Chalmers says LNP will ‘gut Queensland like a fish’

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has launched a blistering political attack on the state opposition telling a meeting of local truck drivers that David Crisafulli would “gut Queensland like a fish”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has launched a blistering political attack on the state opposition telling a meeting of local truck drivers that David Crisafulli would “gut Queensland like a fish”.

Queensland’s most senior federal Labor MP waded into the state election contest with fiery remarks behind closed doors to a gathering of Transport Workers Union members in Brisbane on Thursday.

Playing up to the friendly crowd, Mr Chalmers said while the former Newman government was seen by most in Queensland as a “cautionary tale” that led to a “disastrous period” for the state, Mr Crisafulli saw it as “some kind of golden era”.

“David Crisafulli would absolutely gut the joint,” he said.

“He would absolutely gut Queensland like a fish if he gets the chance to do it, just like Campbell Newman did.

Jim Chalmers revs up Transport Workers Union members ahead of the Queensland election.

“This is what’s at stake here in the Queensland election, before we go to a federal election after that.”

Mr Chalmers argued Mr Crisafulli and federal opposition leader Peter Dutton were “in cahoots on cuts”.

“Working people have the most to lose, and working people are doing it tough enough as it is,” he said.

“They’d be doing it tougher without our cost of living help. They’d be doing it tougher without our responsible economic management keeping Australia out of recession. They would be doing it much tougher under our opponents.”

Mr Chalmers warned it was a “dangerous time” for Queenslanders to be considering putting the Liberals and Nationals “back in charge”.

LNP leader David Crisafulli has copped a serve from Labor federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Picture Lachie Millard

The Treasurer defended the Albanese Government’s economic record, arguing increased spending and cost-of-living relief had been calibrated to avoid recession without excessively fuelling inflation.

“I believe that government has a role to play to soften the blow in difficult economic times, helping people with the cost of living and avoiding recession and that’s what we are doing,” he said.

The remarks follow Mr Chalmers sharpening his political attack on Mr Dutton in a speech in Melbourne where he described his Queensland opponent as the “most divisive leader of a major party in Australia’s modern history”.

Mr Chalmers, who is considered a future Labor leader, used the major speech to argue Mr Dutton’s political “divisiveness” should be disqualifying.

“Leadership which is destructive, and divisive, is not really leadership at all. And that’s what we are seeing from Peter Dutton,” he said.

Mr Dutton fired back at the Treasurer, accusing him of wanting to start a culture war because he had “no idea how to fight inflation”.

“If Australians were doing it so well, and if the economy was running as great as Jim Chalmers claims it is, why’s he dedicating his speech to me?” Mr Dutton said.