Campbell Newman to call snap election Michael McKenna Reporter AUSTRALIAN JANUARY 06, 2015 CAMPBELL Newman is today expected to call a snap election amid mounting concerns the Liberal National Party is facing heavy losses, including the seat held by the Queensland Premier. Senior government sources last night told The Australian that Mr Newman would make an announcement today for a state election date, possibly as early as January 31. Mr Newman was understood to have been planning on a late March poll — three years after he led the LNP to the biggest electoral victory in Australian history. A Newspoll this week confirmed that the government is facing the loss of a swath of seats at least, with a swing to Labor of just under 13 per cent since the March 2012 election. A LNP insider said Mr Newman and his senior cabinet colleagues decided only yesterday to call the election in an effort to ambush the Labor campaign. “Labor isn’t ready — they have been coasting,’’ the insider said. Mr Newman has a margin of 5.7 per cent in his inner-Brisbane electorate of Ashgrove, with former Bligh government minister Kate Jones campaigning for months to reclaim the seat she lost to the Premier in 2012 Speculation grew yesterday of the snap election call, with senior government advisers called back from holiday after last year being told staff could take leave until January 17. Mr Newman was scheduled to join a trade delegation to India with his interstate counterparts that departs on Friday and returns on January 16. It is not known whether Mr Newman will go to India. In recent weeks, the LNP has ramped up its campaign, with billboards appearing around Brisbane promoting the Premier and his “strong team’’. Just last week, his cabinet colleagues publicly dismissed concerns the former Brisbane lord mayor — who led the LNP in the last campaign from outside parliament — could lose his seat. Newspoll, published exclusively in The Weekend Australian on Saturday, showed Labor and the LNP locked at 50 per cent support on a two-party basis coming into the election. Newspoll showed that Mr Newman was still preferred premier to Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk. But the Premier’s personal approval ratings by voters has remained in negative territory for a year, although there has been some improvement since the September Newspoll. The LNP’s central plank of its re-election campaign is a $34 billion privatisation plan with the leases of the state-owned electricity network and ports. Under the plan, the LNP has committed to paying more $25bn of the state’s debt and a further $8bn in infrastructure investment. Labor is fighting the plan, but has yet to detail how it intends to reduce debt and bring the budget back into surplus. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman. Picture: Annette Dew Source: News Corp Australia
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 22:16:59 +0000