Politics of Queensland
Encyclopedia
The politics of Queensland has several unique features with respect to other states in Australia
including a unicameral legislature.
. Thus the Queen of Australia is head of state of the Commonwealth but also head of state of Queensland. The Queen is represented in the state by the Governor, currently Penelope Wensley
. The Governor appoints the Premier
(currently Anna Bligh
) and members of Cabinet from the majority party in the Legislative Assembly.
. The Legislative Assembly
has 89 members and sits in Parliament House, Brisbane
.
The result of the Queensland state election, 2009
was the gained ALP 51 seats, with the LNP gaining 34, and Independents 4.
, Trial Division, is the highest original jurisdiction, and the Court of Appeal is the highest appellate jurisdiction
within Queensland. The current Chief Justice is Paul de Jersey
. The High Court of Australia
hears appeals from the Court of Appeal.
These conditions have had notable practical ramifications for politics in Queensland. The lack of an upper house
for substantial legislative review has meant that Queensland has had a tradition of domination by strong-willed, populist
Premiers, often with arguably authoritarian tendencies, holding office for long periods.
In the past, the focus on rural and regional interests meant that the state was a National Party
stronghold. The long-standing conservative coalition in Australia has recently been dominated by the Liberal Party
, with the Nationals in a subsidiary position. The reverse is true in Queensland, with the Queensland division of the Liberal Party often fighting the Nationals for control of electorates.
, with Rob Borbidge
becoming Premier.
In stark contrast to that of some of his predecessors, Borbidge's government was not markedly domineering. However, controversies such as public service
purges, disputes with the Criminal Justice Commission, and other scandals did do some damage to the government.
Events were superseded by the meteoric rise of controversial federal politician Pauline Hanson
. Especially popular in her native Queensland, Hanson's decision to form her own political party (Pauline Hanson's One Nation) was greeted with apprehension by all the other parties, in particular the Nationals striving to maintain their rural conservative heartland. In 1998 A bitter dispute broke out within and between the Liberal and National parties over whether One Nation candidates should be ranked lower on how to vote cards than Labor candidates. Eventually, the Nationals decided to place Labor behind One Nation. This move backfired spectacularly in the election, with the urban Liberal vote deserting to Labor and an unexpectedly high One Nation primary vote giving the party 11 seats in Parliament. Labor attained 44 seats, one short of a majority, and achieved government with the support of Cunningham and new independent Peter Wellington
.
The new minority government managed to secure itself a majority in a by-election and was dominated overwhelmingly by the always-smiling self confessed "media tart" Peter Beattie. A major controversy broke in 2001 on the eve of the election, when a number of very prominent Labor Party figures were implicated in rorting internal preselection and party ballots. The subsequent Shepardson Commission of Inquiry was widely expected to destroy the government. Beattie immediately undertook a purge, taking the opportunity to dispatch several factional enemies, and promised a "cleanskin" approach.
To the surprise of many, Beattie's public contrition was overwhelmingly popular, and in contrast to its previous tenuous hold on power, the government won a massive majority of 66 seats, with the Liberal Party being reduced to only three seats in Parliament.
In February 2004, The Beattie Labor team was again returned to Government with 63 seats, National Party 15 seats, the Liberal Party 5 seats, 1 One Nation and 5 independents. This election saw the continual decline of the once conspicuous One Nation party from 3 seats in 2001 and 11 seats in 1998. It also saw the entrenched status of the Queensland Labor Party with its untouchable majority, despite allegations of bullying by senior Ministers, improper private use of public vehicles, the "Wingate" affair involving first-time Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Liddy Clark, and the Government's repeated use of Freedom of Information laws to prevent the publication of potentially damaging information. Some notable outcomes of the 2004 election were the unseating of Labor Minister, Merri Rose, with a swing of 15% following her involvement in the use of a government vehicle by her son for private purposes, and the victory in former National Party Premier Rob Borbidge's seat, Surfers Paradise, by the Liberal Candidate, John-Paul Langbroek. Following the 2004 election, the National and Liberal parties ended their coalition and the Liberal party became a minor party on the back benches.
