Topic: State and Territory Government
David Crisafulli's LNP government has been in power in Queensland for two years. ( ABC News )
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has categorically ruled out future negotiations with One Nation.
In an interview marking two years of the LNP in office, the premier reiterated his focus on youth crime, but conceded more needed to be done to address cost-of-living concerns.
Political analyst Tony Barry said cost of living loomed as a challenge for incumbents against the rising orange tide of One Nation.
Queensland's premier says combating youth crime remains his government's number one focus, while conceding more can be done to address the cost-of-living crisis.
In an interview with the ABC as his government marks two years in power, David Crisafulli categorically ruled out any future negotiations with One Nation.
The LNP swept to power on the back of its signature adult crime, adult time policy.
Mr Crisafulli said reducing the number of victims of crime remained "the priority of the government".
"Youth crime is the one that we spent the most time articulating to Queenslanders what we saw as change, and the early signs are that things are heading in the right direction," he said.
The government has ditched broad Labor-era energy rebates in favour of smaller targeted measures, despite labelling the cost of living a key issue.
The premier conceded more needed to be done.
"Always, and I don't think you should ever reach a point with anything in government where you say it's job done," Mr Crisafulli said.
"Cost of living remains the number one concern for people.
"Whilst we don't have the biggest say on that, because most of those factors are at a national and international level, the levers we can pull, we are pulling."
The government's crime policies were a keystone of their 2024 election campaign. ( ABC News: Cameron Simmons )
Redbridge polling group director Tony Barry, a former Liberal Party pollster, said if an election were held this weekend the Crisafulli government would be returned, and make small inroads into Labor's bloc of urban seats.
But he said the "pervasive" cost of living loomed as a challenge for incumbents against the rising orange tide of One Nation.
Tony Barry has predicted the LNP would be returned to government if an election was held today. ( ABC News: Peter Healy )
"Pauline Hanson, for a lot of voters, is their wrecking ball against an establishment that they feel no longer works for them," Mr Barry said.
"They see Crisafulli as someone who is on their side at the moment, but obviously over the next two years, if they don't see outcomes and delivery, then there might be reassessments of their vote considerations."
Campbell Newman, Mr Crisafulli's conservative predecessor, said he viewed it "as a matter of fact" the government would have to engage in some negotiation with Senator Hanson's party.
"I see no sign of the One Nation juggernaut slowing down," he said.
"The trick for David Crisafulli is, can he say we have been the government, we've done a good job, you can back us for a second term?"
Pauline Hanson's One Nation has seen a meteoric rise in the polls. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts )
But Mr Crisafulli flatly denied he would work with One Nation.
"The reason why it's a no is we don't have to do that because people in Queensland are living and breathing an example of what a unified, centre-right government looks like," he said.
Queensland suffered a credit rating downgrade last month , spurred by spiralling debt and interest costs.
Total debt is forecast to exceed $216 billion by 2029-30, an increase of 52 per cent over the next four years.
Mr Newman, now a member of the Libertarian Party, was critical of what he said was the government's failure to engage in traditional fiscal conservatism.
Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman at a protest opposing the Olympic stadium at Victoria Park earlier this year. ( ABC News: Lucy Loram )
But Mr Crisafulli defended the government's approach, claiming the damage had been done by the former Labor government
"The balance we found on that was to make sure that we can continue to improve our financial outcome, while at the same time investing in those frontline services across youth, crime, health, housing and cost of living," he said.
Mr Barry noted delivering those frontline services would be vital, alongside infrastructure for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"The big X factor of the next two years is the Olympic Games," he said.
"Unless the LNP can deliver those projects where voters don't feel that it's at the sacrifice of health and education and roads, then it's going to become a political problem for this government."
Queenslanders head to the polls in October 2028.
