<< Some of the major issues identified in exit polling include the mismanagement of key areas of current state government responsibility, including in health and transport, and strong increases in the cost of living of recent years. >>

Yes.

And what is the biggest factor exerting pressure on Queensland’s health services and transport infrastructure?

Continuous rapid population growth.

Bligh recognised the enormous problem of population pressure in southeast Qld. Well, she would have been either totally blind or entirely dishonest if she hadn’t.

But she then came up completely blank on ways to meaningfully tackle it.

THIS is Queensland’s biggest issue! This factor alone causes massive pressure on all infrastructure and services and demands massive expenditure to just keep up the same level of service for ever-more people… and makes it practically impossible to significantly improve it.

It absolutely strains the fiscal abilities of the government and applies pressure to do a bit of book-fiddling.

When you stop and think about it I’m sure you’ll be able to see that this factor caused the demise of the Bligh government!

But alas Julie Novak, you have completely missed this it!

And alas to a much higher level; there is no indication that Newman will do the slightest thing about it….which means only one thing; no matter how hard he tries, he is NOT going to be able to make it all work the way he and we would like.

...Newman and Joe Bjelke-Petersens “white shoe brigade” are back. This election simply completes the vicious circle in politics. History repeats itself!

...But the political imperative Ludwig, is “economic growth”, that will trump your hand of overpopulation and its strain infrastructure, lifestyle and cost of living every time.

Well put Julie, & yes Newman is going to have trouble trimming the public service & the useless programs. Most of academia will start screaming the moment they see the knife, & should be the second cab off the rank in the budget cut parade.

However I don't think you gave enough credit, for the catastrophe of course, to Beattie & his mates. His style of doing nothing until the stuff not only hit the fan, but was running down all the walls, has much to do with huge waste.

This lack of forethought, followed by precipitous action gave us things like a water grid that can take water from the Hinze dam on the gold coast for Brisbane, but can not transfer water from an over full Wivenhoe to a half full Hinze dam.

It should be remembered he trained Bleigh, & the whole public service. I sure hope voters remember this when next they vote. We now have yet another Beattie "wanting to serve". Please don't let her. We really can't afford any more of the Beattie style of help.

Hasbeen, don't forget Borbidge and his freeze on infrastructure spending. He was in power just at the time when it was being realised that there was a great influx of new residents coming over the border, but he did very little about it. I agree with you about Beatie, he also saw the population tide coming and was content to carry on the same way that Borbidge did until it was all but too late. The best way of dealing with this would have been small incremental rises in taxes, as opposed to the rises we did end up getting which in many cases were sudden and steep. Additionally, many of these new settlers were retirees, putting additional pressure on the health budget. Attracting more small to medium sized businesses up here probably would have been a better option.

another Beattie "wanting to serve". Please don't let her.
Hasbeen,
I watched her on Tele last night & if there is anyone who can display lack of integrity it was her.
I simply can not believe the audacity & egotism of these people & the stupidity of people supporting them.

Darthseditious I agree Borbidge & co were a bit of a bad joke, not because of who they were, but because of when. None of them expected, or were ready to be in government. They were about as unprepared as they could be.

Their bad performance probably consigned us to more years of Beattie then we would have had to suffer, if not for that interlude.

I don't agree with your suggestion that there should have been any rise in taxes to fund growing population. Unless any increase in population gives us economies of scale, [& why don't they], & lower taxes, I believe all immigration should stop forth with.

I would much rather pay a bit more tax to train our own to fill the positions we are importing people to fill at present.

I like the way Newman has some novel approaches to things, rather than a big stick. If he continues as he has started, he's going to be excellent. It is to be hoped so, I think he may be around for quite a while.