2005 saw a similar landscape for Queensland politics as 2004: increasing allegations that the Labor Government lacked accountability and that the Queensland Opposition lacks ability to hold the Government to account. The once unstoppable National-Liberal coalition remained in tatters as the parties continued their war of words over who held the greatest chance of electoral success in the one-time National Party heartland of the Gold Coast. The Liberal Party was adamant that it had better electoral prospects by distancing itself from the National party despite the National Party holding three times as many seats. The Premier instigated an independent inquiry into allegations of medical malpractice at Bundaberg Hospital, and in particular the circumstances behind the engagement of the unqualified doctor, Jayant Patel, more popularly known as "Dr Death", whose involvement was linked to numerous deaths at the hospital. Opposition parties and community groups protested that the terms of reference were narrow, avoiding investigation into broader allegations of maladministration of Queensland Health and bullying of departmental employees.
The resignations of Deputy Premier Terry Mackenroth
and Speaker Ray Hollis
triggered by-election
s in the electorates of Chatsworth
and Redcliffe
on 20 August 2005. Both of the formerly safe Labor seats were lost and Liberal candidates Michael Caltabiano
and Terry Rogers
were elected as the new members for Chatsworth and Redcliffe respectively.
Following the announcement that Nita Cunningham would be retiring because of cancer, Premier Beattie called a general election for 9 September 2006.http://events.generate.qld.gov.au/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=592 The Coalition failed to promote a united team under Lawrence Springborg
MP, ready to assume government following a failed attempt to merge to the National Party into the Queensland Liberal Party earlier in the year. With the election due to be called any day, the Liberal Party surprised the public by ejecting long standing leader, Bob Quinn
, and electing Bruce Flegg
MP as leader of the Liberal Party.
The election campaign commenced badly for the Coalition when in the opening days Flegg was unable to clearly articulate the Coalition position should the Liberals achieve a majority in their party upon winning government, and continued with numerous gaffes which were keenly covered by the media. The Coalition found it difficult to gain momentum after these initial blunders and despite a number of real issues to take the Government to task over concerning infrastructure, the health system and water, the media remained focused on the personal leadership skills of the Coalition's front men. The ALP campaigned on the theme of a solid leadership team and this was overwhelming endorsed at the polls.
The Queensland Parliament has the highest female parliamentary representation in Australia and the third highest in the world.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
including a unicameral legislature.
Executive
Like the other Australian states, Queensland is a dual-level constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
. Thus the Queen of Australia is head of state of the Commonwealth but also head of state of Queensland. The Queen is represented in the state by the Governor, currently Penelope Wensley
Penelope Wensley
Penelope "Penny" Anne Wensley, AC is the Governor of Queensland and a former Australian diplomat.Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, she was educated at Penrith High School in New South Wales, the Rosa Bassett School in London , and the University of Queensland where she graduated with a first class...
. The Governor appoints the Premier
Premiers of Queensland
Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
(currently Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
) and members of Cabinet from the majority party in the Legislative Assembly.
Legislature
Queensland is the only Australian State to have a unicameral ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. The Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
has 89 members and sits in Parliament House, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
.
The result of the Queensland state election, 2009
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
was the gained ALP 51 seats, with the LNP gaining 34, and Independents 4.
Judiciary
The Supreme Court of QueenslandSupreme Court of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior court for the Australian State of Queensland and sits around the middle of the Australian court hierarchy...
, Trial Division, is the highest original jurisdiction, and the Court of Appeal is the highest appellate jurisdiction
Appellate jurisdiction
Appellate jurisdiction is the power of the Supreme Court to review decisions and change outcomes of decisions of lower courts. Most appellate jurisdiction is legislatively created, and may consist of appeals by leave of the appellate court or by right...
within Queensland. The current Chief Justice is Paul de Jersey
Paul de Jersey
Paul de Jersey, AC, QC was appointed Chief Justice on 17 February 1998 of the Supreme Court of Queensland, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Queensland.-Education:...
. The High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
hears appeals from the Court of Appeal.
Idiosyncrasies
There are several factors that differentiate Queensland's government from other Australian states:- the legislature has no upper houseUpper houseAn upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
; - for a large portion of its history, the state was under a gerrymander that heavily favoured rural electorates. This, combined with the already decentralised nature of Queensland, meant that politics has been dominated by regional interests;
- Queensland operates a balloting system known as Optional Preferential VotingOptional Preferential VotingOptional Preferential Voting is a system of vote-casting used in the states of Queensland and New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. Most Australian elections are run under full-preference preferential voting, where all candidates must be numbered in order of the preference of the...
