The election is coming fast so we thought we’d put together a list of all the things you need to know.
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What’s it all about?
A state election for Queensland called by Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the last to be fought as a three year term before four year terms automatically kick in in October 2020.
Oh yeah, who’s going to win?
Well, if I knew that I’d be down at the bookies instead of writing this. The polls have it neck and neck between Labor and the LNP and there are several complicating factors making this election particularly difficult to call. The last two Queensland elections have been hugely volatile with Labor smashed in 2012 only to somehow claw their way back into government in 2015. The number of seats has gone up from 89 to 93 and then there is the matter of a resurgent Pauline Hanson’s One Nation which could play havoc in Labor and LNP territory with some people predicting PHON to do better than they did in their high-water mark of 1998.
Come off the fence, mate, who’s going to win?
With no great certainty, I’m predicting not much will change. Labor will win the most seats by one or two and will cobble together a minority government with the help of the KAP and independents. I wouldn’t be too unhappy with that outcome but as I said it all depends on how the Hanson party does. If it taps big time into righteous anger, all bets are off and it could be a LNP-PHON coalition government.
That’s all well and good. What’s happening locally?
Glad you asked. The old seat of Mount Isa, held by KAP state leader Robbie Katter, is no more. It has been abolished and replaced by a brand new seat called Traeger (named for Alfred Traeger, the man who invented the pedal radio used by the flying doctors in the early days). Traeger has 25,636 electors scattered across a vast region of north west Queensland. It includes most of the old seat of Mount Isa and a lot of the old seat of Dalrymple too, which was centred on Charters Towers. Robbie Katter is standing for Traeger. Dalrymple was a KAP seat too so incumbent Shane Knuth has had to move to the coast and battle for another new seat called Hill, centred on Innisfail. The southern part of Mount Isa, the shires of Winton, Boulia and Diamantina, have been moved into the seat of Gregory, held by the LNP’s Lachlan Millar.
So who else is running in Traeger?
Robbie Katter is one of six candidates who put their names forward. The LNP has chosen Ron Bird, a Cloncurry-based pilot and haymaker. Mr Bird considers himself an underdog and has run a low profile campaign, hampered by a lack of interest from head office. Labor have chosen first time candidate Danielle Slade. Ms Slade is a Mount Isa woman who has spent many years working in the mines. Her campaign is backed by former minister Tony McGrady and she is campaigning hard on employment and FIFO issues.The Greens have a drop-in candidate Peter Relph, while there are two independent candidates Mornington Shire Deputy Mayor Sarah Isaacs and Mount Isa boilermaker Craig Scriven.
I’m guessing Robbie is the favourite?
By the proverbial country mile. He grew up in Charters Towers so can expect a lot of support from that town as well as his Mount Isa heartland. Not to mention the fact that if it comes to preferences, Labor and the LNP will preference him ahead of each other. Should you be of a mind to bet on the outcome, a Katter victory will only buy you $1.08 for your $1 stake but still probably a better bet than the LNP or ALP both at $7.50.
And what order are they on the ballot?
At the draw made in Mount Isa on Melbourne cup day, Robbie Katter was best served with the donkey vote drawing number one. The full order is
1.Robbie Katter (KAP)
2. Ron Bird (LNP)
3. Craig Scriven (Ind)
4. Sarah Isaacs (Ind)
5. Danielle Slade (ALP)
6. Peter Relph (Greens)
Will there be any ‘meet the candidates’ forums?
Yes. Here is our report on the candidate forum in Mount Isa on Tuesday. According to our poll, Danielle Slade (ALP) impressed most people on the night, just ahead of Robbie Katter.
Have the parties revealed how their preferences will flow?
We are still waiting to hear back from all parties on their How to Vote cards so we’ll update this as we go. Here’s what we know so far in Traeger:
Robbie Katter:1 Katter 2, Sarah Isaacs 3. Craig Scriven 4. Lab/LNP 5. LNP/Lab 6. Greens (50% of Robbie’s cards have Danielle Slade at 4 and Ron Bird 5 and the other 50% have the order of those two reversed).
Craig Scriven (Ind): no instructions other than Vote 1 Craig Scriven
Danielle Slade (ALP): 1 Slade 2. Sarah Isaacs 3. Peter Relph 4. Craig Scriven 5. Robbie Katter 6. Ron Bird
Ron Bird: 1 Bird. 2 Craig Scriven. 3 Sarah Isaacs 4 Robbie Katter 5. Danielle Slade 6. Peter Relph
Sarah Isaacs: no instructions.
Peter Relph: no instructions.
Can I vote in advance?
Yes indeedy, though you’ll need to travel if you are in outlying areas. Pre-poll offices are open in Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Camooweal, Normanton and Charters Towers from 9am-6pm each working day before the election day. You can vote at the Camooweal post office, Charters RSL, Cloncurry Shire Hall, Normanton Shire Hall, Traeger returning centre at 119 Camooweal St, Mount Isa or any of the big pre-poll centres in Brisbane, Redcliffe, Cleveland, Townsville, Southport, Hervey Bay, Cairns, Bundaberg, Mackay and Burleigh. It would help if you bring your election slip from the Electoral Commission Queensland which should be landing in your letterbox any day now.
