The deputy premier has come out firing at Steven Miles, suggesting the Labor leader could be knifed by his own party after a byelection drubbing in Hinchinbrook on the weekend.
LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa won the northern seat with a 17 per cent swing, after the resignation of Katter’s Australian Party MP and now Townsville mayor Nick Dametto.
Labor attracted just 8 per cent of the vote, suffering a 6 per cent swing.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie.Credit: Joe Ruckli
“Make no mistake, this is a bad result for Steven Miles,” Jarrod Bleijie said on Monday morning at Parliament House.
“Regional Queensland rejected Stephen Miles yesterday. Regional Queensland rejected the Labor Party yesterday.
“We know it is killing season in politics.”
Labor was never likely to win the seat – which takes in the northern fringe of Townsville and large conservative rural areas – and the election was effectively a two-way race between the LNP and Katter’s Australian Party.
The Labor leader played down the result over the weekend, saying it was reflective of long-term trends – but acknowledged his team had work to do.
“It reinforces what I’ve been saying … Labor needs to ensure that we develop policies that work for us right across the state,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the weekend Labor conference.
“Clearly, we haven’t finished doing that yet.”
The Labor caucus has backed Steven Miles to continue as leader.Credit: Joe Ruckli | Australian Financial Review
Bleijie said the result showed voters supported the LNP platform, and were punishing Labor for its policy positions and perceived split in areas including youth crime and the CFMEU.
“This is clearly an opposition so divided … they are not thinking about Queenslanders,” he added.
“All they’re thinking about is politics, and the man responsible for that is Steven Miles.
“I’ve been saying for so long he wasn’t up to the job of premier, and he’s certainly not up to the job of opposition leader.”
Rumours Miles could be replaced as leader of the Labor Party in Queensland have circulated for some time, but no one has publicly broken ranks with the former premier.
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