, which renders the predominant Australian electoral system, the instant runoff voting system, closer to a first past the post ballot, which some say is to the detriment of minor parties.
These conditions have had notable practical ramifications for politics in Queensland. The lack of an upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
for substantial legislative review has meant that Queensland has had a tradition of domination by strong-willed, populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
Premiers, often with arguably authoritarian tendencies, holding office for long periods.
In the past, the focus on rural and regional interests meant that the state was a National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
stronghold. The long-standing conservative coalition in Australia has recently been dominated by the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, with the Nationals in a subsidiary position. The reverse is true in Queensland, with the Queensland division of the Liberal Party often fighting the Nationals for control of electorates.
Recent history
The dramatic collapse in support for the Goss Government resulted in its returning from the 1995 general election with a majority of only one seat. This in turn was subsequently lost after the controversial and closely fought Mundingburra by-election. The Nationals formed minority government after securing the support of independent Liz CunninghamLiz Cunningham
Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Cunningham is an Australian politician. She has been an independent member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 1995, representing the electorate of Gladstone...
, with Rob Borbidge
Rob Borbidge
Robert Edward Borbidge AO , Australian politician, was the 35th Premier of Queensland, and leader of the Queensland branch of the National Party...
becoming Premier.
In stark contrast to that of some of his predecessors, Borbidge's government was not markedly domineering. However, controversies such as public service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
purges, disputes with the Criminal Justice Commission, and other scandals did do some damage to the government.
Events were superseded by the meteoric rise of controversial federal politician Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson
Pauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician and former leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a political party with a populist and anti-multiculturalism platform...
. Especially popular in her native Queensland, Hanson's decision to form her own political party (Pauline Hanson's One Nation) was greeted with apprehension by all the other parties, in particular the Nationals striving to maintain their rural conservative heartland. In 1998 A bitter dispute broke out within and between the Liberal and National parties over whether One Nation candidates should be ranked lower on how to vote cards than Labor candidates. Eventually, the Nationals decided to place Labor behind One Nation. This move backfired spectacularly in the election, with the urban Liberal vote deserting to Labor and an unexpectedly high One Nation primary vote giving the party 11 seats in Parliament. Labor attained 44 seats, one short of a majority, and achieved government with the support of Cunningham and new independent Peter Wellington
Peter Wellington
Peter Wellington is an Independent member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, for the Electoral district of Nicklin. Wellington, along with fellow independent Liz Cunningham, briefly held the balance in power following the 1998 state election...
.
The new minority government managed to secure itself a majority in a by-election and was dominated overwhelmingly by the always-smiling self confessed "media tart" Peter Beattie. A major controversy broke in 2001 on the eve of the election, when a number of very prominent Labor Party figures were implicated in rorting internal preselection and party ballots. The subsequent Shepardson Commission of Inquiry was widely expected to destroy the government. Beattie immediately undertook a purge, taking the opportunity to dispatch several factional enemies, and promised a "cleanskin" approach.
To the surprise of many, Beattie's public contrition was overwhelmingly popular, and in contrast to its previous tenuous hold on power, the government won a massive majority of 66 seats, with the Liberal Party being reduced to only three seats in Parliament.
In February 2004, The Beattie Labor team was again returned to Government with 63 seats, National Party 15 seats, the Liberal Party 5 seats, 1 One Nation and 5 independents. This election saw the continual decline of the once conspicuous One Nation party from 3 seats in 2001 and 11 seats in 1998. It also saw the entrenched status of the Queensland Labor Party with its untouchable majority, despite allegations of bullying by senior Ministers, improper private use of public vehicles, the "Wingate" affair involving first-time Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Liddy Clark, and the Government's repeated use of Freedom of Information laws to prevent the publication of potentially damaging information. Some notable outcomes of the 2004 election were the unseating of Labor Minister, Merri Rose, with a swing of 15% following her involvement in the use of a government vehicle by her son for private purposes, and the victory in former National Party Premier Rob Borbidge's seat, Surfers Paradise, by the Liberal Candidate, John-Paul Langbroek. Following the 2004 election, the National and Liberal parties ended their coalition and the Liberal party became a minor party on the back benches.
