Queensland State Election 2017: Labor hands preferences to Rick Williams, Peter ‘Plonker’ Dowling

LABOR has gifted preferences to two scandal-ridden candidates – one whose dumping triggered the election and another who photographed his penis in a wine glass.

Peter Dowling says his camp and Labor reached a deal to preference each other third in Redlands, which he hopes to reclaim. Picture: Jamie Hanson

• Peter ‘Plonker’ Dowling to contest seat of Redlands
• Labor preferences bikie Mick Kosenko ahead of LNP in Pine Rivers
• Dumped MP Rick Williams releases explosive ‘secret recording’

LABOR has gifted preferences to two scandal-ridden candidates – one whose dumping triggered the election, and another who photographed his penis plonked in a wine glass.

The ALP has placed Pumicestone MP “Slick” Rick Williams third on its how-to-vote ticket, despite Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk disendorsing him as Labor’s candidate following a complaint from a newspaper owner that he threatened her.

And they’ve stitched up a deal with former Redlands MP Peter “Plonker” Dowling, who lost LNP preselection in 2015 because of a sexting scandal involving his mistress.

Mr Williams, who tore up his Labor membership two weeks ago to run as an independent, has also preferenced Labor third, but both he and Labor have denied a formal deal.

Peter Dowling says his camp and Labor reached a deal to preference each other third in Redlands, which he hopes to reclaim. Picture: Jamie Hanson

He said he reprinted his how-to-vote cards on Monday to favour Labor after he realised One Nation had “lied” to him about preferencing him over the major parties, while Labor said it was simply giving preference to independent candidates over the LNP.

Meanwhile, Mr Dowling said his camp and Labor had reached a deal to preference each other third in the seat that he hopes to reclaim as an independent following a tumultuous time in the Newman government.

The former parliamentary ethics boss, who claimed he was a victim of revenge porn, garnered international attention when pictures of his penis in a red wine glass were released and it was revealed he had taken his mistress on parliamentary travel trips to Perth and New Zealand to facilitate their liaisons.

“My people, we negotiated a two with One Nation and we negotiated a three with Labor, and there weren’t any conversations with the LNP and the Greens,” Mr Dowling said yesterday.

He said he was surprised the LNP had put him second last behind One Nation and the ALP, but that campaigning was going well and many locals had recognised him.

A preference deal with Rebels bikie Mick Kosenko has been struck down by Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Meanwhile, Ms Palaszczuk personally struck down a preference deal – revealed by The Courier-Mail – with Rebels bikie Mick Kosenko.

He had been placed third in Pine Rivers but the Premier yesterday directed Labor State Secretary Evan Moorhead to place Mr Kosenko second last – above only One Nation – on newly printed cards.