Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls has unofficially launched his election campaign by stressing he is a changed man and "ready to lead".
Speaking at a Queensland Media Club lunch, Mr Nicholls made his case to be the next premier by outlining his vision for the state under the Liberal National Party.
The former treasurer, whose assets leasing plan was rejected when the Newman government was deposed in the 2015 election, revealed five key priorities, six key drivers and a four-point plan in his impassioned speech.
Mr Nicholls said his party stood for "hope" as he distanced himself from his time as treasurer under the previous LNP government.
"In moving quickly we failed to take Queenslanders with us, and I acknowledge that we broke the trust of Queenslanders, and for that I am sorry," he said on Tuesday.
Mr Nicholls said he had "learnt his lesson" on the issue of asset sales, but he stopped short of ruling them out completely if elected again.
"We have to, and we will, live within the means granted to us by the people of Queensland."
But current Labor treasurer Curtis Pitt took aim at Mr Nicholls' attempt to distance himself from the Newman era, saying he couldn't just walk away from his actions as a minister.
"He says he's a different person, but he's the same person who sacked 14,000 (public servants) in his first budget," Mr Pitt said.
"He can't escape his past. He may want to forget he was Campbell Newman's right-hand man, but Queenslanders won't forget."
While Mr Nicholls took aim at Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her government for a lack of leadership, he failed to completely rule out future asset sales as an LNP policy.
Anna Bligh's Labor government suffered one of the worst defeats in Australian electoral history in 2012 running on a campaign of assets sales, while the Newman government also paid the price for it in their upset 2015 defeat.
Mr Pitt himself again ruled out revisiting asset sales under a Labor government.
Mr Nicholls reiterated the LNP would not form a coalition with the resurgent One Nation party, which is polling at 23 per cent in the state, saying he was aiming for a majority government.
"I am aiming to get 47-plus seats ... because that's the only way you're able to deliver the outcomes that will deliver a better Queensland," he said.
The next state election is due by early 2018, but is widely expected to be called in the second half of this year.
TIM NICHOLLS' PLAN FOR QUEENSLAND
* Five Key Priorities - Jobs; stronger families; more infrastructure; safer communities; and better, not bigger, government.
* Six Major Drivers of the state's economy - tourism; resources; agriculture; construction and manufacturing; education; and services science and technology.
* A Four-Point Plan to tackle youth unemployment (previously announced) - a $5,000 Queensland Apprenticeship incentive for small business; $500 Tools for Tradies' vouchers; a $4,000 Job Start Incentive; and discounts on Work Cover premiums for small business.
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