Buffoons in the ECQ defend the indefensible


On Saturday night the Electoral Commission of Queensland got it wrong!

Palpably wrong!

Totally wrong!

All in the seat of Lockyer!

Even after One Nation's Pauline Hanson ran second and the ALP ran third, the ECQ's official but notional distribution of preferences were those of Pauline Hanson - principally to the Katter Australian Party (KAP) candidate David Neuendorf.

It was Neuendorf's preferences (and those below him) which should have been distributed.

This resulted in high farce with an incorrect notional distribution between the LNP's Ian Rickuss and Pauline Hanson.

The ECQ put up figures which had Ian Rickuss receiving fewer votes after the distribution of preferences than he received in total primary votes - something which is mathematically impossible, despite the ECQ's protestations in today's online Gatton Star report (below) where it claims no result is declared until all mathematical possibilities are eliminated.

But it's apparently OK to have mathematical impossibilities during the course of the count!

The ECQ has let down the people of Lockyer and the people of Queensland.

In the tightest of all possible statewide results where a hung parliament is likely, the ECQ should have given much more attention before Saturday as to who would be the leading candidates in Lockyer  on election night.

Students of Politics 101 could have easily guessed the final count would be between Ian Rickuss and Pauline Hanson.

Dad's Army could have done a better job than the ECQ.
And even when the ECQ's notional Saturday night distribution didn't make any mathematical sense, they persisted in putting it online and leaving it there until noon on Sunday.

The Queensland Electoral Commissioner, Walter van der Merwe needs to sack the buffoons responsible for this farce and at the same time get rid of their media people who put out the spin and piffle printed below to defend the indefensible.

The ECQ stuffed up their running of the 2012 Local Government election in Queensland and their encore performance in 2015 at the weekend suggests we might  be better off having Dad's Army run our elections.  

After all, they couldn't do any worse.




The Gatton Star reports:

MP Ian Rickuss remains tight-lipped while the count continues having mistakenly claimed victory on Sunday based on incorrect two party preferred results on the Electoral Commission Queensland website.

The count was removed after election analyst and Ipswich councillor Paul Tully pointed the error out.

The ECQ told the Gatton Star in a statement that a notional count was conducted on Saturday evening to provide indicative information for the benefit of the media and the parties.

"It is not an official count, it is often useful for giving a sample of how the electorate has voted," the ECQ statement said.

"There is no error in counting in Lockyer. We selected the incorrect top 2 candidates for that notional count.

"We have now selected the top two candidates and are proceeding with another notional count."

The ECQ said they were proceeding with the official count.

"The first step is to count all the votes and determine candidate order, after that we allocate preferences," the ECQ said.

"While there tends to be speculation on a successful candidate based upon a notional count, the Commission does not declare a successful candidate until the mathematical possible of another candidate winning is eliminated."

Cops should drop absurd charge: "I'm with stupid", but not guilty says protester


Police arrest Iain Fogerty in New Farm.
A man who wore an "I'm with stupid" T-shirt near LNP campaigners during the Queensland election campaign has pleaded not guilty to public nuisance.

Iain Fogerty, of New Farm, was arrested on January 9 after police received complaints that he had inserted himself among campaigners in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

More than 10 police officers attended the incident, which happened in the first week of the campaign.

Fogerty, who operated the now-defunct Not Campbell Newman parody account on Twitter, was released on watch-house bail and his matter was briefly mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Dressed in a dark suit, he sat in the back of the court while his lawyer Peter Shields entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

His matter was adjourned until March 4.

Outside court, Mr Fogerty remained silent while Mr Shields said he was confident his client would be found not guilty.

Mr Fogerty has agreed to donate the "I'm with stupid" shirt to the State Library of Queensland, where it will be kept with other election material.


COMMENT: This was never anything serious, hurtful or disorderly. How can this be a "public nuisance" when the people of Queensland essentially backed this protester on Saturday over his right of free speech. The Police Commissioner Ian Stewart should step in and withdraw this charge in the interests of fairness and reasonableness.  We should all move on from the Newman era of non-accountability and Commissioner Stewart can play his role in helping this healing process.

'Sack of potatoes' down the main street of Gatton if Hanson wins

Pauline Hanson in close fight.
A councillor has said he will carry a sack of potatoes if Pauline Hanson wins the seat of Lockyer.

IPSWICH councillor Paul Tully says he will carry a sack of potatoes on his back down the main street if Pauline Hanson wins the seat of Lockyer.

THE two-candidate preferred breakdown on the Queensland Electoral Commission website currently has the One Nation founder ahead with 54.6 per cent of the vote compared to sitting LNP member Ian Rikuss' 45.3 per cent.However that figure is based on only five of the 61 booths to be counted.

Cr Tully said the votes in the urban pockets of the electorate were still to be distributed, with Ms Hanson doing poorly in those booths on the primary count.

"My thinking still is the LNP will probably win, maybe not by the 3000 I first estimated, but it will be an interesting thing to watch, " he said.

"I don't think it will be resolved for another eight days until all the postal votes have been counted."

