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When I logged off following Queensland politics for an extended period of parental leave in January, the LNP had been relentless in their airing of claimed cost blowouts and other issues sheeted home to the former Labor government.
Soon after I returned in July, the atmosphere had shifted. A series of events and parliamentary estimates had given Labor plenty to prosecute the government with. Then came the poor polling for the party in power.
So it was we ended up this week with a largely manufactured scandal to try and redirect some heat Labor’s way: a years-old private Facebook post from Cairns MP Michael Healy resharing a comedy sketch from an official BBC account.
The first parliamentary sitting week since before the June budget has revealed a Crisafulli government trying to find its front foot.Credit: Dan Peled
“Some good one-liners,” Healy wrote of the nine-minute video in the post at the time.
While much has changed in the years since the then-assistant minister shared the post in 2021, let alone the three years prior when it was uploaded by the British national broadcaster, some of the one-liners are as far from good as you can get.
By way of an explanation in parliament on Wednesday, Healy said he did not watch the entire montage of comedic mediocrity, at best, or, at worst, violent misogyny. (The latter end of the scale included some which referenced killing sex workers, indecent exposure and voyeurism.)
Healy has since denounced the material and apologised. As he should. Opposition Leader Steven Miles has vowed to commission a lawyer to advise on the appropriate next steps.
Crisafulli and others from the LNP benches suggested the former premier had to either sack Healy or stand down.
On Thursday, it continued with another unearthed post. This time at its worst perhaps exposing Healy as an atheist. It was described by several ministers and Premier David Crisafulli himself as an example of “religious vilification”.
Then the previous day’s more explicit material was played up explicitly for the Year 10 Kingaroy State High students watching from the public gallery by Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, who warned the teens to heed their teachers’ advice about watching what they say on social media.
“It will come back to bite you,” she said. “You were not here yesterday. I am going to tell you what happened yesterday.”
By now the matter had gathered the sheen of a performance. Which, ultimately, from the moment the first post was raised by Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, it was – an attempt to highlight the hypocrisy of Labor for previous questions of the social media activity of his government’s WorkCover board chair pick.
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And the reason for such a performance would even come into clear view for a fleeting moment.
Responding to a question from Miles about the chief health officer recruitment saga, a line of questioning which has been largely dismissed again this week by a government accusing Labor of seeking to distract from its health record, Crisafulli began by promising he did intend to answer.
“I also intend to point out that, again, the Leader of the Opposition is refusing to address the issue in his party — the issue that is undermining his leadership. He can try all he likes. We have just had the most explosive revelation...”
The question never did get a real answer. Hypocrisy can, and often does, go both ways in politics.
Heads up
- MPs will return to parliament for the next three-day sitting on September 16. Before then, we’re likely to see the body overseeing the looming redraw of state electorates publish the many submissions it has fielded for public feedback. The eve of the next sitting will also see outgoing, and inaugural, Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall deliver a final address in the role.
Catch up
- Parliament this week passed the “first step” of the Crisafulli government’s domestic and family violence law changes – largely welcomed, but with Labor and some stakeholders still holding concerns. The former chief of DVConnect turned inaugural Victims’ Commissioner, Beck O’Connor, resigned after sustained government questions for her past role. And the LNP blocked Labor efforts for parliamentary scrutiny of the CHO matter, after citing whistleblower evidence which undermined the government’s explanation.
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