FIRSTLY, during a term when the government was spending very little on any electorate, I did quite well in the seat of Mount Isa.

We emerged as leaders in the state for funding community and sports grants. 

I would also challenge anyone to demonstrate how any other rural sitting member of the LNP got anything more than me this term because they belonged to the government. 

 They didn’t.  

Amongst my other achievements have been working with government towards a solution for the copper smelter extensions and getting much-needed access to national parks for drought-starved cattle.  I can also claim that under my term and after I was the only one constantly lobbying for an overturn of the Uranium ban in parliament, it finally happened under my term.  

These achievements are not consistent with these assertions.

Secondly, I have observed the capitulation of backbenchers in this government into becoming hand-waving drones that do as their party leadership tells them or else they get shown the door as four members were in this term. 

I would say that backbenchers and even some ministers have less clout then someone who asserts themselves on the crossbenches.  

At the very least, we are able to actually voice what our electorate wants in parliament without the overwhelming fear of retribution rendering you almost useless in parliament.

Thirdly, governments should be made up of people who attract peoples vote because they believe that person will best represent them not because they should be bullied into thinking ‘vote for us or your electorate gets nothing’.  

It would be a sad day for me and for the rest of Queensland if that is the main argument used to make people vote for a particular party against minor parties and independents.

Fourthly, the Premier stated in the media two weeks ago that it is highly likely that we are facing a balance of power situation in the next election, which is something I have been advised of by other large political groups for some time now based on extensive polling data.  

Under this scenario, immense power can be delivered to the KAP and independents – in which case the seat of Mount Isa has a large opportunity to leverage for some big ticket items.  

These were not my predictions, they were the Premier’s predictions. 

Fifthly, If you are on the crossbenches you at least have a 50-50 chance of working both sides of the fence regardless of who takes government.  

If you just vote for one of the major parties hoping they get into government and they don’t, then you have a much smaller chance of having any interaction from the opposition than from the crossbenches.  

Under this scenario, this assertion of having to vote for major parties is completely false.