'It's about the people of Queensland'
Premier Campbell Newman has cast his vote alongside the constituents of Ashgrove on what's being tipped as his final day as the electorate's local member.
Newman holds the Brisbane seat by a 5.7 per cent margin but recent polling has suggested he will lose it to Labor rival Kate Jones.
Queensland Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says she's feeling positive after casting her vote in her Brisbane seat of Inala.
But when asked if she was confident of winning the state's top job on Saturday, she said: "One step at a time. It's going to be a long day."
The premier filed his ballot at Newmarket State School on Saturday morning with his wife, Lisa, avoiding a throng of protesters out the front.
"We've done the best for Queenslanders during this entire term," he said.
Queensland Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has cast her vote in her Brisbane seat of Inala. Photo: AAP
Premier Campbell Newman and Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk earlier made their last pitch to voters.
About 2.5 million people are expected to lodge their vote in Saturday's state election.
The Electoral Commission of Queensland says 328,601 people have already voted in pre-polling.
While Newman highlighted his plan to build infrastructure by leasing state assets, Palaszczuk said the mandate was the reason Labor drastically lost the last election.
"We were elected to clean up a big mess," Newman told Channel Seven before voting booths opened.
"We've turned things around."
Queenslanders are going to the polls with the Liberal National Party set to cop a battering, but hold onto power.
The final opinion polls suggest there will be a swing to Labor of 8-12 per cent on Saturday, meaning the opposition could pick up between 15-30 seats.
But even in a worst-case scenario, the LNP will likely hold on to around 47 seats and have the right to form government.
If that were the final outcome it would spark a mad scramble after both major parties ruled out deals with minor rivals.
There will be a particular focus on Premier Campbell Newman's seat of Ashgrove, where he's been trailing Labor's Kate Jones.
Both parties say that the seat is too close to call, but if Mr Newman loses Queensland will soon have a new premier.
The latest ReachTel poll, released on Friday, highlighted the growing discontent with Mr Newman with 35.7 per cent of respondents labelling his performance as very poor and 16.7 per cent as poor.
The other bellwether seats to watch will be are Townsville, Cairns, Mackay and Gladstone, which have been visited numerous times by both Mr Newman and Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Can Campbell Newman win in his own seat of Ashgrove? Photo: AAP
LNP set to retain government: Newspoll
The Liberal National Party is set to return to government in Queensland with a much-reduced majority after a likely 11-point swing to Labor, the latest Newspoll shows.
The poll, published by News Corp just before Saturday's state election, shows the LNP on 52 per cent to Labor's 48 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
The poll, taken in the final week of the campaign, gives the LNP a primary vote of 41 per cent, ahead of Labor on 37 per cent.
The poll shows only 35 per cent of voters are satisfied with Campbell Newman's performance as premier, with 58 per cent dissatisfied.
Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk's satisfaction levels have remained steady at 38 per cent, with 40 per cent of voters dissatisfied with her performance.
But on the question of preferred premier, Mr Newman leads his rival 43 per cent to 42 per cent.
The big promises
LIBERAL NATIONAL PARTY
JOBS
- Jobs for Tomorrow policy to create 26,000 new training positions by offering incentives to employers. Worth $91 million.
INFRASTRUCTURE
- $148 million in "congestion-busting" road projects in the state's southeast
- Duplicating 17km of rail line on the Sunshine Coast to ease congestion on the line between Beerburrum and Landsborough. Worth $532 million over four years
- $150 million in funding for a new stadium complex in Townsville
- $170 million for M1-Gateways merge, extension of bus lane, 350 park-and-ride spaces
- $375 million to create a major highway in regional Queensland, to upgrade and widen existing roads to create an inland alternative to the Bruce Highway
- Extra $500 million for the regions to go towards 47 projects including the upgrade of 11 airports, a road and a truck wash down facility.
EDUCATION
- $1 billion for 22 new schools and existing school upgrades
- $90 million innovation fund and 500 scholarships for education degrees
TOURISM
- $80 million for tourism, including a $60 million Queensland First fund to attract world-class events and $20 million to encourage visitors to see the regions
LAW AND ORDER
- $7.5 million for three new police rapid action hubs, 5400 more iPads for officers on the beat and $22 million to improve intelligence capacity.
LABOR
- Advance Queensland Policy: $50 million over three years to support research, give a tax holiday to companies involved in that research, offer 20 university scholarships per year to post-graduate students and support female researchers advance their careers
JOBS
- To reintroduce the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program
- $40 million for fresh business ideas under Business Development Fund
MINISTERIAL
- Cut the number of ministers from the current 19 to 14 and assistant ministers down from 12 to one to save the government $27 million.
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Building Our Regions Policy: $390 million over three years to fund infrastructure for regional centres, remote areas, mining communities and general transport
EDUCATION
- $9 million for 45 new guidance counsellors for state schools with over 500 students.
- Hiring 875 new teachers in the state schools, bolstering new hires to 2500, including 275 specialist high school teachers. Worth $139 million over three years.
HEALTH
- $110 million to employ 400 extra nurses over four years
- $111 million to employ 1000 graduate nurses a year for four years
ENVIRONMENT
- Scrap a $300m LNP pledge to fund the controversial rail link between the Carmichael coal mine and the Abbot Point terminal at Bowen
TOURISM
- An extra $40 million over four years to help grow Queensland's tourism industry
LAW AND ORDER
- Backflipped on promise to overturn the bikie laws. Will have a review instead.
