14 thoughts on “The Brilliance of Campbell Newman”

1. John D.: If he gets re-elected, the stewards will call for a swab.
   Then again, it might be a good idea if he does get re-elected because that will give a rocket-boost to the new states movement.
   What will be the name for the new state in North Queensland? Will Herberton or Charters Towers be the new Capital?
   What about the Burnett? Will that join the new state for Capricornia and the Central West? Or will it go with the Darling Downs?
   Will the Lockyer Valley and the Mary River Valley want to be stuck in the rump of what used to be Queensland?
   What if non-contiguous towns, cities and areas want to bug out from what’s left of Newman’s Paradise Of Prosperity as well? “Sorry, madam, we have to book you because this section of the highway is outside Queensland and the road rules are different along this 8 Km. stretch”.

2. My Dad leased a little industrial shed for ten years.
   Amazingly he owned it before, during and after this lease.

   Firstly, he sells OUR assets.

   No, ALP sold, LNP proposes to LEASE

   Then he puts this money in HIS Great Big Pork Barrel.

   ALP put Borrowed ( incurring interest ) money in their Great Big Pork Barrel. Future generations can pay that off, the suckers.
   (please John, disinformation does not become you )

3. Jumpy: I guess if you and I are going to live to 150 now you are right, a 99 yr lease is a bit different from selling. However, given that hardly anyone alive today will be here in 99 years time the “lease” is, for all practical purposes, the same as selling. Even more so given that the “lease” will be paid for as an upfront payment. Newman wants the money in HIS pork barrel, not his successors.

4. GB: If I didn’t have friends in Ashgrove I would suggest that Ashgrove be leased to the new State of Ashgrove until Newman is tossed out, Then there is the state of Callide and…..

5. Jumpy, John’s right, you’ve fallen for the big LEASE con trick.

   In this lease the owner gets no income stream. In effect, it’s a sale.

6. John,
   There were quite a few Islands off the QLD coast that were sold off back in the 80s.
   The only ones they couldn’t flog off were the ones that were in the middle of old 99 year leases.
   Middle Percy Island ( closest thing to Paradise that I’ve ever been on ) was one example.
   Perhaps see it as a 99 year moratorium on the sale of assets.

   Here in Mackay Anna Bligh sold of the airport ( nice little money earner ) to finance a ” Brand New Shiny Hospital ”
   Sounded great.
   But… They demolished the old, perfectly functioning hospital and built the new one in its place.
   A more fully unionised job site than I’ve ever seen.
   Hence the Demolition costs blew out, the construction cost blew out and the total exercise cost far exceeded the airport price.

   ( note to self, trawl through LP archives for ” asset sales ” posts )

7. Jumpy @ 6: I await a Royal Commission into construction tenders and political party activities. Now, exactly what time did they say Hell was going to freeze over?

8. This this Courier article reports that :

   Mr Newman released the costings alongside Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney and Treasurer Tim Nicholls, with the trio revealing unallocated funds had been secreted into department budgets in June to fund the LNP’s campaign promises.

   Roads, sports facilities, training and free driver’s licences over the next four years will all be funded from the $1.3 billion honey pot, which was not specifically detailed anywhere in the Budget.

   “So understanding that there were commitments that were likely to be made, and that there were opportunities in terms of funding initiatives, we have made provision in the Budget documents themselves to be able to do that,’’ Mr Nicholls said.

   “And they are detailed in both the Budget papers themselves and the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Review.

   “So there are, if you like, provisions that are set aside to meet obligations to fund future policy initiatives.”

   Electorate commitments made by LNP MPs, which are contingent on them reclaiming the seats, were not detailed in the 22-page document.
   Mr Nicholls said these promises were contained within specific programs, like Get in the Game, and would be delivered if the MPs were elected.

   The unallocated funds means the LNP’s promises will not have an impact on the Budget bottom line, with a fiscal surplus of $373 million expected in 2015-16, in line with previous forecasts.

   A further $8.6 billion in big-ticket commitments, including $700 million for 22 new schools and $375 million for inland highways, will be funded from the proceeds of privatisation under the Newman Government’s plan to lease port and power assets.

   Some of you might be pleased to know that I don’t know what to say about this mob.
   The article also said that:

   It is understood the LNP’s internal polling has dipped in recent days after furious debate about Mr Newman’s claim the Labor campaign may be being bankrolled by bikies giving cash handed to unions.

   The situation is believed to have deteriorated further after Mr Newman refused to answer questions on Monday on any topic other than jobs and the economy.

9. John, Newman certainly seems to have got the media offside, and bikies allegation has just reminded everyone how loopy they can be!

   They’ve now followed up with a cartoon:

   Dawson MP George Christensen yesterday posted on his Facebook page a cartoon depicting Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk naked on a wrecking ball, crashing through a wall with the words “Abbot Point Coal Terminal jobs” written on it.

10. Haha, nice one.
    Even Christine Mildew* in the background.

    (* Her satirical name from How Green Was My Cactus. I didn’t invent it any more than George drew that cartoon )

11. Sorry, Jumpy, I think it’s neither clever nor funny, just gross.

12. And not very original either Brian.
    It’s been done with just about everyone, including Abbott and Clive.
    Didn’t hear too many cries of outrage from Larissa Waters about them.

13. It’s still gross, and I think unwise from the LNP POV.

14. Jumpy

    Correct terminology in State land tenure administration refers to transfer of property in either freehold or leasehold for money as a sale. That is, “sale” is not limited to freehold and it is quite correct to refer to the LNP’s proposals as the sale of the leasehold in these assets.

    There are of course some subtleties: the land in the ports et cetera could be retained in public ownership while the business or corporation operating on the land is sold. Railways, for example. The complexities of these separations greatly reduce the efficiencies that the economic rationalist reformers claim for such divestments.

    Incidentally, I think it is rather ironic that the Newman government promised that its asset leasing program would retain Queenslanders’ control over the assets forever while allowing private investment. Yet in their concurrent proposed reforms of State land tenure, they claimed that leasehold, even if for 30 years, was insufficiently secure to give investors certainty and that a proactive program of conversion of leasehold to freehold is necessary.

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