Adani attitudes colour ALP’s factional fight over bellwether seat candidacy

Queensland Labor’s Right faction is hoping past criticism of Adani by a factional rival could help its preferred candidate leapfrog into contention in Mundingburra.

Townsville councillor Les Walker. Picture: Matt Taylor

Queensland Labor’s Right faction is hoping past criticism of Adani by a factional rival could help its preferred candidate leapfrog into contention to replace an outgoing cabinet minister in the bellwether seat of Mundingburra.

The Left faction hopeful to replace Communities, Disability Services and Seniors Minister Cora­lee O’Rourke in the ­Townsville-based electorate has been a critic of the Carmichael mine.

Nurse Simon Mitchell has rocketed into contention for preselection since two-term MP Ms O’Rourke announced on Saturday she would not be contesting the October 31 election.

The Left, which dominates caucus, has lobbied Labor headquarters, saying Ms O’Rourke’s replacement should come from the same faction. However, the Right faction, which wants to endorse Townsville deputy mayor Les Walker, will seize on Mr Mitchell’s past criticism of Adani in a bid to push their candidate into the frame.

On his Facebook page, deleted at the weekend, Mr Mitchell shared multiple articles criticising Adani, as well as a petition calling for the Townsville City Council to rescind its offer to jointly pay for an airstrip to support the Carmichael mine.

The party’s indecisiveness over the Galilee Basin mine, which has an employment hub in Townsville, was a catalyst for Labor’s disastrous result in north Queens­land in last year’s federal election.

The contest comes less than a fortnight after the CFMEU split from the Left faction, claiming the Palaszczuk government had not shown enough support for the mining sector.

An email to Left members on Saturday called for nominations for Mundingburra preselection to be submitted by midday Sunday.

Branch members from Townsville have told The Australian they received calls from Mr Mitchell at the weekend sounding out their support.

If the preselection goes to a plebiscite, a candidate would require 65 per cent of the vote from branch members to win preselection, otherwise the vote will go to the ALP’s electoral college.

Mr Walker, a former prison officer, has been a councillor for 16 years and had the highest vote in the March election.

Mr Mitchell and Mr Walker did not return calls on Monday.

Ms O’Rourke’s announcement on Saturday that she would not run, after a tough battle against cancer, was not unexpected but came after weeks of denials from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The Australian has been told senior party members urged Ms O’Rourke to recontest the seat, which has a margin of 1.1 per cent.

Her departure was acknowledged in a brief statement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who said she was “sad she will not recontest her seat but family and health come first”.