Queensland election 2017: Rolling coverage of the election campaign
THE QUEENSLAND Council of Unions say LNP leader Tim Nicholls has played his “last desperate election card” with a “union-bashing exercise revisiting a failed policy” from the Newman-Nicholls LNP government.
QLD Election
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Election. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Queensland Council of Unions issued a statement in response to Tim Nicholls election pledge to enact tougher rules forcing unions seek member’s permission before spending their cash on election campaigns, under an LNP Government.
QCU’s FULL STATEMENT: LNP leader Tim Nicholls has played his last desperate election card with a union-bashing exercise revisiting a failed policy from the Newman-Nicholls LNP government.
His promise today that he would force unions to ballot members over campaigning again trashes the concept of political expression that was comprehensively rejected by the High Court in 2014.
Former LNP Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie had to repeal the LNP’s own laws on campaigning, to avoid embarrassment in the High Court.
“At the time unions warned that this legislation was unconstitutional. Now Tim Nicholls wants to revisit the past in a move that smells a lot like the cruel and chaotic Newman regime,” QCU General Secretary Ros McLennan said.
“Campbell Newman and Nicholls blew $100,000 in legal costs on that failed attempt to shut down freedom of speech.
“Now Nicholls suggests he can use the Registered Organisations Commission legislation – for which One Nation voted for in the Senate – again shows these two parties are hand-in-glove to bash unions and gag the voice of working people.
“Community and representative groups have always been able to participate in the democratic process and it’s clear that if a LNP/One Nation partnership ends up governing Queensland then they will again go after workers and their unions.”
HOW POLLIES ARE GETTING OUR ATTENTION AFTER BAN
WITH a ban now on TV and print advertising ahead of the election, our politicians have hit the streets - literally - in their push to sway voters.
Several vehicles have been spotted around the state with huge advertisements, in a bid to catch voters’ attention.
It comes after Queensland Labor State Secretary Evan Moorhead issued a call for $10 donations to help Labor fund its online ads in the lead-up to polling day on Saturday.
In an email sent to supporters yesterday, Mr Moorhead said the polls were “close” with Labor hoping to swing undecided voters in the final days.
“We’ve got until midnight (Wednesday) before the advertising blackout hits,” Mr Moorhead’s email states.
“That means no more TV ads and no more radio ads, but we can still advertise online.
“We know that crucial amounts of undecided voters make up their minds in the last days before an election, but so do the other parties.
“We can’t afford to be outspent online in these crucial last days, especially when the polls are so close.
“This election will be decided by the undecided voters that are making their minds up right now.
“Can you chip in $10 towards getting our final message out? It could mean the difference between winning and losing.”
‘NICHOLLS PLEDGE TO GET TOUGH ON POLITICAL DONATIONS’
TOUGHER rules forcing unions seek member’s permission before spending their cash on election campaigns would be introduced under an LNP Government.
Other laws would be brought in to mirror the Commonwealth’s Registered Organisation Bill, which includes strengthening financial disclosure and transparency requirements for unions, as well as increasing obligations for office holders to reveal material personal interests.
It follows The Courier-Mail this morning revealing unions have been donating about $15,000 a day to the Labor party during the election campaign.
Opposition leader Tim Nicholls said Labor had spent its time in government bringing in legislation to “kowtow” to the unions.
“What we will be doing is ensuring there is a level playing field, and make sure (union members’) money is being spent appropriately, correctly and with their consent,” he said.
This would require the unions to seek members permission through a vote before it could be donated to a political party.
Existing Queensland legislation would also be tweaked to bring it into line with the Registered Organisations Bill, brought in under the Turnbull Government.
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said any political donations made by the QCU have been declared as required under the new real-time disclosure laws.
“Individual unions however may be making their own donations to political parties,” she said.
“It’s difficult to put a true value on secure jobs, restoring frontline services, protecting workplace rights and keeping public assets in public hands.”
‘WE DON’T HAVE A CANDIDATE IN THAT SEAT’
PAULINE Hanson’s One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has held an awkward press conference in Brisbane’s south where she didn’t know her party even had a candidate running.
