Campbell Newman's no-deals policy riles Bob Katter

CAMPBELL Newman is refusing to negotiate with minor parties, earning the enmity of start-up party leader Bob Katter.

CAMPBELL Newman is refusing to negotiate with minor parties in an all-or-nothing bid to become Queensland premier, earning the enmity of start-up party leader Bob Katter.

The maverick federal independent, whose party is competing fiercely for the regional vote at the March 24 state election, slammed the Liberal National Party as arrogant and left open the option of doing preference deals with the ALP to prop up Anna Bligh's government.

Mr Newman, the LNP leader, affirmed yesterday that the conservatives would not deal with Katter's Australian Party, the Greens or independents even if it cost them seats.

"Anybody who mucks around with minor parties or independents is wasting their vote," he said.

"They will either give us a return of the Bligh government or they will give us the terrible disaster we have in the federal parliament - and the way that our country has been kind of becalmed over the last 18 months really distresses me and all Australians.

"We will not do deals with minor parties to form government."

The gloves came off in the undeclared election campaign, which won't kick off officially until February 19, as Ms Bligh warned that alleged ram-raid attacks in Rockhampton on the home of former state cabinet minister Rob Schwarten and the office of federal MP Kirsten Livermore were politically motivated.

Police allege that Brian John Hellier, 62, of Rockyview, Rockhampton, on Tuesday reversed his car into the garage of Mr Schwarten's Park Avenue home, destroying it and damaging the family car.

Mr Hellier had allegedly come from Ms Livermore's electorate office, where he allegedly smashed his car into the back of the premises. Police allege Mr Hellier also rammed a third property, wrongly believing it to be the federal MP's home. No one was hurt in any of the alleged attacks.

Police allege Mr Hellier's actions were calculated. The front fence of his home was festooned with anti-government signs, a court hearing was told yesterday. Mr Hellier was not required to enter a plea to three counts of wilful damage, and was remanded in custody.

After speaking to Mr Schwarten, who is ill with ulcerative colitis, Ms Bligh said the veteran MP was shaken by the attack on his home. "I find it appalling. It does seem to be a politically motivated matter," the Premier said.

The LNP stepped up pressure on Ms Bligh to clarify the "unprecedented" situation in Queensland in which the government would continue to operate after calling the state election for March 24. Mr Newman has accused Labor of manipulating the poll date to lump taxpayers with the cost of the lead-in to the formal campaign.

Jeff Seeney, who has been deputising for Mr Newman in parliament while the former Brisbane mayor runs for the state seat of Ashgrove, yesterday wrote to Ms Bligh asking "what measures she is putting in place to protect the integrity of what used to be caretaker conventions after an election is called", a spokesman said.

Mr Newman also questioned Ms Bligh's intention to use the Queensland government jet to attend services in the state's far north to mark the anniversary of Cyclone Yasi next week.

The monster storm caused more than a $1 billion in damage and was linked to one death when it struck, south of Cairns, on February 3 last year, deepening Queensland's "summer of sorrow".

Ms Bligh hit back at Mr Newman, saying he had exposed his lack of knowledge of parliamentary procedure.

She said Labor would not abuse the intervening period before parliament was dissolved on February 19 and the government entered caretaker mode, pending the election. "What I will be doing is what every government at state level around Australia does because they have fixed terms and a set caretaker period," she said.

"So it is not like this is without precedent; it happens in every other state of Australia, where state governments govern up until the date of the caretaker period and then they go into caretaker.

"While it is a little unusual in the Queensland context . . . I can assure you that I will be doing everything according to the laws of this state."

Hinting that he would consider a preference swap with Labor, Mr Katter said the LNP's "arrogance" in refusing to deal with his party would backfire.

He said he would consider preferences on a seat-by-seat basis with anyone except the conservatives.

He later clarified that he would have "enormous difficulties" directing preferences to the Greens, describing the two parties as the "north and south poles of politics".

He bristled when asked by The Australian whether he would use his federal parliamentary entitlements to cover the cost of his travel during the state election campaign. "You can take that sort of question and do with it what you want, I suggest the wastepaper basket over there, right?" he said.

Additional reporting: Michael McKenna, Sarah Elks