CRAWFORD SWATS AWAY ‘RIOT ACT’
BARRON River MP Craig Crawford has brushed off reports the Premier was going to “read the riot act” to him over election signs seeming to flout her direction to put One Nation last.
Placards planted and waved by volunteers at the Smithfield early voting booth directed voters to “put the LNP last” — even if Mr Crawford’s own how-to-vote signs placed the LNP in the third of six slots.
The situation reportedly led the Premier to tell reporters: “They’ll be read the riot act, I’ll tell you that.”
“I’ve made it very clear and the party secretary has made it very clear that One Nation is last,” she continued.
Mr Crawford, a member of the Labor Left faction and former union organiser, said none of his volunteers were involved in the signs in question.
“They’re from the union movement,” he said.
“They’re not my volunteers.
“My how-to-vote has clearly got the LNP third and that’s there for everyone to see.”
Tactically, it will likely make little difference where the LNP is on the Mr Crawford’s Barron River how-tovote cards, as long as it is below Labor.
“In this seat, it’s really going to come down to the LNP or Labor,” Mr Crawford said. “If you follow the respective how-to-vote cards, you’ll find it’s all about who you put higher than the other when it comes down to two major parties.”
He said it would make no sense for him to try direct the unions to change their campaign tactics.
“This is a third party campaign,” he said.
“It’s probably no different to one of the environmental groups holding up a sign that says ‘Vote for the Reef’.”
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Michael Clifford said Queensland workers and their families needed to support a party that would put their interests first.
“Realistically in Queensland only one of two parties can form government, and the Queensland Unions campaign has been reminding voters about the track record of those major parties,” he said.