No sign of a spill but destabilisation campaign against Deb Frecklington continues
There’s no sign yet of a party-room spill, or even a canvassing of votes, but this bizarre civil war within the LNP against Deb Frecklington is still being played out, writes Peter McCutcheon.
âItâs just madness,â one LNP frontbencher told the ABC. âThe party room canât believe it.â
What the MP was referring to was a campaign of destabilisation against Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, which included the leaking of an unflattering internal party poll to The Courier-Mail on Saturday.
Frecklington told the media yesterday she âwill not be bullied by the backroom boysâ, while her deputy Tim Mander said âshe has the support of the parliamentary wingâ.
But another MP observed it may not be so clear cut.
âIf you asked me 10 days ago, I would have said thereâs no chance of a leadership change, but as backbenchers look at their margins they may think, whatâs my best chance?â
A Frecklington supporter has pointed the finger at LNP president Dave Hutchinson as the source of the destabilisation.
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Hutchinson has declined to comment, although an LNP spokesman told the ABC, âthe partyâs sole focus is on maximising its chances in Octoberâ.
âItâs puzzlingâ
One party source admitted there had been discontent with the Opposition Leader âat the grassroots levelâ.
âUnusually, this is not being driven by anyoneâs ego or ambition, but rather by what party members are telling us,â he said.
âDonors are saying they donât want to give money to a failing campaign and that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.â
But what may have begun as a party effort to âfire upâ the Opposition Leader to take on a more aggressive approach to campaigning is quickly degenerating into a public slanging match.
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âIt is clumsy,â the party source admitted.
An MP who is familiar with internal polling said the figures were manipulated in order the make the Opposition Leader look bad.
âThe internal poll was of 1300 people in 26 seats â thatâs 50 per electorate,â he said.
âLocal candidates have done their own polls, which are far more accurate, and they come up with a more positive result for Deb.
âItâs puzzling why theyâd try to blast her out with no known challenger.â
One name that is often mentioned as a potential challenger is Gold Coast MP David Crisafulli.
He repeatedly refused to rule out a leadership challenge in a Channel Nine TV news report on Saturday and has since issued a tweet praising his leader.
âOn the day media talk about polling, Deb Frecklington reveals her vision for water infrastructure,â he said.
The ABC has contacted Crisafulli. He declined to comment any further.
â ABC / state political correspondent Peter McCutcheon
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