Queensland counts down to early poll

QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called a snap state election for Saturday, November 25.

She asked the acting governor, Chief Justice Catherine Holmes, yesterday morning to issue the writs for the election for the last Saturday of November.

She confirmed the November date in an email to Labor members in her electorate of Inala, before addressing a function at a Darra bowls club where she was interrupted by an anti-Adani protester. She has already revealed Labor’s slogan — Putting Queenslanders First — in a tweet.

In her opening salvo of the 28-day election campaign, three months before the third anniversary of her victory over the LNP in 2015, she promised to continue achieving for the state.

“In less than 1000 days, my government has made a strong start repairing the damage done by Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls,” the state- ment reads. “Queensland is now a state of progress not provocation, a state of co-operation not confrontation, and a state united, not divided.”

She said she decided to go now because “Queenslanders need certainty” and she wanted to ensure the success of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April.

She said the campaign would be tough.

“We’re up against an LNP/ One Nation coalition,” she said.