Brisbane Election Reveals Little Joy in Attracting Inner-City Voters
Recent state Inala and Ipswich West by-elections saw significant swings against the Labor Party.
Commentary
Following the recent Queensland elections over the weekend, two political parties emerged victorious while the Australian Labor Party (ALP) suffered substantial losses.
The by-election in Inala witnessed a two-party preferred swing of about 19 percent, although they managed to retain the seat. In Ipswich West, the ALP lost around 18 percent two-party preferred, resulting in losing the seat. The Brisbane City Council election yielded mediocre results for them.
These by-elections were conducted to fill the vacancies left by former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in Inala and Jim Madden in Ipswich West.
These outcomes do not just serve as a warning for the Labor Party but may be the initial onslaught in the lead-up to the next state election.
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Over the past four years, Queensland has witnessed three state by-elections. Notably, there was a swing in Callide towards the LNP of 5.9 percent when the state LNP member pursued a federal seat. In Stretton, a swing against the ALP of 0.9 percent was observed when Duncan Pegg, the Labor member, passed away. Similarly, in Currumbin, a swing against the LNP of 2.1 percent occurred when the LNP member resigned due to health reasons.
These recent swings in by-elections are reminiscent of the historic Bass by-election that foretold the end of the Whitlam Labor government, indicating potential shifts in the upcoming state election.
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