Qld minor parties reject four-year terms

A coalition of minor Queensland political parties has launched a campaign against longer parliamentary terms.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP), and eight other groups including the Christian Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal and Labour parties, Rise Up Australia and the Shooters and Fishers are all opposed to four-year fixed terms.

A referendum on the issue will be held on March 19, the same day as Queensland's local government elections.

KAP MP Shane Knuth, spearheading the coalition against longer terms, said the major parties were putting their own interests ahead of voters.

"A four-year term is about job security for politicians," he said.

"There's an old saying - if you can't do it in three years, you don't deserve four."

Mr Knuth said he was not opposed to the idea of fixed three-year terms because that would prevent governments from calling elections when it suited them.

Family First spokesman and former Liberal National Party (LNP) MP Seath Holswich said voting on longer terms before a proper discussion about restoring the state's upper house was putting the cart before the horse.

"We want to see the accountability that an upper house brings brought back to Queensland," he said.

"This is crucially important for Queensland, for accountability, for regional representation."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has highlighted the benefit of having a fixed election date in October.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg has said longer terms would also allow for proper planning and certainty.

Industry groups and unions support the change. However, a Galaxy poll of 540 Brisbane voters this week showed although 48 per cent wanted four-year terms, 35 per cent were opposed and 17 per cent were undecided.

While every other state in Australia has four-year terms, Queensland's upper house was abolished in 1922, meaning the government has less scrutiny and review than other states.