Six to battle it out in seat of Springwood | Take our poll

Six candidates will contest the southside seat of Springwood, traditionally known as a bellwether, with polls showing a tight race and pressing local issues shaping the campaign dynamics. HAVE YOUR SAY

Candidates for the state seat of Springwood, which is traditionally referred to as a bellwether, from left; LNP Susanna Damianopoulos; One Nation’s Glen Cookson; sitting MP Labor’s Mick de Brenni; Family First’s Gabrielle Davis; Greens candidate Ben Harry; and Karley Saidy-Hennessey.

Following the official closure of candidate nominations and the ballot draw for this month’s state election, voters are turning to known bellwether seats such as Springwood to predict the next government.

Springwood, held by Labor MP Mick de Brenni with an 8.3 per cent margin, has a long history of fluctuating allegiances between major political parties but is still seen as a potential litmus to gauge the broader political landscape.

Results of polling from YouGov, Resolve, Accent and Redbridge, from before all candidates were declared, showed the Liberal National Party leading Labor in the electorate, with a significant shift in voter sentiment observed.

However, with a field of six locked-in candidates, and pressing local issues such as housing affordability, health care, and living costs, an unexpected outcome has not been ruled out in the southside seat of Springwood.

Both Liberal and Labor candidates believe they can win and according to all three major polling results, it is definitely lineball — the true hallmark of a marginal seat but not necessarily characteristic of a bellwether.

Springwood has been regarded as a state polling bellwether. Picture: The Courier-Mail

The YouGov poll in July showed a swing towards the LNP, estimating a two-party preferred vote of around 57 per cent for the LNP compared to 43 per cent for Labor and in Brisbane, Labor on 31 per cent and the Greens on 16 per cent.

That suggested Labor’s de Brenni will struggle to retain the seat, which has traditionally been a litmus for a broader trend of declining support for the party across Queensland.

The Resolve Strategic poll also supported the Springwood bellwether with its findings showing Labor garnering 28 per cent of the primary vote, while the LNP led with 37 per cent, the Greens receiving 13 per cent, and One Nation securing 6 per cent.

However, that poll showed that, two-party preferred, the voters were evenly divided 50-50, indicating a tight race between the two major parties.

The Accent Research/Redbridge Group MRP poll indicated that Springwood may not retain its status as a bellwether seat with the poll also suggesting a two-party preferred split of 50-50.

The six candidates vying for the Springwood seat, in order of the ballot draw are Family First Party’s Gabrielle Davis and One Nation’s Glen Cookson, a lifelong resident of Springwood, who wants to break the two-party system and is campaigning for tougher penalties for crime with incumbent Labor’s Mr de Brenni listed third.

Mr de Brenni most recently was the state’s Energy Minister and was in the Federal Court in Brisbane last week to address claims following the 2022 explosion at Callide power station.

Greens candidate Ben Harry is pushing for more public housing, while Karley Saidy-Hennessey is running as an independent.

LNP challenger Susanna Damianopoulos, a small-business owner based in Springwood and mother of four, started her campaign in March.

Originally published as Six to battle it out in seat of Springwood | Take our poll