‘Notable shift’: Labor in box seat to take Brisbane
A major shake-up could be on the cards for the seat of Brisbane, as new research reveals Federal Labor is putting up a ‘very competitive’ fight for the electorate.
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Federal Labor are growing increasingly confident of snatching Brisbane from the Coalition at the upcoming election after new internal research detected a “notable shift” in the marginal seat.
The electorate, held by Liberal-aligned MP Trevor Evans with a margin of 4.92 per cent, had been on Labor’s target list alongside Flynn in Central Queensland and Longman.
But sources said the latest batch of research revealed the party was now “very competitive” in the seat, with voters focused on the government’s record on climate change, women’s issues and integrity.
Griffith University political analyst Dr Paul Williams said the seat was “certainly winnable” for Labor amid a slump in the Coalition’s standing as reflected in the polls — though there was still at least “seven weeks for Anthony Albanese to put his foot in it”.
Mr Evans’, who has held the seat since 2016, acknowledged it was at risk, pointing out Labor had held the electorate for most of the last 120 years.
He said voters would need to “weight the alternatives carefully” at the upcoming election, as the risk of a Labor-Greens alliance which would “put jobs and the economic recovery at risk, was “very real”.
Labor’s candidate for Brisbane is Madonna Jarrett, a director at consultancy firm Deloitte. The Greens candidate is Stephen Bates, a retail and hospitality worker.
A Labor source said the seat of Brisbane could mirror the shift away from the Liberals seen in other “progressive metropolitan” electorates interstate like Wentowrth, formerly held by Malcolm Turnbull.
“(It’s) performance on climate change, a range of issues affecting women and there’s a lot of professional women in the seat of Brisbane, some who may have traditionally voted Liberal but are pissed off,” they said.
Dr Williams said voters in Brisbane, who are “super sensitive” on the issue of corruption as is the rest of Queensland, would also view federal government inaction to install an integrity body — despite it being a 2019 election promise — as a “red flag”.
He said the lack of a prominent Greens presence and absence of a strong “Voices of” independent would likely help boost Labor’s primary vote in the electorate which covers suburbs including Ascot, New Farm, Ashgrove and Alderley.
An LNP source said the party, confident of Mr Evans’ work as the local member, had already foreshadowed the need to put significant resources into the seat.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s first stop in Queensland during a quick trip when borders reopened in December was the seat of Brisbane.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s first stop was the marginal seat of Longman, centred in Caboolture.
Brisbane was one of two seats in Queensland to see a swing against the Coalition in the 2019 poll, with Mr Evans winning with 55 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, down 1 per cent.
Originally published as ‘Notable shift’: Labor in box seat to take Brisbane
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