It's a bit revisionist to claim that the QLD public service and QLD government has somehow become more politicised and narrow focused just in the last 20 years. What would you make of government during the Bjelke-Petersen years - independent, muscular and accountable?

Nonetheless, the idea of more local input into decisions and service provision is a good one. State governments have seen a removal of many functions and responsibilities in the last 20 years as federal governments have sought to improve funding arrangements, implement national standards, avoid duplication or just make a plain old grab for power. With much research to support the benefits of increased community involvement in areas like education and health, why not look to increase the role of local governments beyond parks, public transport and rubbish removal? This doesn't have to mean abolishing the state or the state government altogether. There may be areas that are better suited to a higher level of government such as major infrastructure planning. Most local governments, apart from Brisbane sadly, are more representative of local communities than the state government. By expanding the role of local government and shifting public service resources to their geographical area and under their control it's possible that better outcomes will be seen for residents in their government area.

The problem will be to make sure that the state government does actually shrink in size to reflect this shift.

I agree with you there, even if the politicial parties had a rule that to join their party, you had to have integrity and agree with their constitution and have the allegiance of Australia at heart, there would be a chance of getting good government. Unfortunately, you have to sign to agree with the majority, and this might be just the persons with the loudest voice, and you know the old saying, "Empty vessels make the most noise" and not the most intelligent. Well I must say, I know the right place where to stuff it.

One thing that is seriously on the nose in Queensland is the recent history of litigation involving banks. The bank always wins. Curious that.
Some judgments (the particular court and nature of the hearing - including summary judgements, the procedure, the lack of discovery, the substance itself, the incomplete/doctored/missing transcripts, etc.) are transparently shonky, disgraceful. What's going on?
Yet the judiciary is outside the terms of reference of the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

The years of belchin joe is why Qld is a basket case now. Out of sinc with the other eastern states. Look at the way they voted in Qld, The good of the country had nothing to do with it.

Queensland has the most undemocratic electoral system in Australia.The unicameral system(thanks to a previous Labor government) and optional preferential voting ensure that the 2 major parties have an overbearing presence and there is no house of review so very few checks and balances.

We need to reintroduce a Legislative Council and introduce proportional voting for both houses.

Everything Scott says in this article about the gross misgovernment in QLD is true.Queensland probably has the most corrupt government apparatus of any state,including NSW.What Labor learned from the Fitzgerald Royal Commission was how to conceal their corrupt practices better than the Bjelke Petersen crowd.

The fact that the Greens achieved a significant increase in their support in the recent federal election should teach Bligh&Co a valuable lesson but I don't expect to see any worthwhile change.There will be just more Bligh spin.

Scott, as a born and bred Queenslander your article is interesting. Remember though that the privatisation Anna is doing is less than what the LNP want to do.

One of the sad things in Qld is that oposition is worse than the government as in cases like the Indigenous deaths in custody, like Mulrunji, and the more recent ones, neither side seems to be prepared to hold the police force accountable.

There is something terribly wrong when the police force and their union can intimidate the politicians as they appear to do in Qld. How come neither side of the Qld govt,opposition, or the federal govt, has jumped up and down about the slowness of the CMC report into the investigation of Mulrunji's killings. It has taken 6 years and 3 inquests BEFORE a report into the incompetent and obstructive police investigation into policeman Chris Hurley's role in Mulrunji's death.

Where is the outrage from the oposition about the fact that information that was presented in the 3rd inquest (that Hurley insited on to clear his implication in the 2nd inquest) was not presented at Chris Hurley's trial for manslaughter of Mulrunji.

The reality is that the opposition is far more right winged than the govt, and clearly condone a strong role for the police force in influencing govt, Joh Bjelke-Petersen style.

It is not in the opposition's or the govt's interest to demand a review of Hurley's aquital for the manslaughter of Mulrunji because of the information surfacing in the 3rd inquest and the role of Hurley's copper mates suppressing it.

If the police force gets cranky in Qld they start their overt political campaigning - with overt NLP tones.