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Jobs at centre of Qld election

Getty

Getty

Jobs have taken centre stage in Queensland’s election, but both sides have a tough sell convincing voters they have the solution.

Premier Campbell Newman unveiled an $91 million plan to create 26,000 extra training positions on the campaign in Brisbane on Sunday.

The plan is focused on giving employers a variety of incentives to train young Queenslanders.

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Mr Newman is still promising to bring the unemployment rate down to four per cent by the end of his second term, if re-elected.

But after an entire term spent trying to do just that, the Liberal National Party doesn’t have much to show.

Queensland’s unemployment rate remains tied with Tasmania at 6.9 per cent.

Mr Newman insists conservative treasury figures indicate about 209,000 new jobs will be created over the next six years.

He says many of those jobs will happen because his government has expedited major projects and a Labor government is a far riskier option for voters.

“That’s my point, under the LNP we have a team that will make these projects happen,” the premier told reporters.

“They’re not going to happen with the uncertainty we could get from a Labor government with the support of independents and minor parties.

“That is the real risk to Queensland right now.”

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has pledged to cut the number of cabinet ministers to save $27 million and to bring back the Skilling Queenslanders for Work scheme, axed by the LNP when it came to power.

But she’s yet to divulge how much that program will cost, only saying “a couple hundred million dollars”.

Mr Newman said the LNP’s plan helped employers train young people, while Labor was only focused on their own jobs and setting up another government agency.

But the premier can’t claim he’s not concerned about his own job.

He unveiled over $10.5 million of proposed projects to party faithful in his Ashgrove electorate on Sunday.

Mr Newman holds the Brisbane seat by a margin of 5.7 per cent and is widely tipped to lose to former minister and Labor candidate Kate Jones.

Even if he’s a one-term premier, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten concedes the election would be a tough battle for Labor, with the party handed just seven of 89 seats in parliament in the last vote.

“It’s a very steep mountain that Annastacia Palaszczuk has to climb,” Mr Shorten told reporters in Brisbane.

“But for goodness sakes, if you hand Campbell Newman the same whopping majority then you’re going to get three and four more years of the terrible cuts, the high unemployment and the cuts to the quality of life for Queensland.”

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