QUEENSLAND ELECTION 2009

REDLANDS Labor 6.8%
Region: Redlands Shire Federal divisions: Bowman/Rankin
	MARK EDWARDS Independent JOHN ENGLISH Labor (top) COLIN NIGHTINGALE Greens HEATHER STEINBERG Independent CAMERON KROOK DS4SEQ PETER DOWLING Liberal National (bottom)

Redlands covers coastal suburbs approximately 30 kilometres south-east of the centre of Brisbane, from Thornlands south to the Logan River on the mainland and out to Perulpa Island and Russell Island. The redistribution has detached four small areas from the electorate, moving 5200 voters in Thornlands to Cleveland and 600 voters around Shailer Park, Cornubia and Carbrook to Springwood in the west. The seat was won by Labor upon its creation in 1972 but fell to the National/Country Party in the 1974 landslide, remaining with them until Darryl Briskey finally recovered it for Labor in 1989. Briskey moved to the new electorate of Cleveland in 1992, when John Budd retained Redlands for Labor. A 9.9 per cent swing in 1995 delivered it to John Hegarty of the National Party, who held on narrowly in 1998 before inevitably being swept out by the tide in 2001. Labor's candidate for that election had originally been John Budd, but he was disendorsed when a police investigation began into the misappropriation of party funds, for which he received a suspended sentence in 2002.

At this time the governnment was engulfed in the vote-rorting crisis uncovered by the Shepherdson inquiry, and Peter Beattie took the opportunity to install police officer John English as one of five “clean-skin” candidates without reference to a preselection ballot. The Nationals dubiously won the right to contest the seat over the Liberals in 2004, when English picked up a further 1.6 per cent two-party swing. They again succeeded in staring down the Liberals ahead of the 2006 election after it earlier appeared there would be a three-cornered contest. The dispute ended with the Liberals conceding the seat as part of a deal that gave them a clear run in the Gold Coast seats of Broadwater and Mudgeeraba, but all three remained in Labor hands. The Nationals' performance in Redlands was particularly poor: their primary vote was down 2.3 per cent, and Labor picked up a further 1.6 per cent swing.

The Liberal National Party candidate at the coming election is Peter Dowling, a Redland councillor and former deputy mayor who represents a division based around Point Halloran at the northern coastal end of the electorate.

Sarah Elks of The Australian reports the recreational fishing lobby is hoping to stir a backlash in this and other bayside marginals against the government's expansion of Moreton Bay Marine Park “green zones”, which came into effect a week into the campaign.

PREDICTION: Labor retain