THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

PUMICESTONE
Labor 5.5%

Pumicestone has been described by Antony Green as "a peculiar bits and pieces electorate", including a bit of Bribie Island and a piece of Caboolture. Labor's vote is considerably higher at the Caboolture (western) end of the electorate than at Ningi and Bellara, on either side of the Pumicestone Channel that separates Bribie Island from the mainland. Pumicestone was created at the 2001 election in place of the abolished Caboolture, which was held by the National/Country Party after its creation in 1977 and then by Labor from 1986. At the 1998 election Caboolture was one of 12 seats won by One Nation, whose candidate Bill Feldman outpolled the Nationals and sailed ahead of Labor member Jon Sullivan on their preferences to win by 2.7 per cent. In January 2000 Feldman became parliamentary leader of the One Nation splinter group the City-Country Alliance, which variously had five or six members. This distinction didn't help him at the 2001 election, at which Labor's Carryn Sullivan (left), wife of Jon, polled 46.2 per cent and the rest divided roughly equally between Feldman and the Liberal and One Nation candidates. The anti-Labor vote in 2004 consolidated impressively behind the Liberals, who increased 17.8 per cent on the primary vote and put the seat on their radar as a potential gain for next time. The Liberal candidate is swim school owner Shane Moon (right), who won Liberal preselection ahead of Bribie Island ferry owner Trevor Johns and TAFE teacher Christopher Van Der Linde.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain