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THE POLL BLUDGER BRISBANE
Brisbane has existed as an electorate since federation, and has mostly been held by Labor since its win at the 1931 election (when Queensland largely bucked the national trend that savaged the Scullin government). It currently covers the north shore of the Brisbane River from Fortitude Valley and New Farm west through the CBD to Milton, and out to Stafford in the north and Upper Kedron in the west. It has been all but unaffected by the redistribution, losing only 1681 voters at Everton Park to Petrie in the north. Labor has held Brisbane since 1931 outside of the interruption of 1975 and 1977, although the margin was less than 1 per cent in 1940, 1958, 1966 and 1996. On the latter occasion it was one of only two seats in Queensland that stayed with Labor, the other being Rankin. Labor has failed to greatly consolidate since, their margin dented slightly by the 2004 redistribution. Arch Bevis has been the member since 1990 when he succeeded Manfred Cross, who had held the seat since 1961 outside of the interruption from 1975 to 1980. | |