After four years since the previous state election, four weeks of formal campaigning, and with just four days until voting closes in the next statewide vote, the two major party leaders met for the last of three debates overnight.
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Both the premier, Labor’s Steven Miles, and LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, gave their standard opening comments and closing remarks to the audience at the News Corp-hosted “People’s Forum”.
Over an hour, the pair answered – or didn’t answer – questions from host Kieran Gilbert, each other, and 100 undecided voters in the room selected by pollster YouGov, of the topics they’ve faced on the campaign trail for weeks now.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli go head to head.Credit: News Corp Australia
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These covered transport (50¢ public fares and major road projects), Olympics, energy and cost of living. Help for koalas in the face of needed housing and how to tackle domestic violence – youth crime, too.
But abortion drew the most off-message moments.
Crisafulli returned to his oft-uttered phrase that “there’ll be no changes to abortion law” without detailing how he could make the promise alongside a previous vow of a conscience vote for his MPs on such matters, and his personal opposition to late-term abortions.
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The LNP leader responded to Miles’ yes or no question about whether he believed in a woman’s right to choose with a yes. (“Though it probably won’t work for his TikTok”.)
But after trying – incorrectly – to claim Robbie Katter had walked back his vow to force a conscience vote to change or repeal the laws earlier in the day, the pair went at it with Crisafulli labelling Miles’ questions “silly”.
“It’s not silly,” Miles quipped.
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“Your campaign has been silly, because we’ve ruled it out,” Crisafulli replied.
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Voters will deliver their verdict on the campaign, the visions and records of both men, and their teams, by 6pm Saturday.
Of those in the room last night, 39 per cent named Miles the winner, with 35 per cent handing it to Crisafulli. The rest remained undecided.
