By Jeremy Sollars
The Southern Downs electorate is one of only two Sunshine State seats which will be unaffected by a redistribution of boundaries announced this week.
The biggest shake-up of Queensland electorate boundaries in decades by the Queensland Redistribution Commission is set to create a net increase of four electorates in State Parliament, from a current total of 89 to 93.
But also in the mix is the abolition of a number of electorates and the creation of six new ones, along with 13 existing seats which will be re-named.
Dalrymple, the seat of Katter’s Australian Party MP Shane Knuth based around Charters Towers will disappear, as will the central Brisbane seat of Indooroopilly, currently held by LNP frontbencher Scott Emerson.
Both MPs will be forced to contest new seats at the next State election, which will due in January 2018 but which could be called much earlier by ALP Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The redistribution could be a key driver of an early election, with the ALP and LNP also both spooked over the surge in support in Queensland for One Nation.
Redistributions are carried out to reflect population changes across Queensland to ensure State electorates continue to have roughly the same number of voters. The last redistribution was in 2008.
The draft Commission report’s boundaries will be finalised by June with the intention they come into force when the writ is issued for the next election.
Other than Southern Downs, the only other Queensland electorate to be left alone is Townsville, currently held by the ALP’s Scott Stewart.
Veteran Southern Downs MP Lawrence Springborg will retire at the next State election, with deputy mayor Jo McNally and her colleague councillor Cameron Gow and RAAF officer James Lister currently vying for the LNP candidacy for the seat. The results of a ballot of local LNP party members should be released on Friday 3 March.
One Nation is expected to announce its Southern Downs candidate within the next few weeks.
