November Newsletter: Washing up after the state election + an under-the-radar Sunshine Coast snorkelling destination
Dear friends,
Well it's looking like Donald Trump may have won the US presidential election. Personally I'm not very surprised that a lot of American voters didn't want a black woman as president. And for more progressive voters, Kamala Harris's support of Israel's invasion of Palestine meant she wasn't really offering a significant break from the USA's recent, appalling track record.
Both the Republicans and the Democrats function primarily to further the interests of multinational corporations and American imperialism, so maybe the result wouldn't have changed too much for most of us either way. But I'm definitely more nervous about a Trump victory, particularly because this could be a major setback for global action on climate change. I'll have more to say on US politics in future newsletters and articles.
To be honest with ya, right now I'm actually more sad about the Queensland state election result. As I write this, it's all but confirmed that the Greens have lost the state electorate of South Brisbane to Labor. While I was holidaying out of town for most of this election campaign, and wasn't as invested or involved on the ground as I have been for past elections, I'm definitely still feeling the loss.
As a resident of the South Brisbane electorate, I can say with confidence that Amy MacMahon has been an excellent local representative. She has advocated effectively on a wide range of issues – both local matters within our geographic area, and bigger-picture statewide concerns. I firmly believe we wouldn't have stopped the Gabba demolition and the closure of East Brisbane State School without her advocacy.
As with the 2020 state election, Amy secured the highest primary vote out of any candidate, but the way preferences are flowing means that the Labor candidate most probably wins with LNP preferences.
Interestingly, the Labor primary vote in South Brisbane has dropped to a record low. The last time Labor's vote was this low was in the 1957 election when Labor premier (and South Brisbane member) Vince Gair was expelled from the party, and ran against the Labor Party candidate with the newly-formed Queensland Labor Party (which went on to become the breakaway Democratic Labor Party) – a fascinating chapter in Queensland's history. I'm intrigued to see how the odd result in South Brisbane will play out over the coming term of government.
For the Greens, the state election result is undeniably disappointing. The party's vote fell or stagnated in the seats it was hoping to win, while growing in many other parts of the state.
I've been a little sceptical of some of the public explanations that Greens spokespeople have offered for this outcome, so I took the time last week to churn out a long piece unpacking some of the questions that the party should be asking itself, and what some of the key gaps in the campaign might have been. It's a solid 20-minute read that goes into some detail. I'd love to hear your feedback on it. Anyone with a subscription can leave public comments at the bottom of my articles.
Jonathan Sriranganathan
If you'd prefer to listen to a lighter, chattier post-election analysis, you can also hear me talking about the state campaign with my friend Han on last week's episode of Radio Reversal on 4ZZZ. Find the episode from 31/10 on the On Demand page, and skip ahead to the 11-minute mark for the start of the conversation (it should remain online on the 4ZZZ website for another week or two).
We've already seen David Crisafulli send some strong signals about what kind of premier he'll be, including sacking several of Queensland's highest-ranking public servants, and cancelling Queensland's very important Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry process. Thinking deeply about the way political currents flow in our state feels more important than ever.
So just this week, I've also published a slightly more concise article focusing specifically on how the 'youth crime' narrative became such a key factor in the Queensland election, even though youth crime rates have been falling for a while now. I feel one of the most important elements of this analysis is the recognition that the Queensland Police Service itself may be exerting significant influence not just on government decision-making, but directly on public opinion regarding crime rates and government policy responses.
Jonathan Sriranganathan
If you're on the go or don't have the energy for staring at screens any longer, you can also listen to me reading this article aloud...
One positive glimmer to come out of the state election is the really strong result for the Greens in some of Brisbane's outer-southside suburbs. I'll be writing more about this down the track. In the March 2024 council election we saw a noticeable swing to the Greens in electorates with large Muslim populations, and that swing has been even more pronounced in the recent state election. It's a good sign for Remah Naji, the Greens candidate for the federal electorate of Moreton, whose campaign I encourage you to keep an eye on.
For anyone seeking a diversion from election-focussed writing, I've also just published this article about one of my favourite snorkelling spots in South-East Queensland. A lot of people don't realise that we have some very cool coral reefs right here in our own neck of the woods – I'm hoping that writing articles like this will encourage residents to pay more attention to what they wash down local stormwater drains. If you live around Brissie or the Sunshine Coast and you're looking for a cheap adventure over summer, check this spot out...
Jonathan Sriranganathan
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Thanks for reading!
Warm regards,
Jonno
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