Pressure on Palaszczuk hits new heights with NT border decision and one man’s protest

A landscaper has paid thousands to fly a sign over southeast Queensland calling for people to vote against Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

A Gold Coast landscaper who has had a “gutful” of border closures has taken to the sky to express his displeasure at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

John McInerney said he paid $2000 out of his own pocket for the sign “Vote Her Out” to be flown by light aircraft across the Gold Coast and Brisbane for three hours on Friday.

His political stunt came as Northern Territory’s Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he will eliminate Sydney as a ‘hot spot’ from next month.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is under increasing pressure to relax the state’s border closures after the Northern Territory said Sydney would be removed as a hot spot next month. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

This will place more pressure of Ms Palaszczuk to open the border to Sydney residents — especially with school holidays this month.

Though she has had some support with WA Premier Mark McGowan telling Prime Minister Scott Morrison to show some respect and stop attacking Labor states to score political points.

Mr McInerney said he had planned for the signage to be airborne on AFL grand final day on October 24 and the following weekend when Queensland voters go to the polls to decide the next state government.

The light aircraft over Brisbane towing the sign "Vote her Out". Picture: Channel 7

But that all changed when Ms Palaszczuk on Thursday told Queenslanders that it was the chief health officer and not herself who made decisions on border closures and who was eligible for border exemptions.

Ms Palaszczuk was responding to criticism over a decision to not allow Sarah Caisip to attend her father’s funeral, instead she was allowed to briefly view his body at a funeral home after the service – but only while wearing full protective equipment and isolated from her family.

“I was so riled yesterday that Annastacia Palaszczuk can’t make a decision and it is being run by the chief health officer. Who is running this state?” Mr McInerney asked.

“Why can’t she just overrule.”

A plane showcasing the message "Vote her out" has been hired by an angry Gold Coast landscaper, frustrated over border closures affecting his business. #qldpol #7NEWS https://t.co/vrmJehG7tR

— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) September 11, 2020

Ms Palaszczuk doubled-down on her claim on Friday when she said she did not make the call on border exemptions.

Mr McInerney said he was not aligned to any political party and had started a GoFundMe page, titled Vote Her Out, to offset the costs of the signage flights.

With a target of $50,000, the site has so far he has raised just $200 although he will fund signage flights on grand final and election days even if crowd-funding fails to cover the costs.

“I would not for any money in the world be involved with a political party,” he said.

“I would like to get some assistance, I am not Clive Palmer. If I can keep getting donations on the GoFundMe page, I will have as many flights as possible.”

Mr McInerney’s business Landscapers Plus has not been directly affected by border closure but a close friend who owns an accommodation property near Byron Bay had been hit hard by Queenslanders and Victorians not being able to visit

He said BlueGreen Sanctuary at Newrybar, NSW, like so many businesses in and around the Byron Bay region, was doing it hard.

“I’d rather be out there digging holes for plants than digging holes for myself because the impact for me with border closures is a close friend who has put millions into his business and is in a bit of strife,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful property and because people can’t come down from Queensland and no one from Victoria can visit he is haemorrhaging.”