Tough job to get voters on board in knife-edge northside seat

Once upon a time it was a Labor stronghold. But the exit of a former Treasurer, a swing to the LNP and voter apathy are making the result hard to call in northside seat of Lilley.

When Wayne Swan ruled the roost as Treasurer, and Labor’s man in Lilley, there was never any doubt come election time about who was going to win.

But his departure, and a whopping swing to the LNP during the ScoMo “how good is Queensland?’’ landslide, has reduced Labor’s margin to a decidedly uncomfortable 0.64 per cent.

When only a couple of hundreds votes could swing the outcome, every single one counts.

Problem is, even the diehard Labor voters in this aspirational northside seat are so disengaged with politics the job for ALP incumbent Anika Wells to re-take Lilley won’t be easy.

In the Everton Park State High School booth, one of the most marginal in this marginal seat, some voters were not even aware there was an election coming, let alone the name of their local MP.

Jonathan Waak did not realised there was an election coming up.

German-born Jonathan Waak will be voting in his second election, but confessed he had no idea the federal election was due.

He could not recall who he voted for last time, or even which election it was.

“It was the one that was compulsory,’’ he said.

Umm, they’re all compulsory voting.

Anyway, while he could not name a standout issue that would sway his vote, Mr Waak said it would come down to “someone who seems trustworthy’’.

Lynette Hockaday is unsure how she will vote in marginal Lilley.

Lynette Hockaday said she was very happy someone, she did not know who, put a pedestrian crossing outside her Housing Commission unit.

When pressed on other issues that might sway her thinking — and she confessed to not having made her mind up on who gets her vote — she nominated Covid.

“It hasn’t been a bad job, but it could have been better,’’ she said.

“I’ll just vote for whoever seems to be the best. They’re all in it for themselves.’’

Amanda Higgs is a lifelong Labor voter who sees no reason to change this time.

Amanda Higgs, 66, said she was a dyed-in-the-wool Labor supporter.

“I don’t like the Liberal Party, they don’t give much to the poor,’’ she said.

‘I’m just about to go on the pension. I’ve had a disability but could not get a pension before.

“I don’t think Scott Morrison has done a bad job, though, considering what he’s had to deal with — Covid, bushfires and floods.’’