Cr Tully said he was so confident of his prediction that he was prepared to honour an unusual promise.

"If she crosses the line, two o'clock in the morning down the main street of Gatton I'll carry a sack of potatoes on my back," he said.

One Nation previously held Lockyer, which stretches between Toowoomba and Ipswich, from 1998 to 2004.

A spokeswoman for Ms Hanson said she would not comment until the result is final.


9.30am Update: Hanson ahead by 186 votes in Lockyer


One Nation leader Pauline Hanson speaking
 at the Lockyer Meet the Candidates forum.
LABOR voters in the country booths in the seat of Lockyer have ignored their how to vote cards and given One Nation's Pauline Hanson an early lead in the showdown with LNP MP Ian Rickuss.

All eyes will be on the suburban booths closer to Ipswich today to see if that trend continues.

After preferences in 11 of the 61 booths had been counted on Monday, Ms Hanson had 51.77% of the vote with Mr Rickuss on 48.23%.

Ms Hanson had 4044 votes to Mr Rickuss' 3768, a lead of 276.

Election expert Cr Paul Tully told the QT last night, before putting it on his blog, that he would walk down the main street of Gatton at 2am with a sack of potatoes on his back if Ms Hanson wins.

Cr Tully said that the Labor preferences would get Mr Rickuss over the line in the end.

He may well prove to be correct, but it appears Labor voters in the country booths have not followed the how to vote cards which left Ms Hanson off the preference list.

Scrutineers have given the QT an insight into what is going on.
Pauline Hanson, David Neuendorf, Clare Rudkin, Ian Rickuss
 and Steve Leese at the Meet the Candidates Forum
 in Gatton last week.

"Of ALP people, 70% have ignored the how to vote cards at this stage," one LNP scrutineer said. "What we are seeing in the booths I have watched, and they are not necessarily a representative sample, is 30% of the ALP vote exhausting, about 40% of preferences are going to Hanson and about 30% to Rickuss.

"We are seeing different figures across the board.

"Rickuss' problem is that with the Green preferences about 40% are exhausting and about 30% each are going to Hanson and Rickuss.

"Of the Katter Party's preferences about 25% of them are exhausting. Hanson is getting about 50% of them but Rickuss is getting about 15% of the residuals.

"Palmer United have got very similar figures with 40% exhausting, 50% going to Hanson and 10% to Rickuss.

"These figures are from a range of different booths but we haven't seen the big ones down at Ipswich yet to see what is happening to them."

The scrutineer said that the word from the Greenbank, Teviot Road and Ipswich booths such as Willowbank and Yamanto was that Labor voters there were following their how to vote card which would help Mr Rickuss.
Ian Rickuss

"But it is extremely tight. Pauline is actually at the count watching it as it is happening," the scrutineer said. "She is quite convivial."

Sitting LNP MP Mr Rickuss declared victory on Sunday, but only because he was misled by a major error by the ECQ.

As reported by the QT website, the error was detected by Queensland's leading election expert Cr Paul Tully after he noted the ECQ site had the two-candidate preferred count as a contest between Mr Rickuss and fourth-placed KAP candidate David Neuendorf, when it should have been between Mr Rickuss and the second placed Ms Hanson.

The ECQ had Mr Rickuss well ahead of Mr Neuendorf.

Cr Tully sent out a tweet about the error and the ECQ pulled the incorrect preference allocation off its site.

The recount with Ms Hanson and Mr Rickuss commenced on Monday and kicks-off again at 8.30am today.

The LNP scrutineer told the QT that the ECQ was "doing a check count on everything, and they are now allocating the two-party preferred preferences".
Labor candidate for the Seat of Lockyer, Steve Leese.

"So they are now going through all of the booths once more.

"There will be a full recount eventually we suspect, demanded by both sides.

"They got through 11 booths yesterday and they have a lot more to go through today."

Poll experts believe that Ms Hanson may just fall short of victory in a close Lockyer election re-count of preferences.

Cr Tully said big Labor booths in places like Greenbank and Willowbank had not yet been counted and Ms Hanson needed 70% of the Labor preferences to win.

"How good a position she is in is in the eye of the beholder," Cr Tully said. "She may sneak over the line."

Another keen poll observer, William Bowe, told crikey.com.au that the current situation was as good as it would get for Ms Hanson.

"Her primary vote in the booths that have reported is 34.1%, compared to 27.4% in the electorate at large," Mr Bowe told the website.

"Presumably her preference share will be correspondingly lower in the rest of the electorate as well."

If Prime Minister Abbott is fair dinkum, he will reverse the decision to grant an Australian Kinghthood to Prince Philip

Abbott to get his own award: The Royal Order of the Boot!

Another Knight at the Palace!
The Prime Minister Tony Abbott has tried hard today to show he is eating humble pie over his "crazy man's" decision to appoint the Greek-born husband of the Queen of England as an Australian Knight.

But tonight it probably isn't humble pie on the menu for Tony Abbott but lavish servings of caviar and other gastronomic delights, scoffed down with champagne and high quality wines, as he laughs at the people of Australia for slamming his Australia Day monumental gaffe. 

