Voters head to the polls for the Queensland election as Steven Miles and David Crisafulli go head-to-head
By Eliza Mcphee For Daily Mail Australia and NCA NewsWire
Published: | Updated:
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Queenslanders have began casting their votes for who they want to be Premier, with Steven Miles and David Crisafulli going head-to-head on Saturday.
Those living in the Sunshine State are able to vote up until 6pm on Saturday, with more than one million having already cast their ballots earlier in the week.
The latest Newspoll revealed on Friday showed the Liberal National Party was leading to Mr Miles’s Labor government 52.5 to 47.5 per cent after preferences.
Heading into the election, Labor held 51 seats, with LNP on 35 seats.
Counting will start at 6pm on Saturday.
There was an awkward encounter between former Channel 7 reporter, Bianca Stone, who is running for office, and a voter when they asked where she’d been in the lead-up to the election.
Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live coverage of the Queensland election here.
Former Channel Seven star running for office is grilled at polling booth by voter who demanded to know where she’d been
Bianca Stone, who resigned from being a TV reporter for Channel 7 in 2023, is LNP leader David Crisafulli’s candidate for the seat of Gaven.
Ms Stone was grilled by Highland Park resident Vicki Campbell on Saturday morning, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin, who asked Ms Stone where she had been throughout the election campaign.
Replying she’d been out and about, Ms Campbell hit back.
‘Not at our place,’ she replied before setting her sights on Mr Crisafulli.
‘How are you going to handle the health system?’ Ms Campbell asked the LNP leader.
‘By making sure it’s properly resourced,’ Mr Crisafulli said.
Ms Campbell later told the Bulletin she hadn’t seen Ms Stone out, ‘either door knocking or at Nerang’.
‘I’ve only seen her on a poster. Meaghan (Scanlon) is committed and consistent. She’s out there with the general public,’ Ms Campbell said.
‘I’m a Liberal voter by the way. I’m not a Labor voter.’
Major error as printers shut down at polling booth
Internet issues saw printers at the St Finbarr’s Catholic Primary School school to shut down, forcing voters to be turned away on Saturday.
The printing issue meant ballot papers could not be churned out at the school in Ashgrove, Brisbane.
The Electoral Commission of Queensland told the Courier Mail it was aware of the issue, with only St Finbarr’s impacted.
‘As a precaution we are checking with our digital technology department to ensure they are already in correspondence with the Cooper electorate to ensure this is in hand,’ a spokesperson said.
It’s understood the issue has since been resolved.
Vacuous, superficial, gym-obsessed… but Steven Miles could pull out a shock WIN in Queensland, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN
Steven Miles’ brutal reality check on the eve of the state election
A Newspoll conducted for The Australian ahead of Saturday’s election shows that despite efforts by Premier Steven Miles to claw back ground in recent weeks, Labor is on track for defeat after almost a decade in power.
The Newspoll shows the opposition leads the Labor government 52.5 to 47.5 per cent after preferences.
The poll of 1151 Queenslanders conducted from October 18 to Thursday shows Labor’s primary vote up three points to 33 per cent while support for the LNP remains stable at 42 per cent.
Premier Steven Miles breaks record after visiting 36 electorates in 36 hours
Steven Miles broke former Labor premier Anna Bligh’s record when he managed to visit 36 electorates in 36 hours.
Ms Bligh visited 50 seats in five days during 2012.
The Queensland Premier even utilised a jet ski to get around the state this week.
‘What better way to get between two Gold Coast seats than on a jet ski,’ he said.
He also enjoyed a traditional Aussie meat pie during his campaign.
Liberal leader David Crisafulli arrives to cast his vote
David Crisafulli arrived with his wife Tegan vote at the Springwood State High school, for polling day in Brisbane on Saturday.
The pair were suitably dressed in blue, the colour associated with the Liberal party.
‘Here’s to a fresh start for Queensland,’ he said as he dropped his ballot.
Premier Steven Miles casts his vote at the election
Queensland Premier Steven Miles and his wife Kim voted at the Kallangur State School in Brisbane on Saturday morning.
Mr Miles was seen with his arm around his daughter Bridie as he headed to cast his ballot.
Thousands of Queenslanders turn out to vote in the state election on Saturday
Key Updates
Former Channel Seven star running for office is grilled at polling booth by voter who demanded to know where she’d been
Thousands of Queenslanders turn out to vote in the state election on Saturday
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Voters head to the polls for the Queensland election as Steven Miles and David Crisafulli go head-to-head