It’s parliament, not Love Island: Queensland’s ministerial affair drama becomes a sordid distraction

Liberal National party ministers Amanda Camm and Tim Mander during question time at Queensland-parliament" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="125669" data-entity-type="organization">Queensland parliament in Brisbane on Tuesday. The pair’s relationship has come under scrutiny from Labor. Composite: AAP View image in fullscreen Liberal National party ministers Amanda Camm and Tim Mander during question time at Queensland-parliament" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="125669" data-entity-type="organization">Queensland parliament in Brisbane on Tuesday. The pair’s relationship has come under scrutiny from Labor. Composite: AAP Analysis It’s parliament, not Love Island: Queensland’s ministerial affair drama becomes a sordid distraction Ben Smee Queensland state correspondent Tuesday’s question time seemed more suited to prime time; full of sordid allegations, only the cast seems far less likable Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Question time in the Queensland-parliament" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="125669" data-entity-type="organization">Queensland parliament is not a ratings juggernaut. Nielsen doesn’t publish ratings data about the live stream from Brisbane’s George Street, but one imagines the numbers of voters tuning in to watch our state politicians flagellate on a weekday morning are relatively low: a handful of politics nerds and the odd journo who prefers to work from home. Tuesday’s broadcast seemed more suited to prime time; like an episode of Love Island, full of sordid allegations about affairs, only the cast seems far less likable. During question time the deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie – a man not known for his subtlety – made good on a promise from last week to expose personal relationships of Labor MPs. Bleijie breathlessly rattled off the names of five Labor MPs and threatened to reveal information about their personal relationships. He accused another two of being in a relationship (which they deny). “We’ve all heard rumours and innuendoes and stories,” Bleijie said. Bleijie’s remarkable comments followed repeated questions from Labor about the relationship between two Liberal National party ministers, Tim Mander and Amanda Camm. Stories about Mander and Camm, and questions about the timeline of their coupling, have been front-page news in Queensland. The justification for the inquisition has been “integrity” concerns, though there has frankly been more smoke than fire in that regard. The LNP created this mess. They coined the term “integrity crisis” during the last term of government, mainly to overhype a story about the wiping of a laptop retrieved from the office of the integrity commissioner. An investigation later found the circumstances were not actually on par with Watergate but in fact “entirely ordinary”. Labor created this mess, too. The opposition is floundering when it comes to actually holding the government to account for its quiet but steady shifts to the right on juvenile crime, trans rights, native title and “hate speech” laws. Apparently the Mander-Camm relationship is the best attack Labor can find. None of this is intended to downplay the idea that integrity matters. Of course it does. But it’s worth dwelling on that word for a moment. Because in politics “integrity” means nothing, and everything. In Queensland politics it’s a convenient way to accuse someone of something more serious when there’s not enough evidence to use the “c” word – corruption. And it’s also a wonderful paradox. Given what was witnessed in the chamber on Tuesday, the idea there is any integrity left in Queensland politics is laughable. It is less than three days since one of the biggest political shifts in this country for generations. The result in the Farrer byelection told us a lot about the sorts of voters who will reshape politics in Australia. They’re voters who have grown to despair at the sordid pantomime that politics can become. They’re also folks who are far more likely to watch Married at First Sight (2.76 million people per episode, on average) than would care who came up with the best put-down in question time. Queensland’s political leaders might come to regret chasing ratings. Sure, more people might tune in. But will they really like what they see? Explore more on these topics Queensland politics Queensland David Crisafulli Love Island Labor party Liberal National party analysis Share Reuse this content