THE POLL BLUDGER
House of Representatives Election 2007

WIDE BAY
Nationals 12.2%

Wide Bay has covered a variable area around Maryborough about 300 kilometres north of Brisbane since its creation at federation. It currently extends along the coast from Noosa Heads north to Maryborough, and inland through Gympie to Murgon. The seat's inaugural member was Andrew Fisher, who served three short (by modern standards) terms as Prime Minister and formed the world's first majority Labor government in 1910. It fell to the Liberal Party when Fisher resigned due to ill health in 1915, and was in Country Party hands from 1928 until Brendan Hansen finally won the seat back for Labor in 1961. Hansen held the seat until defeated in 1974 by the Country Party's Clarrie Millar in 1974, who was succeeded in 1990 by Warren Truss. The margin through this period has usually been in the single figures, but it has become safer in recent times following big swings in 1996 and 2001.

The Greens will direct preferences to Labor over the Coalition in every Queensland seat except Wide Bay, where an open card will be issued as a gesture of protest over the Traveston Dam and council amalgamations.