The absence of Prime Minister Tony Abbott from the Queensland LNP's campaign so far could become an election issue if he fails to make an appearance, according to a QUT political scientist.
Professor Clive Bean said the party had to deal with the "balancing act" of finding a way for the Prime Minister to feature in their campaign without drawing too much attention to unpopular Federal Government policies.
"To date Tony Abbott's absence has been explainable by the fact that he is on leave, but that will wear thin pretty quickly," Professor Bean said.
"If they keep him completely out of it there is a danger it will become an election issue and a significant lever for Labor to criticise and draw on some of the perceived failings of the Federal Government.
"It would probably be better for the LNP to have him appear at some stage, to show his support, but not for too long. They need to manage it so it doesn't become a big issue in its own right where it can quickly gain momentum and turn into a difficult situation for the State Government."
However, Professor Bean said that while the popularity of the Federal Government could hurt the LNP "at the margins", it would likely only have an impact on the election result if voting went "down to the wire."
He said the Premier was gearing up for a contest potentially too close to call after the latest poll results from the electorate of Ashgrove.
A Seven News commissioned ReachTEL poll found 47.6 per cent of Ashgrove voters planned to put Labor candidate Kate Jones first on the ballot, with Campbell Newman securing 43.7 per cent of first preferences.
"After that result I don't think Kate Jones should be feeling all that comfortable and I don't think Campbell Newman should be too disheartened," Professor Bean said.
"It shows that it will not be a runaway victory for Labor, it will be a pretty tight contest. And given Campbell Newman has improved 3 per cent since the previous poll, in December, the closer it gets to polling day the tighter it could be.
"The other interesting thing is that the poll found the majority of people in Ashgrove still thought Campbell Newman would win. So this result could concentrate the minds of LNP voters in the electorate who have been a bit nonchalant about his chances of getting re-elected."
Professor Bean said the issue of asset sales was unlikely to be a significant factor for the majority of voters.
"The government is certainly facing some criticisms about its assumptions about asset sales and how much revenue they can generate," he said.
"But in a way, by announcing their intentions well ahead and signalling what they would do, the issue has been somewhat defused.
"The government itself is putting the spotlight on the issue by talking about the revenues and the new projects they will be spent on. I think ultimately the issue of asset sales and spending will become fused with voter perception of how each party will manage the economy overall."
Media contact:
Rob Kidd, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, rj.kidd@qut.edu.au
After hours, Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901
