First non-Labor-aligned mayor in 50 years likely in Ipswich

Ipswich could have its first non-Labor-aligned mayor in more than 50 years with businesswoman Teresa Harding continuing her lead over former councillor David Martin.

With 62.2 per cent of the Ipswich mayoral vote counted, Ms Harding, who is a government contractor and a former RAAF Base Amberley defence consultant, has 40.9 per cent of the vote.

Teresa Harding, a former Department of Defence manager from RAAF Base Amberley, is running for Ipswich mayor.Credit: Facebook.

Ms Harding has been the LNP’s unsuccessful candidate in several seats around Ipswich for the past decade but is well regarded in the Ipswich community, even among some Labor Party supporters.

Ipswich has been run by Labor-linked mayors dating back before before Des Freeman, who won office in 1979.

The city's other leading mayoral contender is former Ipswich councillor David Martin, who has secured 23.8 per cent of the vote.

In August 2018 the Crime and Corruption Commission delivered a scathing report on the Ipswich City Council, led by now-jailed former mayor Paul Pisasale, who was a member of the Australian Labor Party.

The following week, Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe sacked the entire council.

Ms Harding on Sunday morning said she was not yet claiming victory, instead waiting to see the outcome of pre-polling votes in the Labor-heavy Bundamba and Springfield areas.

Meanwhile, Ipswich’s former deputy mayor, Labor councillor Paul Tully - also sacked in August 2018 - looks likely to be elected as a councillor in the city’s new division two, which covers Goodna and Springfield.

The CCC made no findings of wrongdoing against Mr Martin or Mr Tully.

There are two people to be elected in each of Ipswich’s new divisions, a recommendation from administrator Greg Chemello, who ran Ipswich City Council after the previous council was sacked.

Mr Tully had 22.8 per cent of the vote with 20 per cent of the votes counted on Sunday afternoon, while his running mate, Nicole Jonic, had secured 16.5 per cent.

Cr Paul Tully, Goodna Bowls Club president Mal Levarre-Waters and now jailed Ipswich former mayor Paul Pisasale.

In division one, former councillor Sheila Ireland and Jacob Madsen were the top vote winners but with only 17 per cent of the vote counted.

In division three, Marnie Doyle had secured most votes with 23 percent of the vote counted and in division 4, marriage celebrant Kate Kunzelmann, a former Australian Democrat, had the most votes (19.3 per cent).

Other candidates were still difficult to seperate with about 20 per cent of the vote counted.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland was on Sunday conducting a detailed count of all pre-poll and voting day votes after severe technical glitches delayed Saturday night’s vote count.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday morning criticised the ECQ, which was reviewed in 2016.

Ms Palaszczuk asked Attorney General Yvette D'Ath to investigate the glitches that slowed the count.

"I’m pretty disappointed frankly," she said.

"I mean they’ve got one job, and that’s to run an election, so I’ll be ordering a review into what happened," she said.

"I understand there were technical issues with the computer system, I’ll get a full brief from the attorney-general tomorrow, but there’ll be a full review into it."

On the Gold Coast, incumbent Tom Tate on Sunday afternoon claimed his third term as Gold Coast mayor, though only 29 per cent of the vote has yet been counted.

Cr Tate had 55.3 per cent of the vote over nutritionist Mona Hecke, with 23.26 per cent.

Preferences are optional in the election of mayors, making it for Cr Tate or Ms Harding to overtaken unless there was a major shift in voting patterns in pre-poll votes.