David Crisafulli reveals LNP candidates in the field by Easter

The LNP will have candidates in the field as early as Easter with David Crisafulli determined to ramp up pressure on the Palaszczuk government in 2023.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has claimed underdog status two years out from the next state election as he revealed the LNP would have candidates in the field by Easter.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail ahead of the New Year, the LNP leader foreshadowed cost of living as a key issue where he would ramp up pressure on the Palaszczuk government in 2023.

And amid polling that shows a significant number of voters still don’t have an opinion about him, Mr Crisafulli has insisted the LNP’s focus needs to be on Queenslanders – saying: “It can’t be about me”.

With the next state election slated for October 2024, Mr Crisafulli confirmed the LNP was aiming to have candidates in the field about 18 months out from polling day.

“So if you do the maths, that’s sort of around Easter (this year) which would be pretty exciting,” he said.

“It’s a long way out from an election, but I think it’s a good thing. We will get some key seats done this year.”

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli at the Salvation Army warehouse in Newstead. Thursday December 22, 2022. Picture, John Gass

Mr Crisafulli said he was also “equally interested” in getting candidates installed in seats where the LNP doesn’t usually do well.

With the latest polls showing Labor and the LNP are locked in a close contest, Mr Crisafulli has claimed his party is the underdog ahead of the 2024 election.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the same claim about the Labor Party ahead of the 2020 state election – when she was returned to power with an increased majority.

“In the last three and a half decades, we (the LNP) have effectively won one general election,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“The Labor Party is a ruthless operation. The Premier is a formidable politician.

“And we are the underdogs – of course we are the underdogs. That’s an inevitability.”

An exclusive YouGov poll for The Courier-Mail in December showed Mr Crisafulli’s satisfaction rating was sitting at 31 per cent, while 27 per cent were dissatisfied with his performance.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and MP Jarrod Bleijie. Picture: Liam Kidston

But it means about two in five Queenslanders don’t have an opinion about him more than two years after he took up the LNP leadership.

Asked if he would focus on building his profile over the next two years, Mr Crisafulli suggested the Opposition’s focus would be on Queenslanders and highlighting how the LNP is a “unified team”.

“Whether or not Queenslanders know me or don’t, all they want me is to be talking about what I can do for their family,” he said.

“I don’t want it to be about me. I want it to be about Queensland. I’ve got every confidence that despite being underdogs, the trajectory is good.”

In the past year, the LNP have made the economy, service delivery and integrity crucial battlegrounds in their quest to topple the Palaszczuk government – something Mr Crisafulli said would continue in 2023.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli expects cost of living to be a key issue at the next state election. Picture: Tara Croser.

However, Mr Crisafulli indicated cost of living would be another key area where the LNP would put pressure on the government in the New Year.

“I would argue that the state government impacts your cost of living more than any other level of government,” he said.

“People will view almost every interaction with government through the prism of how is this impacting my hip pocket, because 2023 will be the year where rising costs and wasteful spending by government will come and hit home to roost.”

As an example of where the state government could impact cost of living, Mr Crisafulli pointed to housing.

“The biggest impact on somebody’s cost of living is their house expenses. The availability of housing – both private market, social and community – rests with the state government,” he suggested.

The state government has announced a raft of housing measures in recent months following their landmark Housing Summit in October.

Mr Crisafulli also took a swipe at the government – now in its third term – by claiming it was not the same government that Queenslanders elected in 2015.

Asked if he felt the same about the Premier, Mr Crisafulli said: “I never make it personal.”

“When I say personal, I just don’t want to weigh into … I’ve never been one to talk about personal lives. That’s just not my style. I don’t want to be narky against her as an individual,” he said.