MORE possible contenders have emerged to contest Lawrence Springborg’s state seat of Southern Downs following the veteran MP’s announcement that he will not stand at the next State Election.
And while Mr Springborg’s LNP has given prospective candidates until mid-January to stick their hand up, One Nation will announce its candidate for Southern Downs this Sunday 18 December.
Mr Springborg announced on Saturday 3 December that he would not re-contest the seat at the next Queensland election – due in January 2018 – but has not ruled out a tilt at the Senate in the Federal Election due in July 2019.
Speculation continues that Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk may go to the polls well ahead of time, possibly early in the New Year, with both the major parties fretting over the rise in support for One Nation in Queensland.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson yesterday hosted a community forum in Chinchilla on coal seam gas mining, which her party opposes, and it is understood One Nation will reveal all of its Queensland election candidates, including Southern Downs, at an event in Brisbane on Sunday.
Current Southern Downs councillor Cameron Gow, who is an LNP member, last week told the Free Times he would consider nominating for Southern Downs “if approached by the party”.
He said this week “a number of local people” had approached him and had encouraged him to run, but he has not as yet formally nominated.
Deputy Mayor Jo McNally, also an LNP member, has declined to comment and fellow LNP member Cr Vic Pennisi has said he would not put himself forward.
Goondiwindi councillor Rob McKenzie, who chairs the LNP’s electoral council for Southern Downs and who has been tipped as a strong potential candidate, has been non-committal, saying the “processes are there to ensure everyone who is interested in nominating has the opportunity to do so”.
Meanwhile, former National Farmers’ Federation president and Stanthorpe farming identity Brent Finlay has said he won’t rule out standing as the next LNP candidate for Southern Downs, but says at this point he hasn’t “given it serious thought”.
Mr Finlay runs a family traprock sheepmeat, wool and beef property ‘Cooinda’ west of Stanthorpe and stepped down as NFF leader in May this year after more than 10 years in senior roles with the nation’s premier agri-political lobby group and has since been focusing on his farming and other business interests.
He told the Free Times he was “flattered” by suggestions he should have a tilt at Queensland politics, but said no formal or even informal approach had been made to him by the LNP as yet, along with declining to confirm or deny he is a current member of the party.
“I haven’t given it (Southern Downs) any serious thought, but I would never rule out anything to do with politics,” Mr Finlay said.
“I have a huge respect for anyone who does put their hand up, and I have the utmost respect for Lawrence Springborg and his integrity.”
Mr Finlay said the political landscape in Australia and overseas had changed “significantly” in the last 18 months, with Brexit, Donald Trump and the further rise of Pauline Hanson and One Nation.
“It’s easy to be a populist and say populist things – real policy is much, much harder,” Mr Finlay said.
“You’ve got to have the facts, the science and the costings – real policy is how you change the world.”
Mr Finlay has extensive international negotiating experience in the trade arena, and says Queensland does not currently have “the right political climate for investment”.
The Free Times contacted a number of candidates who stood unsuccessfully for the Southern Downs Regional Council election earlier this year – but came close – to see if they had any interest in a crack at state politics.
Julia Keogh, recently elected as president of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce, ruled out running for the seat, telling the Free Times she has “her hands full” but said the Southern Downs region had “enormous potential” which needed to be driven forward.
Warwick Real estate agent Darryl Evans has said he would “consider” running, having stood in the past in the mayoral and councillor ballots.
Nominations for the LNP candidacy close at 5pm on Monday 16 January.
LNP State Director Lincoln Folo would not comment this week if any nominations had already been received.
The ALP and the Greens have said they would not open nominations for Southern Downs until next year.
