Annastacia Palaszczuk is likely to remain Queensland premier after the election either with a small majority or reliant on the votes of the Katter’s Australian Party.
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With One Nation polling strongly but not likely to get any elected the return to office of the two KAP members Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth is looking increasingly like a critical success as the new parliament takes shape.
As expected, Robbie Katter comfortably won the seat of Traeger with 64.4% of the vote after half the vote was counted.
Well behind in second place is Labor’s Danielle Slade with 18.7% with the LNP’s Ron Bird taking only 8.91%.
Independent Sarah Isaacs has 4.1% after getting the vote of her native Mornington Island while the drop-in Greens candidate Peter Relph has 2.2%. Independent Craig Scriven who was the last to declare in the race, is last in the ballot with 1.6%.
Mr Katter thanked his supporters at a victory party in his home in Mount Isa.
His supporter George Tipping introduced Mr Katter saying he would sit for the entire term – contradicting a statement Mr Katter made in the election debate last week when he refused to commit to the entire term.
If the size of Mr Katter’s victory was noteworthy, more remarkable still was the stunning triumph of his fellow KAP member Shane Knuth who was forced to leave Charters Towers after the redistribution put it in Traeger and he fought and won the new seat of Hill based around the Cassowary Coast region of Innisfail and Tully, where he grew up.
Mr Knuth sits on 46%, more than twice his nearest challenger from the LNP.
Overall Labor is on 40 seats, still seven shy of a majority in the 93-seat parliament.
If they win they will also have to provide a speaker after the resignation of independent Peter Wellington with his seat of Nicklin likely to go to the LNP.
However another Sunshine Coast seat Noosa could elect a new independent with Sandy Bolton leading that race while fellow independent Margaret Strelow leads in Rockhampton.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