2005 saw a similar landscape for Queensland politics as 2004: increasing allegations that the Labor Government lacked accountability and that the Queensland Opposition lacks ability to hold the Government to account. The once unstoppable National-Liberal coalition remained in tatters as the parties continued their war of words over who held the greatest chance of electoral success in the one-time National Party heartland of the Gold Coast. The Liberal Party was adamant that it had better electoral prospects by distancing itself from the National party despite the National Party holding three times as many seats. The Premier instigated an independent inquiry into allegations of medical malpractice at Bundaberg Hospital, and in particular the circumstances behind the engagement of the unqualified doctor, Jayant Patel, more popularly known as "Dr Death", whose involvement was linked to numerous deaths at the hospital. Opposition parties and community groups protested that the terms of reference were narrow, avoiding investigation into broader allegations of maladministration of Queensland Health and bullying of departmental employees.
The resignations of Deputy Premier Terry Mackenroth
Terry Mackenroth
Terence Michael "Terry" Mackenroth is a former Queensland Australian Labor Party politician, serving almost 28 years with a notable parliamentary service history and a number of ministerial roles including Treasurer and Deputy Premier....
and Speaker Ray Hollis
Ray Hollis
Raymond Keith "Ray" Hollis is a former Australian politician. Born in London, England, he migrated to Australia in 1962 as a merchant seaman and worked in a variety of occupations, including a railway worker, cook, paper mill operator, insurance salesman and a position with the Victorian...
triggered by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s in the electorates of Chatsworth
Electoral district of Chatsworth
The district of Chatsworth is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. The electorate is centred on the south-eastern suburbs of Brisbane and stretches north to Tingalpa, west to Carina Heights, east to Tingalpa Creek and south to Bulimba...
and Redcliffe
Electoral district of Redcliffe
The district of Redcliffe is a Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral division in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The division encompasses suburbs to the north and northeast of Brisbane, including Redcliffe, Woody Point, Scarborough, Clontarf and Margate, as well as parts of Kippa-Ring...
on 20 August 2005. Both of the formerly safe Labor seats were lost and Liberal candidates Michael Caltabiano
Michael Caltabiano
Michael Caltabiano is an Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party member of the Brisbane City Council from 1996 to 2005, and a Liberal member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2006....
and Terry Rogers
Terry Rogers (Australian politician)
Terence Walter "Terry" Rogers is a former Australian politician. Born in Ipswich, he was a Chartered Accountant and bank officer before entering politics. A member of the Liberal Party, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 2005 in a by-election for the seat of Redcliffe, after...
were elected as the new members for Chatsworth and Redcliffe respectively.
Following the announcement that Nita Cunningham would be retiring because of cancer, Premier Beattie called a general election for 9 September 2006.http://events.generate.qld.gov.au/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=592 The Coalition failed to promote a united team under Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence James Springborg is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party...
MP, ready to assume government following a failed attempt to merge to the National Party into the Queensland Liberal Party earlier in the year. With the election due to be called any day, the Liberal Party surprised the public by ejecting long standing leader, Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn
Bob, Rob, or Robert Quinn may refer to:* Bob Quinn * Bob Quinn , American baseball executive* Bob Quinn , his grandson, American baseball executive...
, and electing Bruce Flegg
Bruce Flegg
Dr Bruce Flegg is the Queensland Shadow Ministerfor Education, Training and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and the Member for Moggill having been elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and 2009....
MP as leader of the Liberal Party.
The election campaign commenced badly for the Coalition when in the opening days Flegg was unable to clearly articulate the Coalition position should the Liberals achieve a majority in their party upon winning government, and continued with numerous gaffes which were keenly covered by the media. The Coalition found it difficult to gain momentum after these initial blunders and despite a number of real issues to take the Government to task over concerning infrastructure, the health system and water, the media remained focused on the personal leadership skills of the Coalition's front men. The ALP campaigned on the theme of a solid leadership team and this was overwhelming endorsed at the polls.
The Queensland Parliament has the highest female parliamentary representation in Australia and the third highest in the world.