LNP leader claims underdog status on first day of Queensland election campaign
Andrew Messenger
The Queensland opposition leader, David Crisafulli, has insisted he’s the underdog, despite another poll suggesting the Labor government is in for a drubbing.
A poll by the Financial Review and Freshwater Strategy this morning forecast a 56-44 two party preferred result in favour of the Liberal National party opposition, with Labor’s primary on 30 and the LNP on 43.
Crisafulli was also regarded as “better premier” by more Queenslanders, 46% to 30%. He said:
If you went to watch a sporting game and one team had won 11 of the last 12, you would think that side is probably the favourite, right? So let’s call it what it is – we are trying to create what, in historical terms, has been rarely done. We have to win more than a dozen seats.
In an epic 52-minute press conference in Cairns on Monday, Crisafulli refused to rule out putting the Greens ahead of Labor on LNP how to vote cards. In 2020, the LNP helped kick out deputy premier Jackie Trad for Greens MP Amy McMahon by recommending preferences.
The Labor party know that there is a real prospect of a larger contingent of Greens giving them preferences, giving them supply and enabling a fourth term and 14 years in office, and nothing will distract me from what would be a chaotic parliament. And I’m asking Queenslanders if they want change vote for it, both put the LNP number one.
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LNP leader claims underdog status on first day of Queensland election campaign
Andrew Messenger
The Queensland opposition leader, David Crisafulli, has insisted he’s the underdog, despite another poll suggesting the Labor government is in for a drubbing.
A poll by the Financial Review and Freshwater Strategy this morning forecast a 56-44 two party preferred result in favour of the Liberal National party opposition, with Labor’s primary on 30 and the LNP on 43.
Crisafulli was also regarded as “better premier” by more Queenslanders, 46% to 30%. He said:
If you went to watch a sporting game and one team had won 11 of the last 12, you would think that side is probably the favourite, right? So let’s call it what it is – we are trying to create what, in historical terms, has been rarely done. We have to win more than a dozen seats.
In an epic 52-minute press conference in Cairns on Monday, Crisafulli refused to rule out putting the Greens ahead of Labor on LNP how to vote cards. In 2020, the LNP helped kick out deputy premier Jackie Trad for Greens MP Amy McMahon by recommending preferences.
The Labor party know that there is a real prospect of a larger contingent of Greens giving them preferences, giving them supply and enabling a fourth term and 14 years in office, and nothing will distract me from what would be a chaotic parliament. And I’m asking Queenslanders if they want change vote for it, both put the LNP number one.
Amy Remeikis
Social media in spotlight at parliamentary committee as parents share stories
Hello from Canberra where the parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society is holding a public hearing. It will hear from stakeholders about the impact of social media on society and democracy.
(A joint select committee includes MPs from both the House of Representatives and the Senate and includes members from across the parliament.)
The morning was spent mostly hearing from those involved in the media sector, including the MEAA and youth media juggernaut The Daily Aus.
That part of the hearing focused on the impact of social media on news, and how designating a social media company (under the media bargaining code) may have negative impacts, by leading to social media companies just banning mainstream media from its platforms. (The argument being it wouldn’t stop people going to the platform for their news, but they wouldn’t be receiving it from trustworthy sources.)
There has been a shift in the committee now, as the MPs hear from parents who have lost children to suicide and advocates for children’s mental health. They would like to see the social media age ban to apply to anyone under 18.
The Heads Up Alliance, a group of parents who have formed an organisation to lobby on this point, have told the committee they want the opposition and government to go to the election with the strongest policies possible.
Ali Halkic, who is appearing at the committee representing his son 17-year-old son Allem, who suicided after a cyber-bullying campaign, described social media as “a cancer that’s infesting our young children”.
My son was so beautiful and confident. And he was probably vulnerable at the same time, because he was never exposed to bad words or evil or anything like that. But at the end of the day, as a parent, we have rights, and … a lot of people won’t agree, but 16 and under, they should have no choice (to join social media). We as parents should be able to govern what we allow and what we wouldn’t allow.
Andrew Messenger
Queensland LNP kick off election campaign in Cairns with youth crime announcement
LNP leader David Crisafulli has kicked off the Queensland election campaign a day early with a press conference in Cairns.
In an unsurprising move, today’s announcement is on youth crime.
Crisafulli promised to spend $100m to fund “gold standard early intervention”. Half of the program would pay to expand local programs, designed to redirect children away from youth crime. The other half would fund international programs.
Crisafulli said:
I will never walk away from the need for strong laws. That is the reason we are we are. It’s a generation of untouchables, and there has been no consequences or actions, and you’ve got to set that. You’ve got to set that. But at the other end, good societies and compassionate societies, and they get a chance for people to turn their life around.
