THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

CALOUNDRA
Liberal 1.3%

RegionSunshine Coast
FederalFisher/Longman
CandidatesMark McArdle (Liberal)
Tony Moor (Labor)
Dave Norris (Greens)
Click here for PDF map at Parliament House site

Caloundra takes its name from a coastal community on the Sunshine Coast located in the north of the electorate, and includes the northern part of Bribie Island to the south. It has been held by the Liberals at all times since it was created by the one-vote one-value redistribution that took effect at the 1992 election. The inaugural member was the then Liberal leader Joan Sheldon, who won the predecessor seat of Landsborough from the Nationals at a 1990 by-election brought on by the resignation of Mike Ahern after Russell Cooper deposed him as Premier in a party room coup. Sheldon relinquished the party leadership after the 1998 election defeat and was one of only three Liberals to survive the 2001 landslide, which she survived by 1.0 per cent. Mark McArdle added little to the margin when Joan Sheldon retired in 2004, and might have been in trouble if not for a weak flow of Greens preferences to Labor.

Mark McArdle (right)is a former director of Boyce Garrick Lawyers and quickly rose to the position of Shadow Attorney-General, which he assumed when the coalition agreement was reached in September 2005. He rose yet further after moving the spill motion against Bob Quinn's leadership on August 7, winning the deputy party leadership position vacated by Bruce Flegg. This was despite the controversy that followed McArdle throughout his debut term resulting from Boyce Garrick Lawyers' involvement in failed first-mortgage property schemes which burned mostly elderly investors, for which former partner Terry Boyce was convicted of professional misconduct. Labor candidate Tony Moor (left) is a local GP and former senior medical officer at Caloundra Hospital.

The Coalition has criticised Peter Beattie’s decision to allow Labor candidate Tony Moor (who according to AAP has only been a party member for three weeks) to continue his medical practice if he is elected, in light of Labor’s attacks on Bruce Flegg for doing the same thing.

ASSESSMENT: Liberal retain