SNAPSHOT: check out candidates in Logan’s five state seats
With less than a month until the state election, here is a snapshot of Logan’s five seats and the preliminary candidates. SEE THE LIST
Logan
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The state election battle has started across Logan’s five state seats with issues such as small-lot development, transport, road upgrades and crime common to all.
MINISTER UNDER FIRE OVER COOMERA CONNECTOR
All five seats are held by Labor with only one of the five — Springwood — considered marginal with sitting MP Mick de Brenni holding it with a 3.6 per cent margin, the same as embattled ALP candidate Jackie Trad in South Brisbane.
The other Logan City seats all have margins of more than 7 per cent with Woodridge, held by newly instated Treasurer Cameron Dick, on 26.4 per cent, the state’s safest Labor seat.
Only Katter Party’s Rob Katter has a wider margin in his seat of Traegar.
The Greens are running candidates in all seats of the state’s 93 seats, even in seats where the Animal Justice Party is standing candidates.
At this early stage in the campaign, all five Logan seats are tentatively tipped to be returned to Labor which is running a campaign on coronavirus border security.
SPRINGWOOD
Springwood has often been referred to as a bellwether seat, going with the elected government of the day.
Issues the electorate faces include M1 traffic upgrades, vacancy rates in Springwood CBD, crime and a local fire brigade.
Mr de Brenni, who was elected to the seat in 2015, believes the state’s strong border stance will pay dividends at the polls.
He has lived in Springwood his whole life and served as Minister for Housing; Public Works; Digital Technology; and Sport.
The LNP is running Rochedale South disability sector advocate Kirrily Boulton, who is a mum, wife and former journalist.
She has been vocal about juvenile justice, small business and education and language programs and believes the issues in the electorate are the economy, traffic and crime.
Springwood mechanic Glen Cookson is listed as the One Nation candidate for the seat and wants to offer an alternative to the two majors.
Animal Justice Party is fielding Judy Rush, who has lived in the electorate for 29 years and operated a business for 24 years. Both her children were born and raised in the electorate, attending local schools and sporting clubs.
LOGAN
This is a safe ALP seat which has been held by Linus Power since 2015. He lost it for a term to Liberal National Party candidate Michael Pucci in 2012, who collected an 18 per cent margin. Mr Power holds it with a 6.8 per cent margin.
The main issues in the seat are how the community is coping with new housing estates and upgrades for the Mt Lindesay Highway. A push for more schools to cater for the growing population has also been topical with Yarrabilba State Community College and a primary school for Greenbank.
Mr Power is likely to have some contest from a One Nation candidate after that party got 43.2 per cent of the vote (two-partypreferred) at the 2017 poll.
He will also go head to head with the LNP candidate Clinton Pattinson, who ran for the seat of Algester at the 2017 election.
MACALISTER
This seat, which covers the business hub of Beenleigh and both sides of the M1 from Eagleby to the emerging suburbs of Bahrs Scrub, is held by Labor’s Melissa McMahon with a 7.7 per cent margin.
Mrs McMahon, a former police officer, is a first-term MP who has pushed for an overhaul of the final section of the proposed Coomera Connector through Eagleby.
The seat was first formed for the 2017 election and was made up of five seats including Coomera which was traditionally LNP and parts of Redlands, a now marginal seat held by the ALP.
It is still unknown how Independent candidate Margaret Keech, the former ALP MP, will allocate preferences.
She has lived in Beenleigh for 40 years and resigned from the Labor Party this year saying she was disillusioned with party stances on social issues. Mrs Keech has said she would push for the northern section of the Coomera Connector through Eagleby to be redesigned if she wins.
The LNP candidate Judi van Manen grew up in the area and raised her family there. She said she would also redesign the Coomera Connector so it did not touch the Eagleby Wetlands.
She said if she was part of an LNP government, she would push for a budget and an economic recovery package in the first 100 days.
The Greens will field Kirsty Petersen as a candidate. Ms Petersen unsuccessfully ran as a candidate in this year’s Logan City Council election and is a mum who works in family law and wants to improve public transport and education facilities in the area.
Another independent for the seat of Macalister is Paul Taylor, who unsuccessfully ran as a mayoral candidate in this year’s Logan City Council election.
Mr Taylor, who sells stonemasonry, said he wanted to run to sort out the financial mismanagement of the state and get rid of the heartless leadership, which had ignored local needs.
“I will represent the local community, not be a party rubberstamp,” he said.
“The Eagleby wetlands must be protected and the community concerns be addressed.
“If elected, I will freeze the wages and perks for all MPs for the full term and no retrospective payback. A backbencher earns four times the average worker’s wage, which is totally unacceptable for what they do.”
WATERFORD
The seat of Waterford has been held by Labor ever since it was created except for one term, in 2012, when LNP candidate Mike Latter won.
At the 2017 poll, Labor won a majority of the two-candidate-preferred vote against One Nation. The LNP came third picking up 20 per cent of the primary vote.
The seat is held by Labor’s Shannon Fentiman, who has been held a number of portfolios for the government including the current Employment and Small Business and for Training and Skills Development.
Ms Fentiman, who holds the seat with a 10.7 per cent margin, is a lawyer who has overseen a range of policies for social justice and women and championed the cause of a local tennis club, which lost its Beenleigh rental lease.
She was named for failing to declare staying at the Canadian ski slopes home of a consultant whose firm later won work from her department.
One Nation candidate Kim Miller, who won 20 per cent of the primary votes in the 2017 election, will have another tilt at the seat.
He said he wanted to construct water security infrastructure including the Hybrid Bradfield Scheme, champion farmers’ rights, bring manufacturing and jobs back to Queensland and reduce crime.
The LNP will field Andrew Caswell, a father of three who has worked as a customer service engineer since 2014.
Mr Caswell said he wanted to help local businesses and the by cutting red tape.
Wildcards in the race will be Legalise cannabis Party’s Gay Sharkey.
And there is the chance that 2017 aspirant Lee Mckenzie Mckinnon, who runs Living In Logan Magazine, will recontest.
WOODRIDGE
This seat has always been a Labor electorate and is currently held by Treasurer Cameron Dick with a massive 26.4 per cent margin, which probably accounts for no other candidates putting up their hands to nominate.
The main issues in Woodridge, the safest Labor seat in the state, are social welfare, increasing employment and curbing crime with a large interest in provision of education facilities.
Mr Dick won the seat after five-term MP Desley Scott retired in 2015.
The LNP’s Michael Rooms won 23.6 per cent of the two-party preferred vote in 2017.