Steven Miles says none of his colleagues have asked him to consider stepping aside, despite new polling that shows fewer than a quarter of voters in marginal seats think he is doing a good job as Queensland’s opposition leader, and many Labor supporters are unsure about his performance.
The former premier spoke outside Parliament House on Wednesday after the exclusive Resolve Political Monitor data was published in this masthead.
“Look, the next election is more than two years away and we have a lot of work to do. I’m as upfront about that as anybody,” he told reporters.
“We have an important job to hold this government to account … but also to make sure that Queenslanders are seeing and hearing just how bad this government is.
“That’s what we are doing every day, and will continue to do every day … across every front, things are getting worse.”
Asked if colleagues or anyone in the labour movement had discussed with him the possibility that he might stand aside to allow a new leader to take over, he said “no”.
Shadow treasurer and shadow minister for women Shannon Fentiman, herself considered a possible future Labor leader, said she was “absolutely” confident Miles remained the best person to serve as opposition leader, and she had not spoken to any colleagues about the possibility of a replacement.
“That’s not a conversation we’re having. We’re focused on holding the government to account,” she said.
The government used much of question time on Wednesday to lob sledges at Miles, tabling media coverage – including an article from this masthead – in which anonymous senior Labor figures aired frustrations about the leader’s performance.
“I tell you right now, I believe killing season is coming in November,” LNP minister Steve Minnikin told the chamber.
On Monday, Miles said he was “absolutely” confident he would still head the party at Christmas, adding: “I’m not going anywhere.”
The new polling from Resolve Political Monitor showed just 24 per cent of voters in marginal Queensland seats thought Miles was doing a good job, while Premier David Crisafulli had a net positive rating – even among Labor and One Nation voters.
Primary vote support among the three top parties remained relatively steady, with the LNP ahead on 32 per cent, Labor on 24 per cent, and One Nation on 21 per cent.
Almost 40 per cent of Labor voters did not describe Miles’ performance as good, 15 per cent said he was doing a poor job, and 24 per cent were undecided.
In marginal seats, Miles’ net performance was notably worse than among the wider public, with a performance rating of -25. Just 24 per cent said he was doing a good job, compared with Crisafulli’s 45 per cent.
Not for the first time, One Nation narrowly outperformed Labor on the primary vote among women.
“I think it just shows that we have more work to do to remind the women of Queensland about some of One Nation’s policies when it comes to their healthcare,” Fentiman added.
“I think a lot of women probably don’t know that Pauline Hanson doesn’t support women accessing abortion here in Queensland, that she thinks domestic violence is a two-way street, that she doesn’t think women should have access to affordable childcare.
“We know so many women are bearing the brunt of the cost of living … they are hurting, and that is why we have a job to do to make sure they understand that David Crisafulli and the LNP has made things worse for them, and certainly Pauline Hanson and One Nation will too.”
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