ECQ happy with donor disclosure: Nicholls

Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls says the ECQ has told them they've fulfilled their requirements regarding $100,000 of donations to the party.

LNP leader Tim Nicholls checks a pen made by a Mens Shed member.

Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls checks on the handiwork of the Redland Bay Men's Shed. (AAP)

Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls says the Liberal National Party has now put to bed concerns over the declaration of $100,000 worth of donations.

Mr Nicholls on Sunday said the LNP had been told by the Electoral Commission of Queensland it had satisfied its requirements, however the party would not be revealing who their donors were.

He said the donations had been small amounts and tracking them down had been difficult.

"We'll continue to comply with all the requirements of the Electoral Commission of Queensland," Mr Nicholls said.

The Palaszczuk government retrospectively lowered the threshold for disclosure of donations from $12,400 to $1000 in 2015.

That left the new opposition having to reveal any donations made to it in government.

Labor frontbencher Cameron Dick on Sunday called on Mr Nicholls to publicly release the donors' identities.

"Tim Nicholls must list who donated what and when," Mr Dick said in a statement.

"Or is this a deliberate ploy to hide the truth from voters until after the election?"

The LNP will return to the Brisbane Supreme Court on November 22 for a hearing to test a point of law regarding federal donations to the party.

Meanwhile, Mr Nicholls made a major push for the grey vote in the upcoming state election, with a promise of concessions to save seniors around $720 dollars a year.

The measures include half-price drivers licences, as well as free off-peak public transport, with the benefits to cost the state $114 million over three years.

The announcement was made in the new Gold Coast seat of Bonney, which has not yet been contested but is notionally held by the LNP by 2.2 per cent.

Mr Nicholls also announced $100,000 to update the Redland Bay Men's Shed during his tour of the southeast on Sunday.

The opposition leader continued to field questions about the LNP's decision to preference One Nation ahead of Labor or the Greens in around 50 seats.

A ReachTEL poll in the Sunday Mail showed three quarters of One Nation voters would put the LNP second, potentially handing them a 52 to 48 per cent two-party-preferred lead over Labor.

But One Nation itself continues to court controversy, most recently with state leader Steve Dickson claiming the Safe Schools program taught children how to masturbate and use strap-on dildos.

Mr Nicholls on Sunday repeated his statement that the LNP's decision was locked in, but blamed Labor for introducing compulsory preferential voting and tying voters' hands.

"When it comes to these preference decisions, because of what Labor's done, there are no good choices," Mr Nicholls told reporters.

"The only good choice is to put '1' beside your local LNP candidate."

It was Mr Nicholls' fourth trip to the Gold Coast this election campaign, but he said he was not worried about losing Bonney or one of the LNP's existing seats to Labor.


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Source: AAP



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