Queensland election 2017: Tim Nicholls’ family trolled via email

OPPOSITION Leader Tim Nicholls’ family has been trolled in a campaign tirade targeted to a personal email account.

A snap from the Nicholls family album

TIM Nicholls’ family has been trolled in a targeted campaign tirade to a personal email account.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the LNP leader’s family was forced to refer the abuse to police after a stranger obtained their private email address.

In an interview ahead of the November 25 poll, Mary Nicholls said she tried not to let vilification directed at her as the alternative premier’s spouse get to her.

“I think people can be very abusive and aggressive in all facets of public life … so you see some aspects of human nature unleashed that are really pretty unpleasant and there’s a lot of fuel for that,” Mrs Nicholls said.

“And, yep, as I said, I’ll be dealing with some of that stuff later on today because we seem to have had our home email targeted.”

The campaign against her husband has hit home for Mary Nicholls. Picture: Adam Head

It comes amid campaign ads by Labor that highlight the unpopular decisions of the Newman government, of which Mr Nicholls was treasurer.

Reflecting on the shock 2015 loss, she said it was hard, “to have something, then lose it”, but that she and her “pretty pragmatic husband … just got on with life”.

She said there was a general trend of escalating aggression and abuse in politics that she tried not to take personally.

“I know people have strong opinions and get very worked up and people might hold particular points of view or hold false beliefs but feel them very passionately,” Mrs Nicholls said.

“And society’s pretty aggressive and divisive and, particularly, there’s a lot of ways to be abusive to people … It’s always unpleasant if you face something, I’m not saying it’s water off a duck’s back but I also don’t let it worry me.”

The occupational therapist, who works with state school students with disabilities, said she was sometimes approached by people who disagreed with LNP policies or the views or actions of her husband.

Tim and Mary Nicholls on their wedding day

Mrs Nicholls said she tried to listen respectfully or suggest how they might have their issues aired or achieve a solution.

“Sometimes people aren’t looking for that and you just have to, you’ve got to shut it down and say I can’t help you with that.”

The Nicholls met while at high school through a cousin and began dating in their early 20s.

But asked the date of their wedding, Mrs Nicholls could not remember, confessing that, while she always forgot their anniversary, her husband always forgot her birthday.

Despite that, she claimed their biggest “battles” centred on how to pack the shopping bags at Aldi on a Sunday afternoon.

“I think Tim would be a fantastic premier because he’s very thoughtful and takes the time to understand the issues and challenges for people across the state of Queensland,” she said.

“He’s very patient and he’s very solutions-driven, so he always tries to work with people to find a way to the best outcome to get things done.”

A snap from the Nicholls family album

She said that despite being a privately educated lawyer and former Brisbane city councillor, her husband knew what it was to work hard and budget.

Mrs Nicholls pointed to the massive interest rates that the newly married pair struggled under when they were in their first home.

She said they were determined to teach their children the same value of hard work, saying Jeremy, 18, Duncan, 17, and Kate, 14, had a paid-for go card each and health insurance, but could not expect a car bought for them or other financial leg-ups.

“Tim left school and three weeks later put on a suit and started working and has basically never taken that suit off,” she said.

“He did law through the old article clerkship… he was working for, probably, the princely sum of $80 a fortnight.

“So he’s pretty much, you know, you’re lucky enough to go to school in Queensland, the kids went to private high school.

“Then it’s kind of up to you to get on with life,” she said.

The growing Nicholls family on their front stairs