PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has made an election eve visit to the Redlands, making a last ditch pitch to help Redlands candidate Kim Richards win the seat from sitting LNP MP Matt McEachan.
The seat of Redlands is on a knife-edge, with Opposition leader Tim Nicholls and other LNP front bench MPs having made a series of visits over the past three months to the electorate.
On the last afternoon of a month-long campaign Ms Palaszczuk was on-task, driving home a relentless message about the choice between her government and job cuts under an LNP government led by Mr Nicholls.
She was mobbed by party supporters who clamoured to have photographs taken with her.
Ms Palaszczuk addressed some major Redlands issues, saying $30 million would be spent on the transition from mining on North Stradbroke Island, with further announcements on how it would be spent soon.
She would make no commitments on altering her support for the Toondah Harbour redevelopment, saying she would wait to see the outcome of a looming environmental impact study.
Her visit comes after a Galaxy poll was released by The Courier-Mail this morning showing Labor with a 4 per cent lead over the LNP.
If this flows through to Redlands, the seat will be lost to the LNP and Cr Julie Talty who is challenging Labor’s Mick de Brenni in Springwood also will fail.
The LNP’s Oodgeroo candidate Mark Robinson on a 5.7 per cent margin is likely to hold his seat although he has said he took nothing for granted. ALP Capalaba MP Don Brown also appears safe, with pre-poll booth workers saying the One Nation vote was plummeting.
“It’s a choice between my government, committed to delivering jobs and restoring front-line services, or Tim Nicholls who has only ever cut jobs and services on the bayside,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She released a so-called “plan for the bayside” which was a rehash of policy announcements over the past month.
She said the LNP had cut 929 frontline health jobs in bayside areas, including 17 midwives, 858 local TAFE workers and $1.5 million in funding to 10 local community health organisations.
Her commitments include a $10 million upgrade to TAFE at Alexandra Hills, Cross River Rail to reduce travel times, $5 million to upgrade the Anita Street intersection of Cleveland-Redland Bay Road and upgrading Old Cleveland Rd with $22 million across five major intersections.
Redland Hospital will get a water birthing suite and 49 police officers and 510 more nurses will be added to metro south services.
Mr Nicholls fired back, saying more than $1 billion of Labor promises had not been costed.
He said Labor’s costing strategy relied on an $800 million cash raid on Government departments in addition to Labor’s $1 billion re-prioritisation program.
“This is just a cash raid on large departments such as health, education, communities and transport,” he said.
“It means less cash to deliver frontline services.
“There is funding only for 400 police in Labor’s costings, not the 535 police they promised on October 28 to match the LNP’s commitment.
“...On the Gold Coast, Labor promised $206 million to widen the M1 from Varsity Lakes to Tugun and $25 million to upgrade exit 57. But there is only $55 million in Labor’s costings – $176 million missing.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk has ... misled Queenslanders. She has made promises but hasn’t provided the funding to deliver.”