Summary
The Sky News/Courier Mail people’s forum for the Queensland election has ended.
The main issue of the forum was the economy and asset leasing/sales with premier Campbell Newman arguing it was necessary for responsible financial management. Opposition leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said Labor would not sell the assets and the debt could be paid down without it.
- Newman also committed to principles of transparency created by corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald which the LNP had previously refused to sign.
- Palaszczuk declared Labor would reintroduce state sanctioned ceremonies for civil unions for same-sex couples, which were scrapped by the LNP in 2012.
- Newman guaranteed the waiting list to get on the waiting list for elective surgeries in Queensland would shorten within a year under a re-elected LNP government. Palaszczuk said Labor would “prioritise” it.
- Newman was unanimously declared the winner by the Sky News panel and a survey of the undecided voters afterwards found 48 said they would vote for Newman, 26 for Palaszczuk and 26 remain undecided.
And with that, I bid you political tragics still tuned in, a good night.
Campbell Newman does not like being interrupted. (Gif credit: my esteemed colleague Fred McConnell)
Campbell Newman has been declared the winner unanimously by the Sky News panel.
Courier Mail national affairs editor, Dennis Atkins, declares premier Newman has won the people’s forum. He talked more and was clear but he faltered “quite badly” when talking about Tony Fitzgerald’s pledge, according to Atkins.
Annastacia Palaszczuk does not have the confidence of Newman but sticks to her guns.
Newman was “definitely in front” says Courier Mail’s state political editor Steven Wardill. Newman faltered badly when asked about integrity but Palaszczuk was light on detail in other area.
Sky News political editor David Speers says Newman was “definitely” the winner. Palaszczuk sounded rehearsed and she struggled when the question was repeated two or three times.
Updated
Now for the closing remarks.
Annastacia Palaszczuk gets all her lines in:
This is one of the most important elections in a generation...I want a Queensland that we can work together as one, that we can unite Queensland, not divide Queensland. I want to make sure we have jobs, that we grow the economy. Labor will not sell your assets, the LNP will sell your assets.
Premier Campbell Newman also sticks to the script for his pitch:
What we’ve learnt tonight and what we’ve been learning this election is that the Labor party do not have a plan for Queensland, they are very, very light on detail. We have a plan, it’s the plan that Queenslanders created, the Queensland plan. Particularly we will deliver jobs, because we know how to manage the economy, you can trust us to get on deliver for this state.
Campbell Newman now asking Annastacia Palaszczuk if she can guarantee that Labor does not have donations from bikies through the CFMEU.
I doubt that, that’s ridiculous.
Campbell Newman is asked why the LNP did not sign up to Tony Fitzgerald principles, put forward for government accountability and transparency this week, and signed by all parties except the LNP. The story, with the principles, is here.
I don’t believe I have attacked Tony Fitzgerald. We restored the offence on the statute books of Queensland that is an offence to lie in parliament. We publish ministerial diaries.
Asked by David Speers why the LNP did not sign up to the Fitzgerald principles, Newman responds:
I’d like to talk about what we’ve done.
He’s pushed by Speers and the questioner reads out the principles. To each Newman responds: “we’ve done that” or “we do it”.
David Speers: so you’ll sign up to these principles?
Newman: I’m happy to do that.
The questioner asks for a yes or no answer: would either party consider introducing daylight savings for parts of Queensland?
Campbell Newman: no.
Annastacia Palaszczuk: no.
How do you propose to pay down the debt without leasing assets?
Annastacia Palszczuk:
We’re not selling the assets. We’re going to be paying down the debt and putting money into frontline services that have been cut by the Newman government. I’m not doing wild promises in this campaign. The LNP are outselling us 7 to 1 but we are focussed on jobs.
She says the asset leasing is the same as a sale.
Campbell Newman says he can’t “pull out the crystal ball” and say what the assets are going to be worth at the end of the 99 year lease.
Labor was borrowing money, not just for infrstructure, but they were borrowing money to run the government. We have put our foot on the brake in terms of waste and inefficiency. Next financial year we will have the first budget surplus we have seen in a decade.
Newman says LNP have provided cost of living savings with sound financial management.
How do both parties plan to clear backlogs of waiting lists for healthcare?
Campbell Newman says Queensland now has shortest waiting list for elective surgery in Australia. Annastacia Palaszczuk says there is a waiting list for the waiting list.
Can they guarantee in a year’s time the waiting list would be shorter?
Newman: I can guarantee it.
Palaszczuk: I would prioritise it.
Question: There’s been a lot of talk of a GP co-payment, I know it’s a federal issue, but I want to know both of your opinions on the GP co-payment.
Campbell Newman says LNP vision is to have the best free hospital system in Australia.
We’re very uneasy [about the GP co-payment], and we’ve said that. I’ve stood up for Queensland and been quite strident about it.
David Speers says if Newman is so concerned about the issue why not invite the prime minister up. Nope, says Newman, no hand holding for him.
Annastacia Palaszczuk says she has spoken to a doctor about it and he was concerned saying people will not be able to afford it. She says the premier won’t stand up to the prime minister.
We’re [Labor and LNP] in furious agreement,” Newman responds.
The next questioner had a granddaughter who had to be hospitalised last year. She says she felt the hospital was under resourced and the staff were stretched. She says hospital bed were not changed and patients were not showered
I’m very concerned the public hospital system is understaffed. Why are we having shortages? What will each party do about this?
Annastacia Palaszczuk:
There is a problem with nurse staffing ratios in this state. A Labor government will legislate ratios because it is about quality of care, I know our nurses are stretched to their limit, because they tell me. They are skipping their meal breaks, they are working back to back shifts. You cannot strip 1800 nurses and midwives out of the health system and not cause problems.
Asked what Labor’s total number would be for nursing, Palaszczuk says she can’t say tonight.
Campbell Newman says he always likes to know from people in the community if there’s a problem.
The team at Queensland health are very compassionate, very caring people. In terms in how our hospitals are going, the AMA have acknowledged we now have the best elective surgery waiting times. The emergency departments are performing better [than three years ago]. There have been no cuts to health, the budget is $2bn more a year. There are 1040 more frontline nurses in the system than when I became premier.
He says the LNP will increase nurses by 1700.
Question: A man is asking what each party will do for Woodridge, a low socio-economic suburb of Logan south of Brisbane. He mentions a specific building project neither leader seems to know about.
Campbell Newman:
Our overall plan for jobs is about ensuring this is the best place in Australia to run a business. It means keeping taxes and charges for small business down.
David Speers interrupts and tells Newman to stick to the question. Newman says it is about jobs.
Do you want to hear about taxes?” David asks the questioners.
Not really, no, the questioner responds.
Annastacia Palaszczuk says building projects will be independently assessed by a body established by Labor.
Question: Labor left a $80bn debt that cost $4bn a year in interest payments, do you know what the debt is now? How long will it take to get the debt down?
Annastacia Palaszczuk says the debt figure is not $80bn, it’s $46bn.
Our plan is to pay down the debt in a measured way...you don’t have to sell the assets, you can keep them and pay down the debt.
She says asset leasing is the same as a sale.
Campbell Newman responds:
We will lease the assets that the people of Queensland own. We have engaged experts and we believe we will raise as a minimum $37bn. We will reduce the debt by $25bn.
Updated
Campbell Newman now brings up Bill Shorten saying when he was in the federal government it commissioned a report from the Productivity Commission which found privatisation brought down electricity bills.
Asked by David Speers if 99-year leasing is the same as selling.
Now Newman is talking about Alaska becoming a state of America and Hong Kong being leased by China. I think I lost the thread there.
Next question, to Annastacia Palaszczuk: your plan to reduce electricity prices is to merge two government owned companies. How would this reduce power bills?
Privatisation leads to higher electricity prices. Our plan is to make the energy sector work better for us. Once Campbell Newman sells our assets, they’re gone forever and the profits they make are gone forever.
Someone in the audience interjects: “He’s leasing, not selling”.
Campbell Newman says in South Australia and Victoria privatisation has meant lower electricity bills.
Updated
Campbell Newman now taking a response to Annastacia Palaszczuk’s response.
He says 14,000 public servants lost their jobs, not 24,000 and most took voluntary redundancies.
He says the Labor leader can’t rule out borrowing new money.
Now Palaszczuk is responding to Newman’s response to her response.
We have the exact same fiscal principle as is in the budget papers.
