Queensland election 2017: Premier stumped on debt question
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been unable to answer a key question about the state’s nation-leading debt figure.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Queensland state election campaign. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s first-term minority Labor government will face voters on November 25. The LNP, led by Tim Nicholls, and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation are out to spoil Ms Palaszczuk’s re-election bid.
6.00pm: Day 2 wrap
WHERE THE LEADERS CAMPAIGNED
* Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk: started the day at Airlie Beach in the marginal seat of Whitsunday. Following an announcement at Proserpine Hospital, she travelled to Townsville.
* Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls: kicked off day two in Labor minister Mick De Brenni’s seat of Springwood, south of Brisbane, before heading west to One Nation heartland in the Lockyer Valley.
WHAT LABOR TALKED ABOUT
* Ms Palaszczuk and Health Minister Cameron Dick pledged $167 million to hire an extra 3,500 nurses and midwives over the next four years if elected to govern.
“There were 1800 nurses and midwives who went out of the health system under the Newman-Nicholls experiment.” - Cameron Dick
WHAT THE LNP TALKED ABOUT
* Mr Nicholls promised to increase the state’s payroll tax exemption threshold by $25,000 a year over the next 10 years in a bid to stimulate 500,000 new jobs.
“That will help 4000 small businesses that won’t now fall into the threshold and 10,000 other businesses that are within the deductions area.” - Tim Nicholls
AAP
Greg Brown 3.15pm: One Nation forgets Joyce for Queensland
One Nation will not be contesting the New England by-election, with Pauline Hanson saying the party cannot fight Barnaby Joyce in the campaign at the same time as the Queensland state election.
“I can confirm that One Nation will not be contesting the New England by-election,” Senator Hanson said in a statement.
“This is because Annastacia Palaszczuk has done a backflip, breaking her promise to the people of Queensland to see out a full term, and called a snap election.
“While One nation is a major threat to the tired old parties and I would have loved to have seen a One Nation candidate run, it would have been unfair to our hardworking Queensland candidates to have the party become distracted by the New England sideshow.”
It comes after Tony Windsor and the Shooters Fishers and Farmers party announced they would not contest Mr Joyce’s seat. Senator Hanson said Mr Joyce had “a little bit of luck” go his way.
Sarah Elks 1.10pm: Palaszczuk stumped on debt
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been unable to say how much of the state’s nation-leading debt had been paid off using dividends from state-owned power companies.
Despite repeatedly saying the dividends — which will now be used to give Queenslanders a rebate on their power bills — had been used for the past three years to pay down debt and restore frontline services — today she was unable to put a dollar figure on the paid debt.
“We said we would use the dividends from our assets to not only pay down debt but also restore the frontline services,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Under Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls, was savage cuts, not just to the health system, but to our frontline staff right across the state. We have been restoring those frontline services and we’ve been paying down the debt. Now what I’ve said very clearly, the dividends from our energy assets will be used to make sure our household bills will be no higher than inflation over the next two years.”
Asked for a dollar figure, Ms Palaszczuk said: “I’ll have to get that for you.”
Queensland’s total debt is forecast to hit $81bn by 2020-21.
Greg Brown 1pm: Julie Bishop weighs in
Julie Bishop has labelled Annastacia Palaszczuk a “do-nothing premier” as she urged Queenslanders to back the Liberal-National Party in the upcoming election.
The Acting Prime Minister says she knows LNP leader Tim Nicholls, describing him as “measured”, “clever” and “focused”.
“I think he would make a fine premier of Queensland and I hope the people of Queensland give him an opportunity to show that he’s got the ideas and the policy that is would drive growth.,” Ms Bishop said this morning.
“Queensland is a great state. It has enormous potential in resources, in tourism. It needs a government to drive that economic growth to ensure that the people of Queensland have jobs and have security, safety and prosperity.”
Ms Bishop said the growing support of One Nation in the state shows the major parties need to have better polices that “win the hearts and minds” of voters.
“That’s the best thing a state government can do for their state ensure that they’ve got policies in place that don’t hinder growth but drive growth,” she said.
Sarah Elks 12.40pm: ‘Nicholls can’t be trusted’
Labor has slammed Opposition leader Tim Nicholls over his promise today to reduce the payroll tax threshold by $25,000 a year for a decade.
Health Minister Cameron Dick — who joined Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for an announcement of more nurses at the Proserpine Hospital in north Queensland — said Mr Nicholls could not be trusted after he broke similar promises when the Newman government’s Treasurer.
“The truth of the matter is, when he was Treasurer, he promised to increase the payroll tax threshold, meaning effectively a lower payroll tax rate, every year for six years,” Mr Dick said.
“He broke his promise after the first year. Tim Nicholls is someone that simply cannot be trusted with health care in Queensland, he cannot be trusted with public finances, and he cannot be trusted with the future of Queensland.”
