Queensland Election: Cost-of-Living, Crime Shape Campaign

Queensland's election campaign officially launched this week, setting the stage for a tightly contested battle that will determine whether Labor wins a fourth consecutive term or the LNP ends their decade-long drought in power.

Premier Steven Miles opened his campaign with an appeal to cost-of-living pressures that have dominated voter concerns, touting $1000 electricity rebates and 50-cent public transport fares as his government's defining achievements. Miles has spent 10 months auditioning for Queenslanders after taking over from Annastacia Palaszczuk, who stepped down last December following more than eight years as premier.

His challenger, LNP leader David Crisafulli, has sharpened a different edge: tackling youth crime before it begins. "We want to drive down youth crime before it begins. We want to have less victims in this state," Crisafulli told voters as the campaign officially began.

The two issues—cost-of-living and youth crime—are set to define the race toward polling day on October 26, joined by broader voter concerns over housing pressures. Both camps are offering competing visions for the state's future.

On paper, Crisafulli enters the campaign with momentum. The latest Australian Financial Review-Freshwater Strategy poll showed the LNP leading Labor 56–44 on a two-party-preferred basis, while a Newspoll published in late September gave the LNP a 10-point advantage. Yet Crisafulli has played down the polls, noting that of the last 12 general elections in Queensland, the LNP has won only one—and that he'll need to overturn a dozen Labor-held seats to form government.

That task is steep, but not unprecedented. Campbell Newman's LNP pulled off one of the greatest political victories in Australian history at the 2012 election, winning 78 of 89 seats after 14 years in opposition. But Newman's victory proved short-lived; within a single term, voters rejected the government's decision to sack 14,000 public servants and backed away from a plan to sell $37 billion in state assets. Labor returned to power in 2015 under Palaszczuk and has held office ever since.

For voters tuning in over the coming weeks, a few things to know. Voting is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 and over. Polling booths will open from 8am to 6pm on election day. Voters must number every box under Queensland's compulsory preferential voting system—but how they preference candidates is entirely up to them. Pre-poll and postal voting are available for those unable to vote on the day.

The first Leaders' Debate takes place on Thursday, October 3, offering the two men a platform to sharpen their cases before voters. With 26 days until the ballot, both camps are now in full campaign mode, racing to convince Queenslanders that their vision for the state deserves another term—or a first chance.