Junk Explained: What’s Up With Queensland?

It’s sometimes too easy to stick the boot into Queensland. A state which has the same number of consecutive State of Origin series wins as it does state parliament ALP members is certainly capable of some surprising legislation.

To keep you up to date with the latest in the State’s crazy politics, here’s a quick summary of the three big issues: MP pay rises, voting reform, and party fines.

MP PAY RISES

This week, Brisbane Lord Mayor Grahame Quirk received a pay rise of $93,000.

Your first reaction might be to assume Lord Mayor Quirk earned the pay rise by single-handedly saving Brisbane from an oncoming meteor. Or perhaps it was revealed the Lord Mayor was actually two people in one big coat. NEITHER ASSUMPTION IS TRUE. The pay rise was the result of the Newman state government being advised that the 2009 freeze on raises for MPs was unlawful.

The subsequent pay rise from repealing the freeze means Queensland Premier Campbell Newman’s salary will be increased to a level which rivals US President Barack Obama. This is probably fair, as one gets to be the leader of the free world, and the other has to live in Queensland.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has declared the pay rise morally wrong, citing cuts to health and disability services. She has called for the raise to be reversed despite the chance of her own pay to be increased by $83,000.

Acting Premier Jeff Seeney labelled it “absurd” to ignore the Crown’s advice on the pay rise. Seeney has also admitted that no consideration was given to any other means of resolving the issue, that didn’t involve ridiculously enormous pay rises. He has since claimed he had “no idea” of the extent of the rises; he says he felt “uncomfortable” with the rise, but placed the blame firmly on Anna Bligh’s 2009 freezing of MPs wages.

Ms. Palaszczuk shot back by labelling Seeney as either incompetent or a liar, leaving aside the option that he could well be both.

Unions came out in force, protesting a thing worth protesting in the dumbest way they could: by dragging out a caricature of the Premier that looked more like Charlie Brown from the Hell Zone.

The issue is expected to come to the fore today when Newman returns from holiday and presumably, like the parents returning after the Cat in the Hat ran amok, blows a freaking gasket.

VOTING REFORM

The Queensland Government will scrap caps on political donations, in order to finally allow those disenfranchised rich people to influence political decisions.

The changes, which aren’t unlike those in the United States, which lead to the establishment of Super PACs, remove restrictions on who can donate, how they are able to donate, and how much they can donate.

Donations over $12,400 would be subject to monthly disclosures, which Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie claims will make the system more transparent. This will be in conjunction with established declaration laws, which will stand. But it’s a huge reversal of Anna Bligh’s 2011 reforms, which limited parties to $5,000 and candidates to $2,000 per donor.

In another move that ominously mirrors U.S. Republicans, the Queensland government is set to introduce voter ID requirements at polling booths. These laws regularly come under criticisms as they disproportionately affect the elderly, who tend not to have drivers’ licences. There hasn’t been any solid statement of why these laws are necessary; Queensland doesn’t have rampant voter fraud which would justify the measures.

If that’s not bad enough (and it totally is), fringe political parties will find it harder to receive funding following the next election. To receive public funding to run, fringe parties must obtain 10% of the vote — more than doubling the previous figure of 4%.

PARTY FINES

Don’t worry, Queensland isn’t becoming one of those laissez faire, martial law wastelands! The police are cracking down hard on the true scourge of the Queensland streets: house parties that are bigger than expected.

If teens host out-of-control parties that fail to comply with police instructions to keep the noise down, their parents can be fined up to $12,000, or face 12 months in jail.

Yes, their parents face this charge. This will be incredibly effective, as we all know there’s nothing an unruly teen fears more than the government sending their parents away for a year.

Police Minister Jack Dempsey cited Western Australia’s similar laws to show the effectiveness of the measures, stating, “They used to have four wild and enormous parties on a weekend and that’s approximately down to one.”

Whether this is a sign of effective legislation or that Perth just isn’t the thriving hotspot it once was, only time will tell.

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Feature image by Lyndon Mechielsen for The Daily Telegraph.