Stoker breaks ranks on party’s nuclear position hours after polls close
Ben Smee
The LNP’s star candidate, Amanda Stoker, has said the party “should look at” nuclear power, in a stunning interview that breaks ranks with the party’s position just hours after the polls have closed.
The issue of nuclear power has split the state and federal LNP. Peter Dutton is pushing for it federally. David Crisafulli has ruled it out, and has said “it’s not part of our plan”.
Just as with abortion, throughout the campaign LNP candidates have been steadfast in sticking to the party line.
Stoker is a former federal senator who has previously been supportive of nuclear. She’s kept her head down during the campaign.
Interviewed on ABC, the likely new member for Oodgeroo, Stoker began by saying it was not part of the plan, but eventually broke ranks:
I have always been open-minded to whatever the science takes us to see. Now, lots of other countries use nuclear, Australia doesn’t. If it became a part of the federal scene we should look at it. But we have a commitment as a team that it isn’t in the plan.
Key events
Joe Hinchliffe
Bancroft MP predicts ‘surprises will keep coming’ with postal votes
If you were going by polls that consistently predicted a Labor wipeout for months – until suddenly they didn’t – tonight’s results have been full of surprises.
But newly re-elected Labor MP in the northern Brisbane seat of Bancroft, Chris Whiting, is predicting “a couple more surprises” over the next few days as postal votes flip seats both sides might go to bed tonight thinking they hold.
“The surprises are going to keep coming,” he said from the Murrumba Downs Tavern.
Still, Whiting was under no illusion about the fact Labor would lose its majority.
Cameron Dick himself said he would be surprised if we won. And there was never any doubt about the task we had ahead.
Cheers at LNP party as Sky News calls election for LNP
Andrew Messenger
There have been huge cheers at the LNP party this evening as Sky News called the election for the opposition.
“DC, DC, DC, DC,” young members of the party cheered at a huge television screen.
The party has been relatively sedate this evening with no locked in win to celebrate. But as pre-poll numbers came in, several seats have begun to firm up.
A number of LNP hard heads have told the Guardian they’re predicting a narrow majority.
The crowd quickly turned to boos when Bob Katter appeared on the TV.
The final result – whether majority or minority – is yet to be determined and several seats will come down to the wire.
LNP MP says mere mention of abortion in parliament won’t necessarily mean conscience vote
Circling back to LNP MP John-Paul Langbroek’s interview on Sky News earlier.
As the Brisbane Times reports, he was questioned on whether MPs would be granted a conscience vote on abortion if it comes before parliament, and responded:
Just mentioning the word abortion in the parliament doesn’t necessarily mean it always has to be a conscience vote.
I mean, my sense was that if you’re talking about saying, we’re going to talk about recriminalising it, that sort of debate would be one where you would say, that’s not actually about the issue itself.
That’s not a life and death issue, and we’re prepared to say we’re not going to recriminalise it, therefore that’s not a life and death matter, and it won’t be a conscience vote.
That’s just my personal view, having watched it over the last couple of weeks.
ABC projecting LNP will form government
The ABC’s Antony Green is projecting that the Liberal National Party will form government in Queensland.
Labor Townsville MP says LNP push on youth justice cost him his seat
Labor MP for Townsville, Scott Stewart, has conceded defeat in the election, with the LNP’s Adam Baillie set to win the seat.
Stewart spoke to the ABC and said he had come in second place, thanking the people of Townsville for their support over the past ten years.
Asked why voters have turned away from Labor, he responded:
It is clear in Townsville, this has always been fought around that youth justice issue and while we have had a number of great policies and the funding that goes behind it, this has been the key issue and people said to me they want it stopped and they want to give someone else a go …
This has been a key issue fought on, and we know that the LNP have certainly hedged their bets on this one issue.
Stewart said issues of youth justice couldn’t have a “silver bullet approach” when asked if Labor acted too slowly:
Not one thing is going to fix this complex issue that has been building for decades and generations.
LNP MP says questions on abortion could have been handled better by party leader
Sky News is reporting that the LNP’s John-Paul Langbroek has conceded questions on abortion could have been handled better by David Crisafulli.
Speaking to Sky, Langbroek said he had “no doubt” the issue had cost votes:
There’s just no doubt about the fact that it took a while to get a definitive answer about the issue … We must have thought that we didn’t think this was going to be an issue that was resonating and then through relentless Labor campaigning and a lot of social media I think it obviously did.
Labor’s Crawford says he’s still in the running in Barron River
The Labor MP Craig Crawford has told party members he is in the running to retain his seat of Barron River, according to the ABC:
[Scrutineers] are reporting that we are holding on to Barron River so it’s going to be tight … you don’t get the government without my seat.
Election analysis from Ben Raue
The election analyst Ben Raue, from the Tally Room, says that among the 12 Labor seats on margins of 7% to 12%, Labor is leading in every seat.