Mr Abbott admitted today his "captain's call" decision to confer the award on the Duke of Edinburgh was a total "stuff-up".

"I accept that I probably overdid it on awards," he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

"I have listened, I have learned, I have acted, and those particular captain's picks which people have found difficult have been reversed."

He might be listening but through which orifice?

If Tony Abbott had a modicum of decency about him, he would reverse his so-called captain's call and get the Queen to withdraw the offer of a knighthood to her husband already heavily-laden with more awards than just about anyone else in the history of the British Empire.

If he refuses to do so, he is going to cop another barrage of adverse publicity when the gong is finally awarded and Prince Philip genuflects before the Queen and a sword is placed on his shoulder to grant him the knighthood.

Whether that's in Australia or London, the publicity will be dreadful for Abbott.

And if he tries to cover it up with a private ceremony before Queen Elizabeth, the media will demand some explanation from Tony Abbott.

Either way, Tony Abbott is on a political hiding-to-nothing which will eventually culminate in his own award of the Royal Order of the Boot.

Industry leaders engage in political scaremongering in Queensland



Hung Queensland parliament bad for business, according to industry doomsday forecasters.

A HUNG parliament in Queensland would be the worst possible election outcome for businesses, industry groups say.

THE Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) says the state's business community needs the certainty of a government that can rule in its own right, and soon."(Minority government could) create a degree of uncertainty over the three-year term that could erode small business capacity to plan and make investment decisions," CCIQ general manager of advocacy Nick Behrens said.

However with at least three seats still too close to call, a Labor minority government appears to be the most likely outcome.

The party has 42 seats and is predicted to pick up two more, falling just shy of the 45 needed to govern in its own right.

Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said broadly speaking minority governments don't auger well for businesses generally, including the retail sector.

"Business wants certainty and once business gets certainty you tend to see that flow through to the consumer and the consumer will then spend money in the retail stores," he told AAP.

"But when you've got a parliament that finds decisions very difficult to get through then that breeds uncertainty.

"That tends to follow through to the consumer and the consumers tend to close their wallets up."

Mr Zimmerman said business tended to slow down in the lead-up to an election and in Queensland would currently be in a hiatus period until a result becomes apparent.

Queensland's retail figures for October last year - before the G20 - were average, he said.

"Hopefully there will be a clear-cut (election) decision, hopefully the government will be able to govern in its own right and we'll see some positive retail sales," Mr Zimmerman said.

Upside down beer drinking pollie Andrew Laming wants to abolish knighthoods

A Liberal backbencher whose only recognised contribution to Australian culture has been to stand on his head on Australia Day and guzzle a pot of beer, has now come out in support of the abolition of Australian knighthoods.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has stripped himself
of the job of appointing knights and dames.
A LIBERAL backbencher will defy the prime minister by asking parliament to abolish Australian knights and dames completely.

TONY Abbott has moved to quell internal party concerns about his judgment by relinquishing his right to confer knighthoods.It follows widespread criticism of Mr Abbott's Australia Day decision to knight Prince Philip.

But Andrew Laming, who represents the Brisbane electorate of Bowman, says making the Order of Australia Council now solely responsible for conferring the honour does not go far enough.

"Today's announcement has failed to address the concerns and feeling of the electorate at large," he said in a statement.

Mr Laming will ask parliament to support a private member's bill abolishing knighthoods and dameships.

Andrew Laming MP whose only contribution
 to Australian culture is upsidedown beer
guzzling! He now wants to abolish
Knights of the Realm
Mr Abbott admitted on Monday his "captain's call" decision to confer the award on the Duke of Edinburgh was a "stuff-up".

"I accept that I probably overdid it on awards," he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

"I have listened, I have learned, I have acted, and those particular captain's picks which people have found difficult have been reversed."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was scathing of the knighthood admission, saying Mr Abbott should have said "I got that wrong, full stop".

"[Instead] he wants to talk about finessing the knighthoods and dames," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"He's more focused on Buckingham Palace than Beijing."

Mr Abbott said he wouldn't take the chance to become Sir Tony even if a knighthood was offered.

"It's highly unlikely that I'm likely to be offered any particular gong just at this time," he said.

Pauline Hanson cannot win the seat of Lockyer: LNP will win by 3000 - 4000 votes

Pauline Hanson - cannot win Lockyer.
Reports in The Courier-Mail and on Channel 9 tonight suggest that Pauline Hanson is back in the race for the rural seat of Lockyer, west of Ipswich.

This is completely wrong.

Labor has run third and their preferences are directed to the LNP and flowing strongly.

The reason for the apparent discrepancy is that the 2-party preferred candidate preferences have been distributed by electoral officials in only 5 of the 55 booths which have come in so far. 

When they are all distributed, the LNP's Ian Rickuss will win easily by 3000 - 4000 votes.

I am so confident of this prediction that if Pauline wins, I will walk down the main street of Gatton at two o'clock in the morning with a sack of potatoes on my back!

Abbott government caught out by tobacco companies coughing up money for the Liberal Party


THE Liberal Party received $70,000 in donations from tobacco firm Philip Morris in the past financial year, with one contribution dated after a ban was imposed.

