Inala by-election ALP branch members speak out about preselection of Margie Nightingale

Unrest has hit Labor branches in former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s former seat of Inala just one day after the party chose a former teacher and nurse to run in the crucial by-election.

The Labor party has preselected Margie Nightingale for the Inala by-election.

Unrest has hit Labor branches in former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s former seat of Inala just one day after the party chose former teacher and nurse Margie Nightingale to run in the crucial by-election.

Ms Nightingale is a long-term community member but some angry branch members have called for an ethnic candidate to better reflect the multicultural area.

It was understood some prominent Forest Lake branch members did not support Ms Nightingale, a former president of that branch who later moved to the Inala branch.

Branch members also complained that only two days’ notice was given to lodge expressions of interest (EOIs) to run for Inala.

The party advised potential nominees by email about 1pm on December 20, with a December 22 closing date. Ms Palaszczuk announced her resignation on December 10.

The branch members claimed Labor’s MP for the federal seat of Oxley, Milton Dick, had been calling branch members asking them to support Ms Nightingale.

They claimed he also called a Vietnamese woman who submitted a nomination, asking her to withdraw.

Mr Dick said he could not comment because of his position as Speaker.

Labor sources denied he had been canvassing branch members on her behalf.

Ms Nightingale has worked part-time in Mr Dick’s office and that of his brother, state Treasurer Cameron Dick, but her opponents said a nominee with more years of local community service should have been preselected.

ALP State Secretary Kate Flanders defended the short period for lodging expressions of interest and said “there were many ALP members who sought paperwork’’.

She said concerns there was not enough time to get police checks and other supporting documentation were unfounded as those checks were done only after expressions of interest were lodged.

“More than one applicant did then complete the internal processes,’’ Ms Flanders said.

“The Labor Party is a democratic organisation with strong internal processes around internal preselections,” she said.

“All ALP members were provided notice following the very public resignation of Premier Palaszczuk.

“There was ... some urgency to seek expressions of interest given the timing of Ms Palaszczuk’s announcement.

“The Party advised all members of the formal opportunity to express interest in seeking preselection to run in the week prior to Christmas and there were many ALP members who sought paperwork.

“Not all of those people returned their Expression of Interest. I do not know why that is.’’

Premier Steven Miles said he asked Ms Flanders to make sure the candidate was a local woman and “someone with community experience”.

“She has lived in the Inala electorate all of her life, it is where she raised her daughters,” he said.

“She will be a great member of the Labor team if we are fortunate enough to win that by-election.”

Originally published as Inala by-election ALP branch members speak out about preselection of Margie Nightingale