Cautious Crisafulli in day-two rethink of LNP’s plan for schoolies

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has left open the possibility of pill testing still going ahead at schoolies, and ruled out the ascension of a controversial former federal senator into his cabinet.

His comments mark a second day of his seemingly cautious efforts to ease into “generational” government after Saturday’s historic election win delivered power to the LNP for only the third time in 35 years.

While results in several seats are still in doubt, the LNP is expected to win 49 of the 93 seats in parliament, and is ahead in the count in three others, with Crisafulli’s full cabinet to be sworn in on Friday.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli visits the Upper Mt Gravatt Police Station on his second day in the job.Credit: Brisbane Times / Matt Dennien

Sworn in to an interim two-man cabinet with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie on Monday, one of Crisafulli’s first acts was a letter to the entire public service assuring there would be “no cuts” like those under the Newman government.

The efforts to stem public anxiety about the fast-moving and disruptive former LNP government were also extended to the issue of drug reform on Tuesday, and laws the LNP have long labelled “soft”.

While senior LNP figures made a pre-election vow to dump a planned mobile pill testing facility at next month’s Gold Coast schoolies event, sparking concern from the medical sector, Crisafulli has taken a more diplomatic approach.

“I want to take some advice on that, and I’m going to do that – I’m going to do that in a deliberate way,” he said at a media conference in Brisbane’s south on Tuesday, noting the event was just weeks away.

Crisafulli said while the LNP was still against pill testing, and would likely remain so in the future, it was important he did not “do anything knee-jerk” and listened to people “in good faith”.

“I know the position of the [Australian Medical Association of Queensland], we’ve got a really good relationship with them, and I respect them immensely.”

The revelation last week that the party would dump the long-planned service sparked outrage from the AMAQ, whose president Dr Nick Yim said the decision – along with LNP plans to scrap drug diversion laws – would “cost lives”.

“This change was supported by other health and medical experts, legal groups and the Queensland Police Service and has been in place for more than a year. The LNP must listen to doctors, police and legal experts.”

And after long refusing to be drawn on specifics about the make-up of his cabinet, currently being confirmed and mapped against new departmental structures by Bleijie and interim public services boss David Mackie, he has ruled out one appointment.

Crisafulli was asked if former Coalition senator, Sky News host and pro-life campaigner Amanda Stoker, the LNP’s new MP for Oodgeroo, would have a role as speculated.

“At risk of answering every individual, the answer is no – but I’m not doing a shopping list of everyone,” Crisafulli said. Asked if Stoker would get an assistant ministry, he quipped: “see what I mean”.