Anna Bligh lies about going full term - sends Qld to polls on 21 March ...
Premier Anna Bligh is on her way to Government House to ask Governor Penny Wensley to dissolve Parliament and will then call a general election for March 21.
Ms Bligh has repeatedly stated she intended to go full term – which would have meant an election in September.
But speculation has been growing that she would instead go early after Labor began airing attack ads against Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg rushed to fill vacancies caused by retiring MPs, the Premier launched a new website and tried to put a lid on damaging electoral issues including furore over the new Queensland Children's Hospital.
Labor currently holds 58 of the 89 seats in Parliament, the Liberal National Party holds 25, there is one MP from both the Greens and One Nation and four Independents.
To take power, the LNP needs to win an extra 21 seats because Stuart Copeland's seat of Cunningham has been scrapped in the recent redistribution.
See - Qld off to the polls.
Also - Courier Mail poll - How will you vote in the Qld state election?
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 10:34 AM
16 Comments:
Rudd must have told her it was ok to go then.
10:48 AM, February 23, 2009
A case of premature election. So much for going full term. Going to be an interesting election. First time in a long while the Courier Mail will be critical of Labor during an election campaign. They won't be pro-LNP because they think they are hopeless but they won't be barracking for Anna to become Premier in her own right.
11:05 AM, February 23, 2009
Courier Mail:
There are few people more desperate for a drink than a triathlete after swimming 1.5km, cycling 40km and running 10km for two-plus hours in a race. They usually scoff whatever fruit and drink is at the finish line. So, at the end of the recent Moreton Bay Challenge triathlon at Redcliffe, they stumbled in, were handed bottled water and started guzzling. Then one read the bottle. This NEWater brand hadn't come gurgling from a pure mountain spring in France or Tassie. It was flushed from a toilet . . . in Singapore.
"Bloody hell," the cry went up. "It's poo water and not even ours."
And that put a cat turd among the pigeons. It was being handed out by girls in Queensland Water Commission T-shirts.
Yes, I know all about globalisation blah blah blah but somehow, importing water from the toilets of Singapore just seems . . . fundamentally stupid. Whichever government minion's bright idea that was, take yourself aside. If these triathletes were anything to go by, the poo water promotion backfired. Or maybe athletes are a little more particular about what they put in their bodies. As one said: "Give us a bloody cup and I'll find a tap."
11:51 AM, February 23, 2009
Wonder if Anna had time for a quick botox treatment before heading to see the governor?
12:02 PM, February 23, 2009
ABC News:
Springborg ready for election stoush
23 February 2009
Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP) leader Lawrence Springborg says his merged conservative party is ready to take on Labor.
The 2009 election will be Mr Springborg's third attempt to become Premier of Queensland.
The 2006 campaign was marred by the Coalition's internal problems but for the first time Mr Springborg is leading a merged conservative party.
"The LNP is one party focused on the interests of Queenslanders and giving a good decent competition and the answers for the future of this great state - we've never had that before," he said.
Mr Springborg says by calling the poll early, Premier Anna Bligh has shown she is running from the Government's record after 11 years in office.
The LNP needs to win the 22 seats to claim a majority.
1:05 PM, February 23, 2009
Brisbane Times:
Queensland election at a glance
23 February 2009
The holders: Anna Bligh's Labor currently holds 58 of the 89 seats in the Queensland Parliament, having held government since Peter Beattie deposed Rob Borbidge as Premier in 1998.
The challengers: Lawrence Springborg faces off with Labor as the Opposition leader for the third election in a row but this time at the head of a newly merged party, the Liberal National Party.
Musical chairs: The Opposition requires a near seismic shift of seats on March 21. They need to win 21 seats - with a swing of more than 8 per cent - to form their own majority government.
History on their side: Queensland has not witnessed an across-the-board swing of the scale the LNP requires since Wayne Goss led Labor back into government in 1989 after three decades of non-Labor rule.
High five: A Bligh Government victory would give the party a fifth term in office, matching the federal reign of Bob Hawke and then Paul Keating's Labor government of 1983 to 1996.
Too close to call: The seat of Chatsworth, in Brisbane's south, is Queensland's most marginal seat, with the margin just 0.1 per cent following last year's redistribution of seats. Sitting member Chris Bombolas will not stand for re-election. He resigned last week, citing health and personal issues.
