Qld election 2024: Union’s ‘mediscare’ campaign disavowed by Labor MP

Premier Steven Miles has defended a union-led campaign falsely claiming hospitals would be privatised, saying the LNP has ‘form when it comes to healthcare’.

The flyer dropped in multiple electorates by the UWU

Premier Steven Miles has defended a union-led scare campaign falsely claiming hospitals would be privatised under an LNP government as “true”.

The United Workers Union’s “mediscare” style campaign has distributed pamphlets across ten electorates falsely claiming the LNP would sell off a health asset in the area.

So far the flyers have popped up in the ultra-marginal Labor-held Bundaberg and the outer-suburban Labor seat of Macalister.

It can also be revealed the flyer has been distributed in Mackay, claiming the LNP would “sell our new satellite hospital”—a building that doesn’t even yet exist.

Mr Miles, speaking at the Stanwell Power Plant west of Rockhampton, said questions about the campaign should be directed at the UWU.

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He then accused the LNP of having “form when it comes to healthcare” and referred back to the Newman-era shedding of frontline health workers.

“You can have a scare campaign that is true,” Mr Miles said.

“The prospect of an LNP government is scary for health workers, and it is also true.”

The Electoral Commission of Queensland has conceded it is powerless to stop a union-led scare campaign falsely claiming hospitals would be privatised under an LNP government.

After being caught out distributing pamphlets falsely stating the Logan Hospital would be sold off by an LNP government, the United Workers Union doubled down on its “mediscare” campaign on Wednesday, revealing it had peppered nine other electorates with similar messaging.

When asked about the flyers, an ECQ spokesman said it was an offence to print, publish, distribute or broadcast anything that was intended or likely to mislead an elector in relation to the way of voting at the election, or to knowingly publish a false statement of fact regarding the personal character or conduct of the candidate.

However the spokesman said statements about which policies a future government may introduce were unlikely to breach this provision, as a prediction about the future is unlikely to be taken to be as a statement of fact regarding the personal character or conduct of the candidate.

“The flyers also refer to a party generally, as opposed to a specific candidate,” the ECQ spokesman said.

Voters in the Labor-held seat of Macalister, where the first flyers were dropped this week, savaged the scare campaign, describing it as desperate.

And, despite her name being used in a flyer claiming the Logan Hospital would be sold by the LNP, Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon on Wednesday distanced herself from the material, describing the claims as ridiculous.

Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon

“I had nothing to do with the flyer,” she said.

“I wasn’t involved in its authorisation, or the publishing or printing of it and it’s not a conversation I have had with any voters so far.”

A similar flyer was distributed in the knife-edge electorate of Bundaberg, where sitting MP Tom Smith is defending a wafer-thin 0.01 per cent margin after winning office in 2020 with a 4.2 per cent swing.

Both pamphlets were authorised by union heavyweight Gary Bullock, who helped install Steven Miles as premier.

“Don’t let the LNP sell our new hospital,” the flyer declares.

“Last time the LNP were in power, they sacked 3456 health workers in Bundaberg.

“It took years for our community our recover from these LNP cuts.”

Mr Smith refused to comment when contacted by The Courier-Mail on Wednesday.

A UWU spokesman doubled down on the messaging.

“The only ‘whopper’ here is Opposition Leader David Crisafulli not telling the truth about the Liberal National Party’s privatisation plans,” he said.

“The LNP cut 4400 health jobs in its last term, so it’s ‘nothing to see here’ claims don’t pass the pub test.

“United Workers Union makes no apology for ringing the alarm bell about the LNP’s continuing addiction to privatisation of vital public health services.”

Mr Crisafulli vehemently rejected accusations the LNP would sell off hospitals if elected. Mr Crisafulli said the Labor claims had reached a ­“bizarre” level.