Queensland election: Palaszczuk under pressure to stick to her ‘no deals’ promise

Tim Nicholls has moved to hold Annastacia Palaszczuk to her promise of not doing deals with crossbenchers.

LNP leader Tim Nicholls after a meeting with likely new MPs in the seat of Pumicestone yesterday. Picture: Liam Kidston

Tim Nicholls has moved to hold Annastacia Palaszczuk to her promise of not doing deals with crossbenchers if Labor is unable to secure power in its own right, saying the Liberal National Party should be given the chance to form minority government.

As preferences yesterday began to be distributed within the 93 electorates, the lead in a ­number of seats expected to fall to Labor narrowed, lending some uncertainty to its predicted clear majority of 47 seats.

While Labor officials remained confident and were claiming 44 seats, the LNP last night had at least 36 seats ­and urged caution about a late surge from pre-poll votes and possibly picking-up seats like Aspley, ­already claimed by Labor.

Almost a dozen seats remain in the balance.

Uncertainty in the counting prompted Mr Nicholls and his deputy Deb Frecklington to ­accuse Ms Palaszczuk of “arrogance’’ in holding a press conference claiming “business as usual’’. In his first in-depth comments since the weekend election, Mr Nicholls said Labor’s hopes of claiming the 47 seats needed to form a majority government looked slimmer.

“This election is not over yet, there hasn’t been a decision made,” Mr Nicholls said. “The real question as we head into the next few days and wait for those votes to be counted is what is Annastacia Palaszczuk’s position?

 

“If she does not get to that 47 number will she keep her word? Will she do the right thing, and will she go into opposition and ­invite the LNP to attempt to form a government?’’

An LNP minority government would rely on the support of the expected six crossbenchers, including a possible Green MP — with Michael Berkman still in the race to win the LNP-held seat of Maiwar — and Labor-leaning ­independent Margaret Strelow, who could still win Rockhampton from Labor. Katter’s Australian Party could yet claim a third seat with the North Queensland seat of Hinchinbrook still undecided.

Senator Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, insisted One ­Nation remained in contention in eight seats, including Cook, around Cairns.

Mr Ashby named the others as Callide, Rockhampton, Keppel, Mundingburra, Hinchinbrook and Burdekin.

“I think the media has jumped to conclusions,” he said. “I know on the face of it seems damaging to One Nation that we have not yet won a seat in our own right, but there is still a long way to go in the counting, and we are close in a lot of seats. I am very confident.”

The seat of Cook yesterday moved out of the Labor column and was deemed to be in play.

A LNP strategist said the seat could fall to One Nation after the distribution of preferences.

In Maiwar, Scott Emerson yesterday conceded defeat, leaving the Greens and Labor to battle it out for the new Brisbane electorate. At the close of counting, the Greens candidate was only 37 votes ahead of Labor’s Ali King on a primary basis.