Michelle Landry, Russell Robertson, Nathan Harding, Mick Jones make final federal election pitch to Capricornia voters

With polls to close at 6pm Saturday, the candidates for Capricornia have made one last pitch to voters who are yet to cast their ballot. Here’s what they had to say.

Candidates for the seat of Capricornia have made their final pitches ahead of election day on Saturday.

Candidates in this year’s Federal Election have made their final pitches as voters head to the polls on Saturday.

Capricornia incumbent Michelle Landry (LNP) and candidates Russell Robertson (ALP), Nathan Harding (UAP) and Mick Jones (The Greens) braved the wet and blustery weather on Friday to vie for votes at the Rockhampton Showgrounds pre-poll booth.

So far millions of Australians have already cast their vote after pre-polling opened on Monday last week, with polls to close at 6pm Saturday night before the votes are counted.

Ms Landry is fighting for her fourth term representing the electorate in Canberra, and gave her final pitch to voters yet to cast their vote on Friday morning.

She said she still classed Capricornia as a marginal seat and would continue working right up until 6pm on election night.

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry.

“There’s a clear choice to be made here, a party that supports the resources sector, supports small business and actually puts money into the region,” she said.

“Since 2013, I’ve fought hard to secure more than $5.7 billion in federal funding which has gone into building new infrastructure and strengthening our region … fantastic project, road project, community projects.

“The hospital carpark is one of my greatest achievements, it was something the whole community wanted … from the foreshore of Yeppoon to roads out west, upgrades to showgrounds and volunteer and community organisations, my commitment is I will continue to do this.

“I’ve lived in this region my whole life, I am passionate about it and I will continue to do that.”

Labor candidate Mr Robertson said he was feeling “energised” ahead of election day on Saturday.

“I’ve really enjoyed the campaign, we’ve seen voters coming in early and lots of them,” he said.

ALP candidate for Capricornia, Russell Robertson. Picture: Russell Robertson Facebook

“What I’ve really been pushing is making sure we can solve the social housing problem, making sure we can get securer work, and the cost of living, really making sure Aussies get a pay rise and one of the big issues is transparency – people want to see a Federal ICAC.”

United Australia Party candidate Mr Harding said there had already been a swing towards the minor parties and encouraged voters to put them over the major parties.

He said he was feeling “very encouraged” ahead on polling day.

“We (the United Australia Party) are the only party with an economic plan that has debt reduction, revenue generation and tax relief for the Australian people,” he said.

UAP Candidate for Capricornia Nathan Harding and volunteer Franco Dallavalle.

“There is a financial tsunami that is hitting out nation, housing interest rates are one, you buy bread and milk $10 for both, families with four kids are struggling.

“What we’re offering is we’re going to deal with the cost of living by paying back the debt now, putting a 15 per cent export licence on Iron Ore to provide relief and stop the rise of the cost of living. We want to offer people a 20 per cent tax relief for individuals and businesses, that’s going to allow people to have more money in their pockets to pay for things such as the mortgage that’s going up and the grocery bill going up.”

Mr Harding said if elected, the party would also “forgive all hecs debt”.

Greens candidate Mr Jones said he was feeling optimistic ahead of polling day on Saturday.

“We’ve got the biggest team of volunteers we’ve ever had by far,” he said.

“The Greens don’t take the big corporate donations that dominate our political system, there’s too much lobbying, there’s too much big money in politics.

Greens Candidate for Capricornia Mick Jones.

“We’ve got a plan to solve cost of living in Central Queensland, we’ve got a plan to make real action on climate change while making sure we don’t leave coal workers behind and we’re the only ones with a plan solidly costed with enough revenue. Big corporations are taking taxpayer funded subsidies into their profit margins, we’re going to wind that back and put that money to work in Central Queensland.”

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Kylee Stanton, Liberal Democrats candidate Steve Murphy, Great Australia Party candidate Zteven Whitty, Informed Medical Options candidate Paula Ganfield and independent Ken Murray were not at the Rockhampton Showgrounds polling booth when a reporter from this publication spoke to candidates at pre-poll on Friday morning.

The Great Australia Party policies include ending mandatory vaccinations, restoring the Australian people as “the supreme, uncontrollable authority”, restoring and securing the Australian energy sector by locally mining crude oil and acknowledging public servants as workers or representatives serving the Australian people.

Independent candidate Ken Murray’s policies include upgrading roads, revitalising and resourcing the TAFE education system and installing the Hydro Power Station on the already prepared foundations, below the Burdekin Dam.

Liberal Democrats candidate Steven Murphy said his libertarian beliefs pushed him to the Liberal Democrats. He said the party’s flat tax rate of 20 per cent would offer people certainty. He also said he wants to reform Queensland’s education system to give more power to parents.

The Informed Medical Options Party has policies including no mandatory Covid vaccines, ending all current mandates and restrictions, removing nuro-toxic fluoride from the few remaining Queensland water supplies and defending peoples rights to use traditional and natural therapies and include them in the health system.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has policies including building water infrastructure, such as dams, and will ban the sale of water to foreign investors. The party would also introduce three-year contracts for newly qualified medical professionals and in return pay their HECS-HELP loans in full, as well as apply a national plan that guarantees low-cost, reliable, dispatchable power by building new low-emission coal-fired power stations.

Originally published as Michelle Landry, Russell Robertson, Nathan Harding, Mick Jones make final federal election pitch to Capricornia voters