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| Annastacia Palaszczuk calls Queensland election for 25 November | Annastacia Palaszczuk calls Queensland election for 25 November |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Premier announces state election date in what One Nation leader Pauline Hanson describes as a ‘cowardly’ move | |
| Joshua Robertson | |
| Sun 29 Oct 2017 03.27 GMT | |
| First published on Sat 28 Oct 2017 22.02 BST | |
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| Queensland will go to the polls on 25 November, with Annastacia Palaszczuk calling a snap election on Sunday morning. | Queensland will go to the polls on 25 November, with Annastacia Palaszczuk calling a snap election on Sunday morning. |
| The premier arrived at Government House at 10.47am to ask the acting governor, chief justice Catherine Holmes, for parliament to be dissolved. Palaszczuk was due to front media later on Sunday but revealed Labor’s slogan – “Putting Queenslanders First” – in a tweet. | The premier arrived at Government House at 10.47am to ask the acting governor, chief justice Catherine Holmes, for parliament to be dissolved. Palaszczuk was due to front media later on Sunday but revealed Labor’s slogan – “Putting Queenslanders First” – in a tweet. |
| She then released a statement saying her government “keeps its commitments to Queenslanders”, saying it had delivered 505 of 553, or “91.3%”, of the pledges Labor made before taking office in a 2015 boilover. | She then released a statement saying her government “keeps its commitments to Queenslanders”, saying it had delivered 505 of 553, or “91.3%”, of the pledges Labor made before taking office in a 2015 boilover. |
| I’m on my way to Government House, to ask Queenslanders to renew their trust in government. Queensland’s best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/dw8o1YpDkN | I’m on my way to Government House, to ask Queenslanders to renew their trust in government. Queensland’s best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/dw8o1YpDkN |
| She said Labor in less than 1,000 days of minority government had “made a strong start repairing the damage done by Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls”. | She said Labor in less than 1,000 days of minority government had “made a strong start repairing the damage done by Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls”. |
| Labor had created 122,500 new jobs, exports and tourism were growing at record rates and “our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in four years”, she said. | Labor had created 122,500 new jobs, exports and tourism were growing at record rates and “our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in four years”, she said. |
| “Queensland’s best days are ahead of us,” she said, adding that it was a “state of progress not provocation, a state of cooperation not confrontation, and a state united not divided”. | “Queensland’s best days are ahead of us,” she said, adding that it was a “state of progress not provocation, a state of cooperation not confrontation, and a state united not divided”. |
| Recent polls have consistently shown Labor with a slender lead over the Liberal National party but Palaszczuk has a much higher approval rating than Nicholls, the opposition leader, and Labor will start as favourites to win the most seats. | Recent polls have consistently shown Labor with a slender lead over the Liberal National party but Palaszczuk has a much higher approval rating than Nicholls, the opposition leader, and Labor will start as favourites to win the most seats. |
| However, all eyes will be on One Nation, which has been polling at around 18% – or more than half the LNP’s primary vote – with likely strongholds in northern and central regional towns and outer suburban fringes of the southeast. | However, all eyes will be on One Nation, which has been polling at around 18% – or more than half the LNP’s primary vote – with likely strongholds in northern and central regional towns and outer suburban fringes of the southeast. |
| If it wins enough seats to hold the balance of power in Queensland’s unicameral parliament, Pauline Hanson’s party will almost certainly deliver government to the LNP. A Guardian Essential poll this month put One Nation on 13%. | If it wins enough seats to hold the balance of power in Queensland’s unicameral parliament, Pauline Hanson’s party will almost certainly deliver government to the LNP. A Guardian Essential poll this month put One Nation on 13%. |
| Nicholls has pledged there will be “no deals with One Nation, no shared ministry and no coalition”. | Nicholls has pledged there will be “no deals with One Nation, no shared ministry and no coalition”. |
