What we're talking about

Durkim on New Zealand Gangs Mm, yeah... Real funny, Randhil... more
Kayli on The Boats God help me, I put aside a whole afteroonn to figure this out. more
Raynes on Tax and Pollution Until I found this I thoguht I'd have to spend the day inside. more
James Brown on Mark Latham Mark, you must fell as if you are pushing it uphill, but you are the hope of the side. Keep it up! more
Michael on Halal certification The Halal Choices website is http://www.halalchoices.com.au/product_lists.htmlIt lists all the products that have been ... more
a barker on A few facts on illegal boat people We are the Lucky Country, or are we?.15 years ago maybe.How many Indonesian Officials are taking a a bribe from the people ... more
Robin on The Boats Hey,Thanks! Great post you have written on "The Boats ".Really I can say that your post is very informative, I'll come ... more
dan on A few facts on illegal boat people From what i can see if we dont do something about this flood gate issue,we will have the same nonsense thats happening over ... more
Randhil on New Zealand Gangs This info is the cat's pajmaas! more
Keshawn on CMC Complaint into Queensland Health That's rlelay shrewd! Good to see the logic set out so well. more
howard on Learning from one another? We are such a politically correct and multiculturally sensitive country Islamists are flourishing here. Just as they ... more
PP on Halal certification Thank you for the Halal Choices and the info about Coles - I will not be purchasing meat from Coles henceforth. In the UK it ... more
PP on Halal certification Thank you for the Halal Choices and the info about Coles - I will not be purchasing meat from Coles henceforth. In the UK it ... more
anne white on Halal certification A website that lists all Australian food products that are halal is, HALAL CHOICES.Also I phoned COLES (1800 061 562) and ... more
john on The Taxi Industry No one have the right to do anything they dont want.. you want to drive cabs do it you are not force to do something you do ... more
Diana on Halal certification I just found out about this today! Does anyone know how to get a list of products bearing this logo so we can boycott them? more
lol on New Zealand Gangs lol... this isnt good at all more
Ann on Support our Diggers Is it possible to buy this sticker? I'm sure any number of people would be proud to support our diggers by displaying the ... more
Mimosa on Smith with PM Gillard You mean I don't have to pay for expert adcvie like this anymore?! more
figsen/hypolgirl on Anna Bligh as President Hope you're checking this out Wobblyone. Your comment is one of the cleverist/funniest I have read. Couldn't stop laughing. ... more

The Bligh Government

Posted by: Michael Smith Blog | 14 October, 2008 - 11:36 AM

An important feature of a Cabinet is that you save your disagreements for Cabinet meetings and keep your differences of opinion out of the public gaze. You don't have to agree with every decision, but once the Cabinet has made a decision that's it - you have a duty to back your colleagues in public.

The Bligh Government cabinet is showing signs of a tired, creaking group that's been at it too long. Cabinet discipline and solidarity are under pressure and the Premier's ministers are starting to get stuck into each other.

Yesterday I read this report about Desley Boyle, the Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry and member for Cairns. She's a Minister and therefore a member of the Bligh Cabinet. She was obviously keen to talk early in the day about the problems of crime in her electorate and we asked her to come on the radio here in Brisbane and repeat what she was saying in Cairns - that police numbers were inadequate to do the job the community requires.

Desley Boyle became hard to get a hold of during the day - we were told she wouldn't be available to speak with me on the radio. I read her press release (download here) and it confirmed what she was saying earlier in the day in Cairns.

So we went to Police Minister Judy Spence for confirmation. She came on the radio yesterday afternoon and tipped a huge bucket on her Cabinet colleague Desley Boyle. She said she was wrong, plain wrong and that citizen patrol groups were not government policy listen here. She made it clear she was not happy with her cabinet colleague.

Last week I spoke with Health Minister Stephen Robertson about ambulances "ramped" at public hospitals - ambulances that are tied up with patients because the hospitals don't have the capacity to deal with demand. The Health Minister told us he's not responsible for the ambulance system and passed the buck for its performance onto the Emergency Services Minister. The Emergency Services Minister just has to run an ambulance system with ambulances tied up at Queensland Health hospitals - but no one is accountable for the whole system.

Cabinet solidarity is essential. And it takes strong leadership from the top. Anna Bligh should stamp her leadership credentials on this group and bring their focus back onto a unified approach to fixing the issues that concern Queenslanders - health, crime, education, roads, water, jobs and our future. Buck-passing and pointing the finger at colleagues won't fix a thing.

Blog comments

It seems to me that our pollies (of all persuasions and at all levels) have forgotten who works for whom. In Qld, Bligh and her cohorts are raising taxes (sorry, charges), removing benefits, and selling assets without reference to, or the permission of, the owners and THEIR employers. A sharp lesson is needed! Unfortunately we must wait for the next election, but please, at that time, vote for anyone but the sitting member. Sure, we may end up with a mess but will that be so very different from the current situation?

mikem Saturday 6 June, 2009 - 6:06 AM
i am a small business owner. i pay my employers super, my poloticians super but cant afford to pay mine. so even though i pay my taxes i am not one of those business owners that make great profits. i live modestly. i am not looking for a hand out. i m a single mum who raised my 4 daghters alone. i am now at retirement age but cannot, because of the unrealistic amount of the pension. how much longer must i pay for others benefits and keep working? i might just add, i find now i have a heart problem and am terrified about leaving myself in the care of our health system.

marita neville Thursday 22 January, 2009 - 10:38 AM
I am on the old age pension.
My wife is still working as she is younger ,and not yet eligible for the pension.
She grosses $700.00 per week.
From that she must run a car.
She drives 12ks per day each way going to work.
She must maintain appearances at work so must buy reasonable clothes and makeup etc.
We were paying $200 per week rent BUT that has jumped $150 per week to $350 per week.
The Gov thought I could live on $60 per week and my wife would make up the shortfall.
With increased rent the gov gave me an extra $45 per week. So now, with outgoings of $550 per week excepting tax.(food .power.car.rent.upkeep of furniture -white goods etc.medical Gap costs.etc)you can see that ,not only are we living the high life but we are planning our next fact-finding tour of Disneyland.Thats were we should find all our politicians ---as inhabitants--
Were will my "bonus" go?
Just in trying to hang on ,or I might have to buy a suitable length of rope.
Greg

Greg Henderson Monday 8 December, 2008 - 9:55 AM
Springborg, Johnson and company have been in opposition for ten years and have done a terrible job being belted by voters for their for their incompetence time after time.My point is Smith,if they cant even be in opposition successfully how in the world can they be expected to govern

Ben Slattery Friday 14 November, 2008 - 5:58 AM
"John Charles Gilbert Wednesday 15 October, 2008 - 9:35 AM"

Maybe the Labor Party (no u dopey) needs bashing at this time. I've heard from a senior LNP friend that Smithy is an equal-opportunity basher, as they, the LNP have copped a bashing too.

Give 'em curry Snithy, which ever party they are from!

Glynn Thursday 16 October, 2008 - 4:42 PM
i am a small business owner. i pay my employers super, my poloticians super but cant afford to pay mine. so even though i pay my taxes i am not one of those business owners that make great profits. i live modestly. i am not looking for a hand out. i m a single mum who raised my 4 daghters alone. i am now at retirement age but cannot, because of the unrealistic amount of the pension. how much longer must i pay for others benefits and keep working? i might just add, i find now i have a heart problem and am terrified about leaving myself in the care of our health system.

marita neville Thursday 16 October, 2008 - 9:45 AM