However, Mr Dick and Premier Ms Palaszczuk would not answer questions about Labor’s position on payroll tax, instead promising their economic plans would come later.
Sarah Elks 12.30pm: Premier feared being tackled
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she didn’t know if an anti-Adani protester who crashed her live television cross this morning was going to tackle her, and called for activists to show respect.
Ms Palaszczuk’s interview with Sky News was interrupted by the protester this morning, after her first campaign event yesterday was disrupted when two protesters had to be dragged offstage.
“I didn’t know if I was personally going to be tackled,” Ms Palaszczuk said at a press conference at Proserpine hospital, near Airlie Beach, in north Queensland today.
The sign-wielding man was swiftly removed by one of the Premier’s personal security police officers.
She said she backed people’s rights to protest, but called for respect to be shown.
Asked whether she was frightened this morning, Ms Palaszczuk paused.
“I’m OK,” she said. “I’m all right.”
Ms Palaszczuk added: “I think people have a right to have their say and I will listen to their views, but I did think that a couple of them did get a little bit out of hand,” Ms Palaszczuk said of the anti-Adani protesters.
“That was just my personal feeling,” she said. “I didn’t know whether I was personally going to be tackled, I think we live in a democracy, and people should be respectful. I’m respectful to people and I would hope that people could show the same respect back. That’s all I’m asking.”
Charlie Peel 12.20pm: LNP makes business pitch
The Liberal National Party has wasted no time in getting down to business with leader Tim Nicholls unveiling his economic blueprint within 24 hours of the election being announced.
A plan to lift the payroll tax exemption threshold by $25,000 a year over ten years is the centrepiece of the policy, which the LNP says will create 500,000 jobs over a decade.
It would see the payroll tax threshold increase to $1.35 million, while businesses with payrolls of up to $6.75 million would receive a deduction.
Mr Nicholls was quick to assert that large corporations would still pay payroll tax at the full rate.
He said 14,000 small to medium sized businesses would be allowed to employ more people without fear of being bumped over the tax-free threshold.
About 4000 of those would benefit in the first year by being pushed below the threshold.
“Businesses should not be discouraged from employing more Queenslanders because of the threat of payroll tax — a tax on jobs,” he said.
Mr Nicholls said the policy would cost the budget $100 million over the first four years. But that could increase to about $550 million over ten years.
The LNP also pledged to give businesses $4000 grants for employing young workers.
The blueprint was announced in the marginal seat of Springwood, in Logan City, where LNP candidate Julie Talty plans to unseat Sport, Public Works and Housing Minister Mick de Brenni who has a margin of 1.4 per cent.
Mr De Brenni has been subject to criticism from the housing industry, with the Master Builders Association overseeing a union-style campaign to see him voted out.
LNP leader @TimNichollsMP in Springwood where candidate Julie Talty will take on Minister @MickdeBrenni . Nicholls unveiling the LNP’s economic plan. pic.twitter.com/zxJZLSzJ2E
— Charlie Peel (@charliepeeled) October 30, 2017
Charlie Peel 10.20am: No thanks, Malcolm
Malcolm Turnbull has not been invited to join the election campaign with his colleagues in Queensland.
Liberal National Party leader Tim Nicholls told ABC Radio he had not sent out an invitation to the Prime Minister who has been hammered in the latest Newspoll results released today.
Mr Nicholls dodged questions about whether his federal counterpart would have a positive or negative impact on the campaign.
But he said Queenslanders facing cost of living pressure would not care about the “intricacies of the political world”.
The opposition leader again appealed to voters fed up with the major parties to give his team a shot at governing instead of voting for One Nation.
Mr Nicholls did not rule out the possibility of LNP candidates in inner-city seats from preferencing The Greens, who believe they can seriously challenge for three seats.
Yesterday, when asked about former LNP Premier Campbell Newman’s assertion that the party could not form government without One Nation, Mr Nicholls said he was wrong.
But he would not elaborate today on why he believe that was so.
Mr Nicholls has repeatedly said he had learnt lessons from the shellacking the one-term Newman Government copped in the 2015 election.
9.45am: One Nation dogs major parties
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and rival Tim Nicholls have both ruled out forming a coalition with One Nation, AAP reports, but the LNP leader is refusing to directly rule out a deal with the right-wing party to guarantee supply.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party may end up with the balance of power in Queensland after the November 25 election, with both Labor and the LNP on a low primary vote of around 30 per cent.
The premier says she’d rather lose government than make any pact with One Nation.
“I have said absolutely no. This is all or nothing. It’s either people are going to support what I stand for, or they won’t,” she told ABC TV. “I’m prepared to put it all at risk.” Mr Nicholls also said there was no way the LNP would share power with Ms Hanson’s party.
“I have been clear about it, there is no coalition, no shared ministry and there are no deals with One Nation,” he told ABC TV.