| But Newman, the former LNP premier, predicted One Nation would pick up five to 10 seats and that “Nicholls, if he wants to be premier, has to have their support”. | But Newman, the former LNP premier, predicted One Nation would pick up five to 10 seats and that “Nicholls, if he wants to be premier, has to have their support”. |
| “He can say whatever he likes but that’s the only way I see the LNP being able to form government,” Newman told Sky News. | “He can say whatever he likes but that’s the only way I see the LNP being able to form government,” Newman told Sky News. |
| One Nation’s sole sitting MP and state leader, the LNP defector Steve Dickson, said One Nation would put all sitting MPs last in its how-to-vote cards, with four exceptions. | One Nation’s sole sitting MP and state leader, the LNP defector Steve Dickson, said One Nation would put all sitting MPs last in its how-to-vote cards, with four exceptions. |
| They are Katter’s Australian party MPs Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth, Labor’s Bundamba MP and former minister Jo-Ann Miller, and the LNP’s Cleveland MP and Christian conservative Mark Robinson. | They are Katter’s Australian party MPs Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth, Labor’s Bundamba MP and former minister Jo-Ann Miller, and the LNP’s Cleveland MP and Christian conservative Mark Robinson. |
| Dickson told reporters from his Sunshine Coast seat of Buderim that One Nation was assured of winning the balance of power. | Dickson told reporters from his Sunshine Coast seat of Buderim that One Nation was assured of winning the balance of power. |
| “We need grown-ups in government,” Dickson said. | “We need grown-ups in government,” Dickson said. |
| One Nation would push for a new coal-fired power station in north Queensland and scrap Labor’s Cross River Rail project in Brisbane to fund infrastructure elsewhere, he said. | One Nation would push for a new coal-fired power station in north Queensland and scrap Labor’s Cross River Rail project in Brisbane to fund infrastructure elsewhere, he said. |
| One Nation’s support rests in large on Hanson’s personal appeal to a base that Labor strategists concede includes some its own traditional supporters, including battling pensioners and single-parent welfare recipients. | One Nation’s support rests in large on Hanson’s personal appeal to a base that Labor strategists concede includes some its own traditional supporters, including battling pensioners and single-parent welfare recipients. |
| Hanson, who was on a federal parliamentary trip to India when Palaszczuk called the snap poll, labelled the move “cowardly”. | Hanson, who was on a federal parliamentary trip to India when Palaszczuk called the snap poll, labelled the move “cowardly”. |
| “Seems a cowardly Anna Palaszczuk decided to wait until I was out of the country to cancel on her grandma & call a snap election,” Hanson wrote on Twitter. | “Seems a cowardly Anna Palaszczuk decided to wait until I was out of the country to cancel on her grandma & call a snap election,” Hanson wrote on Twitter. |
| Hanson was mistaken, however, as Palaszczuk arrived at Government House after earlier spending time with her elderly grandmother on Sunday morning and posting a picture of her visit on Twitter. | Hanson was mistaken, however, as Palaszczuk arrived at Government House after earlier spending time with her elderly grandmother on Sunday morning and posting a picture of her visit on Twitter. |
| Dickson said Hanson would “come back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to do some damage to Labor and the LNP”. | Dickson said Hanson would “come back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to do some damage to Labor and the LNP”. |
| Palaszczuk, speaking at a Labor event at a bowls club in Darra after her visit to the governor, said keeping her party in power would deliver business certainty. | Palaszczuk, speaking at a Labor event at a bowls club in Darra after her visit to the governor, said keeping her party in power would deliver business certainty. |
| She was briefly interrupted on stage by an anti-Adani protestor asking her to veto a $1bn commonwealth loan the mining giant is seeking to build a rail link for Australia’s proposed mine. Palaszczuk responded by saying her party would drive uptake of renewable energy. | She was briefly interrupted on stage by an anti-Adani protestor asking her to veto a $1bn commonwealth loan the mining giant is seeking to build a rail link for Australia’s proposed mine. Palaszczuk responded by saying her party would drive uptake of renewable energy. |
