Katters desperate to be Qld kingmakers

Katter's Australian Party has extracted a huge amount of promises from the Liberal National Party but they'll struggle to do the same with Labor.

A voter at a polling booth during the Queensland state election

Vote counting in three key electorates in the Queensland election will continue on Thursday. (AAP)

Katter's Australian Party desperately want to be Queensland's kingmakers but it has become unlikely.

KAP MPs Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth have forwarded a wishlist of 28 priorities to both major parties, saying the party that meets more will have KAP support in parliament.

The problem for KAP, with the final 10 seats about to be declared, is that Labor will hold a single-seat majority with the support of independent Peter Wellington.

However, Mr Knuth still believes Labor will need KAP, especially with a potential by-election to come in the in-dispute electorate of Ferny Grove.

"It's only a sneeze, just a sneeze could change government like that," Mr Knuth said.

Mr Katter urged Labor to commit to more items on the KAP wishlist, especially setting up a rural development bank, a Galilee Basin coal region development commission and mandating ethanol in fuel.

"There's clear daylight with the LNP well ahead of the ALP in the number of priorities we've counted up," he said.

"More work needs to be done. The ALP needs to go back and sharpen their pencils."

Labor hasn't commented on its talks with KAP yet.

But Liberal National Party leader Lawrence Springborg has promised sweeping policy changes in his bid to woo KAP.

Mr Springborg wrote Mr Katter and Mr Knuth a letter promising to scrap the LNP's asset leasing plan and to end forced public sector redundancies.

He has promised to set up a Galilee Basin Development Commission, introduce a bill to mandate ethanol in fuel, have a parliamentary committee look into electricity pricing and try to reserve some gas tenements for domestic use.

Under the policies, Katter MPs would be better resourced, Labor would be invited to share cost-cutting ideas in the budget and the integrity commissioner would attend cabinet meetings discussing appointments and approvals.

"Importantly, the undertakings I give in this letter would apply even if, at some future date during this term, the LNP was able to form a government without requiring KAP MPs," Mr Springborg wrote.

"I believe very strongly that all sides of politics need to embrace this opportunity for a more consultative approach to decision making in Queensland."

It was unclear whether there was a party-room vote on the policies or Mr Springborg had made a "captain's pick".

It may all be in vain because even with Katter support the LNP would need another seat to form government.

There's no guarantee Ferny Grove, where the result has been referred to the Court of Disputed Returns because the Palmer United Party candidate was disqualified, will go to a by-election.

More than 79 seats of the 89-seat parliament had been declared by Thursday night, with Labor on track to win 44 and LNP 42.

The electoral commissioner is due to hand the writ and the formal results to the Queensland governor on Monday.


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Source: AAP


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