Category Archives: Queensland politics

David Crisafulli backtracks on promise to resign if crime victim numbers do not fall under an LNP government

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Opposition leader adds caveat to campaign vow on eve of Queensland election day as polls tighten

The Queensland Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, has walked back his campaign promise to resign if crime victim numbers do not reduce under a government led by him, claiming on Friday that he was referring to per capita rates, and not the overall number of victims.

The qualification, on the eve of the state election, comes as polls suggest the opposition has squandered a huge polling lead at the beginning of the month, and is in now danger of not winning enough seats to form a majority government.

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Australians must keep up the fight for abortion rights, Jacinta Allan warns

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Exclusive: Conservative forces pose ‘genuine threats to the protections women have fought for and won’, Victoria’s premier says

Jacinta Allan is warning that the battle for abortion rights must continue as conservative forces pose “real and genuine threats to the protections women have fought for and won” amid “frightening” debate in South Australia and Queensland.

Victoria’s Labor premier made her strongest comments to date on abortion in an interview with Guardian Australia, just days before Queenslanders go to the polls in an election that has become dominated by the issue.

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LNP cabinet ministers will be booted to the backbench if they miss key targets. Will it backfire on David Crisafulli?

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Experts warn that setting KPIs could create perverse incentives rather than improving outcomes

If the Liberal National party wins power in Queensland at the weekend’s election as many expect, its cabinet ministers will be assigned targets – and face consequences if they fail to meet the grade.

The opposition leader, David Crisafulli, again confirmed on Thursday that each minister in a government he leads will be issued a public key performance indicator – a “KPI” – contained within their ministerial charter letter.

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Unearthed: the interview that reveals answer to abortion question David Crisafulli has dodged more than 132 times

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Exclusive: Queensland LNP leader faced questions at leaders’ debate after saying in 2023 he would allow MPs a conscience vote on changes to legislation

Queensland’s opposition leader, David Crisafulli, told a live audience last year “I don’t believe in late-term abortions” and promised MPs a conscience vote on the issue – answering questions he has refused to respond to more than 132 times during the state election campaign.

The Liberal National party leader has been dogged by the issue for weeks, refusing to declare his hand on a bill which will be introduced by Katter’s Australian party next parliament, including whether he would vote for it or grant other MPs a conscience vote.

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Low and slow: the tactics that have made the Greens a threat in traditionally safe Queensland Labor seats

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With an aggressive on-the-ground campaign, the party is courting multicultural communities in outer Brisbane

At a suburban park in Logan, more than 20km from the Brisbane CBD, two dozen Greens volunteers stop to take a photograph before heading out to knock on doors.

These are the sorts of intensive “social work” style campaigning efforts that have been responsible for the leftwing party’s growth in Brisbane’s inner suburbs, culminating in the capture of three federal seats in 2022.

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Jane Hume defends Dutton over clashes with ABC journalists after testy exchange in WA – as it happened

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The family of stabbing victim Vyleen White has helped the Queensland Liberal National party to launch its election campaign.

The LNP is promising to introduce “adult time for adult crime” amid claims of a youth crime “crisis” in the state.

In our family’s hour of need, both men came to our home. But there was only one who is a true leader.

We as a family will not allow her death to be in vain.

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LNP leader launches Queensland election campaign with promise of mandatory isolation for child offenders who assault guards

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David Crisafulli pledges minimum isolation periods for youths who attack staff despite evidence of dangers of solitary confinement

The Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, has promised to introduce “mandatory isolation periods” for children who assault workers in youth detention, as the Queensland opposition formally launched its state election campaign on Sunday.

Speaking to a crowd of LNP candidates and party faithful in Ipswich, Crisafulli focused much of his remarks on what he has dubbed the state’s “youth crime crisis”.

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One Nation silent on future of Queensland election candidate who likened Covid vaccine to Holocaust

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Deputy premier says Gary Williamson, who is running in the seat of Redlands, should be ‘disendorsed immediately’

One Nation has refused to comment on the future of a candidate at the Queensland state election who likened the Covid vaccine to the Holocaust amid calls for him to be stood down.

Health experts and a Jewish community leader condemned the comments by Gary Williamson, a bricklayer who is running for the seat of Redlands, when revealed by Guardian Australia on Wednesday.

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‘We’re not going to do deals’: Queensland premier favours LNP rule over Labor governing with minor parties

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Steven Miles says he would prefer Crisafulli minority government over horse-trading if he fails to win absolute majority at October election

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, says he would rather see a minority LNP government in power after the 26 October state election than horse-trade with independents and minor parties.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Miles says he wants a majority in his own right, ruling out any sort of supply and confidence agreement with One Nation, the Katter party, the Greens or independents.

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Albanese backs Queensland premier’s opposition to nuclear power as early voting in state election opens

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PM says Steven Miles’s plan to hold plebiscite on nuclear if Labor wins 26 October poll is a ‘matter for Queensland’ but he supports the stance

Anthony Albanese has backed Steven Miles’s opposition to nuclear power while joining the Queensland premier on the first day of pre-poll voting in the state election.

At a joint press conference in the Gold Coast on Monday, the prime minister was asked about Miles’s plan to hold a plebiscite on nuclear if Labor wins this month’s poll.

