Anna Bligh weighs up risk of calling early poll

LABOR is clearing the decks for an early state election in Queensland as Anna Bligh weighs the risk of breaching undertakings to run full term

LABOR is clearing the decks for an early state election in Queensland as Anna Bligh weighs the risk of breaching undertakings to run full term against capitalising on her surge in popularity and leadership upheaval in the Opposition.

The ALP state executive, known as the Administrative Committee, will meet tonight to open preselections for the seats of retiring state MPs and unallocated conservative-held ones. Buoyed by yesterday's Newspoll in The Australian showing she had engineered the biggest turnaround in the poll's history, Ms Bligh yesterday seized on mixed messages from the new Liberal National Party leadership over who was calling the shots - "campaign leader" Campbell Newman or the man warming the seat for him, parliamentary "interim leader" Jeff Seeney.

Mr Newman, the Brisbane Lord Mayor, insisted he would have the final say - including on who would fill the frontbench spots vacated by former leader John-Paul Langbroek and his deputy, Lawrence Springborg.

"I will make the decision on shadow cabinet," he said.

Mr Seeney said although Mr Newman, as "the leader", would have the ultimate say, he would nominate senior appointments; "to meet the statutory requirements of the parliament, I'm the one who has to nominate those people in the parliament".

Mr Seeney said the LNP was ready if Ms Bligh called an early election, as some in the ALP are advocating. "We see fear gripping the government - they can't even speak Campbell Newman's name," he said. "Any time they want to go to an election is fine with me. The issue of the Premier's honesty is certainly an issue in a lot of people's mind."

Ms Bligh used parliament to attack the LNP leadership plan as a "stalking horse" for Mr Seeney, if Mr Newman failed to overcome the 7.1 per cent margin buttressing the Labor MP in his targeted seat of Ashgrove, Kate Jones.

Former Labor premier Peter Beattie declared Ms Bligh's Newspoll result, upending the LNP's former lead with a double-digit gain in both state Labor's primary and two-party-preferred vote, would have both sides of politics testing the early election option with research. However, LNP figures pointed out the Newspoll was conducted before Tuesday's leadership change to Mr Newman.