Premier throws down gauntlet ahead of election campaign

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Trailing in the polls, Queensland Premier Steven Miles has thrown down the gauntlet to the opposition before the state election campaign officially starts.

Mr Miles conceded his Labor government was the underdog ahead of the October 26 election, with the latest poll results again indicating a Liberal National Party victory.

The premier issued a challenge to Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, vowing to make the four-week election campaign much harder than the LNP expected.

The Queensland government will go into caretaker mode on Tuesday, when Mr Miles visits Governor Jeanette Young and officially starts the election process.

The latest polls indicate Labor’s nine-year reign in Queensland will end at the election.

Polling by Freshwater Strategy in the Australian Financial Review on Monday had Mr Crisafulli’s LNP leading Labor by 56 per cent to 44 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis.

It marked a nine per cent swing since Annastacia Palaszczuk was ushered into a third term as premier in 2020.

Mr Miles took over the reins as premier after Ms Palaszczuk’s tearful resignation in December 2023.

“There’s nothing new in that poll … that suggests that David Crisafulli could have an easy run to becoming the state’s premier,” Mr Miles said on Monday.

“He thinks this election is going to be easy, but we’ve barely even started, and with four weeks to go I can assure you that this election will be much, much harder for him than he realises.”

Queensland would become the second state or territory to remove a Labor government from power in 2024 after the Country Liberal Party won office in the Northern Territory in August.

Mr Miles officially launched his campaign pitch to voters on Monday, 10 months after taking over the top job.

“I’m seeking a first term as Queensland’s premier,” he told reporters.

“I want four years in my own right to deliver on the kinds of policies, the vision that I have for our state, and I’ve sought to use the 10 months I’ve had in this role to show Queenslanders who I am and what I would do.

“I will be seeking from them a mandate for a vision for our state, a vision that I will outline over the next 27 days.”

Youth crime, health, housing and cost-of-living pressures have emerged as key election issues.

The opposition on Monday announced a four-year, $100 million funding pledge to their community safety plan with a focus on reducing crime and boosting education, training or employment.

Half of the funding will grow proven community-led programs already delivering success.

The other $50 million would kick-start new early intervention programs that would be subject to strict key performance indicators and regular reporting, Mr Crisafulli said.

“By getting in early with programs that are proven and evidence-based, we can halt the pipeline of young people veering off the rails,” he said.

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