Speaking at a lighting factory in Sailsbury this morning, Senator Hanson said One Nation did not have a candidate in the seat of Toohey when asked about their whereabouts, before being corrected by an adviser.
She then defended her visit to the electorate without her candidate Victor Zhang by saying she was there in her capacity as a Federal Senator, despite standing next to Ipswich candidate Malcolm Roberts.
“I don’t know whether he is working. A lot of our candidates have day jobs so they can’t take the time out to do it, I respect that,” she said, despite a party spokesman later saying Mr Zhang didn’t want to leave the pre-poll booth, he was campaigning at, to meet Senator Hanson.
Senator Hanson defended her Queensland party leader Steve Dickson who was also a no show on the hustings alongside her, saying he needed to spend time in his electorate of Buderim.
“I don’t believe Steve Dickson should be here, as I said this is more of a Federal Issue today. I think Steve Dickson needs to be in his electorate, that’s exactly where he should be,” she said.
“You know, here we have Barnaby Joyce being dragged up here for the campaign in this election, I think Tony Abbott has been up here as well, Bill Shorten has been up here … I am the National President of this party, I wont apologise for that, people have come know me very well, they know that I am a fighter for the people of Australia and they expect the same of my candidates that are standing in Queensland.”
LABOR PROMISE TO CRIMINALISE REVENGE PORN
LABOR will criminalise revenge porn if it hangs on to power at Saturday’s Queensland election.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the laws will apply to people who send or threaten to send explicit material without consent.
She says governments have a responsibility to address emerging threats as technology continues to develop.
“Revenge porn, as it’s often known, is used in a variety of disturbing ways and there is anecdotal evidence that it’s occurring more often, particularly as part of a pattern of domestic violence behaviour,” she said in a statement.
“Make no mistake - this is a horrible violation and speaks volumes about the person sharing the image.” Ms Palaszczuk says a relationship breakdown is not the sole cause of the practise and could occur as a result of hacking.
“Sometimes they’re shared out of some warped sense of entertainment or need for notoriety,” she said.
“The bottom line is, we will create a new offence related to non-consensual sharing of intimate images because this behaviour is not just abhorrent, it is criminal.” LNP leader Tim Nicholls agrees the issue need to be addressed. “We’ll have a look at those laws, it’s certainly something that’s been the topic of debate in the past in the parliament,” he said.
“I think there’s a range of issue that need to be considered and we’d certainly be looking at those.”
Opposition leader Tim Nicholls said he would look at the revenge porn laws proposed by Labor.
“I think there’s a range of issues that need to be considered and we would certainly be looking at those,” he said.
‘I WASN’T GOING TO TAKE HIM GIVING ME THE FINGER’
PAULINE Hanson has called a Labor candidate a grub and a coward, and has demanded the Queensland premier dump him for allegedly bullying a One Nation opponent.
Senator Hanson confronted Labor’s candidate for Hervey Bay, Adrian Tantari, on Wednesday, accusing him of abusing his One Nation opponent Damian Huxham.
She was filmed telling Mr Tantari: “You are nothing but a bully ... we don’t need people like you on the floor of parliament”.
“How am I bullying? How am I bullying? How am I bullying,” the Labor candidate repeated during a heated confrontation at a polling booth, and then challenged Senator Hanson to prove her claims.
“This is a total fabrication. It’s dirty politics, it’s gutter politics, just to besmirch my name,” Mr Tantari told the ABC.
Senator Hanson said Mr Tantari had given her the rude finger and that’s why she confronted him.
“I wasn’t going to take him giving me the finger as I drove off from the polling booth in Hervey Bay,” she wrote on Facebook.
“You’re damn right I got out of the car and cornered the coward.” Mr Tantari has denied grabbing Mr Huxham twice, threatening him, and using foul language about the One Nation candidate on social media.
Senator Hanson called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to dump Mr Tantari, saying he was an aggressive and horrible man.
