‘Weasel words’: Steven Miles won’t match Crisafulli’s pledge to resign

Premier Steven Miles won’t match David Crisafulli’s sensational pledge to resign as Premier after a term if crime numbers don’t fall, saying it was an oversimplification of a complex problem.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s sensational pledge to resign as Premier after a term if Queensland’s crime victim numbers don’t fall is nothing but weasel words designed to mislead voters Steven Miles has said.

Mr Miles declined to match Mr Crisafulli’s promise, saying it was an oversimplification of the complex youth justice problem.

“That is David Crisafulli’s pledge, but it’s weasel words,” he said.

“Nobody actually believes he can achieve what he says he can. A four word slogan is not going to achieve what he claims.

“It is an oversimplification, an attempt to get through the election campaign and use victims of crime to win votes.”

It comes as Mr Miles travelled to the marginal Labor held seat of Caloundra on day four of the election campaign to again spruik his government’s plan to keep power prices down.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles. Pic: Adam Head

It was also the second press conference of the week held against the backdrop of public buses, with Mr Miles, Treasurer Cameron Dick, and recently embattled Caloundra MP Jason Hunt visiting the Bells Creek Hub of Australian-based multinational company Kinetic.

A high-ranking leader of Queensland’s Jewish community has labelled Sunshine Coast MP Mr Hunt’s “Hitler” T-shirt wearing past as unacceptable and inappropriate.

Mr Hunt said the garment he was pictured wearing in 1987 was satirical. He also affirmed he was vehemently opposed to right-wing ideology and had been on the committee that called for hate symbols to be banned in the state.

The photo from the Caloundra State High School 1987 yearbook shows Mr Hunt, who was 17 at the time, wearing a white t-shirt with the word Hitler and an illustration of the Nazi dictator with his arm raised in salute. Mr Hunt is pictured sitting cross-legged and looking meditative.

Asked if he regretted wearing the garment, Mr Hunt said he probably “wasn’t fully aware of the ramifications” of doing so back in 1987.

But Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said wearing a Hitler shirt had been inappropriate in the 1980s.

“These things are unacceptable … it needs to be called out as unacceptable,” Mr Steinberg said.

Mr Steinberg said every politician should come clean about any anti-Semitic behaviour in their past.

Sunshine Coast-based federal MP Andrew Wallace, who is also the Chair of the Australia-Israel Allies Caucus, called on Mr Hunt to apologise to the Sunshine Coast Jewish community for what he described as a “despicable display of irresponsibility and poor judgment”.

Premier Steven Miles referred back to Mr Hunt’s explanation and added “1987 was a long time ago”.

There were no new pledges or funding announcements — only a restating of Labor’s promise to keep power bills low through a combination of renewable energy saturation, coal royalties, a publicly-owned retailer and rebates.

Jason Hunt, Member for Caloundra, looks at a picture a member of the press gallery asks him about. Pic: Adam Head

Coming down from the adrenaline of last night’s high octane leader’s debate on the Nine Network, Mr Miles lashed LNP leader David Crisafulli over nuclear energy, his lack of a public plan to pay for things, and the Opposition’s youth crime rhetoric.

Mr Miles was asked about the Prime Minister and said he didn’t need Anthony Albanese holding his hand during Queensland’s election campaign, but would welcome the nation’s leader campaigning alongside him.

“I’m not sure what his plans are for the rest of October, but whenever he’s around we usually catch up, so if he is in town, sure,” he said.

“I certainly don’t need him holding my hand.”

Mr Miles confirmed he hadn’t approached Mr Albanese to make a guest appearance on the campaign.

In 2020 Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk famously said she didn’t need anyone to hold her hand on the campaign trail when asked if the Federal Labor Leader would join her.

Mr Miles said Labor would preference One Nation last in every electorate unless there are independent candidates who are “even worse” than the conservative minor party.

“The party will make decisions about preferencing, but it has long been our practice to put the right wing racist party One Nation last,” Mr Miles said.

“It’s possible that there’ll be independent out there who are even worse than One Nation, and they’ll need to take that into account.

“But we’ve been putting One Nation last for 25 odd years, there have been times when there were LNP leaders who were principled enough to do the same thing. The current LNP clearly, is not.”