YouGov poll reveals voters back David Crisafulli and LNP to handle Queensland’s key issues

Queenslanders have overwhelmingly agreed on one factor of David Crisafulli’s leadership in an exclusive YouGov poll result certain to shock Labor.

An exclusive YouGov poll reveals what Queenslanders really think about David Crisafulli.

Queensland’s biggest battleground issues would be far better handled by David Crisafulli and an LNP government, voters have overwhelmingly declared.

Exclusive new polling conducted by The Courier-Mail shows the Opposition Leader is seen as the person best to take charge of Queensland’s spiralling cost of living, with 32 per cent backing Mr Crisafulli over 21 per cent putting their faith in Ms Palaszczuk.

Cost of living was the No. 1 issue for Queenslanders, the poll found, followed by youth crime and housing affordability.

But confidence in the Premier and the Labor Party’s handling of youth crime slumped to just 14 per cent from 16 per cent, with 37 per cent backing the LNP up from 31 per cent in April.

Mr Crisafulli was also a clear frontrunner in taking on problems with hospitals and ambulances, with 34 per cent believing he would handle it better – a climb of 8 points.

The poll also exposed what the state’s voters truly feel about the former Newman Government Minister turned LNP leader – with more than a third praising his performance.

The numbers also appear to show Mr Crisafulli’s dogged strategy of trekking across the state attending community events, holding health town halls and making almost daily media appearances had begun to turn the tide – with a chunk of “undecided” voters now backing the Opposition Leader for the top job.

But with 12 months until voting day a chunk of the electorate still say they don’t have a read on the man who wants to be Premier, with 13 per cent of voters saying they “don’t know him”, and a further 10 per cent saying they were “unsure”.

Asked for the “word which best describes David Crisafulli as Opposition Leader”, 16 per cent of punters described the 44-year-old as “good standing, competent, satisfactory”, while a further 11 per cent said he was “trying, aspiring, developing, optimistic”.

A further 7 per cent said he was: “honest, trustful, fair, caring” or “new, refreshing, energetic, (with a) good personality”.

The polling also reveals Mr Crisafulli and the LNP have swooped on the voters who were “undecided” in the most recent April poll shrinking – with those voters now turning to the LNP.

And while 40 per cent of voters were “uncommitted” to who would be the better Queensland Premier in that poll, that figure has now fallen to 28 – with Mr Crisafulli picking up 8 of those 12 points.

But chunks of the electorate also painted the Opposition Leader in less favourable light – with more than a third holding a negative view of the Premier aspirant.

“Ineffective, not good, weak, disappointing” was the second most common response, chosen by 13 per cent of those polled, while 9 per cent described Mr Crisafulli as “ok, average, adequate”.

The Opposition Leader’s withdrawal of support for Queensland’s Path to Treaty legislation last week saw multiple Palaszczuk Government Ministers attempt to paint Mr Crisafulli as “untrustworthy” and “slippery”.

The poll – taken before Mr Crisafulli’s Treaty announcement – saw just 2 per cent of voters described Mr Crisafulli as “distrustful, dishonest, sneaky”, while 1 per cent of voters polled described him as “inexperienced”.

But Mr Crisafulli’s impact has made significant inroads since last February, when just 26 per cent of voters were satisfied with his performance – a far cry from the 37 per cent today.