Babies have been held, dogs patted and sausages sizzled as the leaders of Queensland’s major parties made a last-ditch appeal to voters deciding on the next government of the Sunshine State.
Premier Steven Miles, vying for his first elected term as premier and a fourth term for the Labor government, had consumed two sausage sandwiches in the name of democracy by midday on election day.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli was more restrained in his snag consumption on Saturday as he greeted voters and their furry friends on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane’s north.
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The day began for the premier at Kallangur State School in his electorate of Murrumba, north of Brisbane, where he and his wife Kim cast their ballots with daughter Bridie – who’s not yet eligible to vote – in tow.
After a month of campaigning across the state, reporters spied new shoes on the premier, who claimed he’d done “too much doorknocking; I wore a pair out”.
After visiting the seat of Cooper, Miles beelined for babies at a polling booth at New Farm State School while joining minister Grace Grace in her central-Brisbane electorate.
“I see a baby,” he said as he went to snuggle eight-week-old Maisie, who’s the child of Grace’s media adviser.
The infant was milk-drunk and unaware of becoming the centre of media attention as the premier cooed and planted a kiss on her head.
After meeting voters, taking photos with families and snapping selfies with young fans, Miles headed for his second democracy sausage, which, for the record, he takes with onion and barbecue sauce.
Grace holds McConnel on an 11 per cent margin, and has held the seat for all but two years since 2007 – a situation Greens candidate Holstein Wong has been on a mission to change.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. The Greens tried last time but I’m a very solid, strong candidate and have lived here all my life,” Grace told AAP.
However, Wong believes she could win the seat thanks to voters who are disenchanted with the major parties.
“I’m quietly optimistic that our team has done the groundwork over the last six months to talk to as many people in McConnel as possible,” she told AAP.
Grace said the abortion issue might help her support after the opposition was plagued for weeks over questions about whether it would allow a conscience vote on any private bill to repeal reproductive rights laws.
“A lot of women are saying to me they can’t believe that it is actually a possibility that we could be criminalising abortion again,” Grace said.
Crisafulli and his wife Tegan voted at Springwood State High School, south of Brisbane, where the opposition leader said “Here’s to a fresh start for Queensland” while casting his ballot.
He dashed over to William Duncan State School in Nerang, in the Gold Coast seat of Gaven held by Labor minister Meaghan Scanlon, where he handed out how-to-vote cards and greeted some furry friends.
Crisafulli abided by advice never to try to sway babies and instead stuck to friendly dogs on his blitz of polling booths in Redlands, in Brisbane’s east.
“Ernie’s ready for a Fresh Start in the Redlands,” the opposition leader posted on social media in reference to a voter’s golden retriever.
But Crisafulli couldn’t escape the obligatory democracy sausage, and appeared on social media grinning with what appeared to be just a snag and tomato sauce.
Voting closes at 6pm AEST, with public polling indicating the LNP is favoured to win government, though its margin with Labor has tightened in the final days of the campaign.