Toowoomba South – Queensland 2012

LNP 8.2%

Incumbent MP
Mike Horan, since 1991.

Geography
South-East Queensland. Southern parts of the Toowoomba urban area, specifically covering the suburbs of Glenvale, Harristown, South Toowoomba, Rangeville, Centenary Heights, Kearneys Spring, Middle Ridge and parts of Darling Heights.

History
The seat of Toowoomba South has existed since the 1972 election. It was won by the ALP at the first election but has been held by the National Party (now the LNP) ever since.

Peter Wood won Toowoomba South in 1972. He had held Toowoomba East since 1966, but moved seats when his old seat was abolished. He was defeated in 1974 by the Country Party’s John Warner.

Warner held the seat for the National Party until 1986, when he was succeeded by Clive Berghofer, also by the National Party.

Berghofer had served as Mayor of Toowoomba since 1982, and continued to serve as Mayor while sitting in Parliament. In 1991, changes in legislation banned the practice of councillors sitting in Parliament, and Berghofer resigned from Toowoomba South in order to retain his mayoralty. His term as mayor ended in 1992.

The 1991 Toowoomba South by-election was won by the National Party’s Mike Horan. Horan served as Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003.

Candidates
Sitting Liberal National MP Mike Horan is not running for re-election. The LNP is running John McVeigh. The ALP is running Sam McFarlane. The Greens are running Trevor Smith.

Political situation
Toowoomba South is a relatively safe LNP seat.

2009 result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Mike Horan LNP 15,708 53.5 +1.9
Dan Toombs ALP 10,992 37.4 +4.9
Barnaby Heaton GRN 1,357 4.6 -1.5
Peter Pyke IND 1,308 4.5 +4.5

2009 two-candidate-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Mike Horan LNP 16,300 58.2 -3.0
Dan Toombs ALP 11,699 41.8 +3.0

Booth breakdown
Booths in Toowoomba South have been divided between booths in the north and south of the seat. The LNP won a large majority in the south, with a margin over the ALP of 17.5%, compared to a margin of 2.3% in the north.

Polling booths in Toowoomba South at the 2009 state election. North in green, South in blue.

 

Voter group LNP % ALP % GRN % Total votes % of votes
South 54.3 36.8 4.3 15,105 51.4
North 46.0 43.7 5.1 6,684 22.8
Other votes 58.4 33.1 4.9 7,576 25.8
Liberal National primary votes in Toowoomba South at the 2009 state election.
Labor primary votes in Toowoomba South at the 2009 state election.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Conratulations to Sam McFarlane who has won Labor pre-selection for Toowoomba South. A young university student with rural connections, he has the right qualities to give the ALP a fresh look in regional areas.

  2. “A young university student with rural connections”

    Meaning he’s another 21 year old kid who desn’t live in the electorate? At least the Greens have the decency and grassroots support to run local candidates.

    And Labor wonders why their support in regional areas has vanished…

  5. You would think with the ok swing to Labor in this seat last time that their previous candidate would have another crack.

  7. Briver,

    Please have the decency to find out the facts before posting an uninformed opinion.

    As the linked website states, Sam lives and works in toowoomba, but because he is also studying that somehow makes him a 21yr old kid? Looking at his photograph I think you should add a few years to that figure.

    No wonder the youth of today feel completely ignored by the poltical system when people are constantly looking down their noses at anyone under 60 who dares to enter the ring.

  8. LNP to retain, nothing personal, however, despite the filthy Labor campaign, the electors will look at Labor’s track record and vote accordingly. Good to see the youth of the country showing an interest, whether right or left.

Comments are closed.