Key Points
- Labor has held power in Queensland since 2015.
- Opposition leader David Crisafulli has focused on law and order in his campaign.
- The “threat” to abortion laws has also been raised during the campaign.
Queensland’s leadership hopefuls have made their final pitches to voters as a new poll shows Labor has made gains and narrowed the Liberal National Party’s (LNP) lead.
The state , and Premier Steven Miles and Opposition leader David Crisafulli of the LNP made their last-ditch appeals to voters on Friday.
More than 1.2 million Queenslanders have already cast their ballots.
Miles has ruled out the prospect of a minority government or doing any deals with minor parties, saying he is “campaigning to win a majority”.
“I’ve been in a minority government, they are hard to manage, and we get better outcomes with majority governments. That’s the case I’m putting to Queenslanders,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“I have a plan for our state’s future, and that’s something my opponent hasn’t bothered to offer Queenslanders.”
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has ruled out the prospect of a minority government. Source: AAP / Darren England
Meanwhile, Crisafulli’s team released its long-awaited economic plan on Thursday, revealing $7.12 billion in election commitments, compared to the government’s $9.7 billion.
Throughout the campaign, Labor Treasurer Cameron Dick has repeatedly demanded the LNP reveal its plan and criticised the plan when it was released.
Crisafulli has defended the delayed release and said his campaign was focused on key issues of youth crime, health, cost of living and housing.
“You release your costings when you finish releasing your policies but we, throughout the campaign, every time we released every policy it was costed to the dollar and backed in by third parties,” he said.
“But we have focused on those big four issues, and we have put forward solutions for those big four issues.
“That’s the campaign we’ve run, the Labor party have run a scare campaign and the unions have backed them up, but we haven’t wavered from giving Queenslanders hope over that fear. I’m choosing hope over that fear.”
Crisafulli said a minority Labor parliament would be “bedlam” and “chaos”.
Who is expected to win the Qld election?
Crisafulli dominated early polling and looked on track to end Labor’s nine-year reign, but the LNP has now stumbled in polling.
A Newspoll conducted for The Australian showed Miles was rated as a better premier at 45 per cent compared with 42 per cent for Crisafulli.
The poll of 1,151 Queenslanders conducted from 18 October to 24 October also showed the Miles government is up 2.5 points to 47.5 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis, with the Opposition down 2.5 points to 52.5 per cent.
Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli visited a dozen electorates on Thursday ahead of the election. Source: AAP / Russell Freeman
Earlier, this week Roy Morgan suggested the ballot was unique among recent elections in Australia, with the electorate distrusting both major parties more than trusting them.
Michele Levine, CEO of the market research firm, said distrust was at “dangerously high levels” for Labor and the LNP.
“This lack of enthusiasm for the major parties and their leaders brings to the fore the potential wildcards that could produce unexpected results on election night,” Levine said.
Roy Morgan’s poll, based on 866 respondents in Queensland aged 18 and over, suggested there was also net distrust in the Greens, while One Nation was trusted by 6.1 per cent of respondents, compared to 4.4 per cent who distrusted them.
“The wildcards at the Queensland election won’t be the positives such as subsidised transport and power bills or free school lunches, but will be defined by the electorate’s fear and anxiety: women and the threat to abortion laws, the issue of youth crime and children in incarceration,” Levine said.
“The other wildcard to look out for is illustrated by the high levels of distrust in the three major parties.
“This high level of distrust leaves the door open to smaller parties, such as One Nation, Katter’s Australian Party, other minor parties and independents, to influence the results in key electorates and potentially impacting the overall balance of power in the election’s aftermath.
The issues that have dominated in Queensland election campaigning
Labor has been in power in Queensland since 2015, initially in a minority government, and winning a majority in 2017 which they’ve held since. Miles has been the premier for 10 months and is up against Crisafulli.
Throughout the campaign, Crisafulli was nudged by voters multiple times to release more significant details on his policy rollouts, while Miles faced pushback for delayed solutions to the ongoing key issues.
, including free primary school lunches and. In addition, housing affordability for low-income families and a commitment to more funding for public hospitals and health services.
The LNP matches the public transport fares promise, but its campaign focuses on law and order.
Crisafulli has pledged to increase police funding for community safety and to tackle crime effectively. His Adult Crime, Adult Time plan promises adult sentences for children under 18 who commit serious crimes.
Abortion has emerged as another significant issue.
The Labor party decriminalised abortion in 2018, and the LNP says it has no plans to change abortion laws. Crisafulli called the matter a “scare campaign” in the third and final debate earlier this week when challenged by Miles on the controversial topic.
However, anti-abortion crossbencher Robbie Katter said he’ll introduce a private members bill with plans first to amend them to mandate care for babies born alive.
The LNP has historically allowed a conscience vote on the issue. That means if they hold the balance of power after the election, it is possible abortion laws could change despite Crisafulli’s promises.
With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
