Howard intervention no help in preselection vote

JOHN Howard's endorsement failed to push former Wallabies coach John Connolly across the line in politics, after he lost his tilt at federal preselection for Queensland's Liberal National Party.

JOHN Howard's endorsement failed to push former Wallabies coach John Connolly across the line in politics, after he lost his tilt at federal preselection for Queensland's Liberal National Party.

Mr Connolly was defeated in a willing contest for the LNP endorsement to take on Labor's Yvette D'Ath in her federal seat of Petrie in Brisbane's north.

The one-time Australian rugby union team coach had secured the backing of the former PM, but this was not enough to sway preselectors, who plumped for local businessman Luke Howarth.

Mr Howarth, 40, said he had set his sights on preselection for Petrie a year ago.

He was one of 10 candidates, including Mr Connolly, who went for it.

It was second time unlucky for Mr Connolly, who gave high-profile independent MP Peter Wellington a spirited run in his seat of Nicklin at the Queensland election in March.

LNP state director Brad Henderson said Mr Howarth was committed to the local community in Petrie, held by Ms D'Ath on a relatively narrow margin of 2.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, the founder of the Sushi Station restaurant chain in Queensland, Taiwanese-born businessman David Lin, was given the nod by the LNP to take on federal Trade Minister Craig Emerson in his seat of Rankin, on Brisbane's southern fringe.

A record five other candidates stood for the LNP preselection in Rankin, formerly considered a safe ALP seat with a margin of 5.41 per cent, reflecting the confidence of the conservatives in confronting a Labor Party with its stocks critically low in the opinion polls.

Next Saturday, LNP preselectors will pick a candidate to take on Wayne Swan in his Brisbane seat of Lilley, Labor's third-most marginal seat in Queensland.

It is held by the Treasurer by a margin of 3.18 per cent.

Capping a super-weekend for the LNP, its candidate in stood-aside Speaker of federal parliament Peter Slipper's Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher will be named from a field headed by former Howard government minister Mal Brough and the LNP's successful state campaign director, James McGrath.