The race to the Queensland election looks set to be a photo finish after runaway leader the Liberal National Party stumbled in polling.

Premier Steven Miles has ruled out the prospect of a minority government, saying no deals will be done to extend Labor’s remarkable run.

The LNP opposition has its nose in front ahead of Saturday’s poll but the Labor government has gained ground with the chequered flag in sight.

A Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows Mr Miles rated as a better premier at 45 per cent compared with 42 per cent for LNP leader David Crisafulli.

The poll of 1151 Queenslanders conducted from October 18 to Thursday also shows the Miles government is up 2.5 points to 47.5 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis, with the opposition down 2.5 points to 52.5 per cent.

Mr Crisafulli dominated early polling and looked on track to end Labor’s nine-year reign.

Labor has governed Queensland for 30 of the last 35 years.

Mr Crisafulli on Friday appeared unfazed by the latest results after being accused of squandering a winning margin.

“It shows you how difficult changing government to my side of politics is in Queensland – we remain the underdog,” he told ABC TV.

Labor polling, seen by The Courier-Mail, shows Katter’s Australian Party winning two out of three seats in Townsville.

Mr Crisafulli had been relying on winning all three seats to secure a majority government on Saturday.

The LNP leader said he had heard Labor was striking deals with the Katter party in the regions and the Greens in the southeast to form a minority government if Saturday’s result was tight.

“We will get a minor parliament that will be quite frankly bedlam,” Mr Crisafulli said.

But Mr Miles said he was aiming to win a term in his own right after taking over the reins from Annastacia Palaszczuk who resigned in December.

“I have spent 10 months showing … the kind of premier I would be,” he told ABC TV.

“There will be no deals with minor parties.”

Mr Crisafulli campaigned hard on youth crime along with the election’s other key issues of health, housing and cost of living but was accused of being a “small target”.

He repeatedly refused to explain how he could guarantee there would be no changes to abortion laws after a crossbencher pledged to repeal them.

The LNP also waited until two days before the poll to release its costings, giving no detail on a Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure review or pumped hydro alternatives integral to Queensland’s renewable energy transition.

“Voters have started to see David Crisafulli,” Mr Miles said.

“They have started to see some of the risks that could come with change.”

But Mr Crisafulli accused the premier of running a scare campaign.

“We haven’t wavered from giving Queenslanders hope over that fear – I am choosing hope over fear,” he said.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton backed Mr Crisafulli to end Labor’s Queensland dominance.

“I think David’s run a great campaign. I think Queensland is ready for a fresh start,” he told reporters on the Sunshine Coast on Friday.

Mr Miles will visit 36 seats in 36 hours by 7pm AEST on Friday in a last-ditch campaign blitz.

Mr Crisafulli is also pressing the flesh, and hit up a dozen electorates on Thursday alone.

The government has made $9.7 billion in election commitments and the LNP $7.12 billion.

This post was originally published on Michael West.