Queensland election 2017 live: Hanson gift shows Labor is ‘divided’: Nicholls
Nicholls says Jo-Ann Miller’s meeting with Pauline Hanson shows Labor are untruthful when talking about deals.
Hello and welcome to our rolling blog on the Queensland election campaign. Political leaders have focused mainly on the state’s regions today as the fight to win critical seats there intensifies just days from the election.
Charlie Peel 4.13pm: Meeting shows Labor is ‘divided’: Nicholls
LNP Leader Tim Nicholls said the meeting between Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson showed the party was divided and untruthful when talking about deals and arrangements.
“We know Labor are hopelessly divided,” he said.
“They can’t agree on whether they want to support the Carmichael mine and regional jobs in Queensland, they can’t agree amongst themselves on positions, they haven’t even appointed a full-time agriculture minister since Bill Byrne stood down.
“Jo-Ann Miller has been one of the most critical vocal critics of her own government, has been so again today.
“This is a Labor Government that is racked with internal divisions, a Premier who doesn’t have authority to lead and she’s been undermined by her own backbench and her former police minister who she sacked.
“It just goes to show the complete lie that has been peddled by Labor in relation to any form of deals or arrangements when you look at what’s going on between Jo-Ann Miller and Pauline Hanson there in Bundamba.”
Former Labor Minister @JoAnnMillerMP has welcomed @PaulineHansonOz and her battler bus to the electorate of Bundamba. #7News pic.twitter.com/LqgUZb6PLR
— 7 News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) November 21, 2017
Sarah Elks 4.03pm: Palaszczuk unfazed by Miller-Hanson meeting
Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller for cosying up to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as “being nice”.
Ms Miller gave Senator Hanson a gift for her new grandchild at a pre-polling booth near Ipswich today, and Senator Hanson endorsed Ms Miller.
In Calliope, near Gladstone in central Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk defended Ms Miller and said she was “just being nice” to Senator Hanson after the birth of her grandchild.
“I’ve had a look at the photo, I understand it was at a pre-poll booth, a joint polling booth which also takes in the electorate of Ipswich which Malcolm Roberts is running in. Secondly there was an issue that someone raised that perhaps a gift was passed from the member for Bundamba, to Pauline Hanson. That’s called being nice.”
“I don’t think there is anything wrong, during this election campaign, about people being nice.”
“Jo-Ann Miller was even quoted in The Australian today, she knows my clear views, and the party’s clear views, about no deals with One Nation full stop.”
Asked to acknowledge it was not a good look – given Ms Palaszczuk has attacked the LNP for doing alleged deals with One Nation the whole campaign – Ms Palaszczuk would not.
The Premier said Senator Hanson’s endorsement of Ms Miller was “a matter for her”.
“Jo-Ann Miller is a member of my team, and everybody on my team knows my clear views about no deals with One Nation,” she said.
Asked whether Ms Miller would be disendorsed from the Labor party, Ms Palaszczuk said it was “just giving a gift”.
Charlie Peel 3.40pm: ‘A Government of incompetence, inexperience and self-interest’
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has come out swinging in the final week of the campaign, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk firmly in his sights.
While the LNP leader has been mostly reserved in his criticism so far during the campaign, he did not mince his words at a Queensland Media Club speech in the Labor-held seat of South Brisbane this afternoon.
He accused Ms Palaszczuk, who did not attend what was supposed to be a debate and will instead address the media club on Friday, of being lazy and her government of being inexperienced and self-interested.
“An absent Premier is perhaps no surprise, given Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor have done nothing for three years,” Mr Nicholls said.
“And in the more than three weeks of this election campaign, they have failed to produce any reason or agenda for re-election.
“Just more fear-laden, baseless rhetoric.
“The most desperate of smokescreens for a do-nothing Government.
“A Government of incompetence, inexperience and self-interest.”
It wasn’t just the Premier who bore the brunt of Mr Nicholls’ criticism.
He labelled Cairns MP Curtis Pitt “Australia’s worst treasurer”.
Mr Nicholls said Labor had only released 19 policies, compared to 100 put forward by the LNP.
“When Queenslanders cast their votes on Saturday, they will do so with the LNP having put forward more than 100 policies,” he said.
