Noosa MP Sandy Bolton
Private Members Motions or PMMs, may not sound exciting to most, however, they are an avenue to bring issues into Chamber for debate important to our community and Queensland, that for some reason the major parties do not.
As you know when first elected as your Independent Member of Parliament, I set out to effect change and demonstrate that politics could, and should, be done differently. Whether the unacceptable behaviours in Parliament, or the motions used as ‘screams’ across Chamber to drag each side down instead of debating how to resolve issues, change was needed. Politicians and Parliament should be setting the example for our communities and next generation on how to operate, communicate and debate.
So, how do we actually achieve this? When researching other unicameral chambers across the world, we found excellent examples where decision making was transparent, and debate focused on issues instead of ‘politicking’. Bipartisanship is encouraged and at times, mandated with infrastructure agreements set beyond a political term or who is elected in. This to provide surety for communities and lessen the waste of taxpayer dollars through the ‘flipping and flopping’ that has become the inefficient ‘norm’.
These inefficiencies are demonstrated at every level of government. Pumped hydro projects, rail lines, stadiums and road upgrades (or not) and more, already with considerable work underway, that are cancelled or postponed depending on the priorities of an existing, or incoming government. Locally, we had our very own Six Mile Bridge #7 defunded in 2013 by an incoming government, and now a delay in the next stages of the Tewantin Bypass due to an agreed change between Council and State that requires a longer and different process.
In Canada to avoid this they develop long term agreements on projects between levels of Government that are bipartisan and must be delivered regardless of who is in government. Whereas in Australia we have a system that allows defunding of needed infrastructure, closure of essential facilities such as our decommissioned TAFE, again by an incoming government, and essential programs shut down, only to be reinstated years on when governments change again. Winning political points often seems to take precedence over realising the outcomes sought by our communities in a sustainable way.
Does this mean we should avoid changing governments? Of course not, however there does need to be a system that ensures we are moving to decisions that meet community expectation. As has been said many times, if governments were private businesses, they would go broke very quickly.
Now, back to those PMMs.
The Covid-19 Pandemic may be over, however, the fallout is not. Demands on our services including police, hospitals and ambulances have elevated above pre-Covid levels, with poor mental health, increased domestic and family violence and a lack of trust in governments all symptoms.
Add in the housing crisis, business failures, increased cost of living, and disrespectful behaviours to each other physically and online, indicate we need to understand if these are the result of the pandemic, otherwise what is the cause? Unless this is independently analysed, we won’t know, nor be able to address or develop a clear strategy for the next pandemic based on analysis and evidence.
Having sought an independent Covid inquiry since the beginning of 2022, the government responses were sadly shortsighted, however it was positive when the Federal Government initiated the Commonwealth Government Covid-19 Response Inquiry. Yet they did not include analysing the decisions made by each State Government, which is an enormous failing.
We do this after each disaster, why not for a pandemic? Even our Chief Health Officer (CHO), John Gerrard, has questioned how information was communicated, the role of individual responsibility, and the use of mandates.
Given that neither major party have brought this into Chamber, I will in the next sitting to hear who recognises its importance.
As you know our Parliamentary Committee system acts as our upper house. These committees have three government and three opposition members with a government member (except for in the Crime and Corruption Committee or CCC) having the deciding vote. Having advocated since 2019 for an independent review of this system we have made progress with cross-bench MPs now able to ask Questions on Notice to all Ministers at budget estimates, increased time for opposition and cross bench questions during public hearings, and a test run of transparent committee processes during the Youth Justice Reform Inquiry. This in efforts to get to a bipartisan agreement sought by Queenslanders to create greater safety now and into the future, with minutes made public, and the first independent Chair in 20 years with no casting vote to get to that ‘real majority’.
Sadly, as you know, what we saw was appalling behaviours by the Opposition members who used that inquiry inappropriately with slick slogans to get media grabs, instead of working in a collaborative manner.
Can anyone ever forget the nightly headlines of calls to ‘remove detention as a last resort’ which made no sense, given it is used Australia-wide and globally for both youth and adults. As someone said, if detention is not the last resort, what is? Since Covid, we have faced challenges in multiple realms, including youth crime and the speed in which offences occur, yet this is not spoken about. Instead, quick fixes are touted that understandably appease our rage and angst, however as evidence shows, does nothing to reduce crime. Hence why all 60 recommendations from the Youth Justice inquiry must be actioned and since April, over half have been budgeted for or were within the contentious Community Safety Bill that just passed last sitting.
Many of the actions such as intervening much, much earlier to both a potential offender and their whole family is expensive for taxpayers, as well the long-term rehabilitations needed for offenders, however, what it will save into the future in crime reduction and lives makes this essential. That the Opposition did everything to delay or block those recommendations being released demonstrates not only how flawed our politics is, it also showcased how politicians will put the wellbeing of communities second to their own aspirations and those of the party.
It is not only political parties, politicians and voters who shape our society. As demonstrated above by the nightly headline’s, media, social and otherwise, are right up there in influencing! As I have shared before, what we click on, we get more of in our feeds. Media earns money by our ‘clicks’, hence those sensational grabs to get you clicking! So, what does that actually do?
As psychologists and neuroscientists have researched, what we focus on, is the reality we create. Ultimately it us who determines the outcomes.
Politicians and political parties want your vote, and construct ways to get ‘grabs’ including those ‘screams’ in Chamber, garnered to get the grab on the nightly news, over and over, until you focus your attention to that, and not what is really happening. It is called ‘smoke and mirrors’.
For example, whilst resources are focused on youth crime which makes up 8 per cent of all offences, what about the 92 per cent of adult crime, and the rate of adult reoffending which is higher than some other states. Does anyone highlight that, and question how that is to be resolved?
No.
What about your privacy being invaded, with both majors quite happy to keep laws as they are so they can take your information and bombard you with robo-calls and campaign material?
No.
As fuel prices continued to dominate social media, did you see any debate, motions or amendments raised to investigate fuel outlets and what is occurring?
No
Our communities are stronger through knowledge. Just as our politics need to mature, so too do we as voters as our decisions send a clear message. Representatives at all levels of government should be focused on our communities, not the needs of a political party, or those behind them making the decisions. This is essential to effect the change you seek in our Parliaments and in politicians.
We have made progress and will continue to.
As I have been told many times, our political systems must move beyond the focus on elections, quick fixes, slick slogans and click bait to one that plans well into the future, focussing on how to maintain and sustain, and resolve the issues that are paramount to our communities.
You are the key to see an end to a system based on an old military strategy, that has very little benefit for our future!
Enjoy this fabulous spring, and for more information on all the above and more is on Noosa 360 at www.SandyBolton.com/Noosa360. Follow ‘Sandy Bolton MP’ on Facebook to receive information as soon as available and remember to subscribe to our e-newsletter at www.SandyBolton.com/Newsletters which will also ensure you receive Noosa related surveys. Always, if you require assistance, please contact us on 5319 3100 or via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au
