2024 Qld state election: Why abortion laws dominate campaign

Abortion laws have been the hot topic of the week and one that may well decide a state election. THIS IS THE WEEK THAT WAS

It’s been the hot topic of the week and one that may well decide a state election.

Queensland’s abortion laws – and whether they need further scrutiny – have become one of the lightning rod issues ahead of the October 26 election.

In October 2018 historic reforms to decriminalise abortion in Queensland passed state parliament after a tumultuous three months of emotional and bruising public and parliamentary debate.

Six years on the debate rages on.

This is the story of the week that was in October 2024 – and why the issue continues to have us talking.

Leeanne Enoch embraces Jackie Trad, the deputy premier, when the laws passed in 2018.

Reigniting the debate

A former cabinet colleague of David Crisafulli on Sunday revealed how she feared Queensland’s Liberal National Party will overturn abortion and voluntary assisted dying laws if elected.

Jann Stuckey, who served in cabinet during the one-term LNP Newman government and quit the party in 2020, said there were “growing concerns” her old party would amend VAD and abortion laws if elected, despite Mr Crisafulli’s insistence he would not.

The VAD advocate, who is battling recurrent pancreatic cancer, was one of only three LNP MPs who voted in favour of Queensland’s Termination of Pregnancy Act, passed in 2018.

“Crisafulli cannot categorically say termination and VAD laws will not be thrown out under his government in this term,” Ms Stuckey told The Australian.

Mr Crisafulli voted against decriminalising abortion in 2018 and against legalising VAD in 2021. He has categorically ruled out making changes to the Termination of Pregnancy Act if elected, and said overhauling euthanasia legislation was “not part of our plan”.

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Things kick off

A long-serving Liberal National Party backbencher on Monday encouraged voters to elect other “like-minded” MPs to help repeal Queensland’s abortion laws.

In a direct challenge to leader David Crisafulli’s vow there would be “no change” to abortion laws if the LNP won government, Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause pledged his support to overturn or make “significant amendments” to the legislation.

Speaking at a live-streamed community candidate forum on September 15, Mr Krause accused the Labor government of taking Queensland “down the rabbit holes of social experimentation” with the 2018 laws that removed abortion from the Criminal Code and allowed the procedure on request up to 22 weeks’ gestation.

Touting Mr Crisafulli’s record to the crowd at Harvest Point Church in Beaudesert, west of Brisbane, Mr Krause said the LNP leader was a “firm believer” who had voted against decriminalising abortion in 2018 and legalising voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in 2021.

David’s dodging

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, campaigning in Cairns, doubled down on his promise there would be “no change” to the ability of women to access abortions in Queensland should the LNP take government.

However Mr Crisafulli refused to say if he would deny MPs a conscience vote or how he could guarantee there would be no changes to termination of pregnancy laws despite being asked no less than 15 questions on abortion or his stance on the LNP’s voting convention on matters of life or death.

The Courier-Mail’s state political reporter Hayden Johnson explained how the issue may ultimately swing the election.

“Queenslanders are yet to truly understand what Mr Crisafulli stands for and polished non-answer responses to questions do nothing to change this,” he wrote.

Robbie Katter has blown up the LNP’s carefully crafted campaign.

Katters weigh in

It was revealed on Wednesday that conservative crossbench MPs will propose changes to the state’s abortion laws in the next term of parliament, in a direct challenge to David Crisafulli’s authority over the LNP.

It can be revealed the Katter’s Australian Party and One Nation have vowed to introduce laws to repeal or amend abortion laws, with the KAP going as far as to call out LNP MPs to throw their support behind changes to termination of pregnancy laws before the election.

“They can be assured that there will be a repeal bill to vote on in the next parliament put forward by the KAP,” KAP leader Robbie Katter said.

“We’d be seeking their support before the election to give voters a say on this issue.”

Labor’s stance

Premier Steven Miles indicated Labor may put politics above women’s abortion rights when determining the party’s preference allocations.

Mr Miles on Wednesday refused to take a stand on whether Labor should preference the LNP above Katter’s Australian Party, following the minor party’s pledge to try to repeal the legalisation of abortion.

Asked whether Labor should attempt to keep abortion off the agenda and defeat Katter MPs by preferencing the LNP, Mr Miles declined to say.

The view was immediately slammed as hypocritical by Mr Miles, with readers savaging the Premier for putting politics first.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman declared she was “terrified” of the prospect of again debating abortion and declined to say whether Labor MPs would be given a conscience vote.

‘Extraordinary’ if vote blocked

A federal Liberal National Party MP on Thursday said it would be “extraordinary” if David Crisafulli blocked his partyroom from a conscience vote on legislation to restrict access to abortion in the state.

Colin Boyce, who served with Mr Crisafulli in the Queensland parliament from 2017 until he was elected to the federal seat of Flynn in 2022, told The Australian that the pressure on Mr Crisafulli over his stance on abortion was a consequence of his small-target policy strategy.

“That is the strategy he wants to pursue … and that is absolutely what he should be doing because it’s an issue on everyone’s plate – the cost of groceries, the cost of filling up the family car, the cost of electricity,” he said

“I think (abortion) is a side issue. Traditionally, the LNP gives a conscience vote on these issues so it would be extraordinary if that did not happen. He is the leader, so it is up to him on what happens with that (a conscience vote) and it’s a question you would have to ask him.”

‘Now a bigger target’

The Queensland election campaign just took a turn Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli hoped it never would, argued Paul Williams, associate professor at Griffith University, on Friday.

“By introducing the possibility of restricting – or even repealing – Labor’s popular abortion laws via a private member’s Bill, Robbie Katter of Katter’s Australian Party just set a cat among some very worried LNP pigeons,” he wrote.

“There has long been speculation an LNP government would unwind any number of Labor reforms, including abortion and voluntary assisted dying. This week, Crisafulli ruled out any change to current abortion legislation. We have no reason to doubt his good intentions.

“But, in politics, good intentions are rarely enough.”

Voters vent frustrations

Undecided Queensland voters slammed any changes to the state’s abortion laws, calling on David Crisafulli to stop avoiding his stance on how he could guarantee there would be no changes to termination of pregnancy laws.

Some of the voters say the laws were considered “progressive” and the “right thing to do” and should not be changed now.

The Courier-Mail’s exclusive Voter Verdict shows a candid election analysis from more than 20 every day Queenslanders sharing their honest opinions.

Sarah Curry from Wavell Heights said the conversations were really shocking.

“I hoped that in Australia we were firm in our abortion laws and a woman’s right to choose. So the fact that this is coming up scares me a lot,” she said.

Originally published as 2024 Qld state election: Why abortion laws dominate campaign