Mount Isa's property investment potential has improved due to the dirty business of uranium mining: Terry Ryder

Two hundred years ago a French dude called Joseph de Maistre commented that “toute nation a le gouvernement qu’elle merite”. These days it’s usually expressed as “you get the government you deserve”. 

That we do. Australians like to grizzle about politicians who break promises, but we deserve no better because we don’t punish those who do. 

John Howard had a poor record on keeping promises. but we kept re-electing him. The more he got away with, the more liberties he took. He even came up with the epic rationalisation that it was OK to break a promise that wasn’t a “core promise”. 

Many Australians are miffed at Julia Gillard over her broken promise on the carbon pricing scheme. But until we punish mendacious politicians at the ballot box, they will go on deceiving us. 

It created barely a murmur that Campbell Newman’s decision to lift the 30-year ban on uranium mining in Queensland breached a solemn vow made in the election campaign earlier this year. No one who has studied the man’s record as lord mayor of Brisbane will be surprised.

The uranium decision (which brings Queensland into line with most other states) bothers me on two grounds: it’s a broken promise, and I’d prefer they left the uranium in the ground where it can’t do any damage. 

Having gotten that off my chest, there are consequences for real estate from the Queensland Premier’s decision to allow uranium mining – although he says he won’t allow nuclear power or waste disposal in the state. Seriously. No, really, he means it. He kept a completely straight face when he said it.

 Queensland’s uranium resources (estimated by the Queensland Resources Council to be worth $18 billion) mostly lurk in the state’s north-west, a lot of it not too far from Mount Isa. One of the largest known reserves is just 35 kilometres outside the town.