Both the major parties have been challenged to release their costings early, with record numbers of pre-poll and postal votes being cast this election meaning a large proportion of Queenslanders will have voted without hearing either major party’s full pitch.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is in north Queensland today, so Treasurer Cameron Dick will do the honours back in Brisbane.
The release is earlier than usual in this unusual campaign, and will put pressure on the LNP to release its own costings.
LNP leader Deb Frecklington with Aspley candidate Amanda Cooper campaigning in Brisbane over the weekend.Credit:Toby Crockford
At the end of early voting on Friday, more than 600,000 people had already cast their ballots, meaning over 17 per cent of the electorate has already made up their minds.
Meanwhile nearly 900,000, or nearly 27 per cent of voters, have requested postal votes which may already have been completed and returned.
As they make a last-ditch push for every last vote, the campaigns have both found themselves back in a familiar battleground – Townsville.
As we and no doubt the residents of the city are now well aware, the three marginal seats in the region – Townsville, Mundingburra and Thuringowa – have become the key focus for both Labor and the LNP, which is reflected in the attention they’ve received.
If Labor can hang onto them, even at the same razor-thin margins, they can maintain their hold on government, even if they lose South Brisbane to a strong Greens assault.
If the LNP manage to flip one or more of the seats, Labor’s position becomes more tenuous, and the possibility of a minority government led by either party with crossbench support becomes much more likely.
Although many have already made up their minds, the election campaign is far from over as we enter the final stretch.
Join us today as we bring you all the latest from the campaign trail.
