Queensland Premier Steven Miles claws back ground in shock poll
Polling data reveals new Queensland Premier Steven Miles has clawed back ground, with Labor and the LNP on equal electoral footing for the first time in 14 months.
New Queensland Premier Steven Miles has clawed back ground in the wake of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s shock resignation, with new polling data revealing Labor and the Liberal National Party are on equal electoral footing for the first time in 14 months.
The UComms poll, published in The Courier-Mail, has the major parties tied with a 50-50 share of the statewide two-party-preferred vote for the first time since December 2022 as Mr Miles attempts to reset the government’s agenda ahead of the October 26 state election.
Despite a two-point drop since December, as more voters become undecided, the LNP continues to lead Labor on statewide primary vote: 34 per cent to 30 per cent.
Popular support for Labor is 32 per cent in the southeast compared with 27 per cent in regional Queensland, while the LNP’s city-country support is 34-33.
Mr Miles, who must hold a swag of seats in the state’s north to retain majority government, will take his cabinet to Cairns next week to blitz a trio of Labor-held electorates.
The poll of 1700 Queenslanders on February 13 took place during the first parliamentary sitting week of the year when the government was lashed over its handling of the youth crime crisis and failures at the government-run coal plant Callide C.
Labor also introduced new laws that week to raise the state’s emissions reduction target and decriminalise sex work.
David Crisafulli’s opposition must win an extra 13 seats in the 93-electorate parliament to secure majority government.
Eight months out from the 2020 election, the 2PP vote was tied at 50-50 before Labor went on to win its third consecutive term with a 2PP result of 53 per cent to the LNP’s 47 per cent.
In the latest poll, Mr Crisafulli retains his lead as preferred premier, 51 per cent to Mr Miles’ 49 per cent, although the margin has narrowed since the last UComms poll in late December when he led 52-48 per cent. Mr Miles is slightly favoured by voters in the southeast, but Mr Crisafulli is much more popular in regional Queensland where he is ahead as preferred premier 56-45.
The poll results come three weeks out from two state by-elections, triggered by the resignations of Ms Palaszczuk and Ipswich West MP Jim Madden. Labor strategists are bracing for swings to the LNP in both seats.
‘No cuts’: Crisafulli tells public service
New Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has written to the state’s 260,000 public servants assuring them that their jobs are safe after Labor accused him of having ‘secret plans’ to inflict widespread cuts.
State’s youngest ever female MP brings a breath of fresh air
The energetic young MP says she is focused on representing her community just as much as she is on completing her dual Bachelor of Environmental Science and Business from Griffith University.