QLD election 2020 live updates: Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington announces youth curfew - NEWS.com.au

The three seats in Townsville are widely considered to be vital electorates to deciding which party will form government following the October 31 state election, with the Liberal-National Party previously signalling its intentions to capitalise on the topical issue of crime.

It has a former police inspector, Glenn Doyle, contesting the seat of Mundingburra and has previously committed to automatically locking up juveniles after a third conviction.

But the curfew is the most extraordinary pitch to prise the three marginal seats away from the incumbent Labor government.

Under the plan, children aged 14 and under will be picked up by police if they are out past 8pm and those between the ages of 15 and 17 aren’t off the streets by 10pm.

They will be taken to local community refuges where they will be supervised and provided with support by youth and health workers, the party said.

Parents will be fined $250 if their children are unable to provide a reasonable excuse to why they’re out past these times.

“We need to make sure this community is kept safe,” Ms Frecklington told reporters from Townsville on Wednesday morning.

“Under Labor there is no plan to be tough on crime … business as usual won’t cut it.

“If you are on the streets doing the wrong thing, you’ll be taken off the streets.”

Follow the election blog below for the latest news from the campaign.

Live Updates

Labor has just announced Police Minister Mark Ryan will speak to media in 10 minutes outside the Townsville Police Academy.

No prizes for guessing what this will be about as the backlash to LNP's curfew heats up online.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the LNP's controversial plan to introduce a curfew to fight youth crime in Cairns and Townsville "doesn't cut the mustard".

But this critique was aimed at Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington's explanation of how the curfew would be implemented into practice, not whether or not she believes it is a humane approach to fighting crime.

Ms Palaszczuk refused to reveal her thoughts on the curfew despite being asked repeatedly by reporters, insisting the main problem in the region is unemployment.

"The number one issue here is jobs," she said, also leaning on Labor's plan to boost the number of law enforcement officers to combat crime in North Queensland.

In no real surprise, the LNP's plan to trial a curfew on children in Cairns and Townsville has been heavily criticised online.

We all know what colour kids you're talking about too.
Dog-whistling 101. https://t.co/rrCV5e0vk4
— RonniSalt (@RonniSalt) October 21, 2020

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The highway linking Brisbane and Cairns has been a hot topic in the state election.

The LNP pledged at the start of the campaign that it would double its width to four lanes all the way through to the north.

And today Labor revealed its plan, saying it will build a second Bruce Highway to run parallel to the existing road to reduce the number of trucks and ease congestion.

"If re-elected, we have a vision to build an inland highway from Charters Towers to Mungindi," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

BREAKING: If re-elected, we have a vision to build an inland highway from Charters Towers to Mungindi. #qldvotes #qldjobs pic.twitter.com/oZXzzvWgDR
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 20, 2020

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Under the plan, children aged 14 and under will be picked up by police if they are out past 8pm and those between the ages of 15 and 17 aren’t off the streets by 10pm.

Parents will be fined $250 if their children are unable to provide a reasonable excuse to why they're out past these times.

The @LNPQLD will recruit more police & fix @QLDLabor's soft 'catch & release laws and bring back breach of bail as an offence for juveniles. In Townsville & Cairns the @LNPQLD will trial an 8pm curfew for kids aged 14 & under and a 10pm curfew for youths aged 15-17. #qldpol pic.twitter.com/AXfMa7h2OV
— Deb Frecklington MP (@DebFrecklington) October 20, 2020

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Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles reaffirmed his party's position to preference One Nation last in the upcoming state election despite rogue MPs defying Labor's basic instructions.

Mr Miles labelled Pauline Hanson’s party the “worst of the freaks and weirdos” ahead of the polls closing on October 31, but amid his name calling he confusingly left the door slightly ajar for others to be pushed to the back of the line in each electorate behind One Nation.

“If there are worse freaks and weirdos, they will be considered,” the deputy premier said.

The Labor preference strategy appeared to provide a simple and consistent message but a number of party members have muddied the waters after being spotted actively advocating for voters to preference the Liberal-National Party last.

This allowed senior LNP Senator Matt Canavan to step in and question Mr Miles’, saying the deputy premier had “as much punch as a pensioner”.

“It’s pretty disappointing that he’s so inconsistent,” Mr Canavan told Today on Wednesday morning. “He seems so unsure of himself and then you have his own candidates out there contradicting him.

“On the same day he was saying that, Labor candidates are running around saying ‘Put the LNP last’. The Labor Party has lost all credibility on this issue. Their rhetoric is completely empty because they’ve been caught red handed saying one thing but doing the complete opposite.”

Queensland has reported one new coronavirus case on Wednesday, taking the total number of active infections to five.

Wednesday, 21 October – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
• 1 new confirmed case
• 5 active cases
• 1,165 total confirmed cases
• 1,198,424 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,154 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/NkCK0BASpz
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 20, 2020

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Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has announced the LNP will trial a curfew in Townsville and Cairns to control youth crime.

Three seats around the northern Queensland hub are all tightly held by Labor and it's widely viewed as the seats where the election will be won or lost.

The LNP has capitalised on the issue of youth crime in this region, promising to introduce reforms to automatically lock children up after committing a third crime.

And today's announcement is a further promise to voters on the topical issue.

"We need to make sure this community is kept safe," Ms Frecklington told reporters from Townsville on Wednesday morning.

"Under labor there is no plan to be tough on crime … business as usual won't cut it.

"If you are on the streets doing the wrong thing, you'll be taken off the streets."

There have been a number of filmed debates over the last few weeks in the lead up to the October 31 state election.

But today is when the juicy stuff starts when former deputy premier Jackie Trad faces Greens candidate Amy MacMahon in the debate for the seat of South Brisbane.

Ms Trad has been mired in controversy since she was forced to step down from leadership over a corruption investigation.

She has since been cleared of any wrongdoing but has remained the outsider after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she will not be welcomed back into cabinet if Labor retains power.

Compounding the electorate battle is the surging popularity of the Greens.

The progressive party performed strongly in the QLD council elections earlier in the year on the back of pressing environmental concerns after the summer's devastating bushfires.

Greens also have their tails up after a strong swing in the local ACT election on the weekend.

The two candidates will debate on the Courier Mail website at 12.00pm Brisbane time (1.00pm in Sydney), which will be covered live right here.

One Nation chief Pauline Hanson said Labor MP Brittany Lauga has "been completely useless" as the sitting member for Keppel in Central Queensland.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's assistant minister for education faces a tough battle to retain the marginal seat, which was made even more difficult after she was revealed as a rogue MP defying party orders.

Volunteers for Craig Crawford, Labor MP in another marginal seat Barron River, and Ms Lauga were spotted holding placards insisting voters “Put the LNP last”.

This was after Labor candidate Mike Brunker, who is vying for the seat of Burdekin, south of Townsville, was advocating voters for the same preference despite clear orders from senior party leaders.