QUEENSLAND ELECTION 2009

MAROOCHYDORE Nationals 8.4%
Region: Sunshine Coast Federal divisions: Fairfax/Fisher
	FIONA SIMPSON Liberal National (top) BRENTON CLUTTERBUCK Greens SUE CARLOS Labor (bottom)

Maroochydore covers a stretch of the Sunshine Coast south of Noosa, from Mooloolaba north to Coolum Beach and inland to the Sunshine Motorway. The redistribution has removed areas west of the Sunshine Motorway, including 5700 voters around Kuluin who go to the new seat of Buderim, while adding 4500 voters at Coolum from Noosa in the north. The electorate was created at the 1992 election mostly from territory in the abolished seat of Cooroora, which the National/Country Party held from the party's creation in 1922 until it was dumped from office in 1989. The new seat had a small notional Nationals majority going into the 1989 election and was won for them by Fiona Simpson, the 27-year-old daughter of long-serving Cooroora MP Gordon Simpson. Fiona Simpson went on to boost her 4.1 per cent margin to 12.3 per cent in 1995, and retained enough of her primary vote in 1998 to stay safe from One Nation. The tidal wave of 2001 very nearly dumped her, but One Nation preferences helped her survive by 0.8 per cent. The local anti-government backlash over water issues secured her hold on the seat in 2006, when she picked up a swing of 6.6 per cent.

Simpson has won headlines over the years for proclaiming her virginity in her maiden speech, calling for castration and public floggings for rapists and violent criminals, and describing the Goss government as “a toad to the radical homosexual lobby”. She was overlooked for the ministry during the short life of the Borbidge government, but has covered a bewildering range of shadow portfolios since: health, tourism, urban affairs, state development, small business, information technology, innovation, industrial relations, planning, employment and women's policy. When Lawrence Springborg stepped aside after the 2006 election she counted her numbers for the leadership, but withdrew from the contest when it became apparent she could not defeat Jeff Seeney. As of the Liberal National Party merger of August 2008, she has been Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Main Roads and Transport.

A week out from polling day, Fiona Simpson announced in her capacity as Shadow Transport Minister that $785 million would be spent building a rail line from Caloundra to Maroochydore by 2015, but Lawrence Springborg was subsequently forced to admit this was merely an an “aspiration”. The proposal as announced would not connect the line to the larger rail network. Earlier in the campaign, Simpson promised a $640 million rail line from Petrie to Kippa-Ring which was later revealed to be “subject to financial constraints and GFC”, and surprised Lawrence Springborg by issuing a press release stating $1.8 million would be spent relieving traffic congestion on the Gold Coast. Steven Wardill of the Courier-Mail went so far as to call Simpson “the Bruce Flegg of the 2009 election”.

Maroochydore was affected by the Pacific Adventurer oil and chemical spill which hit late in the second last week of the campaign, with slicks reaching Marcoola, Mudjimba and Twin Waters along with Wurtulla in Kawana.

PREDICTION: Liberal National retain