‘Public enemies’: Labor’s huge blow as Katter charm offensive fails
Conservative minor parties will “gang up” on Labor, with the premier’s effort to woo political kingmakers Katter’s Australian Party falling short.
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Labor’s efforts to woo political kingmakers Katter’s Australian Party has failed with the conservative minor party joining Pauline Hanson to try and boot Labor from office.
The North Queensland Katter’s Australian Party will for the first time urge its supporters to back the LNP above Labor, despite Premier Steven Miles’s 10-month charm campaign.
It could be a final blow for Labor’s three Townsville-based MPs, with the deal increasing the likelihood they will lose their seats.
Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter has followed through on his threat, first reported by The Courier-Mail in July, to ‘punish Labor’ for its failing on youth crime.
Hinchinbrook MP and KAP deputy leader Nick Dametto said North Queensland residents needed change.
“This the first time in Townsville we’re willing to preference the LNP above the Labor Party and not run a position of neutrality,” he said.
“We are deadly serious about taking those three seats here in Townsville.
“They are the public enemy number one right now for our candidates.
“There’s a number of people who have lobbied us in the last three months, saying there is no way you can return those three local members who have been inert on crime.”
Resources Minister Scott Stewart, Mundingburra MP Les Walker and Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper hold the Townsville-based seats on margins between 3.1 and 3.4 per cent.
Mr Dametto said voters ultimately had the opportunity to preference how they wanted and said there was no “dark magic happening in the background when it comes to preference deals”.
Senator Pauline Hanson joined One Nation’s Keppel candidate James Ashby on Wednesday to call on Queenslanders to put Labor and the Greens last.
She declined to say whether voters should back the LNP.
“Considering what I’ve seen and worked with on the floor of (federal) parliament, with the Greens and Labor working together, this country is in one hell of a mess,” she said.
“We cannot afford that to happen in Queensland.
“Labor’s done so much damage to Queensland since 2015.”
When asked if she should tell supporters to vote for the LNP second, Senator Hanson said it was up to them.
Mr Miles said he was unsurprised the LNP, One Nation and Katter’s Australian Party had “ganged up” against Labor.
“David Crisafulli says there’ll be no deals, but then we learn there’s a deal with One Nation, and then we learn there’s a deal with the Katter’s Australian Party,” he said.
“We will just continue to outline our plans to address the cost of living and to build our state forward, to take our state forward, and we’ll be campaigning to win this in our own right, not with the support of parties like One Nation.”
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said he had not discussed Townsville preferences with Robbie Katter.
“That’s a matter for Robbie,” he said.
While he would not be drawn on where voters should place KAP candidates, Mr Crisafulli said putting the Greens and Labor last would be directed across the board.
“It’ll be that everywhere,” he said.
Additional reporting: Madura McCormack, Nikita McGuire
Originally published as ‘Public enemies’: Labor’s huge blow as Katter charm offensive fails
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