May 3, 2016
by Anne Miller
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington is being tipped by the metropolitan media as Queensland’s next Deputy Opposition Leader.
Speculation has been rife that current Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg is about to be dumped by the LNP in favour of either Shadow Employment Minister Tim Nicholls or Shadow Education Minister Tim Mander.
The Courier-Mail newspaper reported on Tuesday that Mrs Frecklington, who is Shadow Agriculture Minister, had been approached by both men to serve as a possible deputy.
However, Mrs Frecklington told southburnett.com.au it was all “scuttlebutt”.
“I support the leader,” she said.
She said she was busy in her electorate this week. She had Vegetation Management forums planned with Shadow Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps in Gympie and Toogoolawah on Wednesday, and in Kingaroy on Thursday.
“I am getting on with the job of getting rid of this hopeless Labor Government,” she said.
The Courier-Mail has tipped a LNP leadership spill could occur as early as next Monday at the next party room meeting before State Parliament resumes.
It has been suggested that some MPs are unhappy that two city-based candidates, Tim Nicholls (Clayfield) and Tim Mander (Everton), could be vying for the top job. In this scenario, Mrs Frecklington would provide a regional balance.
Fairfax media has also noted that Mr Springborg kept the leadership position by just one vote after the 2015 election, with supporters citing his experience and ability to negotiate with crossbenchers.
However, his failure to rally the crossbench against the ALP’s reintroduction of compulsory preferential voting – which will favour Labor and could hand them as many as nine more seats at the next State election – may have fuelled dissatisfaction.
Mr Mander holds his seat of Everton by a slim margin. A combined Green / ALP vote could have been enough to tip him out at the 2015 election.
Speaking to ABC Radio on Tuesday, Mr Springborg rejected talk of a leadership challenge as “speculation and rumour”.
“The greatest majority of my colleagues are very, very annoyed that there are a few people that have wanted to agitate in this way, because frankly they’re letting down our supporters and they’re letting down Queenslanders,” he said.
Current Deputy Opposition John-Paul Langbroek also dismissed any push to oust Mr Springborg as “rumour and speculation”.
A minor reshuffle was already on the cards following the resignation of Shadow Minister John McVeigh to contest the Federal seat of Groom.
