Queensland election: Scott Morrison flies in to help struggling Liberal National Party

LNP will turn to Scott Morrison to boost its Queensland election campaign as polling indicates the state opposition is struggling to win over voters in Labor-held seats.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington and LNP candidates in Townsville on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

The Liberal National Party will turn to Scott Morrison next week to boost its Queensland election campaign as polling indicates the state opposition is struggling to win over voters in targeted Labor-held seats in the regions.

The Prime Minister will spend a few days campaigning alongside LNP leader Deb Frecklington in what that strategists from both major political parties believe will be a critical week for the outcome of the October 31 election.

Labor and LNP insiders told The Weekend Australian tracking polling showed voters were not engaging with the campaign.

A record of more than 500,000 of Queensland’s 3.3 million voters have applied for a postal vote, intensifying the need for the parties to cut through early. Candidate nominations will close at noon on Sunday, immediately­ after which the ballot draw will take place and ballot papers will be sent out.

The Prime Minister and his deputy, Michael McCormack, will join Ms Frecklington and her deputy, Tim Mander, for a fundraising lunch in Brisbane on Tuesday. Tickets are valued at $990 for “premium seating” and $1200 for “VIP seating”.

Mr Morrison, who has been in Canberra for the federal budget, can 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.

The Prime Minister has been popular in Queensland, having won a 4.3 per cent swing to the Coalition in last year’s federal election — larger than in any other state — when it picked up two Labor-held seats and held all of its marginal electorates.

Polling obtained from Labor Party insiders shows Mr Morrison has a massive favourability rating in Queensland, higher even than popular Premier Anna­stacia Palaszczuk.

The polling, from late last month, shows Ms Frecklington’s popularity has been lagging behind­ her opponent.

In the regional electorates of Mundingburra (Labor, 1.13 per cent) and Keppel (Labor, 3.14 per cent), and the Brisbane division of Maiwar (1.63 per cent), where the incumbents are ahead, Mr Morrison’s popularity ranged from 53-70 per cent favourability.

The Premier’s approval rating was mostly about 50 per cent, with about 25 per cent dis­ap­proval, while Ms Frecklington’s approval and disapproval ratings were about 25 per cent each.

The results were similar to the latest Newspoll, published on July 31, where 57 per cent of respond­ents saw Ms Palaszczuk as the better premier, compared with 26 per cent for Ms Frecklington.

Griffith University political expert John Wanna said the LNP would be hoping Mr Morrison’s popularity would rub off on Ms Frecklington. “I think Morrison is hugely popular and he probably would have an effect of restoring a bit of confidence, credibility into the LNP,” he said.

Ms Frecklington’s results on popularity questions on multiple polls have had a high number of “uncommitted” responses, suggesting she was lesser known.

“If she doesn’t do anything bad or have any personal gaffes, her personality will come up a bit,’’ Professor Wanna said. “She may not overtake Palasz­czuk, but it will come up a bit now that she’s been a bit more visible.”