A couple of weeks ago, over lunch, a senior LNP official gloated how former premier Campbell Newman was "back in his box".

No-one had heard from him for a few weeks, his incessant texting had stopped, and he'd "got on with his life".

"He's not going to cause us any problem in the election," he said, with the knowledge of someone who knows Newman well, and who has dealt with him hundreds of times.

How wrong he was. Newman's latest contribution to state politics highlights several factors that the LNP needs to address before it even bothers to take on Annastacia Palaszczuk and the ALP.