‘WE WILL HONOUR ANY SIGNED DEALS MADE BY THE LABOR’
THE $500 million royalty deferment deal for Adani signed by Labor would be honoured by an LNP Government, Opposition leader Tim Nicholls said this morning.
Mr Nicholls is at Hervey Bay this morning, where he has changed his language to spruiking a “stable, majority LNP Government” and urged voters not to turn to minor parties.
“A vote for minor parties will only lead to a vote for a Labor Government for another three years,” he said.
More details have emerged about the royalties deal, signed by the Palaszczuk Government, which will see about $360 million in payments by Adani deferred for the first five years of production.
The State Government also would take over and upgrade several council roads related to the mine, The Australian reports this morning.
Mr Nicholls said he would honour the deal, despite not having seen the detail, to avoid taxpayers being stuck with large costs for breaking contracts.
“We will honour any signed deals made by the Labor Government but we don’t know what those details are,” he said.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk has been lying through her teeth the entire time on this Carmichael project.
“We still don’t know the detail of her secret royalties deal and today we’re learning about another deal in relation to funding roads.”
Mr Nicholls also began pushing the idea of a “majority” government, as polling remains tight in the closing days of the campaign.
“This Saturday Queenslanders have a clear choice. A clear choice between a stable, majority LNP Government or a do-nothing Labor Government. A Labor Government that is wracked by internal division, by in fighting and by chaos,” he said.
He also rejected leaked Labor polling suggesting Opposition treasury spokesman Scott Emerson could struggle to hold the new seat of Maiwar. He said Mr Emerson would win.
Opposition leader Tim Nicholls also said he was not hiding anything by releasing his election promise costings at 4pm two days out from polling day.
Mr Nicholls said it was always the case that parties released the details of how they would pay for their commitments and reduce debt on the second last day.
“There will be no asset sales, there will be no asset leases under a
Nicholls LNP Government,” he said.
“Scott Emerson will be releasing the costings and details on how we will deliver lower debt than Labor this afternoon.”
Annastacia Palaszczuk will not say if her Government will take over the upgrading of roads needed for the Adani coal mine should Labor retain power on Saturday.
The Premier was again challenged over whether any taxpayer funds would go towards the mine today.
Isaac Mayor Anne Baker has asked for the State to take over the council roads.
“Let me make it very clear. There are no taxpayer funds going to the Adani mine,” Ms Palaszczuk said when asked if the State would pay for the roads.
“She has not raised those issues directly with me.”
But when asked if she would rule out taking over the roads, Ms Palaszczuk would not say.
Ms Palaszczuk was campaigning in the Caloundra electorate this morning, visiting Australia Zoo to announce $140,500 in funding before heading to Aspley.
POLL SHOWS LABOR WILL TAKE DOWN EMERSON
LABOR believes it’s within striking distance of claiming shadow treasurer Scott Emerson’s inner-Brisbane seat, with internal polling showing a three per cent swing against the former Newman government minister.
Mr Emerson’s old seat of Indooroopilly is now part of the new electorate of Maiwar, which he holds with a notional three per cent margin. But Labor says its internal polling suggests that lead has vanished entirely, putting him neck and neck with the ALP’s Ali King.
A ReachTEL poll last week showed the two candidates split at 50-50 on a two party preferred basis, though Labor claims its latest internal numbers show it slightly ahead in the seat.
AAP has sought comment from the LNP.
Mr Emerson is due to detail how the LNP will pay for its election promises on Thursday afternoon.
The shadow treasurer is one of several high-profile MPs facing a battle to hold onto their seats, with Deputy Premier Jackie Trad facing a strong challenge from the Greens’ Amy MacMahon.
You can thank me for majority: Miller
RENEGADE MP Jo-Ann Miller claims her decision to reach out to Pauline Hanson gave Labor the winning edge at November 25’s state election.
Premier announces full frontbench
ANNASTACIA Palaszczuk has announced her full Cabinet for the 56th Parliament, including both familiar and new faces for Queensland’s most important ministerial portfolios.