PRIOR to the September 2013 federal election the Liberal-National coalition faced pressure from Labor and the Greens to rule out accepting money from cigarette makers.

The then opposition leader Tony Abbott, a former health minister, declared on August 21 of that year tobacco industry funding was no longer welcome in his party.

Until that point, the Liberals had received more than $2.1 million over a decade from the two major tobacco companies.

But the Australian Electoral Commission, which on Monday published released the 2013/14 list of donations to political parties, revealed the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party accepted a $5000 donation from Philip Morris on August 23.

The donation was made via a Liberal fundraising body known as the Menzies 200 Club.

The Nationals accepted donations of $3300 and $20,000 from Philip Morris in February 2014.

The tobacco firm also turned its attention to the Liberal Democrats, providing $20,000 in September 2013 and $15,000 in March 2014.

Labor stopped receiving tobacco firm donations 11 years ago while the Greens have never accepted them.

Comment is being sought from the prime minister's office.

Queensland Election: Pundits expect Labor government within days


Queensland Labor leader
Annastacia Palaszczuk.
IPSWICH election analysts and number crunchers Paul Tully and Shayne Neumann are both tipping the Labor Party will form government in Queensland in a hung parliament.

They have come to their conclusion after examining the numbers and taking into account Nicklin independent Peter Wellington has made it clear he would support Labor and not the LNP.

The state of play is this: Labor has won 43 seats, the LNP 40 , KAP two and Independent Mr Wellington one.

The seats in doubt are Maryborough, Whitsunday and Mansfield.

The LNP has the lead on a two-candidate preferred basis in Whitsunday by 84 votes, and by 395 votes in Mansfield

But Labor's lead in Maryborough is considerable.

The ALP's Bruce Saunders has 53.04% of the two-candidate preferred vote and the LNP's Anne Maddern has 46.96% with postal votes still to be counted.

Mr Maddern has a lead of 1199 votes.

Even if the LNP gets up in Mansfield and Whitsunday, Maryborough appears to be a bridge too far.

"It is hard to see the LNP getting back 3% of the vote," Mr Neumann, the Labor Blair MP said. "The truth is that Labor will win Maryborough and will form government in a hung parliament.

"Labor will get the support on the ground of Wellington…and for the sake of economic certainty and stability there should be a Labor government.

"It does remind me of 1998 where Peter Beattie, like Annastacia Palaszczuk, fell one seat short of forming a majority government. The independent supported Labor last time (in 1998) and Wellington has said he would support a Labor government.

"Peter Beattie always said his best government was his minority government from 1998 to 2001 because it kept everyone on their toes and kept everyone very accountable to the electorate as well."

Cr Tully said he agreed with Mr Neumann's assessment on the likely result and that it was looking like Mr Wellington would hold the balance of power in a hung parliament with Labor in power.

Although there is one proviso.

"Labor could win the seat of Whitsunday giving them the 45 seats which is a majority," he said.

 "I believe Labor will win 44 or 45 seats. At 44 they will have to rely on the two KAP candidates or Peter Wellington. At 45 they would hold the majority in their own right."

Cr Tully earlier said he expected Mr Wellington to be appointed as speaker in the event of a hung parliament.

Punters backed LNP in Queensland with some money on the Labor Party

SportsBet was the big winner.

Political insiders tipped an overall LNP victory. 
THE state election result has caught many by surprise, except for some prophetic punters.

Sportsbet reported more than 1,000 customers backed the ALP to win the hard fought battle, despite political insiders tipping an overall LNP victory.

“Several of those bets were in the thousands of dollars range,” Sportsbet’s Christian Jantzen said.

“The money ended up running 2:1 in favour of the LNP however there are some happy Labor supporters around,” he said.

According to Mr Janzten the biggest spenders tended to bet their bucks on the LNP.

“There were less than half as many bets placed on the LNP to win but twice as many dollars went on them,” Mr Jantzen said.

One punter would have to be crying into their cornflakes this morning though, after placing a whopping $25,000 on the LNP to win.

Liberals in disarray: Abbott hurting NSW Liberals:

How the Queensland election results will affect NSW election.

Mike Baird and Tony Abbott -
Positions looking shaky.
Sydney needs more rail lines and public transport, but to get that requires selling off some of our assets. But, following Queensland results, how will the upcoming NSW election  be played out for Mike Baird?

Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott's missteps have begun eroding the party's standing in NSW, eight weeks before Premier Mike Baird faces the electorate and after a dramatic rout in Queensland.

A well-placed source has told Fairfax the party's primary vote in NSW lost two percentage points in the week after Mr Abbott's decision to grant a knighthood to Prince Philip, according to internal polling.

The re-election chances of the government of NSW Premier Mike Baird, left, are being eroded by the unpopularity of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The revelation comes as local Liberal party figures question the extent to which the electoral contagion which routed the Queensland Liberals will spread to NSW.

"This [Queensland] is the third state the federal government has influenced negatively," the source said in a pointed reference to Labor victories in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

"People are joking about speeding up the Lodge renovations," the source said.
Abbott is destined for the bottom of the sea.

