Australia's Bligh hopes to avoid hat-trick
We feel the hand of Australian political history hovering over our shoulder as we approach this weekend's state elections in Queensland, where Anna Bligh is seeking to become the first woman ever to be elected as a state premier. True, there have been other female state premiers before - in Victoria and Western Australia - but, like Anna Bligh, they inherited their jobs from male predecessors, rather than winning a mandate of their own.
Both her female forerunners - Carmen Lawrence in Western Australia and Joan Kirner in Victoria - were defeated in their first elections as premier. Anna Bligh is hoping to avoid the hat-trick.
Although Labor has won three consecutive victories, Queensland is arguably Australia's most conservative state - this was the home, of course, of the arch conservative, Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, who was the state's premier from 1968 to 1987.
So she has not sought to attach any feminist or crusading meaning to her candidacy. The Queensland election is not a referendum on her gender. 
Instead, she is trying to stress her economic credentials in an election where the slowdown in the once-booming mining sector has cast a long shadow over the sunshine state. She called the election early, probably in the anticipation that the economy would get worse, and with it the voter backlash.
She faces a united opposition - the Liberals and the Nationals have merged in Queensland to form a new party - and the polls are close. But the newly-formed LNP led by Lawrence Springborg needs to gain 18 seats - which is a big ask.
Of course, another Queensland female politician has been in the headlines: Pauline Hanson, the former leader of the One Nation party, who is trying to mount yet another political comeback. Other, more gossipy, questions have attached themselves to her candidacy, but the more interesting one is what explains her decline?
A decade ago, her anti-Asian immigration One Nation party won over a tenth of the seats in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Now she is widely seen as something of a comic figure, a minor celebrity who tried to foxtrot her way back into the limelight on Dancing with the Stars
The former federal MP for Oxley certainly became easy to lampoon when she asked an interviewer to 'please explain' after being accused of being xenophobic. She did not understand the word. After that, she became tagged as the 'Oxley Moron.' Many people thought her shrill and extreme, especially after her maiden speech in parliament in September 1996 when she claimed that Australia was 'in danger of being swamped by Asians' (although the switchboard at Parliament House received an unusually high number of calls with people asking for copies of her speech).
Another view is that as Hanson self-imploded, the Liberal and National Party started to inherit or claw back many of the disaffected voters who had started voting for One Nation. The Howard government took a tough line on immigration (though not as tough as Hanson), which carried appeal for some former One Nation voters. Pauline Hanson claimed to be speaking on behalf of what Robert Menzies called 'the forgotten people.' Under this argument, John Howard gave these 'battlers' more of a voice and a greater say.
Many of you will have lived through the Hanson phenomenon. I would love to hear your thoughts.
UPDATE: After double-checking the last blog with immigration officials before publication, I checked again. It is correct. For other ways into Australia, I would urge anyone with concerns to contact a reputable immigration agent or the Australian immigration authorities.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~28~RS~)
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Oh Nick what is important is not female or male - yes I am female but Labor - no way. NSW is in absolute crisis and soon Aust will be in deficit. I was around when Pauline Hanson started out - yes alot was real fact but on the other hand too direct for politics - too straight down the line, there are many different people out there with many views Pauline did state fact but not everyone liked it. I admired her to a point but she went too far with some issues and she wouldve pushed for change, In reality not all indigenous peoples are like the stero type thats around, not all asians etc & etc we cant tar each person with the same brush- Pauline was a touchy issue. Well done Nick an interesting topic.
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Looking forward to hearing more about Pauline. The stuff you hear makes me shudder to think how bad she and her must have been. The campaigns of the current mainstream parties make me shudder as it is. It's one unsupported gibe after another, more like listening to kids in a playground.
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First woman to be elected at state level, Nick, but both the ACT and Northern Territory have had women leaders fight elections and win, Kate Carnell and Clare Martin respectively
I don't think a leader winning/losing is a gender issue in Australia
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I don't think a leader winning/losing is a gender issue in Australia...
...or at least, not always. My great problem with Pauline Hanson was always her policies, not her gender.
I bear her no ill-will and I felt sorry for her with all that mess in the papers - no one deserves a public muck-raking like that - but I won't be too pleased if she gets back into parliament.
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More women in senior political posts. I would support that unequivocally ! Too many men are windbags, simply toeing the party line, or staying within the "old boy" network.
Although Baroness T was a little extreme in her methods, it was so refreshing to see her cut through the sleepy masculine preconceptions of how to run politics.
I wish Ms Bligh well in her forthcoming election, for the good of Queensland and Australia.
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Following the One Nation election in 96, the Coalition moved themselves to the right to reclaim the ground the nationals lost (mainly in the country). This in part led into the Tampa election and "wedge politics". It can also be seen as the beginning of the end for the Liberal party, as they became to be seen as more right wing, more hard line than the prosperous nation Australia had become, leading to their loss of the last election.
The "big picture" politics of Paul Keating probably also helped Pauline gain ground, as many of the "battlers" felt alienated by this.
Speaking of Sir Joh, this quote of his always makes me laugh:
"Who wants to stick together with them and get your stick feet? You know, if you get, stick foot on sticky paper, you get both of them on, you fall over and Mr. Hawke asks us to stick with him. You put your foot on sticky with him, his and Keating, his government’s got their feet on sticky paper, my word they have".
