Unstable outlook for state

Big parties’ vote slump

QUEENSLAND’S first fouryear term appears destined to be governed by a cobbled-together coalition, with neither of the major parties able to attract a primary vote of more than 40 per cent since 2016.

The re-emergence of One Nation and the consistent growth of the Greens’ vote has cannibalised support for Labor and the LNP, with almost one in three Queenslanders now consistently backing an independent or minor party.

The controversial ditching of the state’s “Just Vote 1” optional preferential voting system has also significantly improved the prospects of minor-party candidates being elected.

Queensland’s first four-year term will begin after the October 31 state election.

Voters were won over during the 2016 referendum by arguments about fewer elections and improved political stability. However, Queensland could be heading for four years of instability.

Polling conducted by News Corp over the past decade shows the combined vote of Labor and the LNP has been significantly eroded in recent years.

The results show that the last time the LNP achieved a primary vote of more than 40 per cent was in May 2016, while for Labor it was August 2015. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s election to the Senate in 2016 was the gamechanger, with the party’s resurgence stripping votes off both major parties, although at twice the rate from the LNP than Labor.

The latest Courier-mail/ Yougov poll shows 30 per cent of Queenslanders are backing minor parties and independents, and this could increase if Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party contests the election.

However, Robbie Katter, whose namesake political outfit has three MPS in state parliament, insisted a hung parliament would be “good for Queensland”.

“It can’t be just about tennis courts and things in our electorates,” he said. “Yes, we will push aggressively for the North because that is who we represent.

“But the things we push for will build the bottom line for the entire state.”

Greens MP Michael Berkman also insisted minority governments got a bad rap, saying Labor and the LNP were both beholden to vested interests.

“The Greens would push to make sure big mining corporations and banks pay their fair share to fund the essential services and public infrastructure Queensland needs,” he said.

“Every year Labor and the LNP take thousands of dollars in corporate donations.”