The Liberal party's state director, Tony Nutt, declined to comment on Sunday.

Party figures are understood to be considering asking Mr Abbott to avoid campaigning at all in his home state ahead of the March 28 poll.

"You won't be seeing much of Tony Abbott in the NSW campaign, you can be sure of that," said the ABC's election analyst, Antony Green. "That's if he's still Prime Minister".

The state's new Labor leader, Luke Foley, said he had a new "spring in his step" following the results of the Queensland election.

He unveiled a new line of attack seeking to connect Mr Baird with his federal and Queensland counterparts and suggesting a state campaign that will focus on health, education and privatisation.

"Tony Abbott, Campbell Newman and Mike Baird are peas in a pod," he told reporters while unveiling new health policy. "Campbell Newman's agenda is Mike Baird's agenda: selling off the state's electricity assets combined with cuts to health and education.

"It may be that Mike Baird […] has a nicer smile, but their agenda is the same."

On a two-party preferred basis the swing against the Newman government appeared to be about 13.5 per cent. A uniform swing of this level across NSW this would leave the ALP one seat shy of the 24 it needs to claim power in its own right.

Mr Green noted that there was a long-observed tendency for the poor standing of a party in power in Canberra to "infect" the perception of its state-level counterpart. But he said the issue of privatisation could play out very differently in NSW.

Until latterly in its term, the Newman government had been trying to sell voters on a plan to use privatisation proceeds of $28 billion to pay down the state's debt.

But Mr Baird has promised to spend a projected $20 billion windfall from selling off half the state's "poles and wires" on new infrastructure.

"It's a bit different if you're offering voters something in exchange for the sale of assets, like a new [cross-harbour] tunnel," he said.

Mr Green nonetheless predicted a major swing against the NSW Coalition, of up to 10 per cent, in part as a correction to the 16.5 per cent swing it enjoyed at the last election.

"NSW will have a big swing," he said. "NSW had a more spectacular two party preferred result [than even Queensland last election].

"[But] the level of public anger toward the [Baird] government is nowhere near [levels in Queensland]."

As a then-ascendant Opposition Leader, Mr Abbott launched the 2011 campaign of NSW Liberal leader Barry O'Farrell.

Queensland Politics: Katter Party talks to government and opposition

Robbie Katter: Will he shirt-front the LNP?
ROB Katter is on his way to Brisbane and expects to hold talks with both sides of the political divide when he arrives.

THE Katter's Australian Party state leader was travelling to the city on Monday morning to meet with his colleague Shane Knuth.While he hadn't lined anything up, he said he was also open to having discussions with either Labor or the Liberal National Party in the wake of the cliffhanger election outcome.

Neither the ALP nor the LNP has yet secured the necessary 45 seats to form government.

The support of KAP and independent Peter Wellington may be needed to form a minority government.

"If someone wants to chat, we'll be happy to catch up with them," Mr Katter told 4BC radio.

"It's likely that we will probably talk to someone from either side of the fence."

Given the ongoing vote count, the Mount Isa MP conceded his party may not end up holding the balance of power.

"(But) all it takes is a scandal and a byelection," he quipped when asked about the narrow parliamentary numbers.

Mr Katter insisted KAP would be "colour blind" in any discussions with the major parties, despite a rocky relationship with the Newman LNP government.

"We're not going to hold a grudge," he said.

"We would hope there'd be a new leadership there because we certainly couldn't deal with that previous leadership team."

His comments come just an hour before LNP deputy leader Jeff Seeney is expected to step down from his position at a press conference.

It's believed Mr Seeney's resignation will help the wounded party clear the way for the election of new party leader after Campbell Newman lost his seat on Saturday.

Is this woman serious: Fiona Simpson wants to be LNP Leader

Sure fire way to keep the LNP in Opposition for 10 years.

Fiona Simpson - wants to be LNP Leader.
THE LNP "stuffed up" during its single term of government and needs a more consultative leader to help it rebuild after its devastating election loss, Queensland Speaker Fiona Simpson says.

MS Simpson said on Monday she "is interested" in taking the reins of the party after Premier Campbell Newman lost his seat and announced his resignation from politics.

However she said any new LNP leader would need to govern with a lighter touch to Mr Newman, who was labelled "arrogant" and a "bully" by critics during the election campaign.

"There has been a harsh leadership style, and what I will say rather than pointing the finger at individuals is that as a team we have stuffed up and we need to do things differently and we need to listen to people," Ms Simpson told ABC Radio.

"The reality is we are looking at a hung parliament (and) that needs someone who is consultative, who can make the decisions with the team but also negotiate with those who are on the crossbenches."

Ms Simpson alluded to the possibility of ditching the LNP's controversial long-term asset leases, believed to be the policy that brought about the party's downfall.

"We don't have a mandate for the Strong Choices plan ... because we don't have the numbers and so we have to do things differently."

Ms Simpson said she would be prepared to negotiate with Katter's Australian Party members Rob Katter and Shane Knuth in order to form government if needed.

