Prosecutor set to hold seat for LNP on Gold Coast

Queensland’s LNP opposition is likely to hold its Gold Coast state seat of Currumbin.

Laura Gerber casts her vote at Elanaora State High School on Saturday. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Queensland’s LNP opposition is likely to hold its Gold Coast state seat of Currumbin, while many long-serving mayors of the state’s remote indigenous communities will not be returned.

Saturday’s two state by-elections and 77 council elections were marred by concerns about the coronavirus pandemic and technological problems for the Electoral Commission of Queensland’s count.

But as more votes are tallied, the results are becoming clearer.

Liberal National Party candidate Laura Gerber, a former Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions prosecutor, has extended her lead over Labor’s Kaylee Campradt in the Currumbin by-election, sparked by the retirement of veteran LNP MP Jann Stuckey. The further count of postal votes is likely to favour the LNP.

The surge of support for the Greens in southeast Queensland is still being felt, with the minor party expected to win its first council seats outside of Brisbane, in the Sunshine Coast and Scenic Rim local governments.

In the Brisbane City Council — where there was a city-wide swing to the Greens — re-elected LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says he’s focused on delivering a budget as soon as possible, to help grapple with the coronavirus. The Greens could still pick up Paddington from the LNP, while Labor could win Calamvale from the conservatives.

On the Cape York peninsula, long-serving Aurukun mayor Dereck Walpo looks to have been convincingly beaten by challenger Keri Tamwoy. With nearly 60 per cent of the vote counted, Ms Tamwoy has secured 52 per cent of primary votes, to Mr Walpo’s 22 per cent.

In Hope Vale, veteran mayor Greg McLean is expected to be usurped by Jason Woibo, and Torres Strait Island Regional Council mayor Fred Gela will be unseated by Phillemon Mosby, who has recorded nearly 50 per cent of the three-quarters of the vote counted so far.

On Palm Island, off Townsville, Mislam Sam leads Aboriginal activist Lex Wotton in the race for mayor, to replace long-serving Alf Lacey. Mr Lacey decided not to stand again for the mayoralty and was later charged with fraud by the state Crime and Corruption Commission.

Across the rest of the state, incumbent mayors were re-elected in major centres such as the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville and Bundaberg.