Premier pauses campaign to crack some heads as national cabinet resumes
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is pausing her re-election campaign to join in her final national cabinet before polling day.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Prime Minister Scott Morrison are seen by many voters as balancing the political scales. (Photo: The New Daily)
She has set the stage for an awkward virtual gathering on Friday after a five-week hiatus.
Palaszczuk criticised the federal government and lashed back at her NSW counterpart on Thursday.
After Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack called her inland highway plan a “thought bubble”, the Premier said the Morrison Government short-changes her state and “doesn’t support Queensland”.
“We have not had our fair share of funding that Victoria and NSW has been given more (of) over recent years,” she said.
“That’s fact, that’s fact, I’ve said in the parliament, I think I’ve said in the parliament nearly every single year.”
The premier will also face NSW counterpart Gladys Berejikilian, with whom her relationship is frosty.
She lashed back at Berejikilian for criticising Queensland’s COVID-19 quarantine quota on Thursday.
“I don’t think Gladys Berejikilian should be criticising anyone. Quite frankly she’s got enough of her own internal problems,” Palaszczuk said.
“What happened to all working together? I mean that’s what we do, we go into that national cabinet and we want to work together.”
Palaszczuk also declared she would remain firm on the borders, until health advice said otherwise.
“I will continue to stand firm for the people of this state,” she said.
And if that’s about standing up to Canberra, you bet I’ll stand up to Canberra.”
After national cabinet Palaszczuk will get back on the hustings in southeast Queensland and us expected to make a pledge aimed at stimulating the manufacturing industry.
Liberal National Party leader Deb Frecklington will also be campaigning in the southeast on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Greens will make a pledge to set up 200 new medical clinics to give Queenslanders free primary healthcare including a GP.
The party said the policy would cost $5.8 billion over four years and be funded by raising mining royalties.
“Many communities across Queensland don’t have access to basic primary healthcare like GPs, physios or dentists and in a wealthy state like Queensland that’s unacceptable,” Greens MP Michael Berkman said.
Queenslanders go to the polling booths on October 31.
-AAP
