REVEALED: LNP’s Cairns and FNQ powerbrokers ahead of Leichhardt election
From faceless men, political power couples and factional warlords, this list exposes some of the LNP’s most powerful players in the Far North. SEE THE FULL LIST
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LIBERAL National Party heavyweights across the Far North are sharpening their tools as the countdown to another federal election ticks away.
It is now just two months until Australia is expected to return to the polls – and the stakes could not be higher.
In Leichhardt, Warren Entsch is back for one last tilt in a race that plenty of pollsters say is stacked against him.
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Fortunately for him, an army of party faithful is ready to dig into the trenches.
These are not your regular rank and file – they are the influential powerbrokers, up-and-coming organisers and future party leaders that are making their mark in the Far North.
How this federal election plays out is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain – these LNP kingmakers will put up one hell of a fight.
Michael Trout
Regional powerbroker
The former one-term Barron River MP is the LNP’s Far North regional chairman, sitting on the state executive, and one of its most outspoken advocates.
The Trout family name is synonymous with the region and, until recently, the successful Blazing Saddles adventure tourism operation.
Mr Trout was forced to shut down that business after more than a year of lockdowns and Covid restrictions took a heavy toll.
He remains a prominent figure in the LNP and always summons speculation that he might have another tilt at politics.
However, the last two losses against Labor’s Craig Crawford – on preferences since Mr Trout won the primary vote both times – did take a toll.
Whatever comes next, Mr Trout will no doubt be a highly visible and audible campaigner for Warren Entsch over the coming months.
He is about as far away from being a “faceless man” as you can get and will be out there in his blue T-shirt handing out flyers on election day, rain, hail or shine.
Matthew Tickner
Rising star
They call him Tick Tick Boom for his ability to pull off the impossible at the very last minute – and when you wear this many hats, every minute counts.
The Cairns Chamber of Commerce vice president is also the LNP’s Leichhardt chairman, Warren Entsch’s campaign manager and works as managing director of urban design and civil engineering form Progression Design and Development.
And he has a five-month-old little boy. Strewth.
A resume like that has all the hallmarks of ambition, and the party is definitely keeping an eye on Mr Tickner for future positions of influence … and potential preselection.
Mr Tickner’s position as a federal division manager means he has some of the local branch’s deepest connections with politicians and the federal backroom team down south.
He takes a front seat in policy discussions, is a key port of call for day-to-day membership issues, and mans the battle lines when it comes to election tactics and on-the-ground grunt work.
Joshua Auld
Lawyer and LNP stalwart
The writing was on the wall back in 2014 when the Cairns Post interviewed a 19-year-old Joshua Auld.
The James Cook University student had just been selected as Barron River’s representative in the Youth Parliament in Brisbane – and he was very keen.
“I have chosen to sit on the Industry, Employment and Innovation Committee as this felt like it was most relevant to Barron River and Cairns with the announcement of Aquis and the growing youth unemployment rates,” he said.
“The Far North is growing at an incredible rate, but without opportunities for younger people that will slide to a halt.”
The younger Mr Auld already had his sights set on a political career way back then when Aquis was yet to be proven a cruel joke.
He is the LNP’s Barron River chairman and ran candidate Linda Cooper’s unsuccessful campaign against Craig Crawford in the last state election.
Barron River will not go to an election again for another two years, but Mr Auld will be plying his political trade in service of Warren Entsch’s campaign over the next couple of months.
He is seen as the man in charge for most of what happens north of Cairns, but political powerbrokin’ is rarely a full-time job.
In civilian life, Mr Auld works as an associate with Devenish Law.
Sam Marino
Two-time candidate
He has quietened down since his last marathon state election effort but Mr Marino remains an influential figure within the LNP.
The successful businessman behind Beacon Lighting was first preselected to run for the seat of Cairns in 2017.
He lost the vote to Labor’s Michael Healy but threw his hat back in the ring in 2020.
Mr Marino was a much more polished candidate the second time.
However, he failed to win a seat that has only been out of Labor’s hands once in the past century (not including the 1944 election when Lou Barnes, standing under the name of his eccentric politician brother’s “Frank Barnes Labour Party” won a term).
Mr Marino is a big believer in small business, a fair go and reducing red tape – and something tells us we have not heard the last of him.
Tamara Srhoj
The anointed one
If anyone on this list has all the makings of a future parliamentarian, it is her.
Ms Srhoj works as an adviser in Warren Entsch’s office and has deep family ties to the Far North – particularly on the Tablelands.
She is a savvy operator whose name always comes up when future MP speculation rears its head.
Ms Srhoj previously worked for David Kempton when he was Cook MP and, before that, as a broker with Joe Vella Insurance Brokers.
