ONE NATION’S KAP BACKING

Greens Senator Larissa Waters visited Townsville alongside candidates Jenny Brown and Tom O’grady to spruik the party’s education policy.

Picture: MATT TAYLOR

“There’s an awful lot of tax avoidance that goes on.

“If we actually collected the tax and increase those royalties we’d have so many more billions to pay (for commitments).”

Education Minister Grace Grace labelled the policy “pie

in the sky thinking” from a party that would never be held accountable.

“In North Queensland alone we have invested more than $287m in new school infrastructure, without having to increase mining royalties,” she said.

KATTER’S Australian Party will closely consider putting One Nation second on its howto-vote cards as its leader appeals to the LNP to preference the Greens last.

Robbie Katter has made a “rock-solid guarantee” his party will preference the Greens last in all the seats they run in, but said they would be favourable towards other minor parties and independents.

He revealed One Nation would most likely feature “high on the list” for KAP’S preferences and confirmed the party would consider it closely for a “1, 2” preferencing order.

“That’s probably because there’s strong alignment on things like development in regional areas,” he said.

“It also recognises that we think for the greater good there needs to be a reduction in the duopoly of the major parties to provide real representation in the regions.”

KAP is expected to run in 10 to 15 seats at the looming poll, with Mr Katter not declaring who it will support if it clinches the balance of power as it focuses on picking up more seats in the regions.

He said it was firming up that neither the ALP nor LNP would be able to form majority government, with either the Greens or KAP the likely partner for any aspirant government should both major parties fall short.

“We think it’s vitally important to alert all Queenslanders, not just regional Queenslanders … what are the real implications of Greens being the minority partner in government,” he said.

“And furthermore, we’re appealing to the LNP to please not preference Greens above Labor.”

Mr Katter claimed the implications of the Greens holding power would mean a range of things, including no dams and no coal.

KAP and One Nation struck a preference deal at the 2017 election, with KAP expanding its number of seats from two to three.

The LNP last week left the door open to preferencing the Greens over Labor in more seats across the state.

But the Greens insisted they would put One Nation and the LNP last on their how-to-vote cards in every electorate.

The opposition has already pledged to preference the Greens ahead of Labor in South Brisbane, where former deputy premier Jackie Trad is fighting to retain the seat with a margin of 3.5 per cent.

LNP leader Deb Frecklington would not say last week if the opposition would adopt the same strategy in other electorates.

IT RECOGNISES THAT WE THINK FOR THE GREATER GOOD THERE NEEDS TO BE A REDUCTION IN THE DUOPOLY OF THE MAJOR PARTIES