THE POLL BLUDGER
Queensland Legislative Assembly Election 2006

TOOWOOMBA SOUTH
Nationals 11.5%

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 South was held by Labor for its first term before falling in 1974 to the National Party, which has held it ever since. It was not threatened by either of the party's great electoral debacles of recent years put the, the One Nation onslaught of 1998 and the Labor landslide of 2001. The member since 1991 has been Mike Horan (right), who led the Nationals from the aftermath of the 2001 election defeat until he was deposed in favour of Lawrence Springborg in February 2003. He had been Health Minister in the Borbidge government, and is currently Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister. In August 2005, former Labor Senator and electoral number-cruncher John Black wrote in the Courier-Mail that comparisons of state and federal results suggested Horan had the highest personal vote of any major party state MP. Labor candidate Frank Burke was "Toowoomba's Young Queenslander of the Year in 2002".

ASSESSMENT: Nationals retain