| She invoked the community response to Cyclone Debbie earlier this year as showing the state was “at its best when we all work together”. | She invoked the community response to Cyclone Debbie earlier this year as showing the state was “at its best when we all work together”. |
| Palaszczuk is also pitching for a new mandate with an outright majority, after a frequently cautious and occasionally rocky stint relying on crossbench support in parliament. | Palaszczuk is also pitching for a new mandate with an outright majority, after a frequently cautious and occasionally rocky stint relying on crossbench support in parliament. |
| “I know Queensland’s greatest asset is our people and every day between now and the 25th of November, I will be asking them to support a stable Labor government that delivers what it promises,” she said. | “I know Queensland’s greatest asset is our people and every day between now and the 25th of November, I will be asking them to support a stable Labor government that delivers what it promises,” she said. |
| Palaszczuk had on Saturday seized on her minority Labor government’s latest drama to go on election footing. She had appeared to clear the decks for 2017 election late on Friday by dumping Rick Williams after the latest complaint against the scandal-prone MP for the seat of Pumicestone. | Palaszczuk had on Saturday seized on her minority Labor government’s latest drama to go on election footing. She had appeared to clear the decks for 2017 election late on Friday by dumping Rick Williams after the latest complaint against the scandal-prone MP for the seat of Pumicestone. |
| Palaszczuk going to the polls this year means whoever takes government will have a fixed term of just under three years, with the next poll under electoral reforms set down for 31 October 2020. Had Palaszczuk waited until the new year, the election winner would have held the first of future terms fixed at four years. | Palaszczuk going to the polls this year means whoever takes government will have a fixed term of just under three years, with the next poll under electoral reforms set down for 31 October 2020. Had Palaszczuk waited until the new year, the election winner would have held the first of future terms fixed at four years. |
| On Saturday the premier described cutting Williams loose as an “extraordinary” move, the same word she had used days earlier when asked what it would take for an election to be called this weekend. | On Saturday the premier described cutting Williams loose as an “extraordinary” move, the same word she had used days earlier when asked what it would take for an election to be called this weekend. |
| Hanson’s former federal senate colleague Malcolm Roberts, who on Friday was found to have been ineligible to stand for election because of his dual citizenship, will be One Nation’s candidate in the seat of Ipswich. | Hanson’s former federal senate colleague Malcolm Roberts, who on Friday was found to have been ineligible to stand for election because of his dual citizenship, will be One Nation’s candidate in the seat of Ipswich. |
| The LNP shadow treasurer, Scott Emerson, said his party was “clearly [the] underdogs”, and said Labor was not its only opponent on the left. | The LNP shadow treasurer, Scott Emerson, said his party was “clearly [the] underdogs”, and said Labor was not its only opponent on the left. |
| The LNP was also “fighting the Greens, we’re fighting unions and we’re fighting GetUp”, he said. “But Labor has no record of achievement, it has a record of failure and only the LNP can make a change.” | The LNP was also “fighting the Greens, we’re fighting unions and we’re fighting GetUp”, he said. “But Labor has no record of achievement, it has a record of failure and only the LNP can make a change.” |
| Kicking off the LNP campaign on Sunday, Nicholls said the state could not afford another three years of a “do-nothing” Labor government. | Kicking off the LNP campaign on Sunday, Nicholls said the state could not afford another three years of a “do-nothing” Labor government. |
| Flanked by his wife, Mary, and three children and his LNP deputy, Deb Frecklington, Nicholls unveiled his party’s “Let’s build a better Queensland” slogan. | Flanked by his wife, Mary, and three children and his LNP deputy, Deb Frecklington, Nicholls unveiled his party’s “Let’s build a better Queensland” slogan. |
| “This Labor government is stuck – stuck doing nothing and every Queenslander is paying the price,” he said. “Doing nothing is clearly not working for Queensland.” | “This Labor government is stuck – stuck doing nothing and every Queenslander is paying the price,” he said. “Doing nothing is clearly not working for Queensland.” |
