Queensland election: Deb Frecklington backs Peter Beattie on opening NSW border

Deb Frecklington says she shares common ground with the former premier, who wants the border with NSW reopened.

Queensland LNP leader Deb Frecklington. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Deb Frecklington says she shares common ground with former Labor premier Peter Beattie, who has called for Queensland’s border to be reopened to travellers from NSW.

Asked about Mr Beattie’s comments saying it was time Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk lifted the border restrictions, the Liberal National Party leader said she would “let the Labor Party have their own internal fights”.

“Peter Beattie and I have got one thing in common and that is that we believe in targets for unemployment in this great state of ours,” she said.

“That’s why I have set an ambitious target of 5 per cent.

“He did the same thing. It’s a shame the Labor Party has no plan and no ambition for this great state.”

“I’ll let the Labor have their own internal fights, what I want to do is talk about the LNP’s vision for Queensland.”

The LNP leader labelled Labor’s $1bn in savings measures within the health department needed to fund its election commitments as a “cut”, claiming Labor had been caught lying.

“With the LNP’s costings, there will be no cuts to Queensland Health, there will be no efficiency dividend in Queensland Health, like Labor have done,” Ms Frecklington said.

“Labor have been caught out in a lie, it is only the LNP that will create jobs in the health sector.”

The LNP will release its costings on Thursday.

Former Qld premier Peter Beattie. Picture: AAP

Innovation fund for manufacturers

Ms Frecklington spent Tuesday morning in the central Queensland Labor electorate of Mackay, where she announced funding for an $8m “innovation fund” to assist businesses in developing new products.

She visited mining machinery fabricator Mainetec in southern Mackay to make the announcement.

“What I’m announcing today is a fund to back business innovation in the manufacturing industry,” Ms Frecklington said.

“The product development fund will assist businesses like Mainetec to apply for a $100,000 contestable grant and they would be able to develop their product, employ more people and grow Queensland.

“Businesses like Mainetec will grow and develop and employ more people if only they get a government that backs them and that’s exactly what the LNP will do.”

The Opposition Leader, who has spent much of the campaign in regional Queensland, particularly focusing on Labor electorates in Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Mackay, denied she had neglected Brisbane.

“I’ve spent a great deal of time in Brisbane, in actual fact most people in my electorate probably think I spend too much time there,” she said.

“I want to be a premier for all of Queensland, I want to bridge the divide between the southeast and the rest of Queensland.”

Ms Frecklington said the Palaszczuk government had ignored the regions and did not support the resources industry, which is a major employer in north and central Queensland.

“We know the Palaszczuk government doesn’t support the regions, it’s got no plan to create jobs and it certainly doesn’t back the resources industry and that’s where the LNP stands up,” Ms Frecklington said.

“The LNP backs central Queensland. The LNP backs the regions and will back all of Queensland, and we back the resources sector.”

Whirlwind tour ends

Ms Frecklington capped off a whirlwind tour of the regions with a quick stop in central Queensland before returning to Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking at a heavy equipment firm in Rockhampton, held by Labor’s Barry O’Rourke with a 5.2 per cent margin, Ms Frecklington outlined her commitments, saying only an LNP government would understand the regions and the resources industry.

Ms Frecklington rebuffed calls from Labor ministers asking her to denounce Clive Palmer’s claims Labor would introduce a death tax.

She said she was focused only on her campaign and alleged the Palaszczuk government was crying foul over the death tax in a bid to drown out criticism of Labor’s costings.

It was revealed on Monday that a re-elected Palaszczuk government would require Queensland Health to make $1bn in savings measures to be able to afford its election commitments.

“The Labor party today are desperately trying to take the focus off Labor’s $1bn health efficiency dividend that they are ripping out of Queensland Health,” Ms Frecklington said.

“That is a shocking display of getting rid of the health department budget during a pandemic.

“The LNP would never do that.”

Frecklington says Palmer is not her problem and she was too busy focusing on her own campaign and fending off “Labor lies” to worry about Mr Palmer’s claims.

“I’ve got enough on my plate combating Labor’s lies about the LNP,” she said.

“The Labor government in the last election, two days before polling day, introduced new taxes.

“Labor have form when it comes to more taxes. We know that Labor, when they run out of money, they come after yours.”

Ms Frecklington said she had never met Mr Palmer and his campaign had “absolutely nothing to do with the LNP”.

“I’ve never met the man and I’ve got no intention to,” she said.