Bombshell: David Crisafulli finally reveals his personal view on Abortion

Premier Steven Miles has questioned the timing from Opposition Leader David Crisafulli who finally revealed his personal view on abortion with just three days left in the election campaign.

• Watch: Debate’s top 5 moments
• Blindside: Crisafulli goes off-script

Premier Steven Miles has questioning the “sceptical” timing of Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s pro-choice declaration.

After being asked about his stance on abortion more than 130 times over the course of the campaign, Mr Crisafulli last night revealed he supported a woman’s right to choose.

Mr Crisafulli revealed he supported a woman’s right to choose in the Sky News and Courier-Mail People’s Forum on Tuesday night, with both leaders seeking to convince a room of 100 undecided voters why their team would make a better government for Queensland.

But the Premier remains unconvinced, saying it was an “extraordinary” answer that came 72 hours prior to election day.

“I can’t think of a single time that a candidate, let alone a leader, three days before an election, changes such a fundamental belief,” Mr Miles said.

“How do you go from staunchly pro-life to suddenly pro-choice?

“What other beliefs would he change because an audience laughed at him?”

The Premier refused to provide a straight answer over whether he believed Mr Crisafulli’s statement.

“It’s up to him, really, to explain his position and his words to Queenslanders,” he said.

“I think Queenslanders will be pretty sceptical.”

Mr Miles said he now expects all LNP MPs and candidates to reveal their personal position on abortion ahead of the anticipated Katter’s Bill conscience vote when parliament returns.

“Now that he (Mr Crisafulli) has broken ranks and told Queenslanders that he’s pro-choice, now all of his other 92 candidates should be allowed to give their views too,” he said.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles and LNP leader David Crisafulli share a laugh during the debate. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

The Premier, pressed on whether he would allow his own party a conscience vote, refused to answer, saying it would be up to the party caucus.

“But you know what our conscience is,” Mr Miles said.

“If Labor has a majority, those bills will be defeated.”

Mr Miles emerged the winner of the debate according to the audience – though barely – securing 39 per cent of the vote ahead of Mr Crisafulli’s 35 per cent. The other 26 per cent remained unconvinced.

Successive polls, including by YouGov for the Courier-Mail, has the LNP comfortably winning government on October 26.

The two leaders clashed over abortion, housing, political donations, Olympic venues, managing the state’s public health system, daylight savings, congestion-busting projects, crime, domestic violence, and anti-Semitism.

The unfiltered questions from the audience of undecided voters helped ascertain clearer policy positions, with Mr Crisafulli confirming his plan to allow property developers to donate to political parties would not extend to local government.

But the defining moment of the debate came when Mr Crisafulli emphatically answered “yes” when asked by Mr Miles if he supported a woman’s right to choose.

“Yes or no answer, do you believe in a woman’s right to choose?” Mr Miles asked.

“Yes,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Oh that got you didn’t it.”

Abortion has become a significant flash point of the election, with Mr Crisafulli facing weeks of questioning over his position on the issue and whether he would give his party room a conscience vote.

Mr Crisafulli has repeatedly said the LNP plans to keep the current laws.

And it’s likely the abortion conversation has influenced the way Queenslanders vote, with the 100 undecided voters applauding Mr Miles’ question and after laughing when Mr Crisafulli refused to budge from set answers when asked about his views earlier in the debate.

The tenor of the debate shifted in Mr Miles’ favour once the audience raised ongoing access to abortion, with the Premier able to stand on his record as the Health Minister who sparked the decriminalisation of termination of pregnancy in 2018.

“I moved those laws. I will always defend a woman’s right to choose,” he said.

Mr Crisafulli voted against the laws in 2018.

Both men, in their opening and closing pitches, reiterated their well-worn messages, with Mr Miles pointing to his cost-of-living measures including 50-cent fares, state-owned GPs, state-owned service stations, and free lunches for every state primary school student.

Mr Crisafulli said he believes in a woman’s right to choose. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Mr Crisafulli again called on Queenslanders to vote for a “fresh start” to spark change on the so-called “big four crises” of health, housing, crime and cost-of-living.

A tenth of the audience raised their hand when asked by Sky News presenter Kieran Gilbert if they had been impacted by crime.

Mr Crisafulli, in the second leaders’ debate, vowed to either overturn a ban on property developers donating to election campaigns – rules in place since 2018 – or scrap political donations altogether.

The laws were put into place due to concerns surrounding local governments, and the turmoil at Ipswich City Council.

“Everybody should be able to donate and disclose in real time, or you go to the South Australian model where no one can donate,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Now, I’d be happy to look at both those models but I don’t think you should say one class of people have no right to be able to donate.”

Mr Crisafulli confirmed there would be no changes at a council level if he overturned the property developer ban.

He also took a swipe at the CFMEU, questioning why property developers were banned while the militant union was allowed to donate.

Mr Miles asserted it was unfair to compare property developers to unions, which represent “tens of thousands” of working Queenslanders.

On the venues for Queensland’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games both leaders stuck to their respective plans – with Mr Miles and Mr Crisafulli ruling out a new stadium.

Under Labor the state’s athletics venue will be the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre while under the LNP the premier venue will be decided after a 100-day infrastructure review.

Both leaders agreed antisemitism needed to be called out amid a stark rise in aggression against Queensland Jewish community due to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Call it out when we see it, some of the behaviours we’ve seen have been abhorrent. We haven’t seen antisemitic behaviour like this in over a century,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Voting in Queensland state elections is mandatory, and pre-polling booths are open from October 14 till October 25 in most electorates.

You can find out more information about how to vote in our guide to early voting and find where to vote near you with our full list of polling booths.