If you’re interested in the he-said she-said than political policies this election, we’ve got some of the top five bits of drama which have struck the Queensland election.
Number One: Whitsunday’s Costigan and Sexual Harassment
The Witsunday seat has been held by Jason Costigan since 2012 until he was expelled from the LNP in February 2019. Allegations of stalking, sexual assault and inappropriate text messages were among a series of complaints made in Parliament, which were later withdrawn. Mr Costigan does deny these allegations and he’s still contesting, this time with his own party, North Queensland First. Whitsunday are notably conservative, with the vote likely to be split between Costigan, the LNP, One Nation and the Katter party. It was also the most marginal seat at the 2017 election.
Number Two: Cliver Palmer’s bizarre range of MPs
Clive Palmer has rolled out 55 candidates, all with a very low chance of winning, as a part of his mission to stay within the law while spending as much as he can on his campaign. Spending caps are in place set to limit the amount parties’ can spend on advertising, based on the number of people who stand - which is why you might have noticed a few more United Australia candidates this year. Let’s take a quick look at some of the candidates and how far he’s gone to get his anti-Labor ads out there.
Number one is Joshua Morrison contesting for Aspley. His description from the ABC’s candidates guide is simply that he is an automotive enthusiast and has worked for major motorcycle retailers.
Secondly we’ve got Afrikah McGladrigan, (i mean who spells Africa like Afrikah), running for the seat of Kawana. Her biggest accolades are her junior sporting career in surfing and her time with the Young Matildas and probably her Instagram account.
I think the main trend we're seeing is that the majority of Palmer's candidates are just ordinary people (with terrible names).
Number Three: Extinction Rebellion
On October the 29th, the Extinction Rebellion dumped a pile of manure outside of parliament house. The group blocked Alice street with a sign which had the former Deputy Premier Jacquie Trad on it saying “workers betrayed by bullshit corporate politics.” The group posted a message on their Facebook post about the incident explaining the Queensland Government has failed to take sufficient action on climate change.
Number Four: Old Mate from the Schoolies Video
Queensland Opposition leader, Deb Frecklington, said she was "unaware" that an ex Young LNP member, previously suspended from the party for racist comments, had been involved in the election campaign of LNP candidate for Redcliffe. On Monday, suspended Young LNP member, Jake Scott, was caught on camera by Seven News campaigning with LNP candidate Kerri-Anne Dooley. The reason behind Mr Scott suspension were comments he made in a schoolies video where he said “I mean, we've got to stop celebrating a culture that couldn't even invent the bloody wheel for God's sake — we've got to start enjoying and living in western culture.”
- Nick Ridley and Hannah Davies 4ZZZ