Queensland Premier Campbell Newman to call snap state election for late January or early February
Updated
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is poised to announce a snap election, with voters expected to go to the polls within weeks.
Mr Newman visited Acting Governor Tim Carmody this morning asking him to issue the writs for a state election, with the election to be held in late January or early February, almost two months earlier than expected.
In a post on his Facebook account this morning, Mr Newman warned there was "no time to waste securing Queensland's economic future".
"Queensland's economic recovery is too important to be jeopardised by ongoing election speculation," he added.
The Liberal National Party (LNP) will be trying to win a second term in office after a tumultuous three years in power, with polls indicating the party is neck and neck with Labor.
Mr Newman faces a challenge to keep his own inner-Brisbane seat of Ashgrove, with former Labor MP Kate Jones having already confirmed that she will recontest the seat.
Central to Mr Newman's pitch will be an appeal to voters for certainty, with the LNP planning to privatise assets to reduce debt if it wins this election.
The LNP's public service cuts in the wake of its 2012 election win sparked an unrelenting anti-government campaign by unions, exacerbated by the LNP's plan to privatise assets.
But the Government can also claim it has had success reining in debt, and that its contentious gang laws have led to a drop in crime.
The LNP swept to power with a landslide victory in March 2012, winning 78 out of 89 seats.
The party has since lost five MPs, with three defecting to minor parties and two quitting parliament.
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Labor was ready for the election despite the snap announcement.
"Labor will be fighting each and every day to regain the trust of Queenslanders, they deserve so much better," she said.
"This is a government that continues to break promises.
"We have seen an axing of thousands of jobs across the state, we have seen cuts to our health service.
"My number one priority will be creating jobs, youth unemployment in our regional centres is almost 20 per cent. Our kids deserve hope and a good future."
LNP to retain power, Antony Green tips
Opinion polls have suggested the small ALP opposition led by Annastacia Palaszczuk is within striking distance of a remarkable comeback.
2015 election at a glance:
- Election will be held on January 31, almost two months early.
- LNP government under Campbell Newman is seeking a second term.
- It won 78 of 89 seats in March 2012 but has since had three MPs defect to minor parties, and two quit parliament.
- Opposition under Annastacia Palaszczuk seeking to rebuild from only seven seats won in 2012 but has since picked up two more in by-elections.
- LNP seeking a mandate to raise more than $33 billion by privatising assets to reduce debt and build new infrastructure.
- Law and order will be a major issue in light of the LNP's contentious anti-gang laws.
- The government is expected to campaign on its achievements in health, such as reducing waiting lists.
- Katter's Australian Party has three seats but has languished in recent opinion polls.
- The Palmer United Party had two MPs, but both have quit the party.
- Pauline Hanson also running again.
The ABC's election analyst Antony Green said it would be tough for Labor to regain all its lost ground, after the LNP gained more than 40 seats at the last election.
"For Labor to take all of those seats back in one hit would be an enormous swing, a complete upset," Green said.
"You'd have to say even with some deteriorating polls the Government would be favoured to win."
Clive Palmer, who lost his only two sitting MPs in Queensland, said the Palmer United Party would stand across the state and was ready to go.
He said the snap election was in response to Mr Newman's deteriorating popularity as Premier.
"Of course the polls have moved drastically against the government, more Queenslanders are moving against him and that's why he's moved so quickly, because he's running scared," Mr Palmer said.
"It is typical of the Newman Government, they're completely erratic, they never plan things."
Katter's Australia Party admits it is not yet ready for the Queensland election.
The party has three seats in the Queensland Parliament.
Federal leader Bob Katter said with some of candidates still to be preselected, the party still had work to do.
"We're never ready to go - we're only a tiny party, we don't have the resources of the majors, but we'll be running in hopefully about 17 seats this time," he said.
"We're not going to stretch ourselves thin."
Mr Katter said his party would run on a pro-ethanol, anti-privatisation platform.
Pauline Hanson, who will run for One Nation in the seat of Lockyer, said recent polls had shown support for her party.
"That's why Campbell Newman's come back early to hold this election, so we don't have enough time to get ourselves into place and get our issues out there," she said.
"But I don't need 26 days to get ready - I've been campaigning for the last 18 years to bring accountability, honesty and government for the people throughout Australia. so I'll be ready for it."
Polls indicate Labor and LNP evenly split
A Newspoll published in The Australian over the weekend found support was evenly split between the LNP and Labor on a two-party preferred basis.
It also found 44 per cent of those surveyed said Mr Newman would make the better premier compared to Ms Palaszczuk, on 35 per cent.
The Premier has improved his satisfaction rating which now sits at 38 per cent, up three points since September, but still just over half of those surveyed are dissatisfied with the Premier's performance.
Ms Palazczuk's satisfaction rating climbed two points to 38 per cent in the poll, which surveyed more than 1,100 people with a 3 per cent margin of error.
Katter's Australian Party holds three seats but has languished in recent opinion polls.
Topics: elections, states-and-territories, state-parliament, government-and-politics, qld
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