“We have listened, we have worked hard and we have developed the practical solutions to Build a Better Queensland.
“We are not pre-occupied with the past, and we are not running around Queensland day after day trying to scare voters.
“That’s Labor: fear, smear, no idea.”
Mr Nicholls called Ms Palaszczuk a liar, saying she had misled Queenslanders about not doing deals with independents last election, increasing taxes, water and electricity security, repaying debt and her support of the Carmichael mine.
“Labor’s scare campaign is a lie,” he said.
“Frankly, it’s being peddled by a Labor leader accustomed to lying.”
As he has done several times throughout the campaign, Mr Nicholls ruled out asset sales and job cuts Labor has accused him of planning.
“An LNP Government will not sell assets and there will be no forced redundancies in the public service,” Mr Nicholls said.
“I have said this consistently since the last election and to use a well-known phrase – I am not for turning on the issue.”
Mr Nicholls justified the “do-nothing” moniker given to the Palaszczuk Government, saying it had caused the frustration being felt by many Queenslanders turning an eye to One Nation.
“Labor has created and done nothing to fix its rail fail,” he said.
“Labor’s done nothing to bust congestion, done nothing to tackle youth unemployment in western Queensland, which is now approaching 60 per cent, done nothing to build the Rookwood Weir, done nothing to fix its Child Safety crisis, done nothing to lower power prices for families or businesses.”
The LNP leader is flying to Townsville this evening where he will attend another leader’s debate tomorrow morning, hosted by Townsville Enterprise Limited.
Ms Palaszczuk will again be absent from that debate, while One Nation leader Steve Dickson and Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter will both be attending.
Sarah Elks 3.04pm: Labor MP’s gift to Hanson
Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is “not very happy” about maverick Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller cosying up to One Nation’s Pauline Hanson today and will review the facts.
Ms Miller, the Labor MP for Bundamba, gave a gift to Ms Hanson to celebrate the birth of the Senator’s grandson, after Senator Hanson and Ms Miller met in Ms Miller’s Ipswich electorate of Bundamba.
As she landed in the central Queensland city of Gladstone, Ms Palaszczuk said she didn’t know about the incident earlier today, in which Senator Hanson apparently endorsed Ms Miller.
“That’s a matter, if she wants to give a gift to her new granddaughter, that’s a matter for her,” she said.
But asked about Ms Miller “cosying up” to Senator Hanson, Ms Palaszczuk said: “Well, I’m not very happy about that am I.”
Asked whether she would disendorse Ms Miller, who holds the safest Labor seat in Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk said: “Um, well, I’m going to get the facts first, this is the first I’ve heard about it, I’m going to look at the facts and I’ll come back to you.”
One Nation is not running a candidate against Ms Miller in Bundamba.
Premier @AnnastaciaMP on Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller cozying up with @PaulineHansonOz: “I’m not very happy about that am I.†#qldvotes pic.twitter.com/2rxTPhGmBo
— Sarah Elks (@sarahelks) November 21, 2017
Sarah Elks 2.54pm: Premier rubbishes ‘sell-out’ claims
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has denied putting inner-city Greens preferences ahead of regional jobs over Adani.
In central Queensland’s Rockhampton, her second destination today on a four-city whistlestop tour of regional Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk was asked by a local reporter about the proposed Adani Galilee Basin coal project.
Reporter: “Speaking about Adani, Premier, and jobs, how would you respond to people who are claiming you’re looking after inner-city Greens preferences rather than regional Queenslanders’ jobs?”
Ms Palaszczuk: “I’d say that’s rubbish.”
Premier @Annastaciamp, Keppel MP @BrittanyLauga, and (the Premier’s second-choice) Rocky candidate Barry O’Rourke at fire station #qldvotes pic.twitter.com/i3IiQODvgD
— Sarah Elks (@sarahelks) November 21, 2017
The Premier caused controversy at the end of the first week of the campaign, when she announced she had decided to veto a federal government loan that could have gone to Adani to build a common-user rail line in the Galilee Basin.
Labor holds Rockhampton by about 14 per cent, but there was a factional battle over preselection after former Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne announced he would retire at this election due to ill-health.
