So are the communities in the Mount Isa electorate underrepresented? 

One state member is required to represent the communities ranging from Birdsville to the south, Winton and Hughenden to the east, and the gulf communities in the north. 

Griffith University political analyst Dr Paul Williams said purists of the electoral system could argue the Mount Isa electorate is not underrepresented if the population of 17,000 voters was taken into account.

“I don’t necessarily support that,” he said. 

“I feel that to be a long, long way from the city and the coast is problematic for regional voters.” In a perfect world communities in an electorate should be guided by one economic interest – like mining, agriculture or tourism. 

But it was not an ideal world and the Mount Isa economy was diverse, Dr Williams acknowledged. 

The view that Northern Queensland was underrepresented in State Parliament was not a new found resentment. 

 “The tyranny of distance”, rivalry between the bush and the city, and a decentralised state had shaped Queensland politics since the 19th century. 

And while it would be a challenge for state members to balance attending the functions of constituents with parliamentary duties in Brisbane, it had improved due to technology and faster travelling times. 

But whether one state member should represent Birdsville and the indigenous communities of the Gulf of Carpentaria was a matter for the electoral commission. 

KAP’s state member Rob Katter – who replaced ALP’s Betty Kiernan in the 2012 election – said he had sacrificed his personal life to keep up with his roles in the electorate. 

“I won’t lie, I do struggle with the size of it all, but I do my best and work very hard,” Mr Katter said. 

“I’ve made big sacrifices in my personal life to try and service the electorate properly. 

“I don’t have a family and it’s difficult to maintain relationships and generally socialise when you move around so much.

“That is offset by the fact that I do get to meet lots of diverse and interesting people in my travels around the electorate, like Lester Cane, at the Middleton Pub, in the middle of nowhere.”  

And he acknowledged the opportunities in the electorate allowed him to be a salesman. 

“The Mount Isa electorate has enormous opportunity,’’ he said. “We have a lot of the wealth creating opportunities that exists within our electorate in mining and agriculture.” 

ALP candidate Simon Tayler, a Mount Isa police officer, said the enormity of the electorate was exciting. 

“Geographically it is enormous and diverse and I think that is the exciting aspect of it also,’’ he said. 

“From the desert in Birdsville to the Gulf communities in Normanton we truly have everything.”

LNP candidate John Wharton said he was not daunted by the half million square kilometres he would have to cover. 

“No. I’ve lived in the electorate all my life,” the current Richmond Mayor said.  

“I go to meetings in George Town, Mount Isa ... it’s a great electorate, it’s a power house, we should have money poured into our electorate.” 

One Nation Candidate Scott Sheard said the magnitude of the electorate made it difficult to campaign during the election, especially after there had been wet weather.