The tight election race in Queensland has constricted further with the decision by the LNP to preference One Nation ahead of Labor in 50 seats across the state.



As One Nation’s controversial domestic violence policy and accusations about the safe schools program continued to dominate headlines, the LNP moved to safeguard its vote by preferencing the Pauline Hanson-led party.

One Nation is still advising people to vote the way they want, while also threatening to put incumbent MPs, regardless of their party stripe, last in every electorate.

But the Palaszczuk Labor government has breathed a small sigh of relief at the LNP decision to preference the Greens last in every electorate, boosting Labor’s chances of holding on to inner-city seats which had been under threat by swinging voters.

The LNP executive denied it had entered into a preference deal with One Nation, with president Gary Spence saying it was a seat by seat decision.

“This was done after Labor changed our voting system in 18 minutes for rank political opportunism from operational preferential to compulsory preferential voting,” Spence said in a statement on Saturday.

But the decision, which will see One Nation preferenced above Labor in all but eight seats – Buderim, Logan, Mudgeeraba, Nicklin, Coomera, Scenic Rim, Stratton and Toovey in the state’s south east and Thuringowa, in North Queensland – has also given weight to One Nation’s policies.

The LNP has also put forward three “back to back” preference cards, where on one side, One Nation is preferences higher than Labor, while on the flip side, Labor sits higher. The seats, which sit near the Gold Coast, are home to shifting demographics and a growing Labor vote, which the LNP hopes to capitalise on, as well as taking advantage of One Nation sympathies.

Queensland One Nation leader, Steve Dickson, who has taken a backseat to Hanson for much of the campaign, took the opportunity to seize back some of the spotlight at a barbecue event in his Sunshine Coast electorate on Saturday.

Standing next to Hanson, the former LNP minister, claimed credit for One Nation’s domestic violence policy, which potentially could allow fathers to continue to see their children, even if an emergency protection order had been awarded.

“Many people say that domestic violence is only about the lady,” Dickson said.

“We absolutely respect women, I’ve been married for 31 years, as we all should respect women. But the truth of the matter is, we’ve got to see what is going on in that family unit, because there are up to 21 fathers killing themselves every week in this country and people need to be aware of that.

“These are our brothers, our fathers, these are men right across this country, but One Nation’s policy is about holistically, the whole family unit, and that is being forgotten and we should never forget it and the children have to be helped.”

That then led Dickson to discuss what he termed “the controversial safe schools program” which One Nation have vowed to ban if they win the balance of power.

“We are having little kids in grade four, at school, these are young girls being taught by teachers how to masturbate, how to strap on dildos, how to do this sort of stuff, that is the real problem in this country,” he said.

“Our state is being infiltrated by mad lefty people who want to destroy the family unit. That is the question you should be asking.”

Presented with those comments at her own press conference in Brisbane, Palaszczuk said Dickson was talking “rubbish”.

“That is complete and utter nonsense. I have spoken to the education minister. Safe schools is not taught in the classroom. Support is given to teachers and also to families,” she said.

“I don’t want to see any young person in our classrooms bullied or intimidated and I don’t want to see a young person harm themselves either and that is why the principals, teachers and the families support one another.

“It is an atrocious comment. Absolutely atrocious.

“I am absolutely lost for words that someone would dare say such things that are simply and utterly not true.”

Hanson also confirmed she was standing by her north Queensland candidate, whose sex shop business, run by his partner, had posted about “good sex should be in the grey area between tickle fight and domestic violence” on social media.

“This is a registered, legal business for 18 plus, I am not going to back down on that,” Hanson said.

“So you go and address what is happening in our school rooms, the safe sex rubbish that they are actually teaching our kids, deal with that first before you come asking me questions about a registered businessman.”

However, Hanson refused to answer questions about the future leader of her Queensland party, with polling showing Dickson was not expected to win back his traditionally LNP seat.

“Steve Dickson will win his seat. I’m positive,” Hanson said. “I said to you I don’t care what the polls say, it is not, no, sorry, I don’t agree with that, because I have been around this electorate and I know that Steve Dickson is going to win. I am positive about that.”