Ms Palaszczuk backed Rockhampton mayor and Right faction ally Margaret Strelow to be Labor’s candidate against the Old Guard’s Barry O’Rourke. But Mr O’Rourke won both the local and the union vote.
Ms Strelow then announced she would run as an independent for Rockhampton.
Today in Rockhampton, Ms Palaszczuk said she hadn’t spoken to Ms Strelow since her decision to run. And she ruled out forming a minority government with the help of the mayor should she be elected as an independent.
“Uh, no,” she said.
“Because I am backing Barry O’Rourke, he is our hard-working candidate and I expect through his hard work that hopefully the good people of Rockhampton will elect him on Saturday because I need him on my team.”
Ms Palaszczuk has now landed in Gladstone for an unidentified picture opportunity and will then make her way further south.
1.19pm: I’ll be content with one seat: Hanson
Pauline Hanson will be happy if her party can claim a single Queensland seat, but she believes One Nation will do better than that.
Senator Hanson, who’s back on the campaign trail ahead of Saturday’s poll, has refused to put a number on how many seats her candidates might win. “I think even just to win one seat is going to be a big win for us. I personally think we’ll win more than that,” she’s told reporters in Brisbane. She again called Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk arrogant for refusing to work with One Nation.
One Nation backers were offered some support from maverick Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller earlier in the day, when she said all parties must respect the views of all voters, including those who support Senator Hanson’s party. Ms Miller also urged Queenslanders planning to vote for One Nation to give Labor their second preferences, despite the premier’s vow to shun the party. “One thing I do want to say to all voters in Queensland - if you’re going to vote One Nation, or another party, please consider giving Labor your second preference,” the government MP told ABC radio.
AAP
Charlie Peel 12.00pm: Nicholls passes on One Nation question
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has again struggled to definitively answer a question on whether or not he would form government with One Nation support.
The issue has bugged Mr Nicholls throughout the campaign and cost him points at the Sky News and Courier-Mail people’s forum, when he would not say whether he would take One Nation support in the event of a hung parliament.
In “yes or no” question segment on Brisbane’s Nova radio station, Mr Nicholls was given the options of answering yes, no or pass to questions, including one about Disney movie The Lion King.
Host Ash Bradnam asked, “Yes or no, will the LNP form Government using One Nation support?”
“Pass,” Mr Nicholls said.
Labor Campaign Spokesman Cameron Dick said Queenslanders deserved to know the LNP’s position on accepting the support of One Nation to form government.
“Just like the Sky News debate last week, Tim Nicholls has again refused to publicly say what deal the LNP will strike with One Nation,” Mr Dick said.
“When asked on Nova this morning for a ‘yes-or-no’ answer about accepting One Nation support to form Government, he passed, just like he did last week.
“That’s why this weekend Queenslanders will have a choice between a strong and stable Labor Government and the cuts and chaos of a Tim Nicholls led Government where the LNP needs the support of One Nation.”
Mr Nicholls has ruled out forming a coalition with One Nation and giving One Nation MPs cabinet positions.
.@TimNichollsMP gave a very diplomatic answer to whether the LNP would form govt with One Nation. #SmarterThanSuse #qldpol #qldvotes pic.twitter.com/8iRHkf4a2g
— Ash, Kip & Luttsy (@AshKipAndLuttsy) November 20, 2017
Sarah Elks 11.36am: Premier claims ‘underdog’ status
Despite recent published polls showing Labor ahead on two-party preferred terms statewide, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk insisted she was the underdog.
“I think we’re the underdog, I honestly do,” she said.
“I am going to work my guts out every day. I am going to three regional cities today.”
Sarah Elks 11.24am: Palaszczuk’s sandbagging tour of the coast
Annastacia Palaszczuk is on a sandbagging tour of Labor seats down the Queensland coast, pledging $3.6m for a resource centre of excellence in Mackay just days after the LNP announced an identical policy.
Yesterday, Ms Palaszczuk hit three cities — Cairns, Townsville and Mackay — where Labor holds, or notionally holds key marginal swing seats. Today she’s started the day in Mackay and is expected to visit a sweep of regional cities and ALP seats before the sun sets on Day 24.
