QUEENSLAND ELECTION 2009

ALBERT Labor 13.8%
Region: Gold Coast Hinterland Federal divisions: Forde/Fadden
	MARGARET KEECH Labor (top) MARLEE K. BRUINSMA Greens GEOFF FLANNERY Independent ANDREA JOHANSON Liberal National (bottom)

Albert is located along the western side of the Pacific Motorway as it runs from Brisbane's outskirts to the Gold Coast. Its major population centres are at either end, around Mt Warren Park and Ormeau in the north, and Oxenford in the south. From its creation in 1950 until 2001, Labor won the seat on only three occasions: in 1972, when it was won by Bill D'Arcy (later member for Woodridge, and eventually imprisoned for child sex offences); in 1989, when the Liberals directed preferences against Fitzgerald-tainted National Party minister Ivan Gibbs and helped deliver victory to John Szczerbanik; and in 1992, when Szczerbanki was re-elected. Bill Baumann recovered the seat for the Nationals in 1995, before jumping ship for an ill-fated tilt at the new seat of Gaven in 2001. This opened the door to a disastrous three-cornered contest in 2001, in which the Nationals candidate finished in fourth and final place with 11.9 per cent of the vote and Labor's Margaret Keech won the seat with a margin of 12.6 per cent. Albert was assigned to the Liberals in the coalition agreement ahead of the 2004 election, and while they at least made the final two-party cut, that was little consolation given that Labor gained a further 9.4 per cent on the primary vote.

Margaret Keech is a member of the Left faction, and has been the only one of Labor's unexpectedly durable brace of Gold Coast MPs to make it to cabinet. She was appointed Tourism and Fair Trading Minister after the 2004 election before moving to child safety in the reshuffle following Peter Beattie's departure in September 2007, also serving as Minister for Women since November 2006.

PREDICTION: Labor retain