on with the Queensland Premier. They are longstanding disgruntled participants in a number of former ALP stoushes. We will stay tuned and Senator Boswell will keep us in tune with future advertisements as to this crazy proposal.