Queensland election 2015: LNP 'could be a one term government'
THE Liberal National Party could become a one-term government, Campbell Newman has declared.
Campaigning for re-election in Brisbane this morning, Mr Newman gave his strongest comments to date that Labor, minor parties and the indpendents could team up to form government after the election.
“There is a real prospect of a hung parliament,” Mr Newman said. “Labor could fall across the line with the help of Independents and minor parties.
“[Opposition leader] Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has no plan, could become Premier and that would see all the progress of the last few years and job creation prospects . blown out of the water.”
The LNP has pulled ahead of Labor in the polls after entering the election campaign at 50-50. It is a dramatic fall from the 2012 election, when the LNP won a thumping 78 seats in the 89-seat parliament.
Newpoll yesterday showed the government had a six-percentage-point margin over the ALP.
Mr Newman today visited landscape business Penfold Projects to announce a training and skills package aimed at young people.
About $36 million will be provided to double to 12,000 apprenticeship placements. Additional training courses and a $2500 incentive for business are aimed at youth employment.
It will total 26,000 positions.
“Real jobs are created by the private sector particularly in small and medium-sized businesses,” Mr Newman said.
“It’s really important to stay on track and capitalise the progress of the things in the last few years or it will be very, very hard to keep the economy going and create jobs.”
He said this financial year growth would jump to a nation-leading 5.25 per cent. Growth is tipped to deliver an additional 209,000 positions over the coming six years, excluding major government-backed projects including the development of the Galilee Basin and the casino-resort projects at Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf and Aquis, north of Cairns.
Unemployment continues to dog the LNP. Mr Newman came to power in 2012 with a promise to reduce unemployment to 4 per cent.
It has since gone from 5.5 per cent to 6.9 per cent.
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek has overhauled trades training — including shutting down 13 TAFE campuses — to consolidate the sector into job-ready programs.
He said capacity was at 50 per cent.
“We had a training sector that was withering on the vine,” he said.
“Young Queenslanders being given false hope, being given qualifications without any jobs at the end of it.
“We have to have quality training that leads to quality jobs.”
