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THE POLL BLUDGER CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham has existed uninterrupted since 1888, and has been held by the National/Country Party since its creation in 1920. Such is their strength here that a 30.6 per cent primary vote collapse at the expense of One Nation in 1998 was not enough to prevent member Tony Elliott holding on with an 8.8 per cent buffer. The loss of Elliott's personal vote following his retirement in 2001, combined with the Liberals' insistence on running a candidate (which had a lot to do with the Coalition's dissolute state throughout the campaign), deprived the Nationals of another 19.2 per cent of its primary vote, amounting to a 59 per cent collapse over six years and two elections. And still the Nationals won, with Labor and One Nation polling too low on primaries to be seriously in the hunt. New member Stuart Copeland had a much more straightforward time of it in 2004, lifting his vote from 24.8 per cent to 62.3 per cent in the absence of competition from the Liberals. ASSESSMENT: Nationals retain | |