Anyone know this is about??
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"where Anna Bligh is seeking to become the first woman ever to be elected as a state premier"
This actually isn't true. She may be the first female state premier of QUEENSLAND, but Carmen Lawrence was premier of Western Australia in the 1990s (and I believe the first female to be a state premier).
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You are correct about the history of female premiers here. They tend to be given the job when the party is on the nose. Certainly that's how it was in Victoria, where I live, where Joan Kirner inherited a state whose bank had gone bankrupt and a squabbling party.
John Howard was widely regarded as stealing Hanson's clothes (which may explain the nude pictures, boom-boom). He was ostentatiously silent on her racism, a tactic he would later practice during the Lebanese-Australian riots. This meant he got to have his cake and eat it too - signalling to the xenophobes here that he was on his side, while not comitting himself publicly. He also went on to make his famous "we decide who comes here" speech and to spend a fortune incarcerting small numbers of refugees on pacific islands, all in the name of getting the racist vote (well that's how it looked to me. He'd say it was to stop us being swamped with illegal immigrants).
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Sturth Wollemi The ACT & Northern Territories arent States - they are Territories - ACT is a part of the State of NSW & Nthn Territory in under the State of Qld. And here have been many women elected to parliamaent on all levels. But I agree this is not a gender base issue. Male or female who ever....
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Oh Budgiesmuggler, the Tampa issue got The Coalition in with huge gains. A few reasons for the result of the last election - number one was change, number two is that Labor bought votes and joined camps with the greens, the Independants went here and there. But change was the major part. And now if you read the local websites that ask for comments and opinions Most are not happy with the way things are, when you bypass the bonus's given out Labor is in strife. And whether Labor or The Coalition its wasnt the wisest choice to change, Labor are not equipt to deal with the problems of now. As for QLD I only truely hope and pray they do not go down the same path of broken NSW. This is a worry and yes things are sad. This is the way it is, and as for Labor our written history should be enough to show that. So I reinerate whether Labor or The Coalition (so as not to be bias) I only hope for better for QLD then NSW has become.
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Austgirl - to be precise NT and ACT are territories of the Commonwealth of Australia, meaning they fall under Federal government jurisdiction. The NT is not part of SA, and the ACT is not part of NSW. Both SA and NSW ceded jurisdiction for the territories to the Commonwealth. This is why the Federal government can overturn laws made in the Territories, for instance the NT's voluntary euthanasia legislation.
Australia actually has lots of territories, including Christmas Island, Jervis Bay (again, not part of NSW), Norfolk Island, Antarctic etc.
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Nick Bryant:
UPDATE: After double-checking the last blog with immigration officials before publication, I checked again. It is correct. For other ways into Australia, I would urge anyone with concerns to contact a reputable immigration agent or the Australian immigration authorities.
Thanks, for the revised information; I was thinking about that question, after the posting of this blog by you...
~Dennis Junior~
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Nick:
Re: HAT TRICK
I hope that this will not be a hat trick in Australian politics, regarding Anna Bligh in Queensland region on elections on the weekend...
~Dennis Junior~
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Queensland the most conservative state? Sounds like a cliché to me... Well 30 years ago - yes... however QLD especially Brisbane has seen a rapid dramatic progressive shift. The numbers visiting and calling " Brisvegas" their home is increasing at an alarming rate in contrast to other cities. It has turned into a great street cafe, nightlife, arty ( Bribsane comedy festival at the Powerhouse in New Farm on atm is a brilliant set-up ) and more and more popping up all the time. The transformation is happening so quick. South East QLD also has the highest Ecstasy use per capita then anywhere in the world, which again highlights a progressive mindset as BRITISH scientists recently stated in a BBC article that alcohol is the 5th most dangerous drug while MDMA is at a low 18th spot in regards to danger. 11 years of Labour...that is nearly matching Canada with it's 13 years til it went conservitive...A climate this good and culture too?It must be paradise.... Welcome to Australia's new premier city... Goodbye Sydney~
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Netcrusher, Qld, Still seems pretty conservative to me. Not that Brisbane isn't a great city to live in (it is), it's just that some of the attitudes and systems you come across do seem a little antiquated.
While the inner suburbs certainly provide some good restaurants and venues, I don't think the CBD (or indeed the sticky wet weather) are going to scare Sydney or Melbourne just yet.
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Pauline Hanson in 1997 was aproduct of the times. The incumbent federal labour governemnt didn't appear concerned about the immigration or the concerns of "aussie battlers" while the Liberal/National party were still in opposition and hdn't found there feet.
Around the developed world immigration is now discussed in a way that it wasn't 10 years ago while the Howard government brought politics far more in touch with the Australia's skilled working class/lower middle class and there economic and cultural anxieties.
Also the Pauline Hanson one nation party attracted some marginal people and was an unstable organisation from the start, hardly something that was appealing to the people with these concerns who would have voted for her
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Well done Capn'!
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I've been trying to get an Australian Visa for sometime so far with no success. The Australian Immigration score people very highly on whether the individual have the skills that are currently in demand, in Australia.
Sounds like they have it in for Asian migrants which is a shame.. not that my luck has been much better.
Cheers,
Tony
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Often it's skills that aren't needed
Apply to run Telstra, Tony, that should get you in
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