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THE POLL BLUDGER IPSWICH
Ipswich has been a stronghold for Labor for most of its history, although former Liberal leader Sir Llew Edwards held the seat from 1972 until his retirement in 1983, when it was won for Labor by David Hamill. As would be expected from Pauline Hanson's home turf, One Nation polled a very strong 39.5 per cent in 1998 (their candidate Heather Hill went on to be elected to the Senate later in the year, but a ridiculous High Court ruling prevented her from taking her seat, which instead went to Len Harris), but Labor held the seat with a two-party preferred margin of 3.4 per cent. Hamill went on to serve as Treasurer in the first term of the Beattie government, at one point standing down over his involvement in the gambling-contracts-for-the-boys Netbet affair, and retired in 2001. The seat has returned to safe Labor status under his successor, Rachel Nolan. ASSESSMENT: Labor retain | |