THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

MUNDINGBURRA
Labor 6.2%

RegionTownsville
FederalHerbert
CandidatesMick Reilly (Liberal)
Jenny Stirling (Greens)
Lindy Nelson-Carr (Labor)
Click here for PDF map at Parliament House site

Mundingburra covers the suburbs south of the Townsville CBD, and will forever be remembered for Liberal Frank Tanti's by-election win which cost Wayne Goss government in 1996. Labor's vote is highest at the city end to the north and lowest in the southern outskirts at Annandale. The seat had been won by Labor on its creation at the 1992 election by 9.4 per cent, but a huge swing in 1995 cut member Ken Davies' margin to 16 votes. In December the Court of Disputed Returns upheld a Liberal complaint against the disqualification of 39 votes including 22 from service personnel in Rwanda and declared the seat vacant. Ten days later Labor dumped Davies as its candidate due to a legal action the Commonwealth Bank was taking against him which had the potential to bankrupt him, and installed in his place Tony Mooney, then as now the mayor of Townsville. Davies refused to go quietly and ran as an independent, and while he polled poorly, his votes played a role in delivering a narrow victory to Liberal candidate Frank Tanti. The result cost the Goss government its one-seat majority and delivered the balance of power to Gladstone independent Liz Cunningham, who announced her support for a Coalition government. School teacher Lindy Nelson-Carr (left) recovered the seat for Labor at the 1998 election and added 9.0 per cent to the margin in 2001, before suffering a 5.2 per cent correction in 2004. Nelson-Carr is associated with the Left faction and has been mentioned as a potential nominee to replace the faction's cabinet vacancy being created by the retirement of Waterford MP Tom Barton. The Liberal candidate is former soldier and local Chamber of Commerce president Mick Reilly.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain