LNP to officially launch campaign in Brisbane
Queensland’s reputation as a fortress for the Coalition will see Prime Minister Scott Morrison hold his official campaign launch in Brisbane on Sunday, as he declares the state is a “key part” in his plan for Australia.
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Queensland’s reputation as a fortress for the Coalition will see Prime Minister Scott Morrison hold his official campaign launch in Brisbane on Sunday, as he declares the state is a “key part” in his plan for Australia.
It will be the first time the Coalition has launched its federal election campaign in the Sunshine State since Tony Abbott rose to power in 2013 almost a decade ago.
Insiders from both sides of politics have said the path to the Lodge lies through Queensland, with the Brisbane campaign launch demonstrating the importance the Coalition is placing on retaining its record-high number of seats in the state.
It is hoped to rally supporters in the seats of Brisbane and Ryan, which are under stress for the LNP, as well as speak to the outer suburban Australians in target seats such as Longman.
The Coalition holds every seat in Queensland north of Esk and needs to hold them if it hopes to cling to power, while Labor is wanting to pick up at least two in the state as part of the net seven seats it needs to win nationally to govern in a majority.
Making the announcement to The Courier-Mail, Mr Morrison repeated his famous line from the 2019 win of “how good is Queensland”.
“From families, farmers and miners, to surf clubs, small and international businesses, Queensland has it all,” Mr Morrison said.
“Queensland is a key part of my government’s plan for Australia, and this Sunday I’ll be laying out in even more detail how my team’s plan for a strong economy will help deliver a stronger future for our country.”
He said he would use the launch to highlight the choice Australians face, and seized on missteps made by Opposition leader Anthony Albanese during the campaign.
“It’s a choice between a strong economy or a weak one. A choice between strong leadership or weak leadership,” he said.
“A choice between a government with an economic plan and a government you know, or a leader of the Opposition who you don’t know and has more plans for reviews than policies,” Mr Morrison said.
Labor has already held its campaign launch in WA, the first time it had done so since the 1940s, where it is hopeful of winning up to three seats off the Coalition.
It was only the second time in about 20 years Labor had not launched its campaign in Queensland.
Then Liberal prime minister John Howard launched campaigns in Brisbane in 2004 and 2007, as did then Opposition leader Tony Abbott in 2010 and 2013, before Malcolm Turnbull switched to Sydney in 2016 and Scott Morrison held it in Melbourne in 2019.
After Kim Beazley held the Labor launch in Sydney in 2001, the ALP kept to Brisbane at every election since except 2016 when Bill Shorten took it to western Sydney.
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