Cooper winner revealed: What it means for you
Labor’s Jonty Bush, the Greens’ Katinka Winston-Allom and LNP candidate Trent Wiseman went to battle in the seat of Cooper. Here’s who came out on top and what it means for people in Brisbane’s inner west.
QLD Votes
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First-time political candidate Katinka Winston-Allom has startled election observers by coming close to winning the safe Labor seat of Cooper.
Ms Winston-Allom, a staffer with Greens Senator Larissa Waters, was expected to poll well but Labor’s margin in the seat was widely considered too great to overcome.
However she achieved a 10 per cent swing to the Greens, almost pushing her party ahead of Labor’s Jonty Bush and into second place behind LNP candidate Trent Wiseman.
Cooper was held by Tourism Minister Kate Jones, who made a shock decision weeks out from the election to not recontest.
Ms Bush, a former Young Australian of the Year who built a public profile through her work with the Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group, was expected to widen her lead once repoll and postals were counted.
Counting on Saturday night put her on a two-party preferred 61 per cent of the vote.
She said despite having only 60 days to campaign she had got over the line through the endorsement of Ms Jones, support from her volunteers and sheer hard work.
“Some days I was working 20 hours. It was seven days a week,’’ she said.
“Kate was a very popular local Member. Many people told me that if I had Kate’s endorsement, then I had their vote.’’
She said one of her early goals would be to set up seniors’ and youth advisory groups so she could better consult with the community.
She looked forward to supporting local schools and small businesses.
Ms Winston-Allom said issues that had decided the result included Labor and the LNP’s “failure to act on climate change’’, especially approval of coal mines.
She was proud that in two terms Cooper had gone from the former LNP premier Campbell Newman to a potential Greens stronghold.
“He represented the pinnacle of cuts to the public service, slashing of jobs, destruction of our environment and the opening up of new coal mines,” she said.
“In just two terms we have transformed his seat.”