The sun will likely set on the social and economic advancement of Cape York and the Torres Strait for at least another four years if local voters don’t get it right when Queenslanders head to the polls on 26 October, says editor Lyndon Keane. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
With only days left before Queenslanders head to the ballot boxes to decide who will form the government that leads the state until 2028, the political spin, promises and hype have reached a point where sane electors are shaking their heads and disavowing democracy.
While some media outlets have a predilection for endorsing candidates and telling their audience who they should be voting for, you won’t find any of that here. Firstly, I like to work on the assumption our readers are smart enough to make their own informed decisions without input from a jaded newspaper editor. Secondly, there are pros and cons for each of the five candidates vying for Cook – and their respective parties – that have popped up like warning lights on the dash of your car moments before you embark on a four-year road trip with a political hitchhiker.
Some of the candidates have crisscrossed Cape York and the Torres Strait over the past six months, while a number have not progressed beyond acknowledging the region is indeed part of the vast Cook electorate as they peruse an Electoral Commission of Queensland boundary map. Worse still, neither Premier Steven Miles nor Opposition Leader David Crisafulli have considered it important to visit the northernmost part of the state since the election campaign was formally launched on 1 October, a red flag which doesn’t bode well for where the economic and social prosperity of our communities rank in their individual plans for Queensland. It’s not ideal, given one of them will almost certainly be the next premier once votes are tallied from 6pm on Saturday.
If we had a dollar for every utterance of blame or hollow promise political parties have handed out willy-nilly like mini quiches and sausage rolls at a wake over the past month, there would be no need to continue our impassioned advocacy for key projects in our part of the world. We could afford to seal the remainder of the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR), improve transport, health and housing infrastructure, and kickstart economic growth opportunities like the Lakeland Irrigation Area Scheme and a Weipa freight hub, and still have enough left over for a parmi and a couple of schooners on Friday night.
Back in May, I penned a missive offering candidates four helpful tips on how to avoid campaign catastrophe. While it was most certainly satirical, it was also a genuine peek behind the curtain on what it would take to win Cook. Tip one was to listen more than you talk, while the second and third – getting your head around what’s needed on the PDR and being accountable – should have been obvious to even the dullest knife in the candidate drawer. The fourth tip was that candidates needed to be visible and engaged with the communities they were expecting to vote for them. A tough ask in a seat the size of Cook, for sure, but something critical to political success.
So, how did they go? I’ll let you be the judge come 26 October, but it’s fair to say some have been far more effective than some of their contemporaries. The fact issues like abortion have steered statewide political debate in recent weeks boggles the mind and makes one question how much the personal views of some political aspirants will influence their leadership for the greater good. Why the hell is the reproductive health of women even up for political debate in 2024?
It’s incredibly disappointing none of the candidates have come out and said they will advocate to include fuel, clothing and household goods to the list of eligible items under the Remote Communities Freight Assistance Scheme if elected. While southerners are arguing about abortion and 50 cent public transport, Cape York and Torres Strait residents continue to be crippled by cost of living pressures and a 20 per cent freight subsidy that is nullified the moment you park beside the petrol bowser or buy a new fridge.
Whichever way you vote this weekend, make sure its for someone you believe has the best interests of Cape York and the Torres Strait at the forefront of their leadership approach. We can’t afford the sun to set on any social and economic advancement for the region for another minute, let alone the next four years.
