Labor vying to retain key battleground seats in Queensland’s regions ahead of state election

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Labor is facing a tough fight across Queensland to win a fourth term in government. From North Queensland to the inner city, the party is at risk of losing key battleground seats to the SNLP and minor parties.

Transcript

00:00In Bundaberg, Queensland's most marginal seat, cost of living is biting hard.

00:11People are struggling.

00:12They really are.

00:13They just don't have enough money to last them the week out.

00:17Discount groceries are in high demand, bread is always popular and meat flies off the shelf.

00:24When we get protein, meat of any type, we are flat out because it is expensive to get.

00:31Local Labor member Tom Smith knows tough times mean a tough campaign.

00:37The former teacher is vying for a second term after winning by just nine votes at the 2020

00:44election.

00:45Too many politicians think that their job is to go down to Parliament and sit around

00:50and talk to each other and talk about numbers and leadership coups and all this sort of

00:53stuff.

00:54The work's done in your electorate.

00:56Bundaberg used to be Labor heartland, but in recent years it's become a swing seat.

01:02The LNP is hopeful it'll turn back to blue.

01:06I've been in the field for over a year now and that's afforded me the opportunity to

01:11get out and meet lots and lots of people.

01:13Bundaberg is one of five seats on thin margins Labor secured last election, largely due to

01:20voter satisfaction with the government's response to the COVID pandemic.

01:25The LNP is expected to comfortably claw them back.

01:29What we are seeing in the published opinion polls is that the Palaszczuk pensioners who

01:36delivered some seats to Labor last time have gone back to the normal voting trends that

01:43they adhere to.

01:45In regional Queensland in particular, Labor is facing a tough fight from the LNP.

01:51To stay in power, the ALP must retain key battleground seats such as Townsville, Mundingborough

01:57and Thuringowa in north Queensland.

02:00Other marginals that could fall include the bellwether seat of Barron River, Cairns, Keppel

02:06and southeast electorates like Redlands and Aspley.

02:13And Labor is facing a challenge on another front from the Greens.

02:17This is when our conversations start having greater and greater impact.

02:22The party is targeting Labor's inner city, Heartland.

02:26Cooper, which takes in some western suburbs of Brisbane, is one seat the Greens are eyeing

02:31off.

02:32We've knocked on over 20,000 doors and our entire policy platform is really speaking

02:38to the everyday needs and concerns of the people we're speaking to.

02:43John T Bush's re-election campaign is in full swing.

02:48The Labor incumbent knows she's under threat, but is confident she'll hang on.

02:52I'm door knocking and I'm talking to people.

02:55The thing that people talk to me about is that they want to remember who will turn up,

02:58who beyond a campaign is going to turn up, is going to represent their views.

03:03I notice that the Greens are saying that they are going to pick up a swathe of seats in

03:07the inner city.

03:08The only history I have for that is that certainly didn't occur in the council level earlier

03:14this year.

03:15It's anyone's game ahead of polling day.

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