Why St Paul’s, Maryborough booth is pivotal for Wide Bay this election 2022

The national polls point to a Labor victory but a temperature check near one of the Wide Bay’s volatile booths revealed there was still “quiet Australians” aplenty in Maryborough’s CBD. Here’s what they had to say.

They consider themselves to be the quiet Australians Prime Minister Scott Morrison referred to in his famous speech following his victory at the last election.

Rose and Bob Cochrane don’t see themselves as “rusted on” LNP voters – in fact, they used to vote for Labor.

They swung to the LNP thanks to Mr Morrison and will again vote for the Coalition at the upcoming Federal election.

“He’s done a fantastic job,” Mrs Cochrane told the Chronicle.

In just weeks the Cochranes will be among hundreds of voters who will swarm Maryborough’s CBD to cast their vote in the federal election at one of the only volatile booths (where the swing has shifted most) in the Wide Bay at St Paul’s Memorial Hall in Adelaide St.

The seat is considered safe for the LNP and incumbent member Llew O’Brien.

The Chronicle took to the streets and asked those in the CBD their thoughts ahead of the election.

Rose and Bob Cochrane don’t consider themselves “rusted on” LNP voters, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison has won them over.

In his past term, Mr Morrison has battled public opinion on fires, Covid and floods, and while he’s drawn criticism from many quarters, the Cochranes are happy with how he has handled the job.

“Everyone blames him,” Mrs Cochrane said

“But we’re happy with what he’s doing.”

The term quiet Australians resonated with the couple

“We don’t like making waves,” Mrs Cochrane said.

Years ago, they voted for Labor, Mr Cochrane said, and they might again for the right person.

The couple agreed, however, that Labor leader Anthony Albanese was “not the right man for the job”.

But Brianne Peters disagreed with the idea Mr Morrison should stay in the top job.

She said deciding who to vote for was “a hard one” – but it won’t be for “ScoMo”.

“He’s just not personable, he comes across like he has no idea what people are going through,” she said

“I think it’s pretty obvious people don’t like him, because he’s not there.”

Brianne Peters says deciding who to vote for is a hard one – but it won’t be for “ScoMo”.

While she wouldn’t be voting for the LNP, Ms Peters hadn’t decided who would get her vote.

And while she didn’t care for Mr Morrison, she thought Mr O’Brien had done a good job for the region.

“I feel like he is there for people when they need it, especially with the floods,” she said.

Two young women in Bazaar St, identifying themselves only as Kelly and Charlotte, admitted they did not know an election was coming.

They said they would be waiting for the election to decide how to vote.

Maryborough’s Pat Coates definitely knew an election was coming.

She’s a fan of Mr Morrison and said he’d done a lot for the nation.

Her opinion of Mr Albanese had soured in the wake of accusations of bullying from within the Labor Party after Senator Kimberley Kitching’s death from a heart attack.

But Mr Morrison was trustworthy, she said.

“Yes, he’s a family man, isn’t he,” Ms Coates said.

“He can’t do much more for anybody.”

Maryborough’s Calebi Reinikka says the Federal Government is doing a good job.

Another person who thought the Federal Government was doing a good job was Maryborough’s Calebi Reinikka.

The Covid epidemic however was upmost on his mind.

He received two doses of the vaccine and it left him feeling “useless” he said.

“I lost a lot of energy.”

He feels the vaccine should not have been provided to children.

A man in Adelaide Street, who asked not to be named, said he had voted for Labor for years but they had “let me down”.

“Now I vote for independents,” he said.

Lynette Spence cares about the environment, riding an electric bike to get to where she’s going.

She said concerns about the rising cost of living meant she would be voting for the LNP at the election.

“I’ll vote for Scott Morrison,” she said.

“I went off him and now I’m back on him.

“He’s got more vision, the other guys don’t have vision.

“I’ve got to have some certainty, I’m elderly.”

Lynette Spence cares about the environment, riding an electric bike to get to where she’s going.

While she was in favour of exploring greener options, Ms Spence feared the consequences of rapidly reducing cheaper coal-fired power stations.

“If they cut out all the coal, how are we going to pay for everything?” she said.

“Most pensioners can’t afford huge electricity bills.

“How are we going to live? They’re squeezing us so much.”

Sue Rogers, who was shopping in Adelaide St, believed rising fuel prices would be a hot topic at the upcoming election.

She was also concerned about what was happening overseas after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ms Rogers said she would be voting for the Coalition.

“For me, I’ve seen better outcomes when they are in power,” she said.

She felt the LNP was better prepared to handle the current global situation.

Her friend, Cherie Cullen, felt the same way.

She was also concerned about the cost of living, along with the housing shortage across the region.

Ms Cullen said there also needed to be more support for hospitals and mental health services.

Elderly Maryborough resident Judy Brady said she was a lifelong LNP voter and nothing would change during the upcoming election.

She said her mother had encouraged her to vote Liberal from the age of 21 and she was a staunch conservative.

“She did like the Liberal party – middle of the road and steady,” Ms Brady said.

“My whole life I’ve voted conservative.”

Originally published as Why St Paul’s, Maryborough booth is pivotal for Wide Bay this election 2022