Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Sunday 20 July 2014
ALP celebrations begin in Brisbane electorate of Stafford as premier acknowledges voters not happy with government
Dr Anthony Lynham secured 61.5% of the vote after preferences in Stafford. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP
Queensland's Labor party is celebrating after winning the by-election in the Brisbane electorate of Stafford, with a huge swing of 18.6% per cent.
Labor's candidate, Anthony Lynham, is the party's ninth MP after securing 61.5% of the vote after preferences against the Liberal National party’s Bob Andersen.
Stafford residents voted on Saturday after the former LNP MP, Chris Davis, resigned in May.
A political analyst, Paul Williams, from Griffith University, said the LNP was always going to lose the by-election, but the huge swing against it was a blow.
The 18.6% swing exceeded the 17% swing suffered by the government during the Scott Driscoll-dominated Redcliffe by-election in February.
Williams had tipped a swing to Labor of up to a 12%.
“I don't think anyone in Queensland would have expected it would have exceeded Redcliffe so that's a huge surprise, mainly because there was no Scott Driscoll,” he said.
“There are a multitude of factors that work here and basically at every level the LNP has a problem.”
It was “natural selection” – Stafford residents historically vote for Labor – and the fact voters do not like LNP policies or the premier's style, he said.
“Only the rusted-on Liberal and National voters are the ones clinging to the party. Everyone else seems to be deserting it,” Mr Williams said.
He said the LNP's attempts to position Lynham as a blow-in had backfired.
“As [the premier, Campbell] Newman has found out, it's very hard to win a public relations battle with people who are of a notable profession,” he said.
It was difficult to say whether Stafford was representative of the state, but either way Newman would be taking note, Williams said.
“[The swing] is just so damn big no government can dismiss it and say it's just a by-election.”
However, he said it did not mean voters are happy with Labor.
“It's a begrudging second look at Labor ... They're going to have to do a lot more work,” he said.
“And of course the unknown in this equation is how will the Palmer United Party fare ... It does throw the whole game into uncertainty.”
Newman acknowledged that some Queenslanders were not happy with his government, and said the party needed to work hard to win back voters.
“This evening I say to those people, ‘We've heard you, we understand how you feel, and I pledge this evening to continue to work hard,’ ” he said on Saturday night.
“We will work very, very hard to take our message out to Queenslanders about the positive things we do want to happen in this state.”
He said “attacks” on the government by Davis did not do Andersen's campaign any favours.
Andersen, a psychologist, said despite the huge swing against the LNP, the party should reflect on what it had achieved.
“In a very short time we put together a credible campaign and we've done so fighting against not just the Labor party but union third party campaigns and also the damage that was done to us by the former member,” he said.
The Labor leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the by-election outcome was a result of Newman not listening to voters.
“This is a premier who is taking Queensland backwards, and tonight Stafford has sent him a clear message,” she told supporters on Saturday night.
Lynham, a maxillofacial surgeon, said he was proud to be elected, and said the results sent a clear message to the Liberal National Party.
“It's a clear message that our community deserves to be heard – a clear message that it’s not OK to cut services and sack workers that we rely on every day,” he said
Labor registers huge swing of 18.6% in Queensland by-election | World news | theguardian.com
