Mackay Labor MP Julieanne Gilbert rumoured to be replaced by deputy mayor Belinda Hassan
As rumours swirl of a three-term Labor MP being replaced with a regional Queensland deputy mayor, she insists she’s not going anywhere, and the party has backed her.
Mackay
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Rumours are swirling in the halls of Labor that a sitting Queensland MP is about to drop out of the race for her fourth potential term — but the party insists she is the only “endorsed candidate”.
Julieanne Gilbert has been the Labor MP for Mackay since 2015, a seat so safe it has only been lost by Labor for five years in total since 1915.
But the Daily Mercury can reveal multiple sources claim there is a play underfoot to replace Ms Gilbert with Mackay council deputy mayor Belinda Hassan.
Ms Hassan was elected to Mackay council in 2020 as part of the Greg Williamson team, but ran independently for council in 2024.
Mackay councillor Marty Bella added to the speculation when he posted a cryptic message to his Facebook page on Thursday, making allusions to someone “using council as a stepping stone to state politics”.
“If they fail to get elected they will just step back into their local government position,” he said.
The Daily Mercury contacted Mr Bella, who refused to comment further on the post on record.
The Daily Mercury reached out to the Queensland Labor party to question whether Ms Gilbert or Ms Hassan would run, and its preselection process.
State secretary Kate Flanders said Ms Gilbert was the only person to nominate for the seat as of January.
“Julieanne Gilbert was endorsed by the ALP to stand for Mackay in the upcoming general election on the 19th of January this year,” Ms Flanders said.
“Julieanne was the only person to nominate, there was no preselection and she was endorsed.”
Ms Gilbert is similarly adamant she isn’t going anywhere, and told this publication she has no plans on dropping out of the race.
She is the sixth person to have held the seat in its 109-year-history.
This publication made several attempts to call, email, and text Ms Hassan but she did not respond prior to publishing.
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Originally published as Mackay Labor MP Julieanne Gilbert rumoured to be replaced by deputy mayor Belinda Hassan
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