Callide – Queensland 2015

LNP 13.51% vs KAP

Incumbent MP
Jeff Seeney, since 1998.

Geography
Central Queensland. Callide covers regional areas inland from the central Queensland coast. The seat covers Biloela, Moura, Monto, Eidsvold, Mundubbera, Gayndah, Theodore, Taroom, Wandoan, Wondai and Murgon.

History
Callide was created at the 1950 election, and apart from a short period in the 1980s has always been dominated by the Country/National/Liberal National parties.

Vincent Jones held the seat for the Country Party from 1950 to 1971.

At the 1972 election the seat was won by the Country Party’s Lindsay Hartwig. Hartwig won further terms in 1974, 1977 and 1980. In 1981 Hartwig was expelled from the National Country Party. He won re-election in 1983 as an independent and retired in 1986.

Di McCauley held Callide for the National Party from 1986 until 1998.

In 1998, McCauley was succeeded by Jeff Seeney.

Seeney won re-election in 2001, 2004 and 2006, and after the 2006 election became Leader of the National Party.

In 2008, Seeney was replaced by his predecessor Lawrence Springborg, who led the Nationals into a merger with the Liberal Party later that year.

Seeney won another term in 2009 for the Liberal National Party.

In March 2011, Campbell Newman replaced John-Paul Langbroek as leader of the LNP. As Newman did not hold a seat in the Parliament, Seeney was appointed as interim parliamentary leader.

Following the LNP’s victory at the 2012 election, Jeff Seeney was appointed as Deputy Premier in the Newman government.

Candidates

Assessment
Jeff Seeney should easily retain Callide in 2015, although the seat should be a key target for Palmer United Party, with Bjelke-Petersen serving as PUP’s state leader.

2012 election result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Jeff Seeney Liberal National 14,666 53.33 -5.65
Steve Ensby Katter’s Australian 7,318 26.61 +26.61
Melissa Newton Labor 4,058 14.76 -9.16
Camilla Percy Greens 892 3.24 -0.59
Duncan Scott Independent 597 2.06 +2.06

2012 two-candidate-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Jeff Seeney Liberal National 15,224 63.51
Steve Ensby Katter’s Australian 8,747 36.49
Polling places in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election. North-East in green, South-East in orange, West in blue. Click to enlarge.
Polling places in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election. North-East in green, South-East in orange, West in blue. Click to enlarge.

Booth breakdown
Booths in Callide have been divided into three parts:

  • North-East – Bundaberg and North Burnett council areas
  • South-East – Gympie and South Burnett council areas
  • West – Banana and Dalby/Western Downs council areas

The Liberal National Party (LNP) topped the primary vote in all three areas, with a primary vote ranging from 48% in the west to 54.8% in the south-east. On a two-candidate-preferred basis, the LNP’s majority ranged from 58.9% in the west to 64.1% in the south-east.

Katter’s Australian Party came second, with a vote ranging from 27.1% in the south-east to 29.3% in the west.

Labor came third, with a vote ranging from 12.4% in the south-east to 18.5% in the west.

The Electoral Commission does not publish two-candidate-preferred figures by polling place, so two-candidate-preferred figures in the following table and map are estimates.

Voter group LNP prim % KAP prim % ALP prim % LNP 2CP % Total % of votes
North-East 51.77 28.65 14.40 61.53 6,876 25.00
West 48.01 29.33 18.48 58.87 5,919 21.52
South-East 54.77 27.09 12.43 64.09 5,744 20.89
Other votes 57.11 22.94 14.06 67.81 8,962 32.59
Estimated two-candidate-preferred votes in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election.
Estimated two-candidate-preferred votes in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election.
Labor primary votes in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election.
Labor primary votes in Callide at the 2012 Queensland state election.

9 COMMENTS

  2. Ya reckon? He ran in Maranoa last year, and came third with 14%.

    I wonder why he isn’t running for Nanango again. He was the Nat / LNP candidate there twice – couldn’t take it off Dorothy Pratt either time.

  5. I heard today of a gentleman from this electorate who is driving to Caboolture once a week to get medical treatment for a hyperactive thyroid. This is costing the taxpayer $500 pw. Surely any Country member worth their salt would be putting this $500 into paying Doctor’s to be in country hospitals in his electorate. I know that Biloela and Monto were on the chopping block early in Newman-Seeney term of office. Am not sure what final result was but I am certain that if PUP candidate’s father was still Premier the hospital would be staffed fully and the $500 pw would be being spent in Callide.

    Andrew Jackson
    apjackson@hotkey.net.au

  6. There has been an increase in services into Monto Hospital. The dental clinic has been reopened after it was closed in the 1990s. Alllied health has been increased with an extra physio employed at Gayndah who visits Monto as part of her rounds. There are also allied health assistants in these hospitals to help patients between visits by a specialist. Not to mention the rollout of telehealth enabling consultations with specialists at major hospitals throughout the state.

  7. Interesting poll in the South Burnett Times. Looks promising John Bjelke-Petersen
    READER POLL
    Who will you be voting for in Callide?
    Current Results
    Michael Higginson (IND) – 6%
    John Bjelke-Petersen (PUP) – 27%
    Duncan Scott (IND) – 1%
    Steve Ensby (IND) – 11%
    Jeff Seeney (LNP) – 20%
    Graeme Martin (LAB) – 22%
    Erich Schulz (GRN) – 10%

  8. We are a group who are campaigning for Callide to put LNP/Seeney last.
    Called #CallideVotes we are not campaigning for any candidate, just against Callide being a safe, overlooked and ignored seat, as it has been since 1998.

    If Newman can promise Ashgrove $131 million to BUY a seat, not being a safe LNP seat looks pretty good to us.

    Vote LNP Seeney last, and then think about it, numbering every ballot box so your preferences count.

    Check twitter #CallideVotes and https://www.facebook.com/callidevotes

Comments are closed.