Qld: Beattie the artful dodger

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2006
Qld: Beattie the artful dodger

By Paul Osborne

BRISBANE, Aug 15 AAP - Peter Beattie will need all of the skills honed over 32 years
of political life to win a fourth term as Queensland premier.

The 53-year-old former union official and Labor state secretary had landslide wins
at the last two polls, in 2001 and 2004.

But the last win was the start of a very bumpy ride for his Labor government and Mr
Beattie's personal popularity has declined.

Soon after the 2004 election there was controversy over power blackouts, which sparked
an independent review.

And then there was what became known as "Winegate" when a staffer of then indigneous
affairs minister Liddy Clark flew liquor into an alcohol-free Aboriginal community.

Later in the year, riots on Palm Island triggered months of debate over the parlous
state of indigenous communities and relations between police and Aborigines.

Federal issues troubled the premier in early 2005, when he was forced to apologise
over Cornelia Rau being detained by Queensland police and housed in an immigration centre,
despite being an Australian resident.

In March 2005, Liddy Clark finally quit the frontbench over paying for indigenous leader
Murrrandoo Yanner to fly to Palm Island.

Then came news long serving Speaker Ray Hollis had failed to account for travel and
entertainment expenses.

But there was much worse to come for the government when malpractice allegations against
overseas-trained rural-based doctor, Jayant Patel, erupted onto the political stage.

The Dr Death scandal, which effectively claimed the scalp of health minister Gordon
Nuttall and a number of top bureaucrats, continues to plague Mr Beattie and is mentioned
at every opportunity by the Opposition.

Mr Beattie could do little to save two seats falling to the Liberals at byelections
in Redcliffe and Chatsworth in August 2005, as polling showed his personal rating dropping
below 50 per cent for the first time since he came to power in 1998.

A third byelection, in the Gold Coast seat of Gaven in April this year, saw yet another
Labor seat lost, this time to the Nationals.

But Mr Beattie has tried hard to revive Labor's fortunes.

He launched a number of major policy initiatives, including a $6.4 billion health funding
boost, $36 billion Blueprint for the Bush and a multi-billion dollar water grid, which
has the green light from 18 mayors in south-east Queensland.

Mr Beattie will have to put in a superhuman effort to maintain a strong majority in
parliament and lead Labor into a fourth term in office.

Should he win again, there's likely to be conjecture about his future as premier as
he will have chalked up a decade in the state's top job during his next term.

Mr Beattie has anointed deputy Anna Bligh as his successor.

AAP pjo/sc/sd

KEYWORD: POLL QLD BEATTIE (AAP PROFILE)

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