Labor Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has accused Premier Campbell Newman of playing "gutter politics" over allegations of unions funnelling funds to Labor via bikie gangs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Palaszczuk again called on Mr Newman to present any evidence to authorities but wouldn't directly address footage of Electrical Trades Union (ETU) state secretary Peter Simpson saying he saw bikies bring "wads of cash" to support people on the picket line during a Maritime Union of Australia dispute.
The footage is shown in an LNP ad claiming links between the Labor party and "bikie-backed unions".
"You will remember the bikies have rode up to the MUA dispute bringing wads of cash to support the guys on the picket line. I was there with them," he says in a short clip taken from a union rally and used in the ad.
"Some people are a bit nervous about being associated with bikies. I'm proud to say the Electrical Trades Union aren't."
The ad goes on to claim the ETU donated more than $200,000 to the Queensland Labor party. The union says this is a national figure, not a state one.
On Sunday morning, Ms Palaszczuk said the Premier had reached an all-time low with his claims.
"This is a premier who said he would not stoop and go into the gutter," she said.
"This is gutter politics. I never thought that the Premier would go this low.
"As I said very clearly yesterday, if the Premier has any single piece of evidence, any shred of evidence, you must refer it to the authorities immediately and the police will investigate."
The ETU rejected Mr Newman's "bizarre" and "desperate" allegations, saying its accounts were independently audited and registered with the Fair Work Commission and all political donations were disclosed to the Electoral Commission of Queensland.
"Obviously, Newman's smear against the CFMEU is baseless and he is now searching around for a new target for his smear," a spokesman said in a statement.
Mr Newman first claimed bikies were funnelling funds to the Labor Party through one of its most powerful union backers, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, at a people's forum on Friday night. The CFMEU did not feature in the ad.
When asked to provide evidence he said it was up to Labor to disprove the allegations and told journalists to "Google it".
ALP Queensland campaign director Anthony Chisholm has also condemned the allegations, calling for the LNP to pull the ad from TV if it couldn't back up its claims.
"These TV ads are misleading and are exactly the behaviour that Mr Newman himself was complaining about just days ago in regards to broadcaster Alan Jones. It is time Mr Newman lived up to his own standards," he said.
When asked how Labor checked the "true source" of donations, Ms Palaszczuk said that was a matter for party officials.
She said questions about whether Mr Simpson's comments were proof the union accepted money from bikies could be taken up with him.
The Labor Leader again reiterated her party's plan to "repeal and replace" the LNP's anti-bikie laws but wouldn't go into detail, saying her party's law and order policy would be released before the election.
Ms Palaszczuk used the phrase "zero tolerance" more than 14 times to describe her position on outlaw motorcycle gangs.
"Zero tolerance, zero tolerance, no, zero tolerance. You'll see it," she said when asked by a journalist if the party was yet to decide on its position.
"No, not at all. Zero tolerance, zero tolerance."
She was on the Gold Coast to announce plans to guarantee work for 1000 graduate nurses a year over four years if elected, costing $111 million
"This means 1000 extra nurses on the frontline in Queensland hospitals," she said.
"It also means that at the end of their 12-month employment period each nurse will have had valuable practical experience to help them secure permanent positions in our state's health system."
