Miles forgets another candidate’s name; Crisafulli coy on abortion questions
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has again forgotten the name of a Labor candidate while campaigning on the Sunshine Coast, while David Crisafulli has a trainwreck press conference over abortion.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles was again unable to name the Labor candidate for a seat he was campaigning in on Friday, and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli endured a trainwreck press conference, refusing to say whether his MPs had been gagged about speaking on abortion.
Making a health announcement at an ambulance station on the Sunshine Coast with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, Mr Miles was asked why his candidate for Kawana was not present.
He said: “I’ll be campaigning in Sunshine Coast all day, so stay tuned.”
The Premier was then asked the name of the candidate.
“That’s a good question, we’ll get that for you,” he said, then shuffled the papers in front of him for more than 10 seconds.
Mr Miles turned to Ms Fentiman for help, and she also didn’t know.
“We’ll be with them later,” he said.
The Labor candidate for the safe LNP seat of Kawana is Jim Dawson.
Last week, Mr Miles forgot the name of Mirani Labor candidate Susan Teder, despite visiting the central Queensland electorate twice in two days.
Further north, in the central Queensland seat of Rockhampton, Mr Crisafulli refused to answer questions about whether candidates and MPs had been ordered not to share their views on abortion.
The LNP leader appeared at a crime prevention announcement alongside pro-life Rockhampton candidate Donna Kirkland, who in 2019 described abortion as “the greatest human rights abuse of our time”.
Ms Kirkland refused to be drawn on whether she still held that belief, instead repeating Mr Crisafulli’s comments that “it’s not part of our plan. We’ve ruled it out”.
She was then unable to explain if she was ruling out changes to the Termination of Pregnancy Act, or a conscience vote on future legislation to restrict access to abortion.
“Questions have been asked, it is not part of our plan,” she said.
Asked if the issue of abortion had been raised by her constituents, she said: “This is not a part of our plan.”
Asked if she believed abortion was healthcare, Ms Kirkland said: “We have ruled out any conversation around that.”
Earlier in the week, Mr Crisafulli said “of course” abortion was a health issue.
After Ms Kirkland gave rehearsed answers to more than 10 questions, Mr Crisafulli stepped in and told journalists: “You can ask me those questions. I think she has had a fair crack.”
Mr Crisafulli has ruled out introducing any changes to Queensland’s 2018 abortion laws, which decriminalised the procedure and made it available on request up to 22 weeks’ gestation.
But he has refused to say whether his MPs will be given a conscience vote on legislation, proposed by crossbencher Robbie Katter, that will repeal reforms or make it harder to access an abortion in Queensland.
For a fifth consecutive day, Mr Crisafulli refused to answer direct questions about whether his MPs would be given a conscience vote.
“There will be no changes to the law,” he said.
He also refused to say whether LNP officials had briefed candidates and MPs to provide identical answers to any questions posed by journalists on abortion.
“My team is unified,” he said.
“The fact that we have as a team taken a decision that it’s not part of our planning, we’ve ruled it out, should give comfort to every person in Queensland that we are a unified team, and we are disciplined, and we are focused on the issues that matter to Queensland.”
Abortion resurfaced as a key election issue this week after LNP MPs in two safe seats recently professed commitment to support legislation to restrict access to abortion.
Ms Fentiman, announcing $20m in extra funding for women’s health on the Sunshine Coast, accused Mr Crisafulli of not being honest with voters.
“David, be honest with the women of Queensland,” Ms Fentiman said.
“David Crisafulli knows he cannot promise that abortion laws won’t be wound back, because the overwhelming majority of his members of parliament and his candidates have backward, extreme views when it comes to abortion.”
Ms Fentiman insisted the government’s termination of pregnancy services had been rolled out as fast as possible, despite the contract for wraparound services not being signed until recently.
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