Labor exodus: Bombolas is the latest of nine Labor members to call it quits with the election in sight, following Mike Reynolds, Gary Fenlon, Warren Pitt, Rod Welford, Pat Purcell, Linda Lavarch, Ken Hayward and Jim Pearce.
Girl power: Anna Bligh will become the first woman to win a state election as Premier if Labor prevails. Carmen Lawrence (Western Australia) and Joan Kirner (Victoria) both, like Bligh, came to the premiership mid-term but lost in their first elections as Premier.
Back in time: Labor's ousting of the Borbidge coalition in 1998 came in an election that featured the first One Nation candidates to be elected to State Parliament. The controverisal party won 11 seats.
On this day: On March 21, 1980 the US President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in protest at the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. In 1963, the infamous prison Alcatraz closed, while in 1413 Henry V became King of England.
1:35 PM, February 23, 2009
Brisbane Times:
Bligh 'running scared': Springborg
23 February 2009
Premier Anna Bligh's decision to call an early election on March 21 proved she was "running scared" over the loss of the State's Triple-A credit rating, Liberal National Party (LNP) Leader Lawrence Springborg said today.
As Premier Bligh visited Governor Penny Wensley to request the dissolution of Parliament, Mr Springborg told ABC Radio the Labor Government had "made a mess" of Queensland's economy during the years in which the state "had rivers of gold running through" it.
"The strongest financial state in all of Australia (has) now been torn asunder," Mr Springborg said.
"This Government is getting away from the scrutiny of Parliament. They don't want to go into Parliament tomorrow and to be scrutinised on why Queensland has lost its Triple-A credit rating.
"Obviously people are concerned now about the way this Government has managed Queensland's economy during the golden years with no money in the bank. The real question is, what is this Government running from?"
At the forefront of the election, he said, would be "jobs and job security", health and education, and the State's $74 billion debt costing the Government $10 million a day in interest.
He denied his third attempt at becoming Premier would be his last, should Labor retain power.
"I'm there to win," Mr Springborg said.
"My heart and my soul is in this. I put my leadership on the line to form the LNP in Queensland.
"What we do have this time is a very united, aggressive conservative party in Queensland. I'm very confident we will be able to convince Queenslanders we can run this State a lot better than what it is today.
"We're going out there to put up a good show. (But) this is an uphill battle, there is no doubt about it."
1:41 PM, February 23, 2009
I am sure she has not got a chance as the people are ready for change.
I think we heard this before and it worked for him.
I feel sorry for any-one inheriting this mess and it can be put at Anna Bligh's feet.
1:45 PM, February 23, 2009
Springborg has an uphill battle to win. He has a lot of seats to get to earn the right to govern.
1:59 PM, February 23, 2009
Anna Bligh has lied to the electorate about everything including the date of this election. If the Courier Mail and the Chronicle are willing to expose her Govt on the many things that have been mismanaged and are willing to report honestly on the LNP and other candidates we may have a fair election for the first time since Labor came to power. Qld and its people deserve this.
2:22 PM, February 23, 2009
One could see that she was going to call an election. Bligh even has advertising pamphlet in the Australian Womens Weekly.
She certainly has left this state in a big mess!
2:32 PM, February 23, 2009
The Chronicle expose anything? Good luck! Do they have any journalists?
2:44 PM, February 23, 2009
Brisbane Times
Twelve seats to watch
February 23, 2009
Key Queensland seats profiles for the March 21 election:
Seat: Mudgeeraba
Member, margin: Dianne Reilly, Labor, 2.7 per cent (Labor)
Location: Gold Coast hinterland
Voters: 32,498
Seat history: The seat was a Liberal stronghold until a redistribution in 2001 saw former freelance journalist and public relations consultant Dianne Reilly snatch the seat for Labor in a massive 18.4 per cent swing. She has held the seat ever since and is this year again up against experienced nurse Ros Bates.
Issues: The LNP is likely to campaign strongly on Queensland's health service problems, promising to increase services at the Gold Coast and Robina hospitals.
Expectation: A possible LNP win.
Point of interest: More than half of voters lived at a different address five years ago.
