There are 30 key seats to watch in the Queensland election. The winning party will have to claim 47 seats to form a majority government.
Bundaberg: Labor’s Tom Smith, a former teacher, won the seat in 2020 by nine votes.
The victory was credited to ‘Palaszczuk’s pensioners’ – the movement of older Queenslanders who endorsed the former premier’s Covid-19 decisions.
His main competition comes from Fruit and Vegetable Growers CEO Bree Watson for the LNP.
Nicklin: Labor MP Rob Skelton will defend the marginal seat against former LNP member Marty Hunt.
Mr Skelton won the seat in 2020 with a 5.4 per cent swing to Labor.
Hervey Bay: Labor won the seat in 2020 thanks to the retirement of a long-serving LNP member, and Palaszczuk’s pensioners.
Labor’s Adrian Tantari won against LNP’s Steve Coleman. This time, he will face former councillor David Lee.
Caloundra: Labor won Caloundra for the first time in 2020 when Jason Hunt won office, also on the back of Palaszczuk’s pensioners.
Mr Huint is running against the LNP’s Kendall Morton.
Barron River: Labor’s Craig Crawford hold the seat, but the margin is 3.1 per cent.
Townsville: Labor’s Scott Stewart’s seat is held by just 3.1 per cent.
He faces the LNP’s Adam Baillie, who will try to win for the second time in 30 years. Polling suggests Labor’s three seats in the area will fall due to the region’s crime issues.
Thuringowa: Aaron Harper was elected with Annastacia Palaszczuk in 2015 and will try to win a fourth term. He hold the seat by a 3.2 per cent margin.
Mundingburra: Les Walker will face off against the LNP’s Janelle Poole.
Redlands: Kim Richards won the seat in 2020, again on the back of Palaszczuk’s pensioners.
She will be challenged by former chamber of commerce president, Rebecca Young.
Aspley: Bart Mellish, the minister for transport, defeated former Brisbane City Councillor Amanda Cooper in 2020 with an eight per cent swing.
Other key Labor seats include Pumicestone, Cairns, Keppel, Redcliffe, Cook, Mackay, Pine Rivers, Mansfield, Gaven, Springwood, Rockhampton, Capalaba, Cooper, McConnel, and Greenslopes.
Michael Crandon hold the seat of Coomera for the LNP with a thin margin of 1.1 per cent.
Stephen Andrew will try to retain his seat of Mirani for Katter’s Australian Party.
Sandy Bolton is the independent MP for Noosa following an enormous 15.8 per cent margin. Her biggest competition is the LNP.
Amy Macmahon holds the South Brisbane seat for the Greens with a 5.3 per cent margin.