The ABC has called Maryborough for Labor. Raue thinks Labor is also “well ahead” in Cooper, Ferny Grove, Murrumba and Bulimba, writing:
They’re leading by a decent lead but not quite as big in five others. Only in two of these seats is it very close – Capalaba and Rockhampton.
Things are much messier in the seats under a 7% margin, but Labor is still leading in many seats. Labor is leading in 10 of these 18 seats, the LNP is leading in eight.
So on those numbers, right now Labor has regained Ipswich West and South Brisbane, and is trailing in eight others. That would be a net loss of six, which would leave them on 45 seats. There are 11 others where the ALP lead is quite narrow. If they lost all of those seats, that would give the LNP a majority.
Labor MP Brittany Lauga concedes defeat
The Courier Mail is reporting that the Labor MP for Keppel, Brittany Lauga, has conceded defeat, telling supporters:
I feel your heart breaking, because my heart has broken too. We have worked so hard for our community.
Photos from Labor’s Murrumba Downs Tavern campaign party
Here are some more photos rolling in from Labor’s campaign party at the Murrumba Downs Tavern, in the Murrumba electorate of the premier, Steven Miles:
Antony Green says there is a 5.6% swing to the LNP at the moment, with a 5.7% swing needed for a majority.
It is still looking like the LNP will win more seats, but it is not clear if it will get to majority, and there’s a lot more counting to come.
Antony Green says LNP could still form a majority
The ABC election analyst, Antony Green, says that the LNP could still win a majority.
Just earlier, he said:
I think they can reach majority, but it isn’t there yet. At this stage, I would say they have a better chance of finishing with more seats than Labor. So that is what the picture may be by the end of the evening.
Joe Hinchliffe
Mood remains high in Murrumba despite projections Labor has lost majority
The ABC psephologist Antony Green may have declared Queensland Labor has officially lost its majority – but that hasn’t dampened the mood at Murrumba Downs Tavern where party faithful are awaiting the local MP and current premier, Steven Miles.
“Take that Bianca!” yells a voice from the crowd as the Gold Coast seat of Gaven is called for rising Labor star Meaghan Scanlon, who fended off a swing from the former Sunrise TV reporter Bianca Stone.
“Yeah Bart!” yells another, as the count in the Brisbane seat of Aspley shows the transport minister, Bart Mellish, ahead with 36.8% of the vote counted there.
“It feels good,” the Australia Post courier and Transport Workers Union member Bradley Begozzi says.
It feels better than the polls said it would be.
His wife, Robyn, who cares for their three children – their youngest non-verbal – says the family has really been feeling the cost-of-living crunch and has benefited from Labor’s $1,000 energy rebate and stands to benefit from its free school lunch policy should they scrape into a minority government.
Bradley says:
Cost of living has been the biggest issue of the campaign. And Steven has been really strong on that.
Stoker breaks ranks on party’s nuclear position hours after polls close
Ben Smee
The LNP’s star candidate, Amanda Stoker, has said the party “should look at” nuclear power, in a stunning interview that breaks ranks with the party’s position just hours after the polls have closed.
The issue of nuclear power has split the state and federal LNP. Peter Dutton is pushing for it federally. David Crisafulli has ruled it out, and has said “it’s not part of our plan”.
Just as with abortion, throughout the campaign LNP candidates have been steadfast in sticking to the party line.
Stoker is a former federal senator who has previously been supportive of nuclear. She’s kept her head down during the campaign.
Interviewed on ABC, the likely new member for Oodgeroo, Stoker began by saying it was not part of the plan, but eventually broke ranks:
I have always been open-minded to whatever the science takes us to see. Now, lots of other countries use nuclear, Australia doesn’t. If it became a part of the federal scene we should look at it. But we have a commitment as a team that it isn’t in the plan.
LNP’s Stoker asked if she would like to see changes to abortion laws
Amanda Stoker, the LNP candidate for Oodgeroo, is expected to win the seat.
She is speaking with the ABC, and is asked if she would like to see changes to the laws in Queensland regarding abortion:
The LNP’s position on this has been clear – it is not going to change. I am disappointed that Labor were able to frighten so many people across Queensland into a position that really doesn’t reflect the pain points for people day to day in our community.
As we’re reported previously, David Crisafulli has claimed the laws will not change – but he cannot rule this out if he cannot rule out a conscience vote.
Shadow treasurer questioned on LNP view of federal opposition nuclear plan
Sticking with energy policy for a moment and the shadow treasurer, David Janetzki, was just questioned on the federal opposition’s nuclear plans.
Asked if the LNP position is still no nuclear power in Queensland, he responds:
Our position has been that it is a decision for Canberra, it is not for us, it’s not part of our plan … We’re not looking at it, it is one for our federal colleagues.
David Crisafulli has previously said he would oppose Peter Dutton’s plan for two nuclear plants in Queensland if elected.
Janetzki is asked what he would do if Dutton wins and wants to roll out nuclear in Queensland, and says:
That is hypothetical, heaped on hypothetical … We have said all the way through it is not part of our plan and that remains the case.
