Analysis: Why ALP mud isn’t sticking to Deb Frecklington

Labor’s efforts to demonise LNP leader Deb Frecklington during the state election have not been as successful as the party had hoped. For the plan to work punters need to know who she is, writes Steven Wardill.

Labor’s efforts to demonise LNP leader Deb Frecklington during the state election have not been as successful as the party had hoped.

And that’s because the plan was flawed from the start.

This strategy works well when punters know who a leader is and what they stand for, such as Bill Shorten at last year’s federal election.

However, when it comes to Frecklington, most Queenslanders wouldn’t have a clue.

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Frecklington’s failure to improve her popularity has certainly been a significant impediment to the LNP campaign.

Yet at the same time it’s made it difficult for Labor to define their opponent.

LNP leader Deb Frecklington. Picture: Zizi Averill

Labor has dusted off its predictable Campbell Newman attack and made the claim that Frecklington’s role as assistant minister in that administration somehow put her at the centre of its controversial decision-making.

While the Newman attack might bite a bit, it has a diminishing return with each election and doesn’t make much sense when the former premier has spent just as much time panning Frecklington as he has Annastacia Palaszczuk in recent months.

Labor has pivoted in recent days to try to claim Frecklington and Clive Palmer are working in cahoots over his make-believe claim that Labor will introduce a death tax.

However, that doesn’t really work either given Frecklington has actually never met the billionaire businessman and isn’t likely to given he’s currently suing her mother-in-law.

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s revived popularity was always going to be critical to the success of Labor’s campaign.

But given Labor has swapped “She kept us safe” signs featuring Palaszczuk with “Don’t risk the LNP” at some pre-poll centres, it indicates there is some concern that voters might not have got the message.