"I do believe I've got the consultative skills, but now with the potential balance of power in their hands they will weigh that up (and) we need to listen to them about what they will put on the table," she said.

Mr Knuth, who was elected in the seat of Dalrymple, said he was prepared to talk, but only if asset leases were off the table and the LNP heavyweights of Tim Nicholls or Jeff Seeney were not involved,

"One of the most important things is that the asset leasing or sales is dead and buried," he told ABC Radio.

"We're happy to communicate but ... our position is if they're going to put up the same leadership team they're wasting their time."

Mr Seeney is expected to resign as LNP deputy leader on Monday morning, with the party then to find a new leader as soon as possible.

Annastacia's ALP never forgot about Ipswich


By Paul Pisasale

Mayor Paul Pisasale
I'M LOOKING forward to working with Annastacia Palaszczuk if she becomes premier and her newly elected local team of Jennifer Howard and Jim Madden alongside Jo-Ann Miller who stood proud through the last term. 

Annastacia never forgot about Ipswich in opposition and showed her support for the city by holding the Labor Party campaign launch here. 

I'm hoping the first cabinet meeting of the new government will also be held in Ipswich. 

Annastacia's dad Henry would be very feeling very proud today as he was the previous Member for Inala.


2.2.15

Queensland election result bad news for Abbott says Shorten

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says Prime Minister Tony Abbott's failure to engage with Queenslanders during the election campaign was a factor.

Bill Shorten.
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been quick to congratulate Queensland Labor for its shock showing in Queensland, and says it serves as a warning for Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

"While the final outcome is still not known, tonight's remarkable results happened against all odds," he said in a statement.

"This was truly a David and Goliath battle - and Annastacia Palaszczuk has brought Goliath to his knees."

Mr Shorten said the state Labor party - with just nine MPs - was up against an LNP with nearly "80 more seats in parliament" and "a war chest of funding for advertising".

He said the failure of Prime Minister Tony Abbott to make an appearance in Queensland during the campaign had backfired on the Newman government.

"While Campbell Newman tried to hide Tony Abbott, the prime minister was front and centre every day of this campaign," he said.

"Tony Abbott and his ministers refused to talk to Queenslanders - and the Liberal National Party has paid the price tonight."

Mr Shorten spent 11 days on the Queensland campaign trail.

Meanwhile, former Labor prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd have tweeted their congratulations to Ms Palaszczuk.

"Congratulations to Annastacia and the Labor team on a hard fought, courageous campaign. You can rightly be proud of your efforts. JG," Ms Gillard said.

While Mr Rudd tweeted: "Annastacia Palaszczuk, against all the odds, and despite all the detractors over the last three years, has delivered a stunning result in Qld".

Premier Newman lost his own seat of Ashgrove and declared his political career over.

For whom the bell tolls: It tolls for thee, Tony Abbott

As the vultures hover over Capital Hill in Canberra, Prime Minister Tony Abbott's worst fears are likely to be fulfilled - sooner or later.

Good advice for Tony Abbott.
Perhaps much sooner than expected.

When the Liberal Party is one the warpath, it shows as much mercy as an African lion towards its cornered prey.

Tony Abbott is a clone of Campbell Newman who believed he was always right, perfecting the Gough Whitlam "Crash or crash through" mantra.

Tony Abbott showed how out of touch he really is with the people of Australia last week when he announced he was giving an Australian Knighthood to the Greek-born husband of the Queen of England.

As far as political stupidity goes, that would take the cake.

Say goodnight Tony.
When the Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals' Leader Warren Truss comes out backing you and saying there is no threat, you know you are in real trouble.

Tony Abbott cannot survive - either at the end of the sharpened knives of his Liberal colleagues or when the people of Australia cast judgment on him and his battle-weary comrades next year at ballot boxes across the nation.

Election Sequel: Jeff Seeney quits as deputy LNP leader

The man once described by Clive Palmer as "the lucerne farmer from Monto" is quitting as Queensland's Deputy Premier.

Annastacia Palaszczuk -
new Queensland Premier.
DEPUTY Premier Jeff Seeney will withdraw from the LNP’s leadership this morning, paving the way for the party to conduct a smooth transition from the Campbell Newman era.

The Courier-Mail can reveal senior LNP figures held a secret meeting late yesterday afternoon to hammer out a leadership deal to avoid a contest descending into open warfare.

Mr Seeney, Infrastructure and Planning Minister in the Newman government, will resign as deputy LNP leader after working as one of the defeated premier’s chief lieutenants for the past three years.

However, sources scotched speculation he would retire, confirming Mr Seeney would remain in parliament after securing his seat of Callide in Saturday’s wipeout.

Details of the leadership transition were still being hammered out last night, with the contenders silent about their prospects.

Newman government Treasurer Tim Nicholls, Health Minister Lawrence Springborg and Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek were all considered options.

Some LNP figures were also pushing for new blood in the LNP’s upper echelons with Transport Minister Scott Emerson and assistant minister Deb Frecklington long-odds options.

Abbott says Federal Govt will take heed of Qld election results

PM Tony Abbott.

Mr Nicholls had been talked up during the election campaign as the frontrunner to replace Mr Newman.

