Queensland’s opposition leader, David Crisafulli, told a live audience last year “I don’t believe in late-term abortions” and promised MPs a conscience vote on the issue – answering questions he has refused to respond to more than 132 times during the state election campaign.

The Liberal National party leader has been dogged by the issue for weeks, refusing to declare his hand on a bill which will be introduced by Katter’s Australian party next parliament, including whether he would vote for it or grant other MPs a conscience vote.

But in previously unreported remarks at a Griffith University event on 31 May 2023, the opposition leader was asked by the former ABC 7.30 host Kerry O’Brien: “Where are you on abortion and women’s rights?”

“Well, it’s a conscience vote,” Crisafulli responded. “I voted against the legislation, and I did so, and I articulated my reasons because I thought the content of the bill was too far.”

Like all but three members of his party, Crisafulli voted against legalising abortion in 2018. He did not speak on the bill.

“Do you fundamentally embrace a woman’s right to choose?” O’Brien then asked.

“I don’t believe in late-term abortions, and that was the debate that was had,” Crisafulli responded.

“Now, if you’re asking me about, would I ever support recriminalising it, the answer is absolutely no … but those issues are a conscience vote and I will never, ever be the kind of leader that tries to lock people into that …

“On the times that we’ve had an opportunity, I have made sure that not only did I mouth those words, I gave support to the people who wanted to vote in support of that, and we were better as a party for it.”

Crisafulli had been the opposition leader for more than two years when he attended the event, held at Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, called Reshaping the Centre-Right in Queensland: Kerry O’Brien in conversation with David Crisafulli. He spoke about his program of reform for the conservative party, describing himself as a moderate committed to decentralisation of the LNP. It was part of the Griffith University’s “in conversation” series of interviews, led by the former ABC journalist.

Many opposition MPs told parliament in 2018 they opposed the bill because it permitted abortions “on demand” before 22 weeks and after then with medical approval.

They also objected to provisions permitting late-gestation terminations “for undefined social reasons” and a lack of a “true and complete conscientious objection right for medical professionals”, along with on protests outside health clinics.

“Put simply, the Labor government has not made the case for such an extreme piece of legislation,” the LNP MP David Janetzki said at the time.

The KAP leader, Robbie Katter, has promised to reintroduce at least the same bill he did last term, which would give registered health practitioners a duty to “provide medical care and treatment to a person born as a result of a termination”.

Katter has said he would consider introducing stronger legislation depending on how many conservative LNP MPs are elected in October.

After a week of dodging questions on whether LNP would be granted a conscience vote, Crisafulli last week gave a “personal guarantee” that “we are not changing that law”. He has yet to rule out a conscience vote or explain his own views on the issue.

If granted a conscience vote, LNP MPs would choose themselves which way to vote on the bill.

A number of them have been reported as advocating for change.

Jon Krause told a community candidate forum in September: “We need to ensure that there are enough people in the parliament to be able to repeal those laws or to make significant amendments.”

The Stretton LNP candidate Freya Ostapovitch was recorded at a polling booth last week telling a voter “I am pro-life” but “I can’t say anything yet because we have got to get elected before we do anything”.

Crisafulli was contacted for comment.