Jim McIlroy, Brisbane

The ALP government of Premier Peter Beattie has been swept back into office in the February 7 Queensland election, with its record majority only slightly reduced. The net loss of ALP seats is likely to be three to five, with an overall loss of Labor primary vote of around 1.8%.

The ALP had held a massive 66-23 seat majority going into the election. With 76% of the vote counted on election night, Labor had won 60 seats, the Nationals 15 and Liberals four. Independents had taken five seats and One Nation one. Four seats were still in doubt.

The Nationals won some of the so-called “sugar seats” in north Queensland, but lost the previously safe central Queensland seat of Keppel to Labor. The Liberals picked up the Gold Coast seats of Surfers Paradise and Currumbin. One notable ALP casualty was resigned tourism minister Merri Rose, who suffered a huge backlash from a bullying scandal, and the last-minute announcement by Beattie of a new Tugun freeway by-pass, which would mean forced resumption of a number of homes and small businesses in its path.

At close of counting on polling night, Labor had received 47.2% of the first preference vote, and the National-Liberal Coalition around 35.1%. This was an overall swing to the Coaliton of about 6.6%, where they needed at least 9.5% to win a majority.

A good proportion of the increase in two-party preferred vote to the Coalition was the welcome collapse in support for One Nation, which is reduced to a single seat in the new parliament — despite a reputed sympathy vote for former ON leader Pauline Hanson, after her acquittal on appeal on electoral fraud charges.

The Queensland Greens received strong support statewide, averaging more than 6% in the 70 plus seats they contested — with at least 10% in the south-east corner of the state. Their highest profile candidate, former ABC presenter Andrew Carroll, in the electorate of Mount Coot-tha, received around 24%.

While some media commentators have interpreted this as a “poor showing”, after some hopes that the Greens could actually win their first seat in Queensland, the Greens’ support is increasing. They will have a solid chance of winning a Senate seat in this state, with the drop in support for the Democrats. The Democrats only ran in one seat in the state election, marshalling their resources for the upcoming federal elections due later this year.

While the election result will buoy up the ALP statewide and federally, there are many problems with public health, education and jobs, as well as the environment and women’s rights, that have not been tackled by the major parties in the Queensland poll. Issues raised by the Socialist Alliance, the Greens and progressive independents are still on the agenda, with the challenge now before Premier Peter Beattie to make genuine radical reforms with his new, massive mandate.

From Green Left Weekly, February 11, 2004.
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