‘Sensitive issue’: LNP campaign mired in questions of conscience

The news

LNP leader David Crisafulli has hit out at Katter’s Australian Party for wanting to make abortion a crime, while again refusing to explain how he could promise no changes to pregnancy termination laws if he led the next government.

For the third day, Crisafulli would not say whether he would grant LNP MPs – most of whom rejected the decriminalisation of abortion in 2018 – a conscience vote on a promised KAP bill to restrict laws around the issue.

David Crisafulli, pledging a statewide crime victim advocate service from Townsville, faced a third-straight day of questions on his key social policy promise on Wednesday.Credit: Matt Dennien

Premier Steven Miles said he would give Labor MPs a conscience vote if required.

Why it matters

After Crisafulli promised almost a year ago there would be no change to abortion laws under an LNP government, Labor and union supporters expressed scepticism over the pledge by pointing to the LNP’s record.

Comments emerging this week from two LNP MPs reiterating their opposition to Labor’s previous decriminalisation – and even expressing a desire to mount new efforts to overturn those reforms – have further undermined Crisafulli’s insistence that change was “not part of our plan”.

On Tuesday, KAP leader Robbie Katter – whose team of four MPs from largely safe or very safe regional seats is the largest minor party in parliament – challenged LNP figures to “come clean” on the issue. He vowed to prioritise a bill next term to repeal the laws.

Under longstanding LNP partyroom practices on matters of life and death, MPs would be given a conscience vote in such a scenario. This was reaffirmed by Crisafulli on Monday before he reverted to a simpler “no change” claim.

What they said

For almost one-third of his hour-long media conference in Townsville on Wednesday, Crisafulli tried to deal with dozens of questions on the “sensitive issue” by saying it was “not part of our plan” and “there will be no change”.

“So that’s upfront,” he offered in one response, despite refusing to explain how he could promise no change despite others planning to put it on the agenda.

Crisafulli – who during last week’s leaders’ debate vowed to stare down members of the LNP who wanted to undo abortion and assisted dying laws – said his campaign focus was on crime, health, housing and cost of living.

Having himself voted against decriminalisation without speaking during the debate, Crisafulli on Wednesday said he believed abortion was health care and “all health care was important”.

“The Katters’ priority is recriminalising abortion, Labor’s priority is running a scare campaign to brush over their failings in crime, our plan is dealing with youth crime – so, over to you Queensland,” he said.

At a media conference in Brisbane, Miles reaffirmed what he described as Labor’s long-held practice of a conscience vote on matters such as abortion.

“But you know what our conscience says: Labor MPs support a woman’s right to choose,” Miles said.

What you need to know

Election day is October 26 but early voting opens on Monday, with the LNP well ahead of Labor on the primary vote.

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