Gold Coast Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon takes aim at LNP over preferences announcement
Gold Coast Labor reps have taken aim at the LNP, accusing them of creating a “ragtag”, “Frankenstein government” after they announced they would preference One Nation in the upcoming election.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Gold Coast’s only Labor MP has taken aim at the LNP after it revealed it would preference One Nation and the Greens over Labor at the next election.
Gaven’s Meaghan Scanlon accused the Opposition of trying to create a “Frankenstein Government” following the Monday announcement.
The LNP will preference Labor candidates last in all seats, according to leader Deb Frecklington, adding the party wouldn’t be making deals with minor parties.
Ms Scanlon labelled the decision “craven” and “dangerous” in a scathing letter to the Bulletin.
“By signing up to a preference deal with a coalition of cuts and chaos, some of which hold dangerous views, Deb Frecklington and the LNP have revealed their hand as craven opportunists,” she said.
“(They) don’t have Gold Coasters best interests at heart.
“This deal shows that Deb Frecklington can’t deliver a strong, stable government, and risks plunging Queensland into a Frankenstein Government cobbled together by Greens, One Nation and Palmer.
“Imagine the chaos that would come from the Greens, One Nation and Palmer Party all sitting around the decision-making table, or trying to put together a Budget that supports jobs and economic recovery.”
Mudgeeraba LNP MP and Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates hit back at Ms Scanlon’s comments, accusing her of “one lie after another”.
“Let me be 100 per cent clear, the LNP will do no deals with other parties,” Ms Bates said.
“And there will be no forced redundancies under an LNP Government.
“There’s only one leader in Parliament who had done deals with minor parties and that’s Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“The biggest issue facing the Gold Coast is who has a plan to get our city working and it’s clear Labor doesn’t.”
Gold Coast-based Labor Senator Murray Watt questioned the LNP’s “win at all costs strategy” by preferencing both the Greens and One Nation.
He said it was the first time at an election that the LNP had preferenced One Nation and the Greens in every seat above the ALP.
“This decision from the LNP risks bringing into place in Queensland a ragtag coalition of LNP, One Nation, Greens, Katter and Palmer to run our state at a time when, more than ever before, we’ve needed stability.”
Gold Coast political analysts have already dismissed “piece of theatres” preference deals after election candidates in some of the minor parties declared they would preference each other last.
Experts including Professor Steve Stockwell declared preference deals had lessened in value as voters began heading to the polls weeks in advance.
“By and large people make up their own minds about where their preferences are going to go,” he told the Bulletin.
“They’re doing (how-to-vote cards) for show, it has very little to do with policy or even the politics of the situation. It’s all about the display.”
Man left with life-threatening injuries in Gold Coast stabbing
A father of five has learned his fate for his role in a violent confrontation on a suburban street that left one man with “imminently life-threatening” injuries.
Toy guns, knife in wild scenes at Pac Fair
A man has been charged after shoppers were allegedly witness to bizarre scenes in Pacific Fair involving a knife, toy guns and teens said to have been causing havoc.