Deb Frecklington accuses Annastacia Palaszczuk of politicising COVID-19

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington says Queenslanders deserves a majority government as she again ruled out doing any deals with minor parties in the event of a hung parliament.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington again ruled out doing any deals with minor parties in the event of a hung parliament.

She dismissed a question about whether she’d step aside to allow that to happen as “sheer speculation” about the outcome of the election.

“We will work extraordinarily hard for the next 26 days,” she said.

Ms Frecklington said she would not form government with Katter’s Australia Party or One Nation, insisting she’s addressed issues about no deals two years ago.

“The Labor Party have not ruled out a deal,” she said.

“What I am aiming for each and every day is to gain the trust of the Queensland voters, they deserve, Queenslanders deserve a majority government and that is what I’m offering.”

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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk arrives at Government House to launch the Queensland election campaign. Picture: Dan Peled

Ms Frecklington and deputy Tim Mander joined Bonney MP Sam O’Connor and Gaven candidate Kirsten Jackson to announce a future LNP Government would invest $25 million to partner with Gilmour Space on the first stop of the campaign.

The announcement, made in the marginal seat of Bonney, will see 150 full time manufacturing jobs created by building a new advanced-manufacturing rocket facility in Queensland.

The LNP holds Bonney by a margin of 1.69 per cent.

Earlier, Ms Frecklington accused Annastacia Palaszczuk of politicising parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while claiming the Government could have been more compassionate.

Ms Frecklington said this election was about who’s got the best plan to drag the Sunshine State out of the recession.

It came just before Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk met with Governor Paul de Jersey, with the writs to be issued to dissolve parliament ahead of the October 31 poll.

Asked how has the Premier handled the pandemic, Ms Frecklington said Queenslanders had done a fantastic job following the rules.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington says the Palaszczuk Government could have been more compassionate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: Attila Csaszar

“And it’s a real credit to Queenslanders that everyone has done the right thing,” she told Sunrise.

Pressed on whether this meant the Premier had shown good leadership, Ms Frecklington said there were times she would have liked to have seen more compassion and common sense with the easing of restrictions.

“We saw the horrific case of Sarah who was unable to go to her father’s funeral and it was really politicised,” she said.

“I think the fact that the Premier has used COVID to politicise or the borders to politicise so I would have asked for a little bit more compassion and a fair bit more common sense when it came to some of those decisions,” she said.

The leader again insisted there were no deals after announcing yesterday that Labor would be preferenced last in every seat.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has arrived at Government House to launch the election campaign. Picture: Jono Searle

After officially launching the 2020 Queensland election campaign, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk issued a statement urging voters to back her government, as she signalled that her campaign would be about jobs.

“This year has been like no other,” she said.

“Who could imagine we would face a global pandemic that would cost more than a million lives?

“I have made hard decisions, tough decisions.

“But they were all about putting lives first and keeping Queensland safe.”

The Premier arrived at Government House at about 8.30am, where she waved out to some awaiting Labor supporters.

On her way out, Ms Palaszczuk got out of her car to thank those waiting out the front.

“Thanks for coming out this morning,” she said.

“It’s very nice to see everybody. Thank you.

“It’s really much appreciated. Keep up the good work.”

Minister’s guerrilla campaign in state seat

A Morrison Government frontbencher has launched a cheeky guerrilla marketing campaign in a key Gold Coast seat ahead of the October 31 state election.

Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews, whose McPherson electorate on the southern Gold Coast takes in the knife-edge state seat of Currumbin, has text messaged voters telling them that it’s her government that’s spending millions on major local road projects.

Minister for Industry Karen Andrews. Picture: Mick Tsikas

“The Morrison Government is investing $750m to build stage 1 of the second M1 & $2m to upgrade Currumbin Creek Rd/Bienvenue Dr (at Currumbin Waters),” the text sent out on Monday reads.

“This is great news & will create well paid local jobs.”

Currumbin will be one of the crucial seats at play in the election after it was narrowly won by the LNP’s Laura Gerber at a March by-election following the shock retirement of long-serving former Newman Government Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey.

Ms Gerber holds the seat with a 3.3 per cent margin but exclusive YouGov polling for The Courier-Mail this week has revealed a 3 per cent swing away from the LNP in its Gold and Sunshine Coast heartland.

Labor candidate for Currumbin, Kaylee Campradt, put up a strong fight at the by-election and has been aggressively campaigning on issues including fixing the Bienvenue Dr bottleneck.

The ALP held a swag of Gold Coast seats under former premier Peter Beattie but now has only Gaven, held by Assistant Minister for Tourism Meaghan Scanlon.

The party is out to pick up more Coast seats including Currumbin and Burleigh, where it is standing celebrity candidate, former world surfing champion Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew.

Originally published as Deb Frecklington accuses Annastacia Palaszczuk of politicising COVID-19