Premier Campbell Newman has launched his most scathing attack on his political opponents to date, labelling the Opposition leader "hollow" and "vacuous" and accusing the Electrical Trades Union of offending his wife.
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On the Sunshine Coast for community cabinet, an area for the state which remains a stronghold for the LNP, Mr Newman let loose with a targeted tirade following a weekend of news reports where the opposition had accused him of "hiding".
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk gleefully announced writs had been issued for the Stafford by-election on Saturday, saying it was "unusual" the premier had not done so.
The opposition had accused Mr Newman of going to ground after the controversy regarding Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody's promotion to Chief Justice.
On Monday morning Mr Newman woke to more headlines, this time in the local newspaper The Sunshine Coast Daily, where ETU representatives labelled him a "coward" for not facing them during a protest on Sunday.
"Frankly the Cabinet are sick of walking past a group of people who spin lies and innuendo and shout obscenities," he said in reference to the ETU.
"I am sick of taking my wife past that group of grubs, because all they do is shout out obscenities all the time, along with their lies about privatisation, it is time for them to clean up their act and it is time for Annastacia Palaszczuk to condemn them as the liars and grubs that they are."
Having warmed to his topic Mr Newman said he was "a little bit jaded and sick and tired" of the Opposition's "nonsense", calling on Ms Palaszczuk to "tell us what she stands for".
"...This is a leader off the Opposition who is hollow and vacuous and has no policies, has no plans and it is about time she actually told Queenslanders what she would stand up for," he said.
"We have improved the health system, we have improved the education system, we have made it a safer place in terms of cracking down on criminal gangs, we have made it a safer place for our families and we have almost repaired the financial damage that they left us.
"Now we are going to the people and saying if we were re-elected in early 2015 we will embark on a program of asset sales which will unlock huge financial resources which will allow us to build the schools, the hospitals, the roads, the bridges, the community centres, the arts facilities of tomorrow and yet, we hear nothing but no from the opposition.
"So it is time for the best resourced opposition the state has ever seen to actually come up with some policies and some plans, stop telling porkies, stop playing stupid political games and tell Queenslanders what their vision will be for the state.
"There is going to be a by-election in only four weeks' time, it is time for them to release their plans right now."
Mr Newman said he was "particularly annoyed" by the "complete nonsense, lies, nonsense, misleading information" he said he saw from the Labor candidate for Stafford, Anthony Lynham.
ETU state secretary Peter Simpson said the situation was "beyond a joke".
"We have been doing this for many years," he said.
"We had a family protest on Sunday, we had a barbecue, we had some people standing around chanting 'not for sale', but there were no personal attacks.
"To say we are doing that sort of thing is rubbish.
"It is beyond a joke. Let's remember that this mob were the cheerleaders for the anti-privatisation campaign in 2009 and now they are attacking us for continuing the campaign. It's outrageous.
"We'll keep fighting this. We always have and we always will."
The Opposition leader has been contacted for comment.
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Newman was feeling the heat from the government's performance.
"So much for humility, grace and dignity," she said.
"I think the Premier’s under pressure and its showing. He’s always been arrogant and now he’s angry."