| Nicholls said only a Liberal National party government could help Queensland families get ahead and pitched himself as a “common sense alternative” to Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government. | Nicholls said only a Liberal National party government could help Queensland families get ahead and pitched himself as a “common sense alternative” to Annastacia Palaszczuk’s government. |
| “I believe in a hand up, not a hand out,” he said. “That’s how we make Queensland a great state, that’s how we build a better Queensland.” | “I believe in a hand up, not a hand out,” he said. “That’s how we make Queensland a great state, that’s how we build a better Queensland.” |
| Palaszczuk on Saturday acknowledged the axing of Williams had given her a lot to think about. | Palaszczuk on Saturday acknowledged the axing of Williams had given her a lot to think about. |
| “Like I said, I took an extraordinary step last night,” she told reporters. | “Like I said, I took an extraordinary step last night,” she told reporters. |
| Williams was disendorsed after a Bribie Island newspaper owner, Belinda Ferguson, complained about his allegedly abusive and threatening language to her. | Williams was disendorsed after a Bribie Island newspaper owner, Belinda Ferguson, complained about his allegedly abusive and threatening language to her. |
| Palaszczuk said she had previously spoken to Williams several times about “arguments and fights” with people in his electorate. | Palaszczuk said she had previously spoken to Williams several times about “arguments and fights” with people in his electorate. |
| “You need to treat constituents with respect and the final straw occurred yesterday,” she said. “He didn’t live up to my standards and he’s gone.” | “You need to treat constituents with respect and the final straw occurred yesterday,” she said. “He didn’t live up to my standards and he’s gone.” |
| Williams, who now intends to run as an independent, came out swinging at the government, saying he was the latest backbencher “burnt” by Labor, and accused the party of placing spies in his office. | Williams, who now intends to run as an independent, came out swinging at the government, saying he was the latest backbencher “burnt” by Labor, and accused the party of placing spies in his office. |
| “They used my vote for the last 33 months and then they go and do this to me,” he said. | “They used my vote for the last 33 months and then they go and do this to me,” he said. |
| Palaszczuk told the Sunday Mail she would be enlisting her father, Henry, a former Labor minister, to help her campaign in the regions. | Palaszczuk told the Sunday Mail she would be enlisting her father, Henry, a former Labor minister, to help her campaign in the regions. |
| “When we have the election, Henry will be an asset for us,” she said. “I know the LNP had been planning to use Barnaby Joyce as their secret weapon. I’m going to ask dad to be ours.” | “When we have the election, Henry will be an asset for us,” she said. “I know the LNP had been planning to use Barnaby Joyce as their secret weapon. I’m going to ask dad to be ours.” |
| But the LNP has lost Joyce, who is now focused on campaigning for the byelection in his northern New South Wales seat of New England on 2 December after the high court found his election invalid because he was a dual citizen. | But the LNP has lost Joyce, who is now focused on campaigning for the byelection in his northern New South Wales seat of New England on 2 December after the high court found his election invalid because he was a dual citizen. |
| Both the government and LNP go into the election on 41 seats and need to win a total of 47 to govern in their own right. | Both the government and LNP go into the election on 41 seats and need to win a total of 47 to govern in their own right. |
| The parliament has four extra seats since the last election and there have been significant boundary changes. | The parliament has four extra seats since the last election and there have been significant boundary changes. |
| Compulsory preferential voting has also been reintroduced at this election, putting more importance on preference deals between parties. | Compulsory preferential voting has also been reintroduced at this election, putting more importance on preference deals between parties. |
| Australian Associated Press contributed to this report | Australian Associated Press contributed to this report |
| Queensland election 2017 | |
| Queensland politics | |
| Annastacia Palaszczuk | |
| Malcolm Roberts | |
| Queensland | |
| One Nation | |
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