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Qld election 2020: PM's border plea: 'I've missed getting to Qld'
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he's still hoping to get into Queensland during the state election campaign, declaring that if Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is 'for jobs' she'll reopen the border. FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he hopes to visit Queensland during the state election campaign and that if Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is “for jobs” she needs to reopen the border.
A day after state LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said she was looking forward to campaigning with the PM, Mr Morrison stopped short of committing to a trip north but said “you never know”.
“I would love to get up to Queensland,” he told 4BC.
“I've missed being able to get up to Queensland.”
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Meanwhile, opposition leader Deb Frecklington has hit back at claims from Treasurer Cameron Dick that the LNP’s Bruce Highway duplication plans were a “highway hoax”, saying she was excited Prime Minister Scott Morrison had backed in the proposal while they were in opposition.
The Federal Government has announced it will chip in $20 million for the highway study.
“The Bruce Highway pledge from the Morrison Government is so welcomed by the LNP team,” Ms Frecklington said.
The project would cost $33 billion over 15 years, with the LNP wanting an 80:20 federal funding arrangement.
Mr Dick earlier today labelled the plan 'a hoax'.
“Deb Frecklington’s Bruce Highway plan has turned into a highway hoax,” Mr Dick said.
“The Federal Government promised, not $26bn, they promised $20m, which is enough to build 900m of bitumen, and so, what we heard on the radio today…we heard Tim Mander, the shadow treasurer, double down.”
“He committed again on radio this morning to delivering the $33bn plan. They’ve got $20m from the federal government, to deliver a $33bn plan over 15 years. The way you do that is by using natural attrition.”
Earlier today, Queensland’s Premier says she will work “right up until Christmas” to deliver a budget for the state, should she be returned to power on October 31.
Annastacia Palaszczuk began the second day of the state election campaign trail in Mt Isa, north west Queensland.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says if re-elected she will work right up until Christmas to deliver a budget. Picture: Dan Peled
The seat of Traeger is the state’s safest seat, held by Robbie Katter of Katter’s Australian Party with a margin of 28.5 per cent.In the lead up to the campaign, Ms Palaszczuk has been criticised by Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington for “not having a budget”, however Ms Palaszczuk has been quick to respond.
“You don’t get the figures until the federal budget comes out. Now that’s out, we can be certain about forward estimates,” she told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning.
“If we are re-elected, we will have the budget before the end of the year … We will work right up until Christmas if we have to.”Ms Palaszczuk also told ABC Radio that she expects the campaign against her in the upcoming state election to be “nasty and personal.”
The majority of voters don’t trust Deb Frecklington to run the state’s economic recovery, according to The Courier-Mail’s YouGov Poll.
Ms Palaszczuk’s budget pledge comes as a new YouGov poll, carried out by The Courier Mail, reveals Queenslanders trust Ms Palaszczuk’s Labor Party over Ms Frecklington’s LNP to manage the state’s economic recovery and create jobs.
The Premier’s dominance on the topic of the economy extends to every region across the state, according to the poll, with 40 per cent of the 2000 respondents favouring Ms Palaszczuk, compared to 27 per cent for the LNP.
Originally published as Qld election 2020: PM's border plea: 'I've missed getting to Qld'
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