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THE POLL BLUDGER CAPALABA
Capalaba was created when the Goss government's one-vote one-value legislation increased the number of electorates in the metropolitan area and was won upon its creation by Jim Elder, who had previously been member for the abolished seat of Manly. The seat has been safe at all times for Labor, with the two-party margin only falling below 10 per cent in 1995. Elder became Deputy Premier when the Beattie government came to power in 1998, but resigned in November 2000 after being one of four Labor MPs named by the Shepherdson inquiry in relation to branch stacking allegations. His subsequent resignation from the Labor Party briefly cost the government its majority, which was restored in spades at the election held three months later. Elder quit parliament at the election and was replaced by Michael Choi, who had been hand-picked by Peter Beattie without a preselection ballot. Labor's primary vote in Capalaba fell 10.5 per cent in Capalaba against the statewide trend, in large part due to a strong field of independent candidates and an entry by One Nation, who had not contested the seat in 1998. He nonetheless won the seat easily and was untroubled in 2004, which saw a return to a straightforward three-horse involving Labor, Liberal and the Greens. ASSESSMENT: Labor retain | |