Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls will not reveal how he plans to pay for more than $2 billion worth of promises he’s already pledged until 48 hours before polls open on election day.
Mr Nicholls has been dodging questions since his campaign launched 10 days ago and continually said the costings for the LNP’s commitments will be revealed on November 23, just two days before the election.
It is understood the LNP’s costings will be reviewed by a Queensland accounting firm before being released.
On Tuesday while making an energy announcement in Bundaberg Mr Nicholls was unable to reveal how his latest program would be funded, nor the several promises running into the billions of dollars he had already made.
"As I’ve said before with these commitments, they’re fully costed and that will be available when we release our costing prior to the election,” he said.
When the opposition leader was asked if he just expects people to trust him he said voters would be better off under the LNP.
“I think if people look at the policies they’ll see they are well thought through policies and they actually identify that you will be better off under an LNP government,” he said.
“Your power bill will be lower, there’s greater opportunity for your kids to have a job and that we support jobs.”
When the LNP was in government from 2012-2015 Mr Nicholls was treasurer and the Campbell Newman led government made significant cost cuts, including thousands of public-service jobs.
When Mr Nicholls was asked if he could guarantee there would be no significant cost cuts under a Nicholls-led LNP Government he said “yes” and when asked how he said, “I’ve just given you the guarantee”.
Mr Nicholls has previously said, if elected, his government would review all programs that were up for renewal to determine if they had reached the end of their life.
“We will be looking at those programs over the term of the three years as we deal with managing the budget to a fiscal balance.”
The Queensland Government lost its AAA credit rating in while under Labor in 2009 and has not regained it.
Mr Nicholls said it could take some considerable time to get that rating back.
Up to one-third of voters are expected to prepoll which will be before the LNP reveals their costing.
Pre-poll starts Monday, November 13.
This story first appeared on Brisbane Times.
