ROCKY VISIT: LNP leader talks up plans to get CQ working

In a bid to get a foothold in CQ, LNP leader Deb Frecklington and her candidates have explained what they have to offer voters.

ELECTION VISIT: LNP leader Deb Frecklington, and her candidates for Rockhampton - Tony Hopkins, and Keppel - Adrian de Groot, visited Parkhurst's REO Heavy Equipment to talk up their plan to get CQ working again.

ASPIRING Premier and LNP Leader Deb Frecklington threw her support behind her CQ candidates when she returned to Rockhampton on Tuesday afternoon, confident she could pluck some of the region’s low-hanging seats in the last week of the State Election campaign.

Unwilling to make the same mistake of the last state election campaign when former LNP leader Tim Nicholls was not spotted in the Rockhampton region, Ms Frecklington has made multiple local campaign appearances backing her candidates and policies for CQ.

Decked out in hi-vis, Ms Frecklington, along with her candidates for Rockhampton - Tony Hopkins, Keppel - Adrian de Groot and Mirani - Tracie Newitt, visited Parkhurst’s REO Heavy Equipment to call on locals to back the LNP’s plan to get the region working again.

“Almost 8000 people in this region are out of work thanks to the anti-regions, anti-jobs Palaszczuk Labor Government,” Ms Frecklington said.

“Labor has damaged this region’s vital resources, agriculture and tourism sectors and squeezed struggling families with more taxes, higher rego and sky-high electricity prices.

“On top of the economic failure, Labor’s soft crime policies have caused car thefts to surge by 88 per cent and robberies increased by 67 per cent.

She said Central Queensland deserved better.

“The LNP’s economic plan will create new jobs, lower the cost of living and stop Labor’s crime wave,” she said.

According to Ms Frecklington, the LNP’s $300 rego rebate for every car owner would pump more than $27 million into the region’s economy before Christmas – helping to create and protect local jobs.

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LNP leader Deb Frecklington chats with tradies at Parkhurst's REO Heavy Equipment.

“As well as putting $300 straight into the bank account of every local driver, the LNP’s plan will create 100,000 jobs by four-laning the Bruce Highway,” Ms Frecklington said.

“The LNP will also open up the Galilee Basin after years of Labor’s delaying tactics – paving the way for 15,000 new resource industry jobs.

“Only an LNP Government will unlock this region’s potential, invest for growth and create a decade of secure jobs.”

Mr Hopkins said Labor was anti-regions, anti-resources and anti-jobs.

“Labor’s record speaks for itself,” Mr Hopkins said.

“Labor have no plan and no Budget for our economy. Only the LNP has a plan to create 150,000 new jobs and get Central Queensland working again.”

Mr de Groot said Labor had turned its back on the regions.

LNP’s candidates for Rockhampton - Tony Hopkins, Keppel - Adrian de Groot and Mirani - Tracie Newitt are hoping to secure votes from those in CQ looking for a change.

“Labor works for Brisbane, not for the regions, and we can’t trust them with the future of our resources industry and agriculture,” Mr de Groot said.

“Labor are the reason Queensland has had the highest unemployment rate in the nation for four years running. Only the LNP’s plan will create more jobs for Keppel.”

Ms Newitt said the election would be crucial for her electorate.

“Only the LNP has a plan to invest in a four-lane Bruce Highway, back Queensland-owned businesses and stimulate the economy with a $300 rego rebate for every driver,” Ms Newitt said.

Labor responds to latest Frecklington visit

Labor’s incumbent candidate for Keppel Brittany Lauga has responded to Deb Frecklington’s criticism saying Labor was delivering for this region.

“Labor will deliver 2025 extra police personnel in the next five years including 150 extra cops for our region,” Ms Lauga said.

“We’re supporting skills development with new training opportunities, infrastructure like $19 million for Emu Park Road and delivering more nurses and doctors.

“In stark contrast, Deb Frecklington is rushing to surplus in just four years and that means she must cut to reach her election commitments.”

She said that would have a devastating impact on our local economy and we would see even more job losses than under Campbell Newman.

“That’s why this is a choice between a strong plan for jobs and ongoing recovery from COVID-19 with Annastacia Palaszczuk or cuts under Deb Frecklington,” she said.

Labor’s incumbent candidate for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke also defended Labor’s support for CQ over the past three years.

“We’ve seen numerous projects come together,” Mr O’Rourke said.

“For example we’ve got road construction jobs across the region, Capricorn Correctional Centre’s upgrade which will create 230 full-time jobs, we’ve got the skills training centre, the free apprenticeships and free TAFE for under 25-year-olds and the list goes on.”

LNP’s Central Queensland targeted policies

Jobs

• Four-laning the Bruce Highway with Queensland’s biggest road project to improve safety, secure supply chains and create thousands of local construction jobs.

• Delivering an immediate $27.2m stimulus for the Rockhampton-Livingstone economy before Christmas through the LNP’s $300 Rego Rebate – available for all car owners to claim in December.

• Opening up the Galilee Basin to secure $50 billion worth of new resource projects and 15,000 jobs by providing a 10-year royalty freeze, fixing Labor’s biased approvals process and reinstating the resource investment commissioner role that Labor scrapped.

• Making homes more robust with a $50 million household resilience program to reduce the cost of insurance for families.

• Delivering the New Bradfield Scheme and building the full-size Rookwood Weir.

• Delivering a $50m destination tourism marketing blitz to secure hospitality jobs.

• Investing $49.8m in a TAFE Centre of Excellence to supercharge blue collar jobs in Central Queensland.

Cost of living relief

• Providing a $300 Rego Rebate for every car before Christmas

• Providing cheaper electricity for families by extending retail competition into regional Queensland – saving the average Rockhampton household $300 a year.

• Reducing water prices for all Sunwater irrigators by almost 20% on July 1.

• Providing more before and after-school care places to help working families with low-cost care options.

Crime

• Introducing a youth crime crackdown with tougher laws, 24/7 monitoring of youth offenders on bail, increased rehabilitation and more early intervention through a Justice Reinvestment program.

• Introducing a public sex offender register to help families protect their kids against dangerous sex offenders in the community.

• Introducing tougher laws against domestic violence, with increased police powers and more support for survivors and their families.

• Introducing tougher laws for gun crime and knife crime to protect local families.

• Overhauling Labor’s broken child safety system and establishing a new stand-alone Child Protection Force.