But when pressed on whether that would include guaranteeing supply, he repeated his answer, but added he intended to win the 47 seats to form a majority government.
“We don’t have any deals, in fact it is abundantly clear One Nation don’t want any deals,” Mr Nicholls said.
Ms Hanson has accused Ms Palaszczuk of cowardice for calling the election two months before it was due — while she was on a trade mission in India. Ms Palaszczuk said she was glad Ms Hanson was in India, given the country is Queensland’s third-largest trading partner.
“The (state) leader of One Nation, Steve Dickson, was here in Queensland and on the hustings yesterday. I do not think it matters where Pauline Hanson is,” she told Seven.
Ms Palaszczuk is campaigning the marginal seat of Whitsunday on Monday, which was devastated by Cyclone Debbie in March.
She is expected to make a policy announcement about health services. Mr Nicholls is campaigning in southeast Queensland.
Sarah Elks 8.45am: A pitch for votes
Cricket fans won’t miss out on democracy, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed.
Ms Palaszczuk has set the election date for November 25, which happens to be the third day of the first Ashes test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
This morning, the Premier told B105 that she would write to the Electrical Commission of Queensland today to “put a polling booth at the Gabba”.
Sarah Elks 8.30am: Palaszczuk faces another protest
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s blitz of morning television shows has been interrupted by an anti-Adani protester, after her first day was also disrupted by activists.
Ms Palaszczuk was crossing live to Sky News from Airlie Beach this morning, on Day 2 of the Queensland election campaign, when a man holding an anti-Adani sign careened into her shot.
He was quickly removed by one of the Premier’s police escort. “Well, there we go, there’s an Adani protester there,” a calm Ms Palaszczuk said. Ms Palaszczuk told interviewer Kieran Gilbert to “be real here” over his questions about rising power prices in Queensland.
“The mess has been coming from Canberra,” Ms Palaszczuk said, defending her decision to keep power assets in government hands.
“We own our assets, we’re going to make them work for Queenslanders.”
She brushed off an angry tweet from One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, who accused Ms Palaszczuk of cowardice for calling an early election yesterday when she was out of the country in India.
“I decided to call the election, I didn’t know she was going to be overseas, I understand she’s over in India,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Good on her, she should be out there, seeing what’s happening in other parts of the world, because India is Queensland’s third largest trading partner.
Sarah Elks 8am: Labor does the math
Queensland Labor has swiftly backed a veteran maths teacher to become the ALP’s candidate for the ultra-marginal seat of Pumicestone, to replace the scandal-prone backbencher Rick Williams.
Michael Hoogwaerts was last night backed by Labor’s administrative committee to run in Pumicestone — based on Bribie Island, north of Brisbane — after Mr Williams was ditched from the party on Friday, after fresh allegations of bad behaviour were raised against him.
Labor says it’ll throw all resources at trying to keep Pumicestone, which after a redistribution is notionally an LNP seat by a margin of 0.1 per cent.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “Michael Hoogwaerts is an established local community champion”.
“He will provide a fresh, new Labor voice for Pumicestone.”
Mr Williams was most recently accused of threatening his local newspaper editor, a claim he denies. He will run as an independent in the seat, which is also believed to be prone to One Nation’s rising popularity.
Mr Hoogwaerts is a 54-year-old father-of-four and lives on Bribie Island, where he’s been the maths teacher at Bribie Island state school for the past 19 years. He’s also the current serving president of the Bribie Island Labor branch.
What’s making news
• Annastacia Palaszczuk declared her strong support for ramping up renewable energy when ambushed by anti-Adani protesters, moments after calling an early Queensland election amid a tide of popular support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in regional battleground seats.
• Former Premier Campbell Newman writes that One Nation could determine the fate of the major parties.
• Pauline Hanson has called Ms Palaszczuk “cowardly” for “waiting” until the One Nation leader was out of the country before calling the election.
• A revamped campaign strategy is behind the Greens’ pitch to win the party’s first seat in the Queensland parliament.
• Peter Beattie, who led Queensland for nine years, believes Ms Palaszczuk has the momentum heading into the election campaign.
• The Premier is banking on a brutal vote that drove LNP from office as she seeks another term in office.
• Rising power prices and energy security will be a key policy battleground during the 28-day campaign.
• This Queensland election will be the first fought on dramatically reshaped electoral boundaries that increase the number of seats from 89 to 93, and will be the first where voters must number every box on their ballot papers.
• The state poll is really all about federal senator Pauline Hanson, Michael McKenna writes.
Stop vilifying Russia: candidate
Australia should develop nuclear weapons to deter China and forge new friendship with Moscow, according to Liberal candidate Gerard Rennick.
Emails continued after ban
Queensland Minister Mark Bailey defied a ban by Annastacia Palaszczuk on using private emails for work for two weeks.