THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

TOOWOOMBA NORTH
Labor 7.3%

Toowoomba existed as a single electorate until 1960 when it was divided into Toowoomba East and Toowoomba West, which were reconfigured into Toowoomba North and Toowoomba South in 1972. Toowoomba North was won by Labor on its debut and then lost to the Liberals with the 1974 landslide, in turn falling to the Nationals as part of the drubbing the Liberals received in 1983. The seat fell to Labor when Wayne Goss came to power in 1989 but was narrowly recovered for the Nationals in 1992 by Graham Healy, who consolidated it with a 9.1 per cent swing in 1995. It took the fall force of an 11.9 per cent swing to dislodge Healy in 2001, when Labor's Kerry Shine (left) prevailed by 1.9 per cent on two-party preferred. Shine did outstandingly well in 2004 to add a further 8.1 per cent on the primary vote and 5.4 per cent on two-party preferred.

Kerry Shine was a partner in Toowoomba law firm Shine Roche McGowan before entering parliament, and was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Communities, Disabilities and Seniors Minister in the reshuffle that followed Gordon Nuttall's demotion from Health Minister is July 2005. Malcolm Cole of the Courier-Mail speculated that he could become a Labor Forum/AWU faction replacement for one of the cabinet positions being vacated by the retirement of Henry Palaszczuk and Tom Barton. Nationals candidate Lyle Shelton (right) is a Toowoomba councillor who recently made a name for himself as the spokesman of the successful "no" campaign at the referendum on treated sewage water in Toowoomba's drinking supply.

ASSESSMENT: NATIONALS GAIN