David Crisafulli plays political hardball on abortion law change

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli in question time in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Queensland Labor got played at its own game on Tuesday when David Crisafulli unexpectedly returned to the most explosive issue of the recent election, abortion.

The Liberal National Party Premier put an unprecedented motion to the parliament that effectively protects the state’s abortion laws this term – and Labor voted against it.

Ahead of the October 31 election, Labor premier Steven Miles waged a scare campaign against the LNP opposition over abortion laws in a desperate bid to hold on to power.

Crisafulli had, like most of most of the LNP opposition team at the time, voted against the abortion laws when they were introduced by Labor in 2018. But for more than a year ahead of polling day the LNP leader had declared there would be no changes if he was to become premier.

But politics is politics, and Labor kept pushing the attack that Crisafulli had secret plans to restrict or reverse the laws.

It didn’t help that a couple LNP MPs and candidates were caught out in the campaign expressing a desire to revisit the issue. And Crisafulli couldn’t or wouldn’t explain how he would keep his election promise.

The scare campaign didn’t save Miles but there is little doubt that it helped Labor among female voters and in Brisbane’s suburbs.

It explains the confected outrage of Labor MPs in parliament on Tuesday and their decision to vote against Crisafulli’s motion to block any debate or law changes on abortion until at least October 2028. Now, Labor doesn’t have its wedge. Labor MPs accused Crisafulli of not having faith in his MPs to vote against any future private member’s bill to wind back the laws in a conscience vote.

That’s probably right. The motion prevents any pro-life MPs, including crossbenchers, putting up legislation to change the laws. It is worrying in that it goes against the long-held right of any MP to introduce a bill to parliament, to fuel debate and maybe win a better consensus on existing or new law.

But Crisafulli showed he is willing to play politics just as hard as Labor and, by ensuing his MPs toed the line on the motion, he delivered on his election promise to protect the abortion laws for the next four years.