A second Queensland Liberal National party MP has foreshadowed the prospect of winding back the state’s abortion reforms after the election, amid new calls for the party to clarify its “vague” position.
On Tuesday, Queensland crossbencher Robbie Katter said he would introduce legislation to wind back Labor’s termination-of-pregnancy laws, which decriminalised abortion and allow nurses to dispense medication.
The LNP leader, David Crisafulli has repeatedly refused to say whether MPs would be given a conscience vote – a longstanding party policy – only that “it’s not part of our plan, and there won’t be changes [to abortion laws]”.
The LNP has also not responded to requests by groups – including pro-choice advocates and the Christian lobby – to make clear its position.
The Australian newspaper revealed this week that Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause told a candidates’ forum that “we need to ensure that there are enough people in the parliament to be able to repeal those laws or to make significant amendments”.
Guardian Australia can reveal that another MP, the retiring rightwinger Mark Robinson, told a Christian podcast in August there “are no doubt corrections that will happen over time”.
Robinson said the LNP’s core issues – including youth crime, the cost of living, housing and health services – were “the big things the election will swing on” but in future changes could be made in line with the party’s broader platform.
“I see our values are very firmly anchored in family values,” Robinson said.
“And when I go to state council – and I cannot talk about the fine detail of some of that – our policies are very much a broad suite of family values.
“And so I think that, as we go forward, I think people would expect that whatever the future government faces, whatever comes up in that time, it would need to reference it back to what those family policies of the party and the general expectations of Queenslanders are. That’s how I think [changes to abortion laws] will be framed.
“I’m not aware of any agenda of repeal, I’m not aware of anything in that space, but I do think there are no doubt corrections that will happen over time.
“That’s a broad statement … I’m not a spokesperson for David Crisafulli.”
Robinson is vacating his seat of Oodgeroo, where the LNP has preselected the figurehead of the party’s Christian right, Amanda Stoker.
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Katter’s statement on Wednesday raised the stakes on the issue, after Labor began what was described as a “scare campaign” about what the LNP might do if elected. The party has preselected several candidates from the Christian right of the party, who have previously opposed abortion rights. Most LNP MPs voted against decriminalisation in 2018.
The prospect of across bench-led conscience vote undermines Crisafulli’s insistence the issue would not be revisited during the term.
The pro-choice advocacy group, Children by Choice, said candidates must publicly commit to not repealing or changing the laws.
The group’s chief executive officer, Jill McKay, said the prospect of a crossbench bill was “a wake-up call for Queenslanders”.
“We need to hear from the LNP, without ambiguity, that they will oppose any attempt to wind back abortion access in our state,” McKay said.
“The LNP’s reluctance to address this issue head-on only adds to the uncertainty. Queenslanders deserve to know: will the LNP stand with women and pregnant people, or will they remain silent and allow figures like Robbie Katter to roll back our healthcare rights?
“If the LNP cannot explicitly commit to supporting abortion access, we have no choice but to assume the worst.”