The election will be held on 26 October.
Asked if he was disappointed that news was leaked of Treasury looking at negative gearing and the capital gains tax, Jim Chalmers responded:
It’s not really worth getting too worried about it.
Asked if any housing initiatives or housing programmes were part of that underspend, Katy Gallagher responded:
There is one programme and it’s relating to the remote housing. It’s essentially delays in milestones being met through the states on a remote housing programme, and a lower than expected take up of home builder.
She said the decision there was $300m.
Labor ‘unconvinced’ of impact on housing supply if negative gearing reforms made
Circling back to negative gearing, Jim Chalmers was asked if there’s a way that changes could happen in a way that would actually boost supply?
He responded that “supply is our primary consideration and that’s what has motivated the $32bn worth of initiatives that we have announced”.
And one of the reasons why the changes that you’re asking me about are not part of our policy – and as the prime minister said last week – is that he is unconvinced and we are unconvinced of the impact on supply.
And so overwhelmingly building more homes for Australians to make it easier for people to find somewhere to rent or buy, that is our north star here.
Chalmers warns that cancelled visas possible for anyone ‘who seeks to invite discord in Australia’
Moving topics, Jim Chalmers was asked about reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend – and whether he believes that warrants being disqualified for a visa on character grounds, if they are on one?
He said that “any indication of support for a terrorist organisation is completely and utterly unacceptable – whether it’s Hamas or Hezbollah.”
These are listed terrorist organisations, and I think any support for a terrorist organisation should and will immediately draw the attention of our security agencies.
Now, there is a higher level of scrutiny for people who are on a visa, and the home affairs minister has made it really clear from day one that he will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to invite discord in Australia.
Jim Chalmers was asked to clarify foreign investment laws, and which country leads in terms of declined requests.
He said that no specific requests were raised by his counterparts in China, where he visited recently.
And in terms of knockbacks, there have been some investment bids knocked back, but they haven’t all been from one country. I think something like a bit more than 90% of bids from China have been approved. There have been some that haven’t been, but if you look at the ones that haven’t been approved, they haven’t all come from one place.
Asked what areas are being knocked back versus what areas are being approved?
Yeah, it’s a case by case analysis of risk. And I’ve identified in our Foreign Investment Review Board reforms the kinds of things that we are especially attentive to.
No plan to ban Chinese EVs, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers is asked how confident he is that there are no security concerns about Chinese made electric vehicles, or other technologies like solar.
This comes as the US banned Chinese-made EVs, and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce invoked last week’s Hezbollah members’ pager explosions in raising his concern about technology he claimed could be made with a “malevolent purpose” by a “totalitarian state”.
The treasurer said “we don’t propose to ban EVs from any one country, but we do intend to continue to take advice from our relevant agencies”.
And if the situation changes at some future point, then we would take that into consideration. But as Chris Bowen has said, as I have said and I’m assuming others as well, we don’t intend to do what the Americans have done.
Chalmers says his job as treasurer is to seek advice on various proposals
Jim Chalmers was asked if he would look at the negative gearing modelling at all? He responded:
The sorts of advice that we seek from time to time is not especially unusual, especially when it comes to contentious issues. And frankly, when we’ve got housing challenge as acute as it is right now, I think it’s just doing our job – me doing my job as treasurer to seek advice on the various proposals that are in the public domain, and from time to time in the Senate.
Asked about negative gearing, Chalmers says biggest housing challenge is supply
A reporter asked: “People in your party and members of the caucus are eager for the government to be bold on negative gearing. Given you’re going to have some pretty schmick Treasury modelling on the subject, regardless of where it comes from, wouldn’t it be … responsible to at least keep that around, even if you’ve got a strongly-held view about your policy position?”
Jim Chalmers responded:
Well, we do have a strongly held view about our policy position because the primary challenge in housing right now is housing supply. And that’s why we found $32bn in three budgets, including $6bn in the last budget, to build more homes for Australians so that it’s easier to find somewhere to rent or buy.
Is a third consecutive surplus completely off the cards this financial year?
Jim Chalmers said a further update would be coming closer to Christmas:
But even if you take that budget forecast for this year’s deficit, which is around $28bn, don’t forget the deficit for that year when we came to office was going to be $47bn. So even where we’ve got a currently forecast deficit for the third year, it is a much smaller deficit than what we inherited from the Liberals and Nationals.
I’m not going to speculate about what that update might say when we release it closer to Christmas. Clearly, a $28bn deficit is hard to get rid of in one whack, but we will continue to make the right decisions for the right reasons and manage the budget and the economy in the most responsible way.