But LNP figures believe Mr Nicholls should not be involved, given his integral role in the ill-fated Newman era and as the salesman of asset sales.

Mr Springborg and Mr Langbroek are the two other leader and deputy options and both have support in the LNP party room.

The LNP was resigned to defeat on Saturday night but hopes were raised of potentially forming a minority government with Katter’s Australian Party’s two MPs after several seats fell in their favour.

Campbell Newman announces his political career is over.

Campbell Newman quits.

The LNP now looks likely to secure 42 seats at most, a loss of 31 and one short of the number needed to be in a position to begin proper negotiations with KAP.

Senior figures believe that Labor is not ready to govern and could be reduced to a one-term administration if the LNP could sustain stable leadership.

Mr Newman and his staff are being blamed for the election defeat with some LNP insiders angry that several of the premier’s closest advisers appeared to be in high spirits during the party’s sombre post-election get-together.

Early yesterday, LNP president Bruce McIver, who was a driving force in the push to have Mr Newman become premier, announced an “external review” into the party’s downfall.

He took aim at Prime Minister Tony Abbott for announcing Prince Philip’s knighthood during the election campaign. “I would have rathered that Wally Lewis got the gong,” Mr McIver said.

He indicated the LNP might consider an untried leader and dumping policies, in a sign that the highly unpopular proposed asset sales might be axed.

“I think what we’ll be looking for will be some fresh ideas, fresh start, fresh leadership team,’’ he said.

“We’ll be looking at all those issues to make sure that we start today to re-engage with the Queensland people.”

Deputy PM living in cuckoo land: Abbott has full team support saysTruss

Nationals leader Warren Truss
 says he has no doubt Tony
 Abbott has the support
 of his colleagues.
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss says he has no doubt Tony Abbott has the support of his colleagues and is working hard to listen to public concerns.

THE prime minister's leadership is under mounting pressure as he prepares to deliver a major policy speech at the National Press Club on Monday.He is widely expected to reveal the fate of his "signature policy" for full-salary paid parental leave.

Mr Truss is among a number of senior government figures rallying to Mr Abbott's support after the Queensland election, poor recent opinion polls and his widely-criticised move to confer a knighthood on Prince Philip.

"I've got no doubt that Tony Abbott enjoys the support of his colleagues," Mr Truss told ABC radio on Monday.

In a bid to show he's listening to his backbench, Mr Abbott is reportedly instituting a number of internal changes to improve consultation with colleagues.

Cabinet will meet once a month instead of quarterly, while a new backbench policy advisory group will be established, the ABC reports.

Asked whether colleagues privately held different views about Mr Abbott's leadership, Mr Truss suggested his "patriotic" response was to work hard to earn the respect of the Australian people.

"There will have to be changes of direction and we'll have to work very hard to take the people of Australia with us," he said.

Queensland MP Ewen Jones says Mr Abbott will have to demonstrate he cares and is listening.

"That he gets what he's on about; that he's putting the government on the front foot, that we don't make mistakes, we don't make stupid errors," he told the ABC.

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie said Mr Abbott should accept blame for the LNP's disastrous results in the Queensland election.

"As soon as Tony Abbott admits that, the sooner we can move on and the sooner someone can take over his leadership."

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop joined Mr Truss in backing the prime minister.

"Tony Abbott does have my support," she told reporters in Sydney.

Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Mr Abbott had the experience and personnel to claw his way back in the polls.

"He's not finished," he told ABC radio.

"Yes, our backs are against the wall but yes, we can get back from here."

The coalition would not resort to ALP tactics, he said.

"We're a lot better than the Labor party, we don't treat leaders like a game of pass the parcel.

"The Liberal party has never tossed its own prime minister in its first term ever since its foundation and I don't think we should start today."


Abbott backflips on his signature policy for women


How much longer will the Liberal Party put up with this buffoon?

Tony Abbott - Most divisive
 Prime Minister in 40 years.
Tony Abbott has taken his signature paid parental leave scheme off the table, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has confirmed.

THE prime minister is expected to announce the decision in a major policy speech at the National Press Club on Monday."The PPL, we've taken [it] off the table," Mr Frydenberg told ABC radio on Monday.

"He will say that it's off the table because the prime minister understands that what is desirable is not always doable."

The scheme would have paid new mothers their full salary for six months, capped at an annual income of $100,000.

It will be replaced with a revamped families package.

"There will be an emphasis on child care and how we can build and boost female workforce participation," Mr Frydenberg said.

It was too difficult to proceed with Mr Abbott's "signature" parental leave policy given the tight budgetary environment.

"The prime minister recognises that he has to be pragmatic about it," the assistant treasurer said.

He batted away criticism of the decision, saying Mr Abbott had consulted colleagues extensively and taken into account the Productivity Commission's report into child care.

"You can't criticise him for taking leadership on this issue even though he said at the last election that we're going to introduce the PPL."

Queensland MP Ewen Jones said he knew many women who would be deeply disappointed by the decision.

"But it was too hard a sell, and it has to go," he said.