Annastacia Palaszczuk says before the last election Campbell Newman said public servants had nothing to fear and 24,000 lost their jobs.
Did the electricity bills go down? No they went up. And now they want to sell your assets. Labor will not sell your assets.
Next question: do you believe you’ve fulfilled your commitments from the last election premier?
Campbell Newman: We were elected to fix a mess left by the previous Labor government.
I believe we have gone about it in a workman like way to fulfil our commitments.
He says the budget is being balanced, crime rates are down, schools are better resourced.
First question: What’s your party’s policy position on abortion and gay marriage?
Annastacia Palaszczuk: in relation to abortion there’d be no changes to the law.
Palaszczuk confirms Labor will bring back ceremonies for civil unions for same sex couples if elected.
Premier Campbell Newman says no changes to abortion laws. He says gay marriage is a federal issue.
I support gay marriage but it is not the party position.
Newman says the LNP scrapped state sanctioned ceremonies for same sex couples because they consulted people on it and there were people in the community who marriage remains “special” for.
Premier Campbell Newman says he called the election early to make sure Queensland could go forward and not have the uncertainty of a long campign.
Over the last 18 months my team and I have facilitated a plan for Queensland, the Queensland plan. It sets out a bold and exciting vision for this state.
He says the plan sets out for a great economy, fantastic jobs and a great healthcare system.
This is about jobs and we’re the party that believes if you have a strong economy then you have jobs. We have a strong plan.
Annastacia Palaszczuk won the coin toss and is making the opening remarks:
The number 1 issue on everyone’s mind is jobs, they really want to make sure they have jobs into the future, they want to make sure their kids have jobs - that’s what I’m passionate about.
Palaszczuk says we will hear a lot about the premier talking about strong.
There is nothing strong losing your job when you’re a midwife, there’s nothing strong about losing your job as a Tafe teacher. These people are hurting and their families are hurting.
She says Labor will not sell “your” assets.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has also arrived at the forum. She and Campbell Newman are doing the oh-so-casual 90 second handshake and smile so cameras can capture it.
Premier Campbell Newman has arrived at the people’s forum with his wife, Lisa. He’s wearing a white shirt, a blue tie and no jacket. Journalists at the forum have been tweeting as the room fills up.
10 minutes until @couriermail and Sky a News people's forum starts. #qldforum #qldvotes pic.twitter.com/231XkjxbAb
— Sarah Vogler (@SarahLVogler) January 23, 2015
Looks like the crowd is undecided about more than just their vote at the #qldvotes #Qldforum pic.twitter.com/XzRbqF321C
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) January 23, 2015
Room filling up with undecided voters for #pplsforum between @theqldpremier & @AnnastaciaMP @SkyNewsAust #qldvotes pic.twitter.com/eyLYU9AKno
— Elizabeth Tilley (@liztilley84) January 23, 2015
The people’s forum is being broadcast on Sky News but for those who do not have access to pay television the Courier-Mail is live streaming it here.
This will be the only time the leaders face voters in a public forum and it’s anyone’s guess what Campbell Newman and Annastacia Palazczuk will be grilled on.
I’m an anyone so here’s my guess at what will be raised tonight:
- Asset privatisation - the Liberal National Party is staking their re-election on receiving a mandate to lease more than $30bn of the state’s electricity assets.
- The economy. Queensland’s unemployment rate is sitting above 6% rising to the highest point in 11 years, 6.8% last year. With the mining boom peaking the parties have to explain what they will do to improve Queensland’s economy and keep it strong.
- Newman may be asked who will be premier if he loses the seat of Ashgrove. We can already tell you what he’ll say - if he loses his seat of Ashgrove then the LNP will lose government. He has stuck by this despite an 11% swing needed for LNP to lose government and 5.7% swing needed for him to lose his seat
Good evening my fellow Friday night ragers!
100 undecided voters have gathered at Brisbane’s Broncos League’s Club for the Sky News/Courier Mail people’s forum where Campbell Newman and Annastacia Palaszczuk will make their first joint-appearance of the election campaign.
The voters have been selected by polling company Galaxy and will be randomly selected from the audience to ask the two leaders questions.
Do leave a comment below or tweet on the hashtags #qldforum and #qldvotes
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