QUEENSLAND ELECTION 2009

THURINGOWA Labor 16.3%
Region: Western Townsville Federal divisions: Herbert/Kennedy
	TONY ELMS Liberal National (bottom) FRANK REILLY Greens KENNETH TURNER Independent PAUL LYNAM Independent CRAIG WALLACE Labor (top)

Thuringowa includes the western outskirts of Townsville, from Thuringowa itself south through the Ross River bank suburbs of Condon, Rasmussen and Kelso, along with rural territory west to Alice River and Black River. The redistribution has added territory in the south from Burdekin, which accounts for almost half the electorate's area but adds only 230 voters, along with 900 voters in Townsville from Mundingburra. Its northernmost territory from Bruce Highway to the coast at Bushland Beach, accounting for 3600 voters, has been transferred to Hinchinbrook. The electorate has existed since 1986, when Townsville was reduced to the city centre.

A naturally Labor-leaning seat, Thuringowa was one of the 11 seats won in 1998 by One Nation, whose candidate Ken Turner polled 34.9 per cent against Labor incumbent Ken McElligott's 35.1 per cent to win by 6.6 per cent after preferences. McElligott had been member for Townsville from 1983 to 1986 and for Thuringowa thereafter, and had in fact announced his intention to retire in 1996. However, the candidate nominated in his place, Karen Ehrmann, was forced to withdraw before the 1998 election after being charged (and later imprisoned) with electoral fraud, an episode which culminated in the Shepherdson inquiry in late 2000 and early 2001. Given his background as a former Health Minister hung out to dry by Wayne Goss as a travel rorts scapegoat, McElligott did his party a fine service by agreeing to run in Ehrmann's place, and was presumably not too distraught by his failure. Ken Turner quit One Nation in February 1999 and went into the 2001 election as an independent, doing well to score 25.8 per cent of the vote but nonetheless losing to Labor's Anita Phillips by 3.6 per cent after preferences.

Phillips stood aside at the 2004 election to make an unsuccessful bid for Herbert at the October federal election. Her successor was Craig Wallace, a former executive officer to Townsville mayor Tony Mooney who had himself come to the attention of the Shepherdson inquiry. This did not seem to bother the voters, who added 3.8 per cent to Labor's primary vote. Less than two months after receiving his first parliamentary secretary position in the wake of the 2006 election, Wallace was promoted to cabinet as Natural Resources and Water Minister, after Attorney-General Linda Lavarch moved to the back bench. Like Lavarch and Mooney, he is associated with the Labor Forum/Australian Workers Union faction.

PREDICTION: Labor retain