Matters Of State

The campaign is basically done and now the future of Queensland is in the hands of the people who call it home. So how is it going to pan out? The Matters of State team (well mainly Steve) step boldly into the unknown and put their reputations on the line with some daring predictions. Also, Steph summarises life on the campaign bus and Matt tells us the story about why Winston Churchill was involved in the process that resulted in Queensland having no upper house of Parliament.

Robbie Katter from Katter's Australian Party and Michael Berkman from the Queensland Greens occupy very different places in the political landscape. But if the election fails to deliver a majority, the major parties will come knocking. What is going to be negotiated? What is on the table? And despite disagreeing on many things, why do they believe that minority government benefits Queensland? Also, Steph Zillman on the trail at a mango farm and Matt Wordsworth appraises the worst parliament in Queensland's history.

Michele Levine has been asking people what they think for three decades. Today, the CEO of Roy Morgan runs through some specially commissioned research for Matters of State into what Queensland voters are most worried about if a Labor or a LNP government are in power after October 31st. Also, it seems younger people want the border to New South Wales to stay closed, Steve makes some bold predictions he may live to regret and Matt explains why art and committees don't mix through the story of the construction of the Queensland parliament.

Today Steve and Matt try to evaluate the impact of a global pandemic on the Queensland election.

The whole world seems to be in love with debt and deficit, including Australia and of course Queensland. But does it matter? Steve Hamilton was born and bred in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast, but these days he is Assistant Professor of Economics at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. He can live with the deficit (and explains why), puts the boot into Modern Monetary Theory and gives his roadmap of how Queensland can recover from the COVID-19 crisis. ABC Political Reporter Steph Zillman laments the mind-numbing repetition of hi-viz announcements and Matt Wordsworth drops a bomb.

You’re being manipulated and you don’t even know it. This week Steve and Matt sit down with two people who have made careers in understanding why people do what they do. Christine Jackman and Brendan Greaney reveal the factors that change the minds of voters, including Brendan’s patented 4 P’s of political influence. Also, Steph Zillman orders a chicken schnitty in Hervey Bay and we find out when Queensland parliament was stormed by a bunch of armed men known as the Social Justice League, some of whom may have a connection with a former great Queensland cricketer.   

It has been over five years since Campbell Newman was the Premier of Queensland, but his legacy remains. However, it is a history that the Queensland Labor Government seem more willing to revisit than his own Liberal National Party. In this episode, a candid Campbell Newman on why he thinks this is one of the oppositions biggest mistakes. Also, Matt has a baby (actual new human) but still manages to give us a history lesson and Steph Zillman on Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk's secret love of dogs.

On today's Matter of State, the ABC's election analyst Antony Green gives Matt and Steve a rundown of the seats that he thinks will be key in the upcoming Queensland election. He also explains 'Green's Law', a self-defined creed that explains why he never makes predictions on election outcomes. We catch up with ABC State Political Reporter Steph Zillman (literally) on the campaign bus and Matt gives us his first history lesson in Queensland politics.

In the lead up to the state election, join Steve Austin and Matt Wordsworth for their new political podcast that will keep you across crucial campaign moments and break down the big questions for Queensland.

The final days of the NSW election.

This election voters are highly engaged on the issue of preferences. How do they work and what how do you make yours count?

Sydney’s building boom: Is infrastructure keeping up with development?

How important is the state of the environment for NSW voters?

With public transport dominating discussion in both city and the regions, what are the major parties offering to keep NSW moving?

Is it becoming more expensive to live in NSW and if so, what are the major parties offering to ease the burden?

With regional voters feeling abandoned by traditional parties they’re looking for alternatives. Could voters outside our big cities decide this election?

Many are predicting that while the federal election will be a wipe out for the Coalition, it's unlikely that'll be the case in New South Wales. The latest Newspoll suggests the state could be heading for a hung parliament. So, what would that mean for NSW?