Crisafulli Rules Out One Nation Deal as Youth Crime and Cost of Living Remain Top Priorities

Queensland's premier has marked two years in office by reaffirming his government's commitment to tackling youth crime, while acknowledging that more work is needed to address the cost-of-living crisis.

In a recent interview, David Crisafulli categorically ruled out any future negotiations with One Nation, saying that his government is focused on delivering on its priorities. "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 faced criticism for its handling of the cost-of-living crisis, with the premier conceding that more needs 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."

Redbridge polling group director Tony Barry, a former Liberal Party pollster, said that if an election were held today, the Crisafulli government would be returned, but that the rising popularity of One Nation posed a challenge for incumbents. "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.

Former premier Campbell Newman, Mr Crisafulli's conservative predecessor, took a different view, saying that 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.

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. "I don't have to talk about coalitions, and I don't have to talk about deals."

The government's crime policies were a keystone of their election campaign, and Mr Crisafulli said reducing the number of victims of crime remained "the priority of the government".

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 was critical of what he said was the government's failure to engage in traditional fiscal conservatism. But Mr Crisafulli defended the government's approach, claiming the damage had been done by the former Labor government.

Mr Barry noted delivering 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."