Queensland election 2015: Alan Jones condemns Campbell Newman's LNP Government as 'worst ever'

Updated

Conservative media commentator Alan Jones has had a spray at Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and the state's LNP Government.

Jones told radio 4BC the Newman government had an appalling track record.

"Make no bones about it - this is as bad as anything we've ever seen in government in Australia anywhere," he said.

He described Mr Newman as a bully and that he "couldn't back the Premier to win a chook raffle".

Jones said Mr Newman lied to him in 2012 when he promised there would be no stage three of the Acland coal mine near Toowoomba, where Jones grew up.

"What's happened on the Darling Downs under this government is a disgrace," Jones said.

"He's first best friends with the mining giants who are plundering this state and not improving our bottom line.

"Our debt is worse than it was when Newman came into government - and our agricultural land is being squandered and he's done nothing about the debt he said he would address.

This is a bloke who made a magistrate chief justice and walked all over the legal profession. Alan Jones

"This is a bloke who made a magistrate chief justice and walked all over the legal profession - bully boy stuff.

"This is the bloke who won't investigate why a dozen people died in the Grantham floods.

"You can't believe a word this bloke says."

Jones said no-one in the LNP Government was prepared to listen.

"[Health Minister Lawrence] Springborg has had a million letters about the health concerns by the people at Tara living in a coal seam gas field and those letters are unanswered."

Mr Newman described Jones as "a bloke from Sydney" and said there was nothing new in his comments.

"I'm all about creating jobs in Queensland, OK, and I'm not going to spend this campaign talking about what Mr Jones is saying," he said.

Mr Newman said the jobs of more than 1,000 people depended upon the mine approved at Acland.

"Everything that Mr Jones has said has been said before and I won't be responding further," he said.

'He's had a go at both sides'

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk was asked on Monday whether she now considered Jones an ally.

"I wouldn't call him an ally," she said.

"He's actually had a go at both sides of politics. What he was saying today is essentially that you can't trust Campbell Newman and that's what people are telling me across the state."

Ms Palaszczuk said Labor would focus on creating jobs and new apprenticeships for young people.

"Campbell Newman is talking a lot in this election campaign about jobs," she said.

"But this is a man who cut 24,000 jobs, government workers, and there are now 32,000 fewer apprenticeships - that is Campbell Newman's track record."

'We want to eject criminal motorcycle gangs'

Mr Newman focused his attention on law and order issues, promising 5,400 tablet computers for police on the beat, and the continued rollout of rapid action police hubs.

He said the LNP remained committed to adding 1,100 extra police across Queensland by March next year and that motorcycle gangs remained a primary target.

"We want to eject criminal motorcycle gangs from this state, that's always been the objective, to shut down their business model," he said.

"It's a very tough call to try and do that, but we're going to give it our very best shot and certainly we're succeeded like in other state."

Topics: elections, brisbane-4000

First posted