She knows everyone who is anyone on the Tablelands and has a big support network that will back her if (when) ever she decides to throw her hat in the ring – especially within agricultural and sporting circles.
In the meantime, she is a tireless backroom manoeuvrer and frontline campaigner who will throw her full energy behind Mr Entsch in the upcoming campaign.
Adam Davies
Media man
The former journalist worked in the UK and made a name for himself at The Chronicle in Toowoomba and as a state court and political reporter before jumping ship to the political realm.
He worked as a media adviser to Queensland’s former LNP leader Tim Nicholls before heading north to join Warren Entsch’s team in February 2018.
The Scots College alumnus is seen as one of the key chess players in the LNP’s political race for Leichhardt – and his background in the media makes him a formidable ally.
Warren Entsch
Veteran MP
An obvious inclusion but one that cannot be overlooked.
Warren Entsch is the face of the LNP in Far North Queensland and likely the reason it has managed to hold on to Leichhardt for so long.
The former crocodile farmer has a personal brand as a knockabout Far Northerner that transcends party lines and has helped him win all eight elections he has contested.
Mr Entsch is an inveterate backbencher and has long stated he could achieve more for his electorate from outside ministerial portfolios than within.
His influence within the party is not insignificant.
It was largely due to his incessant campaigning that the Coalition was dragged kicking and screaming into the marriage equality debate.
Mr Entsch now has his sights set on insurance and has managed to get a $10bn reinsurance pool across the line to drive down premiums in cyclone-prone areas of Northern Australia.
The government’s Great Barrier Reef special envoy is in a tough position this time around with Labor’s popularity surging in the wake of Covid lockdown backlash.
His opponent, Labor’s Elida Faith, is now a second-term candidate with much more experience – and a lot of the unions and ALP’s fire power at her disposal.
David Kempton
The man on the Tablelands
These days he is best known as a lawyer at Preston Law and chairman of regional development lobby group RDA Tropical North.
However, Mr Kempton’s background as member for Cook from 2012-2015 gives him a special kind of influence that only ex-MPs have within the LNP.
He is very outspoken on matters pertaining to investment in the Far North and the need to open up the region’s industries to the world.
Mr Kempton has a keen legal mind that can be put to good use when it comes to political campaigning – not to mention the experience to know all the right strings to pull.
Deirdre and Colin Ford
LNP’s answer to Brangelina
The official LNP power couple of Far North Queensland, this political combo are involved in just about everything.
Mrs Ford in particular has a lot of influence within the party and is known behind closed doors as the best person to call when you need to fill a room.
She knows every member in the region and has the gift of the gab to make sure they turn up to important meetings when there must be a vote.
The former councillor was granted lifetime party membership last year, which is a huge honour within the LNP.
Mr Ford, likewise, has been a loyal party member for decades and holds a special position when it comes to talking tactics and campaigning.
Robert Cuda
“The Moneyman”
That term – the Moneyman – is the actual name Mr Cuda is known as among party faithful in the Far North.
He is an accomplished accountant and inexplicably ends up drawing the short straw whenever a new group needs a treasurer.
In his day job, Mr Cuda is an associate director at BDO Australia – an expert in taxation compliance, property development, retail and management rights.
Trent Twomey
Wheeler and dealer
For a long time, he was seen as the future of the party in the Far North with a lot of calls for him to run for senate preselection.
Those calls will no doubt re-emerge over the coming years, but in the meantime Mr Twomey is one busy bloke.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia national president runs the successful Alive Pharmacy chain with 11 stores across North Queensland.
You might not see him handing out how-to-vote cards on election day but rest assured, he is one of the LNP’s most critical players in the region.
His ties across business and all tiers of government make him an indispensable resource, and his political nous means he is the go-to guy when it comes to figuring out policy direction.
Susan McDonald and James McGrath
Patron senators
Susan McDonald based in Townsville remains the closest thing the LNP has to a Far Northern senator.
She is the federal government’s special envoy to Northern Australia and a fierce advocate for economic and industrial growth across the region.
Senator James McGrath is based down south but spends a lot of time in the Far North and is very influential within the party’s local machinations.
Sen McGrath does have ties to the region, having attended Innisfail State High School as a kid.
Sen McDonald grew up in Cloncurry.
They are the LNP’s answer to Batman and Robin in the upper house. CRASH! POW! ZOK!
Samuel Batt
Emerging leader
He is not at the top of the LNP’s influential list yet, but this young up-and-comer is one to watch.
Mr Batt works as an assistant adviser in Warren Entsch’s office and has been involved in several key operations.
That has included taking a leading role in formulating the white papers Mr Entsch intermittently publishes as special envoy to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Trinity Anglican School graduate has had stints in the YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament and the Cairns Young Chamber of Commerce – both classic training grounds for young’uns with political aspirations.
