Queensland's Liberal National party (LNP) government has announced sweeping and controversial changes to workplace laws, including giving Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie the power to break strikes by public sector workers in certain circumstances, such as when it is deemed "in the public interest".
The proposals, revealed on Wednesday, also make it more difficult for public servants, including emergency services workers, to claim compensation for psychological injuries. Under the proposed laws, workers with such claims would only be entitled to support if they can show their workplace was the primary cause.
Reactions to the proposed changes
Law firm Slater and Gordon said the changes would make it harder for Queenslanders to access support for psychological injuries. The United Workers Union, which represents paramedics and some healthcare workers, described the changes as "an underhanded attack on Queensland ambulance officers and other hospital staff". Several business groups welcomed the changes.
Opposition leader Steven Miles called the proposals a "Newman-era attack on workers", referencing the government of former premier Campbell Newman, whose collapse the current premier David Crisafulli and Bleijie witnessed firsthand.
Political context and strategy
The LNP has largely avoided controversial issues since winning the 2024 election, focusing on crime and keeping positions on abortion and budget cuts off the table. The new workplace reforms mark a shift, risking suburban support critical to the party's lead in the polls.
The government has previously been unapologetic in attacking Indigenous representation within government, trans healthcare, and suppressing pro-Palestine protests, moves underpinned by a calculation that these issues are marginal for most suburban and regional voters.
Government's stance and outlook
Bleijie acknowledged the coming fight, telling reporters: "You're going to see a mammoth campaign by the Labor party. It's going to be a lot of mistruths and misinformation, and I think everything they will be able to say … we will be able to debunk with facts."
The Crisafulli government remains comfortably ahead in recent public polls, though a Brisbane Times snapshot suggested Labor had taken a hit from the rise in support for One Nation. The government's decision to pick a fight with suburban middle-class voters who put the party into office reflects a calculated use of its political capital.
