Premier Bligh solves GFC.

Put on a happy face, and accept that the government

knows what’s best for you.

Image: A Sean Leahy cartoon of Anna Bligh that originally appeared in the Courier-Mail.

With Queensland’s unemployment rate at 5.6%, the highest in the nation despite the mining boom, the Bligh government has adopted a ‘two front’ approach to solving the problem.

The first is to use its preferred trend measure, to ‘smooth out’ the figures and claim Queensland had recorded more than two-thirds of the nation's jobs growth in July, and leave ‘trend unemployment’ at 5.4%. This is still the highest, but it makes the figures look much better.

The second is to blame the ‘politics of pessimism’ and to ask us to be more cheerful and optimistic, sort of like the village idiot who always smiles in adversity. We should stop worrying about the impact of the carbon tax, the mining tax, the debt crisis, and the European meltdown. In particular, the opposition should stop being critical, and should avoid mentioning bad news:

"But our continued growth just seems to make us more anxious. Rather than being emboldened by our economic success in recent years, Australians appear to fear it just means we're riding for a bigger fall.”

Ms Bligh highlighted the negative campaign on the federal carbon tax as an issue where politicians and commentators engaged in "a deliberate attempt to engender fear and discontent.”

"Whipping up unfounded concerns among ordinary people is not just part of the rough and tumble of campaigning, it's a new thing - it's a deliberate politics of pessimism and complaint.” …

But Queensland's Liberal National Party Treasury spokesman, Tim Nicholls, rejected Ms Bligh's case, made in a speech to the Queensland Media Club yesterday.

"They can shoot the messenger as much as they like - the message is still there," Mr. Nicholls declared.

Nichols seems to have entirely missed the optimistic Bligh’s point. The message will still be there, but if the knuckle draggers out in the sticks are not told about it, we will not be aware of it. Problem solved!

Perhaps Bligh should read this.