In Queensland, regular state elections are held this Saturday, where the population of this Australian jurisdiction will choose the leadership for the next four years. Public opinion polls show that it will be the current opposition, led by the leader of the Liberal-National Party, David Crisafulli. His party is being given a better chance of winning power and ousting the Labor government of Stephen Miles.
However, surveys have often been known to give an inaccurate picture of pre-election estimates in Australia, both at the federal and state levels. Therefore, the current predictions in Queensland should be taken with a grain of salt, although the results of several agencies showed roughly the same results in favor of the LNP.
The two leaders had their third and final public debate on the eve of the election day, in which they spoke to a hundred undecided voters, chosen by the method of random sampling by the research agency YouGov. The debate was organized by the Courier Mail and Sky News, which also provided live television coverage.
Opponents debated several key topics, including the national debt, abortion rights, juvenile crime, the fight against hate speech and political donations.
The debate became heated at times, with mutual accusations and ironic remarks.
The issue of abortion was once again dominant, and the leaders remained firm in their positions. Crisafulli reiterated that the law would not be changed when the LNP came to power, to which Prime Minister Miles went on to demand that his political opponent answer directly whether he was in favor of women having the right to vote or not.
– The current law on abortion gives women the right to choose and it will remain so – said Krizafuli, and then fired back at Miles. – Dude, your campaign is funny, all those little “tik-tok” video clips. Women in this country deserve a lot more than the scare campaign being waged by Labour.
Crisafulli and Miles clashed over national debt and the sustainability of the government’s low-cost public transport initiative, as a single ride in Brisbane and other cities currently costs just 50 cents.
Miles said he stands behind the government’s performance in tackling the cost of living crisis.
– We went into deficit in order to finance the additional support we provide to households. But since our economy is really strong, we plan to return to a budget surplus in the economic year 2026/27. and onward – said the Prime Minister of Queensland.
Miles also pointed out that nothing can be said about Crisafuli’s economic plan, because “he hasn’t even published it yet.”
The leader of the opposition responded by saying that under the Labor government spending “got out of control”, after which he was asked by the audience “how can he guarantee that the national debt will not reach 200 billion dollars”.
“Quite easily, because we’re not going to get into Labor’s doomed $24 billion hydro pump program that will make all your electricity bills too expensive,” Krizafuli dismissed Labour’s plan for energy reform.
Fierce polemics were also held over political donations. When asked “what are donations from construction contractors but a corrupting influence on parties”, Krizafuli compared these donations to those paid by unions to Labor.
– To compare entrepreneurs with unions representing tens of thousands of workers in Queensland is not a fair comparison to say the least – said Prime Minister Miles.
The opposition leader hit back by repeating the acronym of the construction workers’ union CFMEU, which has recently been put into receivership.
– They are a criminal group, they are bikers and they own you – Krizafuli accused.
Miles did not oblige, saying the LNP leader “just wants to take money from building contractors”.
Which of the two has earned the greater trust of voters in Queensland will be known already on Saturday evening, when the preliminary results of the state elections will be announced.
Early voting today
Voters who want to avoid crowds at polling stations or those who will not be able to vote on Saturday can do their civic duty today.
Polling stations for early voting, which have been open since October 14, will also be available this Friday until 6:00 p.m. across the country. By Tuesday, as many as 900,000 people had used that right.
There are more than 300 early voting centers in Queensland, and the locations of the nearest polling stations to voters can be checked on the Electoral Commission’s website: www.fmpb.elections.qld.gov.au.
Polling stations open from eight in the morning
On Election Day, Saturday 26 October, polling stations across Queensland will be open from 8.00am to 6.00pm. The Election Commission reminds all citizens of legal age with the right to vote that voting is mandatory and that voter lists will be checked after the election. Those who do not vote and do not provide a valid reason for not voting will face a $161 fine.
No movement of hands
Among the many questions the audience asked the leaders at the final debate, there was one related to daylight saving time.
As is well known, Queensland, along with Western Australia and the Northern Territory, does not change the hands twice a year, but follows winter time throughout the year.
Both Miles and Crisafulli agreed (at least for that one time) that they would not deal with this issue if they won the election – primarily because the current timekeeping suits the population in the interior and north of this very large state, where the day normally lasts. longer.
Source: www.vesti-online.com
