Sarah Vogler, The Courier-Mail
February 4, 2017 12:00am
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk would rather relegate Labor to the wilderness of Opposition than share power with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation after the next election.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with The Courier-Mail on the second anniversary of her election win, Ms Palaszczuk said she was focused on gaining a majority at the next election, which could be held later this year.
But if not, she ruled out a governing deal with One Nation. Labor has already signalled its intention to put One Nation last on ballot papers.
“I’m not having a coalition with them. I am firmly focused on a majority government and there will be no coalition with One Nation,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“I think the people are going to start seeing the LNP and One Nation as one and the same.”
Labor has been pressuring the LNP to declare its hand on a preference deal with One Nation after a deal was struck between the WA Liberals and the minor party. Many in Labor fear the move to compulsory preferential voting could backfire on them following the rise of One Nation.
Ms Palaszczuk, who has spent more time in regional Queensland than the southeast since returning from leave last month, says her Government will continue its focus on job-creation policies this year with her aim to have an unemployment rate with five in front of it.
She said she and her ministers would continue to fan out across the regions for the rest of the term.
“What I am firmly hearing from the people in the southeast is that they understand,” Ms Palaszczuk, who was speaking in Rockhampton where she governed for the week, said.
“They stop me in the street and they say ‘we see you in regional Queensland and they are doing it tough so it’s good that your there listening and helping them’.”
Ms Palaszczuk formed minority government with the help of Independent MP Peter Wellington following a stunning electoral comeback in 2015.
She said she believed the Government’s work was bearing fruit.
“Over the last two years I think we have clearly shown the people of Queensland that we are a stable government,” she said.
“That we have a clear vision for growing the state and that the economy is turning the corner.”
The Premier pointed to the mid-year fiscal and economic review handed down by Treasurer Curtis Pitt last year and the $2 billion operating surplus contained within it as an example of that.
She said one of the Government’s back to work policies had created 1200 jobs so far.
That regional focus is also designed to help Labor head off a resurgent One Nation hoping to win a slew of seats at the state election.
Ms Palaszczuk has dismissed suggestions she is concerned by the minor party’s popularity which she said was born out of a wave of dissatisfaction sweeping not just Queensland but the world.
But she said she believed it was possible to counter that movement.
“I think the issue there is that you will always have people who may feel dissatisfied or may feel they want to protest about a particular issue,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“My job is clearly to demonstrate to people where we are delivering services and where we are creating jobs.
“We are yet to see anything tangible that One Nation is delivering.”
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