Find out who in the running for seat of Southern Downs at 2024 state election

The safe seat of the Southern Downs could be a hotly-contested race as left-wing and conservative party candidates make their bid ahead of the October state election. See what they’ve got in store for the region.

For several years the LNP has sat comfortably in the Southern Downs seat of Queensland parliament.

As the October election rolls around the corner, candidates have started to reveal their intentions to challenge James Lister’s safe LNP seat.

A rail engineer who grew up in Allora is representing the Greens, while a former NSW police officer is representing Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Meet the first of the Southern Downs’ state candidates vying for a seat in parliament below.

LIZ SUDUK | ONE NATION

A former NSW police officer, now Southern Downs beef farmer, Liz Suduk is campaigning for major changes ahead of the October election.

The One Nation candidate said housing, cost of living, water security and advocating for farmers were among her top priorities should she win the region’s seat in parliament.

“More resources for rural communities particularly in health are desperately needed, we’ve got a major shortage of GP’s in the region,” she said.

“There needs to be more meaningful incentives to bring doctors out to rural areas, we really need to explore all of our options.

“There’s also the issue of cost of living and housing for Stanthorpe particularly, I spoke with a real estate agent recently who told me they had 15 applications in half an hour on a house listed for $450 a week.”

Mrs Suduk said the cost of living was a high priority for One Nation who will look to fast track the building and approvals of new homes, reduce electricity prices and levies, and reduce taxes on fuel.

Having lived in the region for two decades Mrs Suduk said she’s never before seen such an outcry for relief.

“I was at the Warwick Community Van’s fifth anniversary event and I couldn’t believe just how many people in need there were, I haven’t seen anything like it in 20 years,” she said.

“There’s a feeling within the Southern Downs community that residents haven’t been heard.”

As a former NSW police officer who has worked in some very rough areas, Mrs Suduk’s position on youth crime is one with experience.

Mrs Suduk said the Miles government’s decision to appoint a cross-border commissioner in Goondiwindi should be a long-term solution.

“In the long term it’s not a bad option as he needs (to build) momentum and resources, and while the police out there are doing an amazing job, they don’t currently have the resources to do patrols,” she said.

“I think the short term solution would be to have police dogs and a handler patrolling the streets, because I had worked in very rough areas with the same problem and found the presence of a dog and handler really deters a lot of offenders.”

Mrs Suduk said there would need to be a resource allocation from the NSW government to enable this support in the border community of Boggabilla.

DAVID NEWPORT | THE GREENS

Having grown up in Allora on his family’s farm, David Newport said he understands the perils of living in a rural community where government funding was often few and far between.

Although his career as a rail engineer saw him move away from the region for work, Mr Newport said he still visits the Spring Creek property as often as he can.

“On the farm, I’m reminded of how much our climate has already changed. The climate crisis is making our seasons more erratic, with longer droughts punctuated by more intense wets,” he said.

“At work, I’ll watch kilometres-long coal trains snake along, day and night, and it leaves me with a faint sense of watching the end of my family’s livelihood roll by.

“To me, these are the biggest problems facing the Downs, our families and friends are forced to move away to find work or affordable housing while the climate crisis is a looming threat to our whole way of life.”

Mr Newport said if he elected to represent the Southern Downs in October he would fight to create the jobs and opportunities needed for the region’s communities and the environment.

“We all know how governments forget about our rural communities, Allora used to have four train services a day (and) now we have none, the bridge into town hasn’t been fixed since the embankment was washed away in the 2011 floods,” he said.

JAMES LISTER | LNP

Holding the Southern Downs seat in Queensland parliament for almost a decade, member of the Opposition James Lister is vying to keep the LNP in power in the region.

Mr Lister has started campaigning his way with the October election knocking on the door.

“I find if you pull the caravan up on the side of the road and pull the awning out, pretty quickly people will stop and get stuck into you about whatever is on their radar at the time,” he said.

When asked what his top priorities were for the Southern Downs region, should he be re elected in October, Mr Lister said he wouldn’t make promises that he couldn’t deliver.

“I never promise anything that I can’t deliver on my own because you always have to rely on other people,” he said.

“I can announce and talk about what our LNP state wide policies are and whether I think they’ll improve the situation.”

Mr Lister said the most common concerns raised by Southern Downs residents in Warwick and Stanthorpe relate to housing, roads and infrastructure, health and cost of living.

When it comes to the issue of water security, particularly on the Granite Belt, Mr Lister remains determined to pursue the halted Emu Swap Dam project.

“I speak for the state level and so I think that in terms of irrigation it would be very valuable because on the Granite Belt water is very scarce, and users of it are prepared to pay a lot more to get a megalitre,” he said.

“One megalitre will produce $70,000 worth of rocket or leafy green veg or if you’re doing it for something like cotton it’s only 10 per cent or less of what it’s worth.”

Mr Lister said the option of a pipeline from Warwick to Stanthorpe was also worth considering, however the priority should be in securing new water that’s not connected to another scarce supply.

“The federal and state governments both had money on the table to proceed with the dam I’ll be advocating to get that money back on the table to get new water on the Granite Belt,” he said.

Mr Lister told Warwick Daily News previously that he stands by the LNP’s proposed ‘Safer Children, Safer Communities’ plan.

The plan worth $383m aims to reform the child protection system, pledging to hire more child safety officers, put more carers in residential care facilities and build a new safe house.

Mr Lister said he couldn’t provide any time frames for when the region could expect to reap the LNP’s benefits should they be elected in October.

“I can’t give a time frame on any of this stuff other than to say we have to get started immediately and if LNP wins, parliament will sit again shortly after the election,” he said.

“(However) I think first cab off the rank will be the crime problem, particularly in Goondiwindi and surrounds, that’s a matter of immediate urgency and it can’t wait until next year.”

MELINDA KELLER | FAMILY FIRST

The Family First Queensland party has announced Melinda Keller as their candidate for the Southern Downs in the upcoming October state election.

A newcomer to the region, Ms Keller is giving the community another option on the ballot.

“Someone has to stand up for the community, I’m not anybody and I don’t consider myself as above anyone else, but I thought if I put my name down that will give them a different option,” she said.

Ms Keller said she firmly believes in the Family First party’s philosophy of freedom.

“We stand for life, freedom of faith and freedom to raise our families how we want to,” she said.

“I’m the voice for those who don’t have one and I want to speak up for those who won’t or can’t speak.”

Ms Keller said the community feedback she’s received is that there needs to be more accountability of all levels of government.

“When I elect someone I expect they are working towards the best for everyone and I have not found that,” she said.

“I want to see openness of a forum where the community can have more of a say about what they want and give feedback, so we can work out if we’re going in the right direction or not.”

“You can’t impress everyone but if you get the community feedback, you can get a Bill and put it in motion.”

While health issues have prevented her from working full-time, Ms Keller said she spends a majority of her time volunteering for various organisations within the community.

Ms Keller is involved with a number of other community members who are working tirelessly to open a Sailability club at Leslie Dam.

“ (Sailability) gives anyone with a disability or isn’t able bodied the opportunity to go out with an experienced skipper and learn to sail on the dam,” she said.

Having adapted to the countryside lifestyle Ms Keller said she’s passionate about the Southern Downs region and doing what she can for its surrounding communities.

The full list of Family First Australia’s policies can be found here.

Originally published as Find out who in the running for seat of Southern Downs at 2024 state election