THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

NANANGO
Independent 12.7% vs Nationals

Nanango covers semi-rural hinterland to the west of Brisbane and includes the towns of Kilcoy, Kingaroy and Esk along with Nanango proper. An electorate bearing the name first existed between 1912 and 1950 when it was held by three members from the Country Party or similar groups that preceded it, the last of whom was Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Bjelke-Petersen served his first term of parliament as the member for Nanango before assuming the successor seat of Barambah at the 1950 election, which he held until his retirement in December 1987. He was succeeded by Trevor Perrett who held the seat until 1998, when Dorothy "Dolly" Pratt (left) of One Nation outpolled him 43.5 per cent to 31.0 per cent (down from 67.2 per cent in 1995) on the primary vote and won by 5.9 per cent lead after preferences. Pratt quit One Nation in February 1999 and retained the new seat of Nanango as an independent in 2001 and 2004, respectively polling 46.2 per cent and 45.7 per cent of the primary vote. Nationals candidate John Bjelke-Petersen (centre) is of course the son of the legendary former member, and is the operator of the family's mixed farming and tourism business near Kingaroy (the peanut farm of legend). The strength of the family name was not enough for him to trouble federal Liberal MP Peter Slipper when he ran against him in the seat of Fisher at the 1996 election, polling 20.6 per cent to Slipper's 45.1 per cent. Labor candidate Mark Whittaker (right) is spoken of in only the vaguest of terms on the party website.

ASSESSMENT: Independent retain