Visiting a Hastings Deering heavy machinery workshop in Mackay (Labor, 10.2 per cent) Ms Palaszczuk announced a re-elected Labor government would spend $3.6m on a “resources centre of excellence” to train people for the mining industry.
The LNP announced exactly the same thing in the city on Thursday.
Ms Palaszczuk denied it was a copycat announcement.
“We’ve been working on this for a long time, it is something that I’m absolutely 100 per cent committed to,” she said.
While Mr Nicholls appears to be focusing on non-LNP seats this week, so far Ms Palaszczuk has been trying to shore up the party’s existing swag of seats.
After a redistribution, which increases the number of seats from 89 to 93, Labor notionally holds 48 and the LNP holds 41. For a majority government, 47 is the magic number.
Ms Palaszczuk sidestepped questions about whether she was running a defensive strategy in the final week of campaigning.
“Every single seat is important in this election, I cannot be clearer to the people of this state,” she said.
Sarah Elks 11.01am: Labor’s debt plan imminent
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has promised Labor will have a specific plan to pay down Queensland’s nation-leading debt in the next three days, a day after her Treasurer Curtis Pitt struggled to explain how it would be done.
Campaigning in the north Queensland city of Mackay (Labor, 10.2 per cent) this morning, Ms Palaszczuk was again pressed to explain how Labor would reduce Queensland’s debt.
“That will all be revealed as part of our costings, once all of our election commitments are made, we will detail our costings which will be fully funded,” the Labor leader said.
Labor is expected to detail its costings on Friday, ahead of the election on Saturday.
Yesterday, Treasurer Mr Pitt told reporters outside a Cairns press conference that he was not sure whether he would address the issue of debt when he announced Labor’s costings this week.
He had struggled to explain Labor’s current plan to reduce total government debt, which is due to hit $81bn in 2020-21. Mr Pitt also said Queensland would never be debt free.
Ms Palaszczuk was today asked whether Mr Pitt was a help or a hindrance during the campaign. She did not directly answer.
“As I’ve said, it is very clear that with our jobs growth, the fastest in the nation, 134,300 jobs, and he has been the Treasurer leading that jobs growth, working with business and industry across the state,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Pitt “absolutely” knew he had to release a debt reduction plan when he released the costings.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I have always said that is going to be a priority for our government,” she said.
“But … the number one priority for Queensland is jobs.”
General government sector debt has decreased by $12.8bn from $45.8bn in 2014-15, in former LNP Treasurer, now Opposition leader, Tim Nicholls’ last mid-year financial update, to $33.7bn in 2017-18 in the Palaszczuk government’s most recent budget.
Total government debt has also decreased over the same period, by $5.5bn from $77.5bn at the end of the Newman government to $71.98bn in the 2017-18 Palaszczuk budget.
However, under both measures, debt is still forecast to rise under the Palaszczuk government’s watch.
In Labor’s first budget, general government sector debt was $35.48bn in 2015-16 but is now forecast to rise to $41.2bn by 2020-21.
Total debt over the same period will rise from $72.92bn in 15-16 to $81.14bn in 2020-21.
Both debt measures were also forecast to keep rising under the Newman government, but Queensland would have hit the $81bn mark sooner, in 2016-17, under the Newman government’s forecasts.
8.20am: Leaders target critical seats
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will spend her third straight day in the state’s north, while Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls will be in Brisbane to address the Queensland Media Club before heading to Townsville.
Ms Palaszczuk, who is due to address the media club on Friday, had been expected to attend the Queensland Resources Council annual lunch on Tuesday, but will now start the day in Mackay.
Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan and his Queensland counterpart Anthony Lynham and LNP spokesman Andrew Cripps will attend, with the controversial Adani coal mine expected to dominate attention.
Protesters against the mine will hold a rally in the Queen Street Mall. In Brisbane, Mr Nicholls is expected to face more grilling on the LNP’s plans to address the state’s growing debt problem, which is forecast to hit $81 billion in three years.
Afterwards, he’ll be back in Townsville where three seats are in play. He spent Sunday night and Monday in Bundaberg, Mackay and Townsville where he committed to spending $360 million to upgrade a dozen sections of the Bruce Highway.
Meanwhile, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson isn’t expected to return to the Queensland election campaign until later this week after the birth of her fifth grandchild.
AAP
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