Hanson is beaten in Lockyer owing to ALP preferences

Pauline Hanson
The Labor Party has done One Nation's Pauline Hanson over again.

The seat of Lockyer has been delivered to sitting LNP candidate Ian Rickuss and the preferences of Labor's Steve Leese have played a decisive factor.

At the latest count last night, Mr Rickuss had 33.66% of the primary vote, Ms Hanson had 27.31% and Mr Leese a telling 24.93%.

As Labor preferenced the LNP above One Nation, their preferences have flowed to Mr Rickuss and pushed him well into the lead.

The vote of Katter's Australian Party candidate David Neuendorf collapsed to 7.31%, a massive 16.5% swing against him from 2012. Mr Rickuss had a swing of more than18% against him.

But the key figure here is the more than 7% swing to Labor after a strong campaign by Mr Leese.

More than 80% of Labor voters follow their party's how-to-vote cards, so Mr Leese's preferences shut Ms Hanson out. It was a similar story in the 1998 federal election in Blair where Labor preferences cruelled her.

Election expert Cr Paul Tully said it was clear "Ian Rickuss has retained his seat with Labor Party preferences".

"That has put Rickuss several thousand votes ahead of Pauline Hanson," he said.

In a bizarre twist, the Electoral Commission Queensland made a mess of the preference allocations and last night was doing a recount.

As reported by the QT website, the error was detected by Cr Tully after he noted the ECQ site had the two-party preferred count as a contest between Mr Rickuss and fourth placed Mr Neuendorf when it should have been between Mr Rickuss and the second placed Ms Hanson.

Cr Tully sent out a tweet about the error and the ECQ pulled the incorrect preference allocation off its site.


2.2.15

Patricia Petersen to quit politics after conceding defeat

Patricia Petersen

Patricia Petersen insists she has run in her last political campaign.

After conceding she would not win the seat of Ipswich in today's state election, the flamboyant Independent candidate told the QT she would not be running for office in future.

Ms Petersen has contested numerous state, council and federal elections over the past decade.

"But I am hanging my hat up after this," she said. "I have promised my partner I will not do this again."

Ms Petersen said she had worked hard for the people of Ipswich but said that family considerations would take priority in the future.

Queensland Poll: What if Labor gets to 44 seats - Will Peter Wellington become Speaker?

Peter Wellington - Could become
the next Speaker of the
 Queensland Parliament
If the ALP gets to 44 seats - with the increasingly-likely scenario that it wins the seat of Maryborough from the LNP - it will still fall one seat short of the 45 seats it needs to form a majority government.

The Independent Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington - an honest and respected Member of the Queensland Parliament - has said he would support a minority Labor government but not a minority LNP government.

Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would not being doing any deals with minority candidates to form a Labor government.

But she did not rule out supporting an Independent to be the next Speaker of the Queensland Parliament.

Peter Wellington is a former solicitor, Maroochy Shire Councillor and Independent Member for Nicklin for the past 17 years.

He would make an impressive and impartial Speaker of the Queensland Parliament and would ensure Labor could form stable government for the next 3 years, without compromising Premier Palaszczuk's pre-election "no deals" promise.


Jo-Ann Miller set to return with big margin in Bundamba


Bundamba MP Jo-Ann Miller.
BUNDAMBA MP Jo-Ann Miller could well be in seventh heaven early tonight if the pundits and bookies are right.

Sportsbet yesterday had Ms Miller at the short odds of $1.01 to win her seat for the seventh time, with her main rival, the LNP's Stephen Fenton, listed at $12.

Mr Fenton has been a minor player in this election campaign, a rather extraordinary development considering Ms Miller holds the seat on a margin of just 1.8%.

A letter to the editor in today's QT by Betty Bork of Dinmore summed up the situation when she said "information to our letterboxes has only come from Jo-Ann Miller".

Ms Bork had some questions for the other candidates: "What is your name?

"How can I consider you when you haven't put any effort into giving Jo-Ann a run for her money?"

For the record, the other candidates are Ava Greenwood (Greens) and Luke Harris (Family First).

The LNP appears to have conceded that Ms Miller is unbeatable.

Ms Miller is a formidable opponent no doubt, but the LNP did not endorse their candidate until a day before the cut-off for entries with the Electoral Commission Queensland.

Election analyst Cr Paul Tully said Ms Miller's vote would return to the status quo after the aberration of the 22.4% swing against her in the 2012 election.

"I think she will poll over 70% on a two-party preferred basis and it will become one of Labor's safest seats in Queensland," Cr Tully said.

"If you look at her vote in 2009, it was 71%, two-party preferred. In 2006 it was 74% .In 2004 it was 74%."

Ms Miller entered parliament when she won a Bundamba by-election in 2000 where she polled 71% of the vote.

A year later, she was also dominant with 80.9%.

Griffith University political analyst Dr Paul Williams said Ms Miller was "a survivor", and would no doubt wear as "a badge of honour" her survival, with just seven Labor MPs, the purge of 2012.

"She is the coalminer's daughter who won her by-election the same day Mike Kaiser, the boilermaker's son, won in Woodridge," Mr Williams said.




Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)