For the last 12 months, in public discourse, there’s been a relentless, almost single-focus on youth crime, health failures, cost of living, growth pressures especially public housing shortages, and large capital projects cost blow-outs.

Economics is nowhere to be seen.

The Opposition have been brilliant in their exploitation of community concerns with leader David Crisafulli laser-like in his focus and incredibly disciplined in his approach .With the strong support of the bulk of mainstream media the political debate has entirely been on the LNP terms .

Then there’s the other Queensland – especially in the regions – with the strongest population growth in the nation, historically low unemployment and rising property prices.

At a state and national level budgets are in surplus and record public and private capital spending is the norm, with as much as a trillion dollars programmed to be spent nationwide.

But you would hardly know it. Those public policy agenda items have not been successfully prosecuted by the Palaszczuk Government, or championed in the mainstream media.

Last week InQueensland reported that the highest population growth in the nation was occurring on the Fraser Coast, Sunshine Coast, Townsville and the Yeppoon Coast, all largely marginal ALP seats.

Capital spending is also being lavished by the State Government on these same regions/seats. Think Fraser Coast, with almost $9b in spending on the Walkers new train build in Maryborough. Will Fraser Coast voters focus on last week’s announced $2.4b cost blow-out, or think “whacko more moolah coming our way”.

Townsville has the hugely expensive $5b Copper String 2 project that kicks off early next year, yet youth crime in Thuringowa dominates local media .

It’s the same story throughout regional Queensland – good economic times, especially in the resource and agricultural sectors and, retail sector aside, lots of government spending being directed their way, as well as the important rising house price barometer.

There’s no doubt the cost of living issue runs strongly through the community, but equally, those people are employed. The focus is on what they don’t have or like, rather than what’s going right.

Almost a return to the culture of complaint. That’s replicated at the whole-of-state level – a state budget in surplus , debt reducing, the “Big Build “Capital Works program , but the debate is wholly focussed on negative issues.Why is that the case?

In the Bjelke-Petersen era , even during the Beattie reign, these same economic success stories would be a guarantee of strong electoral success, but not now. Indeed, there is every chance the Palaszczuk Government will be defeated at next year’s October state poll.

I’m also reminded of the 1993 Federal election when Paul Keating won the “unwinnable” election despite 17% interest rates. People had jobs and doubts about the opposition, and that was enough to eek out a win.Will history repeat itself 30 years later?

Keating made his own luck – he successfully refashioned the political agendas on his own terms.

There is no emerging trend to suggest the political landscape or debate will change over the next 15 months with the current state government locked into its way of prosecuting its agenda.

Maybe the Olympics is a circuit breaker, or the good economic times continue to roll. Or, God help us, there is another large natural disaster, or some form of all those.

Otherwise to my mind its more of the same. For the LNP, it’s sticking to the already successful campaign of making the Palaszczuck Government the issue and running a small target campaign.

Come October 2024 which state – or state of mind – will we be living in?