‘Not very brave’: LNP slammed for take-down of Labor candidate
Labor has lashed state MPs in response to a hit job of the ALP’s Leichhardt candidate from the floor of the Qld parliament in a high stakes battle for the north described as being especially dirty in 2025.
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Labor has lashed state MPs over comments made from the floor of the Queensland parliament in relation to ALP’s Leichhardt candidate and youth crime.
Earlier this week the Labor candidate for Leichhardt Matt Smith was the subject of LNP pile-on as state MPs attempted to leverage the success of adult time adult crime laws at a federal level to promote candidate Jeremy Neal.
Barron River MP Bree James claimed Mr Smith wanted the state’s tough new crime laws to be “weakened and watered down”.
“Labor and Matt Smith would like to see us return to the dark days where the rights of young criminals are put before the rights of victims,” she said.
“Unbelievably, he thinks that Labor’s approach for the last 10 years worked.”
Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber added Mr Smith “backs criminals over victims” before Cook MP David Kempton took over.
“I have not heard from him on the issue of youth crime and he has shown disinterest,” he said.
“A vote for Labor and Matt Smith in the seat of Leichhardt is a return to the old ways of Labor putting victims last.”
The Leichhardt hopeful stood beside Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Queensland Senator Nita Green at the Tjapukai pre-polling centre to defend his position on youth crime on Thursday.
“I would challenge them to find any record of me saying any of those things,” he said.
“I’m not sure where they were getting their information from.
“And look, it was disappointing to be personally attacked in parliament, but I noticed it was under parliamentary privilege.”
Mr Smith said the federal government had little influence on crime and punishment but could play a role in funding programs to divert youth away from entanglement in the youth justice system.
Ms Green hit back to say while Mr Kempton was “attacking” the Labor candidate for Leichhardt she was deep within the Cook electorate at the Cape York community of Aurukun.
“And his constituents were asking where he was,” she said.
“I think these state MPs should focus on delivering for their communities instead of attacking Matt Smith.
“It’s not very brave to stand up and use parliamentary privilege to have a whack at someone who’s trying the best for their community.
“And Bree James needs to explain why she’s supporting Peter Dutton’s nuclear power plant.”
The man whose retirement from politics threw the battle for the north wide open in a final act of service to the LNP was at the Smithfield pre-poll centre on Thursday handing out how-to-vote cards for Jeremy Neal.
Warren Entsch, a veteran MP of 26 years, has campaigned in six elections beginning in 1996 and says this election has been dirtier than most.
“I’ve found too much being dumped on and ... it comes from both sides,” he said.
Underhanded tactics this election include gunshot voicemails sent to LNP candidates, accusations “the unions” defaced Jeremy Neal’s election signs and a Coalition powerbroker disrupting a Greens press conference.
There were no funding commitments from the Treasurer at Thursday’s media conference however it was revealed that Smithfield would be the location of the proposed north Cairns urgent care clinic under a $644m commitment to strengthen Medicare announced in March.
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