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Steven Miles bats away accusations of pinching policies from Greens ahead of Queensland polls opening

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State premier announces free state primary school lunches at campaign launch after revealing plan for state-owned health clinics

Premier Steven Miles has warded off allegations of plagiarism from the Greens for a signature free school lunch policy announced at Sunday’s election campaign launch.

The Labor leader promised a free lunch for every Queensland state primary school student, the day before polls open in the state’s election. It came just a day after he unveiled a policy of state-owned, privately run GP clinics.

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Crisafulli wedged on abortion as Katter party flags vote to criminalise terminations

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Exclusive: Robbie Katter says he will immediately sponsor a bill to amend the current legislation if the LNP is elected this month

The Queensland crossbencher Robbie Katter says he will consider forcing a vote to recriminalise abortion if the Liberal National party wins government at this month’s state election.

Katter says he will table legislation to wind back current laws with one option a “clean repeal” of Labor’s 2018 Termination of Pregnancy Act, a move that would return abortion to the 1899 criminal code.

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A bizarre game of political chicken? How Queensland lurched to the right on law and order

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Labor’s cave-ins on youth justice over the past two years were meant to neutralise the opposition’s attacks – but they appear to have merely emboldened the LNP

Has the Queensland election campaign become a bizarre game of political chicken?

The economic debate has veered sharply to the left. The Liberal National party’s “small target” plan has involved adopting many of Labor’s policies, including cheap public transport fees and other cost-of-living handouts.

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Australia news live: PM introduces Tu Le as Labor challenger for western Sydney seat of Fowler

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A joint police statement warns “there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year” in the lead-up to protests planned for the 7 October anniversary.

The statement comes from NSW police, Northern Territory police, the Queensland police service, South Australia police, Victoria police, Western Australia police, Tasmania police and Australian federal police.

Police respect the right to peacefully protest and assemble in Australia, however, there will be no tolerance for illegal behaviour or violence on any day of the year.

In Australia, there are offences that prohibit behaviour that incites or advocates violence or hatred based on race and religion, including the display of prohibited symbols in public under these circumstances.

The commission can confirm it carried out operational activity today at Parliament House. This was in relation to an ongoing investigation.

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David Crisafulli has sold the Queensland public on a crime crisis. It could prove to be his downfall

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Opposition leader creates political timebomb with election pledge to resign if crime victim numbers do not fall under an LNP government

David Crisafulli’s task in Thursday’s Queensland election debate was to avoid shooting himself in the foot.

He just about managed that. But the Liberal National party leader’s pledge – that if he wins government he would resign in four years’ time if crime victim numbers have not reduced – might be the equivalent of putting a political timebomb under the premier’s desk.

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Ben Smee is Guardian Australia’s Queensland state correspondent

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Queensland LNP leader David Crisafulli says he would quit after a term if crime target not met

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Crisafulli tells TV debate that if he became premier and could not reduce the number of victims of crime he would stand down

David Crisafulli would step down after one term as premier if he could not meet an ambitious crime target within four years, he said during the first of three televised debates with Labor’s Steven Miles ahead of the Queensland election.

The opposition LNP leader, who is well ahead of Miles in the polls, used the debate in Brisbane on Thursday night to repeat a promise to reduce the number of victims of crime in Queensland below 289,657, which he said was the highest in the country.

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Rally organisers and police reach agreement – as it happened

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The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking with ABC RN from New Zealand where he is meeting with regional counterparts.

Asked about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and whether “ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are now dead”, Marles said the “continued violence in the Middle East is obviously giving rise to enormous threat to civilian life”.

I think the international community is desperate to see an end to this violence, and certainly that’s how we’re exercising our international voice.

Israel has a right to defend itself. Every country has a right to defend itself, and to do so in a proportionate way. That said, we are calling for a ceasefire, along with the United States, along with other members of the international community.

The continued violence in the Middle East is giving rise to … unacceptable numbers of civilian lives lost, and the ongoing violence is a threat to civilian life. And we, along with international community, urge an end to this.

We have [been protesting for] 51 weeks in a row, [and it’s been] absolutely peaceful. Millions of Australians have come out, it’s not provocative at all.

What’s provocative is the fact that our government isn’t listening to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of Australians, who have signed petitions, called their MPs, have done everything they’re supposed to do within this democratic framework to say ‘enough’ …

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Miles vows Queensland households will always have cheapest power in mainland national electricity market if Labor wins

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Premier promises to create ‘energy price guarantee’ if his party retains government at state election

Queensland’s premier, Steven Miles, will promise his state’s households they will always have the cheapest power prices of all mainland states in the national electricity market if Labor is elected this month.

Miles announced on Wednesday that he would set up a second state-owned power retailer, akin to Ergon, which operates in regional Queensland.

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Controversial Queensland mayor labels Steven Miles’ move to oust him a ‘political hit job’

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Premier issues show cause notice to Troy Thompson as investigation into the Townsville mayor’s military service record continues

The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, has launched an 11th hour bid to stand down controversial north Queensland mayor Troy Thompson as the Labor state government enters caretaker mode and faces an uphill state reelection campaign.

Miles’ office confirmed on Tuesday it had sent a show cause to the Townsville mayor.

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Assange says he is free because he ‘pled guilty to journalism’ – as it happened

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National weather forecasts

Sticking with the weather, here’s a look at the forecasts across Australia’s capital cities today:

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