Former premier Campbell Newman has hit back at his former treasurer Tim Nicholls, after the LNP leader disowned Mr Newman's economic policies at a Queensland Media Club lunch on Tuesday.
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Mr Nicholls apologised on behalf of the LNP at the Brisbane lunch, saying the previous LNP government "broke the trust of Queenslanders" and said he had "learnt his lesson" over asset sales.
"In moving quickly we (the previous Newman government) failed to take Queenslanders with us, and I acknowledge that we broke the trust of Queenslanders, and for that I am sorry," he said.
However, Mr Newman on Tuesday night criticised Mr Nicholls for his comments.
Leaders take responsibility for hard decisions that have to be made-I did. Time for@TimNichollsMP who drove asset sales & cuts #qldpol??? Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) March 7, 2017
If @TimNichollsMP had no role in the policies of my govt (yeh right !) what are his policies now and how do they differ ? #qldpol??? Campbell Newman (@CampbellNewman) March 7, 2017
Mr Nicholls responded to his former boss on Wednesday by saying he was a "very different person from Campbell".
"I made it quite clear I was a part of that government and I accept responsibility for my role in that government," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"I apologise to Queenslanders for not taking them with us."
Mr Nicholls is yet to explain how he planned to fund large infrastructure projects.
Mr Newman's LNP government's Strong Choices asset sales policy proposed long-term leases over government-owned ports and electricity generators to raise money for infrastructure spending.
It proposed raising about $37 billion from long-term leases of government-owned ports and electricity generators, using the money to pay off $25 billion in government debt and finance an $8 billion infrastructure fund.
Mr Newman pointed out that Mr Nicholls was yet to define where he stood on the issue of asset sales, or asset leases, in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.
In his Queensland Media Club speech on Tuesday, Mr Nicholls said he had "learnt his lesson" on asset sales, but he stopped short of ruling them out completely if elected again.
It was similar to his position in August 2016 when he made his first speech to the LNP state convention.
"Over the course of the next 18 months we will present policies to the people which will represent a real alternative to the inertia of this present Labor government," he said at the time.
But while listing LNP policies, which the opposition had been releasing over the past few months, Mr Nicholls did not in August 2016 address whether asset sales would one day form part of the LNP platform.
Instead, he concentrated on what he believed Labor to be doing wrong. And why a government he led would do better.
"The one thing I can say today is that my government won't be a government driven by inquiries."
However earlier on May 5, 2016 when he claimed the Opposition leadership from former LNP leader Lawrence Springborg, he said the public had spoken on asset sales at the 2015 election.
"The people of Queensland delivered their verdict on the Strong Choices program," Mr Nicholls said.
"The people of Queensland have spoken, we accept that resolution."
- with Amy Remeikis and AAP
