Liberal strategist Grahame Morris says Labor needs someone who can "spell the word Queensland" if they are to have any chance of winning the next election.
Jim Chalmers may well be that bloke.
The 41-year-old entered parliament in 2013 for the Queensland seat of Rankin, which takes in struggle-street suburbs of southern Brisbane and Logan City.
It's an area in which he was born, grew up and made a home with partner Laura and children Leo, Annabel and Jack.
Chalmers is well-known in press gallery circles and Labor ranks, having been chief of staff to Labor treasurer Wayne Swan and executive director of the ALP's official think tank Chifley Research Centre.
Since 2016 he has served in the shadow cabinet in the finance portfolio, having previously been the party's spokesman for financial services, superannuation and sport.
He has a PhD in political science and international relations and a first class honours degree in public policy, is a qualified company director and author of two books.
His ability to clearly sell the opposition's message was recognised with him being appointed Labor's official spokesman during the election campaign.
University colleague and fellow caucus member Anthony Chisholm describes him as "a very loyal person".
"He can articulate Labor values and communicate to the electorate. He represents an outer suburban electorate as well," Chisholm told ABC TV this week.
"Talking about that Queensland challenge, there is so much of a focus that needs to go in to outer suburbia in Queensland, but also across the rest of Australia as well because I think that's the key to us winning the next election."
Chisholm, a former Queensland ALP secretary and campaign director, says Kevin Rudd showed the value of having someone from the Sunshine State in charge.
"We are a very diverse state, we are a very unique state and we do get some wild political outcomes here. Having someone on the ground who can speak up is very important."
Chalmers' experience on economic matters would be of great value to Labor.
He recently wrote about the key challenges for the Australian economy in Quarterly Essay.
Among them were delivering workplace protections such as sick leave to people working in the so-called "gig economy" like Uber drivers, the growing use of personal data by big companies, the rise of globally networked companies which provide services and goods in Australia but don't employ Australians and how to properly tax multinationals.
"Rarely in our history have we been less confident of our collective purpose, our environmental wellbeing and our economic security," he and Andrew Charlton wrote.
"We have no idea what sort of world we will be leaving our children to inherit. We need fresh ideas because we can no longer delude ourselves that the answers to new problems lie in the past."
It could well be Chalmers' campaign theme.
Australian Associated Press
