Queensland election: LNP poll jump in regions; Frecklington rules out party deals
Deb Frecklington has refused to take votes from Katter’s Australian Party, the Greens or One Nation for her Liberal National Party.
Deb Frecklington’s Liberal National Party has increased its support in regional Queensland since the last election, picking up a fair share of voters who are abandoning minor conservative parties.
Meanwhile, the LNP has had a 3 per cent swing against it on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, although it still leads Labor 54 per cent to 46 per cent.
A YouGov poll of more than 2000 Queenslanders conducted for The Courier-Mail shows both the LNP and Palaszczuk Labor government have made gains as it appears voters are turning to the major parties in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The poll, conducted between September 24 and October 1, shows the LNP’s primary vote in the regions has risen from 31 per cent in 2017 to 35 per cent, while Labor’s has gone from 30 per cent to 32 per cent.
The gains came mostly at the expense of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, which lost a third of its support, dropping from 21 per cent to 14 per cent.
The Greens were the only minor party to record a rise, with its vote creeping up from 5 per cent to 7 per cent.
Katter’s Australian Party also lost support — dropping from 8 per cent to 7 per cent. However, the party will only run 10 candidates, mostly in northern electorates, diminishing its statewide spread.
One Nation’s vote was critical at the 2017 election after the minor conservative party allocated preferences against sitting MPs, which led to the loss of at least three LNP seats in Brisbane.
Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Labor government is under threat, particularly in the regions, where it holds seven seats on margins of less than 5 per cent.
If the results of the poll are reflected in ballot boxes on October 31, Labor could lose the seats of Mundingburra, Thuringowa and Townsville, while the LNP would hold its marginal seat of Burdekin and re-win Whitsunday, which it lost when former LNP MP Jason Costigan was expelled from the party.
The LNP could also win the One Nation-held seat of Mirani, near Mackay.
Frecklington rules out deals with minor parties
Deb Frecklington has ruled out making deals with any of the minor parties to form government in the event of a hung Queensland parliament after the October 31 election.
Echoing a similar promise by Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Opposition Leader declared she would refuse to take votes from Katter’s Australian Party, the Greens or One Nation.
Ms Frecklington also said the Liberal National Party would not enter any deals with minor parties on the order of how-to-vote cards.
She confirmed Labor would be put last on all of the LNP’s own how-to-vote cards.
Speaking from New Hope’s New Acland mine in Oakey, west of Toowoomba, Ms Frecklington said the Palaszczuk government’s indecision to grant approval for the next stage of the mine’s construction was a key reason for the decision to put Labor last.
“Thousands more jobs will be lost if this decision to approve this mine doesn’t happen,” she said on Monday.
“That is why the LNP will be putting Labor last on how-to-vote cards.
“This decision does not mean there have been any deals. There will be no deals. It does not mean anything to do with the minor parties. It is the LNP who believes it should be ‘just vote one’.”
Pressed on what she would do in the event of a hung parliament, Ms Frecklington said she intended to win a majority of the 93 seats in the parliament.
“Queenslanders deserve a majority government and that’s exactly why, with every fibre of my being, I’m going to work hard to get the confidence of Queenslanders,” she said.
Morrison to help LNP campaign
Scott Morrison is set to join Deb Frecklington on the campaign trail to give the Liberal National Party leader a boost ahead of the October 31 election.
The Prime Minister, who has been in Canberra preparing the Federal Budget, which will be handed down on Tuesday, will be able to enter Queensland without having to quarantine because of the time elapsed since he’s been in the ACT, which is no longer a declared COVID-19 hotspot.
Queensland’s border had been closed to the ACT since August 8, but the restriction was lifted on September 25.
A LNP source told The Australian Mr Morrison planned to fly north to Queensland at some stage within the next week.
The Prime Minister’s office would not confirm his travel plans.
Mr Morrison has been popular in Queensland, having won a 4.3 per cent swing to the Coalition in last year’s election – larger than any other state – when it picked up two Labor-held seats and held all of its marginal electorates.
The ACT restrictions were dropped earlier than expected after Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she was comfortable with the lack of coronavirus cases there.
‘No deals’: Palaszczuk
Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out doing a deal to form minority government in the event of a hung parliament, declaring she needs a majority and “minority governments don’t work”.
Ms Palaszczuk – who presided over a minority government in her first term as Premier in 2015, with the support of independent MP Peter Wellington – is due to officially start campaigning on Tuesday, ahead of the state election on October 31.
Making an announcement at the Boeing facility at Wacol, west of Brisbane, Ms Palaszczuk ruled out doing deals with minor parties or independents if the election resulted in a hung parliament.
“I can absolutely rule out — no deals,” she said.
“I need a majority government. If we are going to continue our path to economic recovery, if we’re going to continue our strong health response, I’m asking Queenslanders for a majority government.”
Ms Palaszczuk also ruled out deals in 2015 and then did a deal with Mr Wellington.
She said today Mr Wellington “was not a member of a party … he was an independent and he aligned himself with what my government was doing”.
Asked whether she’d do a deal with like-minded independent Sandy Bolton, the MP for Noosa, Ms Palaszczuk said she would not.
And she said she would not entertain an alliance with the Greens post-election, “absolutely not”.
“I said no deals,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was not aware of any talks happening between Labor and minor parties or independents. She said she would talk to state secretary Julie-Ann Campbell and tell her, if the talks were happening, they needed to stop.
“I don’t know what conversations she’s having,” she said.
“Let me make it very clear. I’m the leader of this party and this government, and I’ll make the decisions.”
“ … minority governments don’t work. I need a majority … to continue the work that I’m doing.”
Ms Palaszczuk said Opposition leader Deb Frecklington needed to say whether she would do a deal with One Nation, or Clive Palmer.
“She’s not being upfront with Queenslanders and it’s very disappointing.”
Ms Palaszczuk said it would be a “very tough election campaign” and she expected it to be “very personal” and “very nasty,” pointing to attack ads paid for by Clive Palmer personally criticising her and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young.
“We’re the underdogs, we’re behind in the polls,” she said.
“It’s been very personal and very nasty in the past few months … I expect Clive Palmer to throw everything at it.”
Recent polls have suggested a hung parliament is possible.
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