NEW SEATS AT THE POLITICAL TABLE
COAST GETS TWO NEW ELECTORATES
TWO new state seats have been created on the Gold Coast and the electorate of Albert has been dissolved in a statewide redistribution of election boundaries.
Seats to the city’s north have been reorganised with the seat of Bonney created in the Labrador area.
Bonney has been named after Brisbane-born pilot Maude “Lores” Bonney, who was the first woman to fly solo from Brisbane to London in 1938.
Albert has been removed only to be replaced by Theodore which is below the seat of Coomera, which has also shifted slightly west.
Edward “Ted” Theodore was state premier between 1919 and 1925 before becoming federal treasurer in 1929 and held the country’s purse strings during the Great Depression.
Mr Theodore resigned after allegations of corruption in 1930 during the Mungana affair due to allegedly concealing his financial interest in a mine.
The boundaries of the seat of Logan have also been altered, with parts now stretching into the upper northwest parts of the Gold Coast.
The next election will be fought under the new boundaries after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday confirmed she would wait until the redistribution took effect.
“We will accept the independent decision of the Queensland Electoral Commission and we will fight the next election on the boundaries that are presented to us,” she said.
The changes mean the Gold Coast will have 11 sitting state members instead of the current 10.
Griffith University politi- cal expert Paul Williams said he did not see any major surprises in the redistribution and had expected an additional seat in the city’s north.
Dr Williams said the changes were unlikely to break the LNP’s blue block on the region.
“Not this time around,” he said.
“The tide is against Labor at this time.”
Dr Williams said had the redistribution occurred prior to the 2015 election, it may have seen the ALP snap up one of the seats.
He said statewide, the boundary realignment was very neutral.
“It doesn’t look like the redistribution will favour either party,” he said.
Dr Williams said One Nation would also not have any effect on the blue wall created by the LNP on the Gold Coast.
“One Nation is taking votes from both sides,” he said.
Dr Williams said he expected the election to be called some time between August and November this year.
The wait will give time for both parties to hold preselections in the new seats.
The Labor Party is yet to hold preselection in any Gold Coast seats but last year called for expressions of interest.
It is understood every seat on the Gold Coast has had at least one person put their hand up to run.
LNP sources have confirmed former Newman government minister David Crisafulli, who now lives on the Gold Coast, is interested in a seat to the city’s north.
Mr Crisafulli did not return calls yesterday.
LNP leader Tim Nicholls said the party would study the changes closely before making public comment.