This was published 8 years ago
Kate Jones was less sure of her Ashgrove victory than Campbell Newman
By Cameron Atfield
Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones was less certain of her election victory in Ashgrove than Campbell Newman, she said on Sunday following revelations the former premier was resigned to his fate before voters went to the polls.
Mr Newman told News Corp he twice offered his resignation as leader and the LNP should have accepted that resignation.
Ashgrove combatants Campbell Newman and Kate Jones prior to the 2012 state election.Credit: Paul Harris
Mr Newman also said he was resigned to losing his seat of Ashgrove ahead of the January 31 election, but he considered it was more important to "get the team over the line".
That position somewhat contradicted the LNP's public statements both before the election was called and during the campaign, in which it refused to acknowledge the possibility of it retaining government without Mr Newman.
In the end, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was only able to form government with the support of crossbenchers, which made the possibility of a Newman-less LNP government more realistic than was publicly acknowledged.
Ms Jones said she was never confident she would regain Ashgrove, which she lost to Mr Newman in the 2012 LNP landslide.
"I guess I can demonstrate the highs and lows of political life, so I absolutely thought it was a contest right up to the end," she said.
"But I am so humbled, honestly, to be the member for Ashgrove and I obviously wish Campbell Newman all the best for his future.
"He's made it clear he doesn't want to re-enter politics and I do genuinely wish him and his family all the best for the future."
The News Corp interview closely followed Mr Newman's interview with the ABC's Landline and was the latest signal that his period of public seclusion was, at least temporarily, coming to an end.
The former premier had largely shunned publicity since his election loss, but a biography authored by former LNP MP Gavin King has Mr Newman once again seeking the spotlight.
Mr Newman will help launch the book, Can Do: Campbell Newman and the Challenge of Reform, in Brisbane on October 7, prior to a national book tour.
At least one person sure to feature in the book said she had no intention of reading Mr Newman's version of history.
"I don't have time to read that book," Ms Jones said.