Campbell Newman picks Twitter fight with LNP leader Deb Frecklington
CAMPBELL Newman has launched a stinging online attack against LNP Leader Deb Frecklington as tensions between the former Queensland Premier and the party he served intensify.
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CAMPBELL Newman has launched a stinging online attack against LNP Leader Deb Frecklington for questioning the popularity of tunnels he built as Brisbane’s Lord Mayor.
The former premier branded Ms Frecklington’s push for an inquiry into toll roads as “populist and retrograde” in a tweet on Tuesday, further deepening the divide between the pair.
The online barb is the latest public stoush between the two senior LNP figures after Ms Frecklington last week slammed Mr Newman’s comments about the Queensland Police and their handling of traffic around major accidents following the death of a pedestrian in Brisbane’s CBD.
Mr Newman said police needed to look at how they could “better deal with incidents” to avoid traffic chaos following an accident.
“I don’t care what side of politics you are on, the former premier’s comments this morning were insensitive and inappropriate,” Ms Frecklington tweeted last week.
Mr Newman yesterday responded, tweeting three days after Ms Frecklington announced her push for an inquiry into toll roads.
“Populist, retrograde nonsense from @DebFrecklington who has never delivered any infrastructure. Projects wouldn’t have happened without tolls. Ratepayers of Bne & taxpayers of Qld paid a fraction of what would have been needed to fund construction #cheapshot,” he tweeted.
A senior LNP source last night told The Courier-Mail that Mr Newman suffered from “relevance deprivation” following the shock 2015 election loss.
“Campbell needs to let it go,” the source said.
“To this point he is yet to once take responsibility for the 2015 election loss which he was the sole reason for, he just continues to blame everyone else.
“What he doesn’t realise is the more he attacks Deb, the more separation it gives between him and us.”
The LNP last year wrote to Mr Newman following the November election for his public criticism of the party during his role as a Sky News commentator.
The party issued Mr Newman with a please explain as to why he should still be a member of the party, to which it is understood he responded.
Both parties have since agreed to let the matter rest.
Both Ms Frecklington and the LNP refused to comment on the matter.
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