Seat: Gaven
Member, margin: Phil Gray, Labor, 3.2 per cent (Labor)
Location: Northern Gold Coast
Voters: 36,349
Seat history: The seat has changed between Labor and Liberal MPs three times since the seat was carved out in a redistribution before the 2001 election. The Liberal Party took the seat in a by-election in early 2006 with the resignation of sitting Labor MP Robert Poole, who was dubbed the "Member for Thailand" for spending too much time in the country. Labor retook the seat at the 2006 general election. This year, former member for Gaven and family GP Alex Douglas will challenge sitting member Phil Gray.
Issues: The sitting member was asked to consider his political future by Premier Anna Bligh twice in December last year after threatening to sue two women who criticised him.
Expectation: The LNP should capitalise on the run of bad press and take the seat.
Point of interest: Gaven takes in some of the fastest growing suburbs in Australia, including parts of Helensvale, which last year had the highest number of mortgage defaults in the country.
Seat: Pumicestone
Member, margin: Carryn Sullivan, Labor, 5.4 per cent (Labor)
Location: Southern tip of Sunshine Coast
Voters: 33,252
Seat history: Pumicestone replaced the old seat of Caboolture in a 2001 redistribution at which Labor's Carryn Sullivan won the seat. Caboolture MP Bill Feldman - who had won that seat for One Nation before leaving the party - unsuccessfully contested the new district. Small business owner Shane Moon will again take up the fight for the LNP.
Issues: The LNP's water policy, which shuns recycled drinking water and scraps the Traveston Crossing Dam, includes building a desalination plant on Bribie Island, in this electorate.
Expectation: Close.
Point of interest: More than 70 per cent of voters say they do not use the internet.
Seat: Clayfield
Member, margin: Tim Nicholls, LNP, 0.2 per cent (Labor)
Location: Northern banks of Brisbane River between Breakfast Creek and Moreton Bay
Voters: 27,944
Seat history: Disgraced former Liberal senator Santo Santoro held the seat of Clayfield from 1992 until Liddy Clark won it for Labor in 2001. Liberal Tim Nicholls then took over in 2006. Recent changes to boundaries, which added parts of Lutwyche and Kedron, now make it a marginal Labor seat. Academic Dr Joff Lelliott will contest the seat for Labor this year.
Issues: This area of Brisbane is plagued by traffic congestion.
Expectation: Tim Nicholls' higher public profile as the LNP's treasury spokesman should see him retain the seat.
Point of interest: Some of the wealthiest suburbs of Brisbane.
Seat: Glass House
Member, margin: Carolyn Male, Labor, 0.01 per cent (LNP)
Location: Sunshine Coast hinterland
Voters: 33,881
Seat history: The electorate has in the past had a high combined conservative vote but has been split over competing candidates. Sitting MP Labor's Carolyn Male took the seat with ease in 2001 but the latest changes to the boundaries see the Labor majority wiped out. State government bureaucrat Andrew Powell will contest the seat for the LNP.
Issues: Water and the environment will be key issues within the mixed rural-urban electorate.
Expectation: An LNP take.
Point of interest: Controversial council mergers in 2008 were fiercely opposed on the Sunshine Coast.
Seat: Toowoomba North
Member, margin: Kerry Shine, Labor, 7.6 per cent (Labor)
Location: West of Brisbane
Voters: 26,494
Seat history: Toowoomba had a long history as a Labor town until the party lost both seats in 1974. The Liberals and Nationals held the seat between them until 2001, bar a single term in which Labor was elected. A huge swing to Labor then delivered the seat to Kerry Shine, who has held onto the marginal seat since then. Family man Trevor Watts will be the LNP's candidate.
Issues: Water is expected to be an issue with dams running low in previous years.
Expectation: Kerry Shine's higher public profile should see him retain the seat.
Point of interest: Almost 90 per cent of voters were born in Australia.
Seat: Chatsworth
Member, margin: Chris Bombolas, Labor, 0.6 per cent (Labor)
Location: East Brisbane
Voters: 33,094
Seat History: At the last election, Mr Bombolas, who is quitting politics at this election, narrowly won the seat from then opposition treasury spokesman Michael Caltabiano, by only about 100 votes. The Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate is Mr Caltabiano's wife Andrea. (New Labor candidate due to be announced February 23.)
Expectation: LNP win.