And on election day itself, where can I get my democracy sausage?
The following are the list of polling stations in Traeger on Saturday, November 25:
Barkly (Barkly Highway State School), 3-17 Bougainville Street, MOUNT ISA – Full Wheelchair Access:
Central (Mount Isa Central State School), 49 Miles Street, MOUNT ISA – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Charters Towers (Charters Towers Regional Council Chambers), 12-14 Mosman Street, CHARTERS TOWERS – Full Wheelchair Access
Charters Towers Central (Charters Towers Central State School) High Street, CHARTERS TOWERS - Full Wheelchair Access
Charters Towers East (Goldfields Cricket Club), 12 York Street, CHARTERS TOWERS – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Charters Towers North (Richmond Hill State School) Baker Street, CHARTERS TOWERS – Full Wheelchair Access
Cloncurry (Cloncurry State School) Daintree Street, CLONCURRY – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Croydon (Old Police Station, Heritage Precinct), Cnr Samwell and Aldridge Streets, CROYDON – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Dajarra (Dajarra State School) Matheson Street, DAJARRA – Full Wheelchair Access
Doomadgee (PCYC), 515 Goodeedawa Road, DOOMADGEE – Full Wheelchair Access
Georgetown (Georgetown State School) High Street, GEORGETOWN – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Happy Valley (Happy Valley State School), 25-31 Brilliant Street, MOUNT ISA – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Healy (Healy State School), 5-9 Thomson Road, MOUNT ISA – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Hughenden (Hughenden RSL Hall), 17 Flinders Street, HUGHENDEN – Full Wheelchair Access
Julia Creek (Julia Creek State School) Burke Street, JULIA CREEK – Full Wheelchair Access
Kalkadoon (Spinifex State College - Senior Campus), 145-163 Abel Smith Parade, MOUNT ISA – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Karumba (Karumba State School), 5 Yappar Street, KARUMBA – Full Wheelchair Access
Mornington Island (PCYC) Lardil Street, MORNINGTON ISLAND – Full Wheelchair Access
Normanton (Normanton Shire Hall), 99 Landsborough Street, NORMANTON – Full Wheelchair Access
Pentland (Pentland State School) Gilmore Street, PENTLAND – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Ravenswood (Ravenswood State School) School Street, RAVENSWOOD – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Richmond (Richmond State School), 88 Crawford Street, RICHMOND – Full Wheelchair Access
Sunset (Sunset State School) Abel Smith Parade, MOUNT ISA – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Townview (Townview State School) Kookaburra Street, MOUNT ISA – Full Wheelchair Access
Brisbane CBD All-Districts Centre (Brisbane City Hall, Sandgate Room (polling booth entrance via Ann Street)), 64 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE – Full Wheelchair Access
Bundaberg All-Districts Centre (Shop 12 and 3), 9 Maryborough Street, BUNDABERG CENTRAL – Full Wheelchair Access
Burleigh All-Districts Centre, 18 Park Avenue, BURLEIGH HEADS – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Cairns All-Districts Centre, 96-98 Mulgrave Road, PARRAMATTA PARK – Assisted Wheelchair Access
East Brisbane All-Districts Centre (East Brisbane State School Hall) Wellington Road, EAST BRISBANE – No Wheelchair Access
Hervey Bay All-Districts Centre, 82 Dayman Street, URANGAN – Full Wheelchair Access
Mackay All-Districts Centre (Mackay Showgrounds, 500 Pavilion Lower Level), 24 Milton Street, MACKAY – Full Wheelchair Access
Maroochydore All-Districts Centre, 19 Duporth Avenue, MAROOCHYDORE – Full Wheelchair Access
Morayfield All-Districts Centre, 379 Morayfield Road, MORAYFIELD – Full Wheelchair Access
Noosa All-Districts Centre (Tewantin Campus), 24 Cooroy Noosa Road, TEWANTIN
Oodgeroo All-Districts Centre, 248 Bloomfield Street, CLEVELAND – Full Wheelchair Access
Redcliffe All-Districts Centre, 3-5 High Street, KIPPA-RING – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Southport All-Districts Centre (Ashmore Centre), 345 Southport-Nerang Road, MOLENDINAR – Full Wheelchair Access
Townsville All-Districts Centre (Hyde Park Centre), 36 Woolcock Street, HYDE PARK – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Vulture Street All-Districts Centre (St Pauls Anglican Church Hall), 554 Vulture Street, EAST BRISBANE – Assisted Wheelchair Access
Woolloongabba All-Districts Centre (Nazareth Lutheran Church Hall), 12 Hawthorne Street, WOOLLOONGABBA – Full Wheelchair Access
Disclaimer: we cannot guarantee there will be sausage sizzles at any of these locations. Our advice: follow your nose! And don’t forget to mark all the boxes. Good luck.
Anything else I should know?
That’s about it. But you can keep up with our daily wrap on what the candidates are up to, as we countdown to the election.