Former Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow to run in 2024 state election

Former Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow has officially announced she will run in the 2024 state election following the news Rockhampton MP Barry O’Rourke will be stepping down. EXCLUSIVE.

Former Rockhampton Mayor Margaret Strelow will run in the 2024 state election.

Former Rockhampton mayor Margaret Strelow has officially announced she will run in the 2024 state election following the news current Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke will be stepping down.

Ms Strelow will run as an independent following her unsuccessful bid in the 2017 state election.

“I believe I am the best person for that job and will contest the 2024 state election as an independent – not beholden to party politics,” Ms Strelow told The Morning Bulletin exclusively.

“We have been taken for mugs for years.

“The Labor Party is not what it used to be.

“And we have paid a high price for our loyalty.”

A photo of Margaret Strelow in the 2017 election trail, claiming that Rockhampton only ever gets “breadcrumbs”.

The 2024 election will be held in October.

“I wish Barry well for the future,” Ms Strelow told The Morning Bulletin exclusively.

“His resignation doesn’t change the need for our community to be represented by someone who is 100 percent for us and not tied in knots by factions and party interests.”

Ms Strelow said she would stick up for Rockhampton and Gracemere wholeheartedly and without compromise.

“I will fight for more of your hard earned tax money to return to Rockhampton and Gracemere in grants and government services,” she said.

“We need properly funded hospitals and fair and consistent policy to reduce youth crime.

“And we need real long-term jobs.”

Current Rockhampton Regional councillor Donna Kirkland announced on October 17 she would be running as the LNP candidate for Rockhampton.

Ms Strelow resigned from her position as Rockhampton Regional Council mayor on November 9, 2020 on the basis of her personal integrity following Councillor Conduct Tribunal investigation.

She was found guilty of misconduct for not declaring an Adani-funded flight following a trip to India.

The investigation determined she registered the trip on the wrong form and she was ordered to apologise and put it on her Register of Interest.

However, she refused to apologise and still has an appeal ongoing and maintains the hospitality from Adani was recorded correctly.

Ms Strelow was first elected as a councillor in 1997 and she became the first female mayor of Rockhampton in 2000.

She was mayor until 2008, when she had a break for a term, and again served between 2012 to 2020.

In 2017, Ms Strelow ran against Barry O’Rourke for the state seat of Rockhampton and achieved 23.5 percent of the vote.

She had originally ran for Labor preselection in 2017, with the personal support of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk but missed out, but Mr O’Rourke received the support of the local branch.

The day before nominations closed she announced she would be going it alone as an independent.