QLD election 2020: Deb Frecklington’s moment of strength

The Queensland Opposition Leader has spent the election campaign playing nice, jovially touring the state with the PM. But this ploy pushed her over the edge.

Ms Frecklington’s LNP trails the incumbent government. Picture: Adam Head

It wasn’t quite Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream”.

But Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington’s impassioned Thursday morning outburst was the greatest show of strength from the prospective premier in the election campaign so far.

Despite constant ribbing from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s lieutenants on the Liberal National Party’s job creation pitch and the endless back-and-forth border stoush between deputy premier Steven Miles and the Prime Minister — after nearly two weeks on the trail, barely a shot has landed.

That was until Ms Frecklington fronted the media with a team of candidates vying for the all-important trio of seats in Townsville.

Fittingly, many believe this northern Queensland hub will decide who forms government after the October 31 election.

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Was this is the day that inspired Ms Frecklington’s supporters? Picture: Adam Head

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Down the road, Steven Miles, the Labor Government’s provocateur-in-chief, gifted reporters a collection of problematic Facebook posts published by the LNP’s Mundingburra candidate, Glenn Doyle.

In one, the former police inspector appears to agree with an article questioning if education was a waste of time for married women.

Ms Frecklington was caught off guard but also clearly fed up with the daily attacks from Mr Miles.

As the well-rehearsed photo-op opened up to spontaneity, the former lawyer delivered an impassioned spray when asked by reporters for her views on women’s rights.

“I say to my daughters, ‘You can be whatever you want to be, you can aspire to be whatever you want to be,’” Ms Frecklington said.

“I champion jobs for little girls who actually want to work and grow up and aspire to be something.

“I champion women who are actually battling domestic violence, I champion women who are battling mental health problems, I champion women who choose to live in regional Queensland but would actually like to get a job.

“I champion the women who want to have babies in regional Queensland because they deserve health services just like you have in Brisbane.”

Ms Frecklington’s LNP has fallen further and further behind the incumbent government — Labor leads 52 to 48 per cent in the latest YouGov poll published by The Courier-Mail.

The Sunshine State’s approval of the Premier’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has also surged from 29 per cent in February to 57 per cent.

Was this show of strength from Ms Frecklington the turning point in the election or will the Opposition, like Scott Morrison’s plane, fail to get off the ground?

Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the sheer dread that fell on Mr Doyle when the Facebook posts were revealed.

The LNP candidate’s dumbstruck face behind Ms Frecklington’s right shoulder dropped and the press conference descended into chaos as the Opposition Leader battled to blindly defend her colleague.

A visibly shocked and uncomfortable Mr Doyle stepped up to the microphone, declaring “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, as he stumbled to deflect the blow.

“But that’s not true at all. I’ve got a wife who has got degrees; I’ve supported her since we’ve been married. If there’s any implications there, that’s clearly not the implication,” the candidate said confusingly.

Later, he released a more orchestrated response saying he was sorry and regrets the posts.

“Those comments do not represent my views, but I apologise for them and for any offence they have caused,” Mr Doyle said.

Oh dear.

The sprinkle of drama livened up the largely uneventful campaign, but as Jolanda Jetten, an expert in the psychology of leadership at the University of Queensland notes, it is unlikely to have a material impact on which party will pocket one of the crucial Townsville electorates.

“Clearly, there are other issues that will dominate the discussion in the next couple of weeks there,” she told NCA NewsWire. “Economic recovery, COVID-19 response, tourism industry and big issues about support for regional Queensland.”