He will no doubt be a loyal and dogged lieutenant to his boss over the coming months.
Matthew Connolly
Back seat driver
The Expressway Signs owner was formerly behind the wheel for an exhausting and exhaustive series of political campaigns.
There was a period when he seemed to be the core director for every election that popped up – but now he is taking a well-earned break in the back seat.
Mr Connolly remains an influential figure within the party and can be called on when an expert hand is required.
Col McKenzie
Behind enemy lines
Mr McKenzie used to be a card-carrying Labor member and was sufficiently red-blooded to run a campaign for Desley Boyle.
His inclusion on this list may be controversial – but facts are facts.
The former Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators executive director has got jack of Labor and jumped ship to the LNP.
He is a fierce campaigner and known as a tough operator – and his new political status means he holds definite sway within Liberal National circles.
Maclane Schloss
One to watch
Heavily involved in the party’s day-to-day activities, Mr Schloss is an emerging leader within the local LNP movement.
He is part of Matthew Tickner’s executive team in Leichhardt and aspires to be influential in the party side of things rather than the public political side.
The young accountant previously worked for Grant Thornton but recently took on a position with Cairns Airport.
The years will show how high he rises through the LNP ranks, but there is no question of his loyalty and determination to fight for the cause.
Nicole Tobin
In it to win it
A music teacher by trade, Ms Tobin knows all the right notes to hit when it comes to getting preselected for senate candidacy.
Unfortunately to date she has only managed to get her name on the lower ballot rungs, making it all but impossible to win a seat outside of a landslide LNP victory.
Ms Tobin has stood for the LNP in the senate but also had an unsuccessful run at Division 6 in Cairns Regional Council in 2020.
She missed out on being preselected for the seat of Barron River during the last state election, with Linda Cooper taking that honour.
It is understood she is currently pencilled in at number four on the LNP’s senate ballot in this early stage of the election countdown.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Kevin Byrne and Bob Manning
A tale of two mayors
Former Cairns mayor Kevin Byrne handed in his party membership back when he was CEO of Advance Cairns and political impartiality was required.
He has since returned to the ranks as a card-carrying LNP member and attended some meetings.
It is worth remembering Mr Byrne ran unsuccessfully for the Nationals in the seat of Leichhardt back in 1990 – two years before he first became mayor.
He is not the only one in that position.
Mayor Bob Manning espouses a rigid detachment from party politics these days, but it was a different story back in 2004.
He stood for the Liberal Party and lost against Labor’s Desley Boyle – but he did manage to decrease the margin.
Cr Manning had to wait another eight years before he became mayor.
Dennis and Robyn Quick
Party stalwarts
He used to be one of the LNP’s key players in the Far North, but Dennis Quick has taken a step back to let a new generation shine.
Still, Mr Quick remains a vocal member and makes his views heard at meetings – even if he is less involved in the intricacies of campaigns these days.
The Vietnam veteran was executive assistant to former mayor Kevin Byrne, former LNP regional co-ordinator and has recently lent his voice to the Fix Our Broken Link campaign to upgrade the Kuranda Range.
Robyn Quick is also a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal supporter and has lost two election campaigns in the seat of Mulgrave against Labor’s Curtis Pitt.
Bill Cummings
Mr Numbers
The respected economist is by no means a day-to-day LNP soldier, but there was a time when things were very different.
He stood for the Liberals in Leichhardt in both the 1990 and 1993 elections, both times going close to knocking Labor off the perch.
History showed it would take Warren Entsch to paint the seat blue for the first time in history.
Jeremy Neal
Handy for photo opps
Eagle-eyed news watchers may have had a sense of deja vu when Deb Frecklington turned up at a Cairns paramedic’s house ahead of the 2020 state election.
Just a few months earlier, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was at the very same house.
It was the home of Jeremy Neal, Leearna Gibbs and their young family – and they even had a brand new baby on Ms Frecklington’s visit.
Mr Neal was a very useful ally and ticked all the boxes when photo opportunities were needed.
However, he had a bit of a libertarian streak and is understood to have recently rescinded his LNP membership over policy disagreements.
ScoMo will have to find another cute young family ahead of his next visit to Cairns.
Danae Jones
The mighty Entsch-presser
An accomplished media consultant with clients across Queensland, Ms Jones has an arsenal of skills and contacts that makes her invaluable to any campaign – and she uses them.
That said, she is firmly in the Team Entsch camp rather than The Party.
The former journalist has run multiple campaigns for Mr Entsch and can be expected to be back in the trenches during the all-important 2022 effort.
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Originally published as REVEALED: LNP’s Cairns and FNQ powerbrokers ahead of Leichhardt election
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