Annastacia Palaszczuk’s last ditch trick to sway voters

IF you’re only tuning into the Queensland election campaign now, you might be confused. It’s the Premier’s last ditch trick to sway voters.

THOSE tuning into the Queensland state election late in the piece would be forgiven for thinking it was Labor vs. One Nation, rather than Labor vs. the Liberal National Party.

And that’s exactly what Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wants you to think.

The Labor leader used a last ditch plea to voters to frame Saturday’s state election as a choice between her party and “a chaotic LNP-One Nation coalition”.

In her final formal speech of the month-long campaign, which lasted just 10 minutes, the hopeful Premier managed to make reference to a deal between the LNP opposition and the rogue minor party a dozen times. She threw the reference in a few more times for good measure during questions.

“A vote for the Liberals is a vote for a One Nation coalition led by Tim Nicholls,” she told the crowd of more than 200 at Brisbane’s Convention Centre.

“While almost 750,000 people have already voted across Queensland, for those yet to vote there is a very clear choice tomorrow.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Claudia Baxter/AAP

“A choice between Labor Government that will deliver stability and will continue to create full-time jobs, or a chaotic LNP/One Nation coalition that will cut them.”

A One Nation-backed minority government has been floated as a controversial but not unlikely outcome of Saturday’s vote.

While the latest poll has Labor slightly ahead, the final count is expected to be close and each of the major parties may have to consider accepting support from either Katter’s Australian Party or One Nation. Both are expected to gain seats and could leave one party unable to govern in its own right.

Apparently confident of a majority victory, Ms Palaszczuk has sworn not to form government backed by a minor party, particularly One Nation, but Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has not been so upfront.

The Premier has pounced on his refusal to promise he won’t form a coalition with the rogue party, and is making a last-ditch effort to convince voters to take it for granted that he will.

“The polls show there is a clear choice between a Labor majority or an LNP-One Nation Coalition to govern this State,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “Tim Nicholls hasn’t got the support to win in disown right, which is why he has so cravenly courted Pauline Hanson.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Nicholls would form a “chaotic coalition” that would “cut, sack and sell”, weaken gun laws, and water down domestic violence safeguards.

The Premier sent attendees home from the lunch with a copy of a statutory declaration she had signed stating she would not enter into any deal with One Nation.

Queensland goes to the polls tomorrow. Picture: Claudia Baxter/AAP

The Opposition Leader has remained tight-lipped over any deals his party might do in the event of a minority vote throughout the campaign.

But this morning, on election eve, a slip of the tongue during an interview on Seven’s Sunrise made it sound as though he had One Nation on his mind.

Pressed on the issue of cross-party deals, Mr Nicholls said: “The best thing to do is support your local LNP, One, uh … LNP candidate at the election.”

Interviewer Monique Wright immediately picked up on the gaffe, commenting on his apparent “slip of the tongue”.

Also during her speech, Ms Palaszczuk outlined her plan to grow Queensland, promising more teachers, nurses, police and firefighters throughout the state. She also pledged to pay down debt and implement $15 billion in upgrades to the Bruce Highway.

The Premier will continue to visit electorates in the state’s south east, where she is expected to clean up at the polls, before settling in her electorate of Inala for tomorrow night’s count.

Mr Nicholls has spent the day as well, visiting electorates in the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane as part of his last-minute election push.