Issues: Crippled by traffic congestion, Brisbane's east is to get a new busway to help residents get to the city faster. But voters are unlikely to be impressed by its 20-year construction time.
Point of Interest: Area is known as a Brisbane Bible belt.
Seat: Cook
Member, margin: Jason O'Brien, Labor, 26 per cent (Labor)
Location: Far-north Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands
Voters: 25,664
Seat History: Normally a Labor held electorate, Cook fell to the National Party in 1974, and was held for one term by Eric Deeral, the first indigenous person to be elected to the Queensland parliament.
Expectation: Labor to win, but may take a hit over alcohol and justice reforms in indigenous communities, and anger over the government's bungled handling of the rape of a nurse in the Torres Strait.
Issues: Jason O'Brien has broken ranks several times to speak out against government policy as they relate to health and education in remote communities.
Point of Interest: About 26 per cent of constituents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Seat: Coomera
Member margin: A new seat made from parts of Albert, Broadwater and Gaven in the electoral redistribution.
Location: The Gold Coast's northern fringe.
Voters: 27,295
Seat History: Labor has preselected Leeanne Enoch, a former teacher, public servant and charity worker hand-picked by Premier Anna Bligh. LNP candidate Michael Crandon is a Pimpama financial planner, well known for his community work.
Expectation: Labor to win.
Issues: The seat comprises people pushed out of Brisbane due to unaffordable housing. It suffers from a lack of social infrastructure. Transport also important issue.
Point of Interest: If successful, Ms Enoch will become the first indigenous woman to sit in the Queensland parliament.
Seat: Whitsunday
Member, margin: Jan Jarratt, Labor, 8 per cent (Labor)
Location: North of Mackay, including Proserpine, Bowen, and the Whitsunday islands.
Voters: 28,378
Seat History: Ms Jarratt was elected in 2004 after it was revealed National Party candidate Dan van Blarcom was photographed at Nazi Party meetings in the 1970s.
Expectation: Labor to hang on.
Issues: Tourism has been flagging in the holiday region and many hope a new airport, proposed to be built from 2010, will help. Environmental pressures are also weighing on the area, with the government slapping a 20-year moratorium on shale oil mining and considering restrictions for cane growers to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Point of Interest: Part of the movie Australia, directed by Baz Luhrmann, was filmed in Bowen.
Seat: Hervey Bay
Member, margin: Andrew McNamara, Labor, 4 per cent (Labor)
Location: The central Queensland coastline famous for whale watching.
Voters: 33,851
Seat History: Elected in 2001, Mr McNamara suffered a 3.6 per cent swing against him in 2004 and again in 2006.
Expectation: LNP candidate, former Hervey Bay mayor Ted Sorensen, to win.
Issues: Mr McNamara, the environment minister, can expect voter backlash over the Traveston Crossing Dam.
Point of Interest: Half of the constituents lived at a different address at the last election.
Seat: Indooroopilly
Member, margin: Ronan Lee, Greens (formerly Labor), 2 per cent (Liberal)
Location: Brisbane's west
Voters: 27,529
Seat History: Indooroopilly was once part of the Liberals' western suburbs heartland. Mr Lee was elected the seat's first Labor MP in 2001, hung on in 2004 but won only with preferences in 2006.
Expectation: LNP candidate, former journalist Scott Emerson, to win.
Issues: Mr Lee defected to the Greens in October 2008, saying he was fed up with government inaction on environmental issues. The move is likely to anger those who voted for a Labor representative.
Point of Interest: Labor candidate Sarah Warner is daughter of former Goss cabinet minister, Anne Warner.
AAP
4:25 PM, February 23, 2009
WIN News:
State Government Funding Projects
23 February 2009
Meanwhile, Toowoomba Regional Council is hoping extra funding for Wivenhoe Pipeline comes through in this State Election.
Mayor Peter Taylor says he's surprised by the Premier's early announcement,
Nonetheless, he's expecting further funding for Council to properly manage the region's water assets.
7:02 PM, February 23, 2009
I think Peter Taylor believes that there is fairies at the bottom of the garden!
If he has not got an answer to-day he must understand that there will be no more money from a government who are broke.
9:36 PM, February 23, 2009
MS B-Lie
8:21 PM, March 03, 2009
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