Jackie Trad ‘to stay put’ as MPs grow nervous over preselections
A Labor backbencher says he’s been assured Jackie Trad will not be parachuted into his safe seat before the October election.
Queensland Labor backbencher Peter Russo says he’s been assured embattled Deputy Premier Jackie Trad will not be parachuted from her marginal electorate into his safer seat to fight the October election.
The ALP has yet to endorse candidates in Labor-held seats, in a move some MPs are interpreting as keeping the Palaszczuk government’s options open and nervous backbenchers “in line” as it tries to solve the political problem of Ms Trad.
The Treasurer and leader of the dominant Left faction is staring down backbench pressure to resign from cabinet before the election, with some concerned her continuing presence is damaging the government’s electoral hopes.
Ms Trad faces an uphill battle to retain her inner-city seat of South Brisbane, which she won with a narrow margin of 3.6 per cent in 2017, relying on Liberal National Party preferences to defeat the Greens’ Amy MacMahon.
The LNP has reversed its preferencing decision and will put Labor last on its how-to-vote cards in South Brisbane, sparking rumours Ms Trad would leap to a safer seat to ensure she would stay in parliament.
The likeliest candidate has been touted as Mr Russo’s seat of Toohey, which he won in 2015 when it was called Sunnybank.
But the solicitor and chairman of parliament’s legal affairs committee insisted he was still planning on running in Toohey, as long as the party’s candidate suitability panel rubber-stamped his application.
Mr Russo said last year that Ms Trad had told him she would not try to run in Toohey.
Asked on Thursday whether that remained the case, Mr Russo said: “There’s been, I’ve been, how do I say this? I’ve been told that it’s not going to happen.”
He dismissed backbench angst about Ms Trad’s political future — confirmed by The Australian with several backbenchers and other Labor insiders — as “scuttlebutt and gossip”.
Labor has prioritised the preselection of candidates to run in LNP-held seats, to give those challengers more time in the field, delaying the endorsement of sitting MPs.
One cabinet minister cautioned against reading into that decision, but Labor sources said it was unusual. A Labor backbencher said it was suspected among some in caucus that the preselection of sitting MPs was being delayed partly to “keep us in line’’.
“There are a lot of people nervous about their prospects, especially with the Trad issue,’’ the MP said. “But if you haven’t been endorsed to run, you are hardly going to rock the boat.
“The other thing is that it allows for a seat switch for Trad after she delivers the budget.’’
It’s extremely rare for sitting Labor MPs to be challenged for preselection in Queensland.
It is understood nominations for Labor-held seats will close in April, around the time of the budget to be delivered by Ms Trad on April 28.
A spokesman for Ms Trad has said she intends to run again in South Brisbane. A spokesman for Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she supported Ms Trad to remain as her deputy.
More Coverage
Crash forgivable; failure to tell us, not so much
Everyone does stupid things as a young adult, but keeping a former bankruptcy from voters when you run for office and become Treasurer is another thing altogether.
Voters in dark: Treasurer exposed as former bankrupt
Michael Ferguson now faces questions over why he has never disclosed the bankruptcy to voters, either when seeking election to the House of Representatives in 2004 and 2007, or at five state elections.