South Brisbane winner revealed: What it means for you
The Greens’ Amy MacMahon, Labor’s Jackie Trad and LNP candidate Clem Grehan went to battle in the seat of South Brisbane. Here’s who came out on top and what it means for people in the inner south.
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The Greens have another Queensland MP after giant slayer Amy MacMahon toppled former Deputy Premier Jackie Trad in South Brisbane.
Polls only a few weeks out from the election showed a big swing to the Greens and those predictions proved correct as the Greens achieved a 37.25 per cent of the primary vote and 55 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
Ms MacMahon contested the progressive, wealthy seat at the previous state election where she took the result down to the wire.
This time she had the added advantage of the LNP’s Clem Grehan preferencing Labor last.
Ms MacMahon said, over and above that preferencing decision, issues that had decided the result included overdevelopment and failure to invest in enough public infrastructure to keep up with rapid population growth.
Climate change, in particular the Government’s Adani royalty deal, and Labor’s approval of coal mines, were other key factors.
Corruption and corporate influence over politics and corporate donations contributed to the outcome, she said.
Ms MacMahon said voters could expect she would now push to stop the privatisation of the Gabba Cross River Rail site and lobby to stop the Adani mine in central Queensland.
She would also push to raise mining royalties to help fund investment in renewable energy.
Ms Trad threw everything at her well-funded campaign and was able to devote all her energies to it following her decision to step down from the front bench.
But she had been dogged by a scandal over a house purchase near a Cross River Rail station and her involvement in the selection of a principal for the new Inner South State Secondary College at Dutton Park, a project she announced ahead of the previous election.
Mr Clehan trailed well behind the two candidates in third place, once preferences were distributed.
Originally published as South Brisbane winner revealed: What it means for you