Queensland election 2017: Leanne Donaldson bought land just 10 months after unpaid rates

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says Leanne Donaldson was likely to spend another term on the backbench should Labor win government, after it was revealed the MP purchased a block of land in Tasmania despite only last year being unable to pay a $8000 rates debt.

Former minister Leanne Donaldson. Picture: John Wilson

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says Leanne Donaldson was likely to spend another term on the backbench should Labor win government, after it was revealed the MP purchased a block of land in Tasmania despite only last year being unable to pay a $8000 rates debt.

Speaking in Ms Donaldson’s Bundaberg electorate on Wednesday morning, Ms Palaszczuk said the trouble prone MP was “fighting to win her seat.”

Despite winning the seat of former LNP police minister Jack Dempsey, Ms Donaldson appears to have a fight on her hands to retain the seat with polling showing she has slipped behind in a two-party preferred basis.

Ms Palaszczuk said she hasn’t thought about the makeup of her future cabinet should she win government.

“I am not going to even be talking about those issues because I am focused on Saturday where there is a clear choice, a clear choice about good, decent Government in this state as opposed to the cuts and chaos you will see under Tim Nicholls and One Nation,” she said.

The Courier-Mail overnight revealed that Ms Donaldson purchased land in Tasmania just 10 months after she quit Cabinet over unpaid rates and rego bills.

Property records reveal Ms Donaldson is a co-owner of a $150,000 block of land on Flinders Island with her daughter Ashleigh.

The property was bought as an investment property.

The former minister quit Cabinet after it was revealed she had an unpaid rates bill of almost $8000.

She also further revealed she had fallen behind on a car registration bill as well.

She has since repeatedly apologised over the rates and rego scandal, putting the saga down to depression and the loss of her public service job during the Newman government era, prior to her entering politics.

The block of land was purchased on July 5 this year with the contract settling on August 1.

A Queensland Labor spokesman said the land was purchased through a self-managed super fund set up for the former agriculture minister and her family.

“The property is an investment property owned by the Donaldson Superannuation Trust on behalf of members of her family,” the spokesman said.

He said Ms Donaldson was up to date with her property bills following last year’s saga.

“All financial concerns were resolved last year.”

Ms Donaldson has only visited the block once and that was prior to its purchase.

Part of the 40ha block on Flinders Island bought by Leanne Donaldson.

Ms Donaldson also updated her members’ register to include a mortgage with low-doc lender Bluestone, a company that markets itself as “saying yes when other lenders say no”.

The 40ha block was described on property website realestate.com as having “sea views, rocks, big trees, steep slopes mixed with level grazing land that has mostly gone back to bush”.

“You can still walk through she-oaks with open patches of golden grass. Maybe half the land would suit grazing or intensive horticulture.

“Power runs past, the dam is full and the land is close to town with plenty of shelter.

“The moment you are through the gate, the land feels just right.”

Ms Donaldson is facing a fight for her political future against the LNP and a resurgent One Nation.

She currently holds the Bundaberg seat with a margin of less than 1 per cent.

The Premier visited her seat in the opening days of the campaign and returned there late yesterday as she continues her regional seat blitz ahead of Saturday’s poll.

Originally published as Queensland election 2017: Leanne Donaldson bought land just 10 months after unpaid rates