Yes voters boost Labor

THOUSANDS of young Queenslanders have enrolled to vote on the same-sex marriage plebiscite in a move Labor hopes could help it clinch several seats at the looming state poll.

ALP analysis of enrolment figures shows more than 20,700 voters aged 18-25 have enrolled across Queensland after the Commonwealth’s decision to hold a postal plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

Several hundred of those new young voters have enrolled in Brisbane marginal seats including Mount Ommaney and Mansfield, two LNP electorates Labor is attempting to wrest back in its bid to win the 47 seats it needs at the election to govern in its own right.

Electorates with the highest number of new young voters include the inner-city seats of Maiwar – where 565 joined the roll – and South Brisbane where Deputy Premier Jackie Trad is facing a battle against The Greens. More than 410 young voters have joined the roll there.

Labor state secretary Evan Moorhead said the party believed the influx of young voters would be an advantage.

“These people have joined the role for the first time solely for the purpose of voting against the LNP’s marriage equality policy,” he said.

Labor’s Maiwar candidate Ali King said it could only be a positive for her campaign to unseat LNP frontbencher and former Newman government minister Scott Emerson.

“We don’t support the LNP’s survey, and will campaign for a yes vote, but we certainly welcome all these young, pro-equality voters.”

Mr Emerson said his electorate always had a high number of young voters because the University of Queensland was there. He said it should not be assumed that young voters who supported same-sex marriage would also support the Palaszczuk Government.

“Those young voters are also the voters who are most angry about the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s proposed lockout laws and bungled implementation of ID scanners.’’

But he said he was a longtime supporter of same-sex marriage and would vote yes.