It’s almost Halloween. In Brisbane, cobwebs, skeletons, ghouls and corflute-shaped signs jostle to be displayed on fences. In the city center, red Labor and green signs still promise to protect abortion rights and cap rents. On the outskirts of the city and in the regions, green and red give way to blue signage of the Liberal National Party (LNP) emblazoned with the slogan “Adult time for adult crime”.

Perhaps it’s normal for the voting booths to be ghostly on Election Day. In the inner-city suburb of Paddington, at the school where I voted, the pastry stand was well stocked by lunchtime and my democracy sausage, cooked early in anticipation of the crowds that never came, was on the side the coldest of the lukewarm.

More than a third of Queenslanders voted in the pre-ballot – a record number. Perhaps it was enthusiasm for a change in government or general unease with community events. Whatever the reason, Election Day was bleak.

Although the victory was less easy than expected – polls tightened towards the end of the race – Queenslanders, as expected, voted for a majority LNP government.

New Premier David Crisafulli opened his victory speech by declaring that “Queenslanders voted for hope rather than fear”. Given that both major parties’ campaigns capitalized on fear, this choice of expression was odd.

Labor’s fear-mongering campaign – that women’s legal access to reproductive rights would be abolished under an LNP government – ​​became a little more concrete when, on October 8, North Queensland MP Robbie Katter committed to introducing a bill to repeal or amend Queensland’s abortion law if his party formed. a minority government with the LNP.

Fear grew when Crisafulli refused to answer what her position was on abortion until asked. more than 132 times. Although he has said an LNP government would not change the abortion law, he has yet to confirm whether he would let his party’s MPs – none of whom voted for the adoption of the initial bill – take a conscience vote if a repeal bill was presented by the crossbench.

Crisafulli described his election campaign as “the result of a lot of hard work and a lot of strategy.” One of the main strategies was the promise to end the “youth crime crisis”. Data shows the youth crime rate in Queensland has reached its lowest level on record in 2022, and rates have remained stable since then. Although there have been a number of high-profile tragedies in recent years, such as the tragic stabbings Emma Lovell And Vyleen Whitemany, many Queenslanders are genuinely afraid of a youth crime crisis that is simply not supported by the data.

As part of its Making a Safer Community plan, the LNP has a number of youth justice policies that are progressive, but its “adult time for adult crime” policy will send more children to prisons that are already over capacity. Most of these children will be First Nations. Although they make up 3% of the total Australian population, they make up 70% of inmates in Queensland’s youth detention system.

Political strategies do not emerge in a vacuum. The most effective ones capitalize on existing moods, biases, and beliefs. The fact that fear of juvenile delinquency was such a successful campaign strategy says a lot about a state that voted overwhelmingly against the Voice to Parliament project.

Would Queenslanders admit there is a youth crime crisis if the majority of children accused of crimes were white? Or should we instead call it a mental health crisis/domestic violence crisis/undiagnosed disability crisis/homelessness crisis/hunger crisis?

After the Voice referendum result in Queensland – not a single regional electorate voted yes – the LNP backtracked on its support for the Queensland Treaty Pathway and the Truth and Healing Inquiry.

This investigation is already underway. In November, hearings are planned in Cherbourg. Cherbourg Mayor Bruce Simpson says the investigation helps correct so many “hurts and wrongs”. Inquiry leader Joshua Creamer said: “The evidence that will emerge from the inquiry process provides a real opportunity to achieve real results for Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is vital as we work together towards a more unified future for all Queenslanders. With the LNP in power, the future of a process that could profoundly heal our state is uncertain.

On Saturday, five days before Halloween, Queensland voters’ fears – overt and covert – were manipulated by both sides of politics, but most deftly and successfully by the LNP. We could have been a braver people, a people who faced the truth with curiosity and openness and, in doing so, began to heal. Instead, we capitulated to fear.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal and do not represent those of the organizations with which the author is associated.