We have had two major opinion polls this week from Galaxy and Ipsos. Both polls have Labor gaining two points, to now lead by a huge 57-43 in Galaxy and 54-46 in Ipsos. Both polls were previously taken…
* Updated Tuesday 11pm AEDT: A state premier gone, a chief minister fighting off a coup, and a prime minister struggling to avoid the others’ fate. Australian politics is suddenly all about consultative…
By any measure, it’s been an extraordinary weekend here in Queensland. The same electoral tsunami that brought the LNP to power in March 2012 has washed the government away again in January 2015. Premier…
With the Queensland election result still too close to call, Speaker Fiona Simpson is the first Liberal National MP to put her hand up to lead the party – and she immediately won praise from a crucial…
If a single speech is regarded as a make-or-break event for an Australian prime minister, then that prime minister faces an uncomfortable future. That’s because the “make” part is a fraud. Tony Abbott…
Driving back to Brisbane from my childhood home of Nambour, I saw the most extraordinary political billboard. In monumental black and white, it simply said: Hung Parliament. Chaos. That these stark and…
Whoever becomes the next Queensland premier has a chance to wind back the winner-takes-all approach that has worked its way back into the state’s political culture over the past decade, particularly under…
While counting continues in the Queensland election, one possibility is a hung parliament with neither major party holding a majority. Prior to the election, both party leaders indicated that they would…
Two weeks ago, I made a bet that I didn’t dare to think I would collect on: I put A$30 at 7-to-1 odds for a Labor victory in Queensland. I don’t yet know if I’ll get those winnings, but it’s looking increasingly…
With 70.6% of the Queensland state election vote counted, the ABC is giving Labor 44 seats to 33 for the Liberal National Party (LNP). Two Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) and one Independent have also…
The rout in Queensland is shocking news for Tony Abbott. It will terrify federal backbenchers and further destabilise his leadership. It puts up in lights that the unpopular federal Coalition could easily…
“My political career is over.” Campbell Newman’s spectacular entry into Queensland state politics has only been trumped by his spectacular exit. After less than three years in power, and having led the…
Queensland appears headed for a hung parliament or even a shock Labor win, with Premier Campbell Newman conceding defeat in his own seat less than three years after leading the Liberal National Party to…
The Queensland election will be held today. Polls close at 6pm local time (7pm in the south eastern states). We have had final polls from ReachTEL, Galaxy and Newspoll, which all have the Liberal National…
When Tony Abbott was asked on Friday whether he’d consider stepping aside for Julie Bishop or Malcolm Turnbull – both of whom are more popular than he is – the Prime Minister defaulted to chutzpah. Abbott…
You know it’s an extraordinary election when a party holds 73 of the 89 seats in parliament thanks to a record-breaking victory just three years earlier – yet there’s talk of that party losing government…
If the Liberal National Party wins the Queensland election on Saturday, but its leader, Campbell Newman, loses his seat of Ashgrove, can he remain premier? This may be the question vexing minds on Sunday…
Queenslanders will soon head to the voting booths to either oust or re-elect the Newman government and no doubt some will be wondering why. “Why must I vote or be fined? Why must I be forced to choose…
On Monday, Tony Abbott awarded a knighthood to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. A ReachTEL poll taken on Tuesday night shows only a modest one-point gain for Labor in voting intentions, but Abbott’s…
How much debt is Queensland really in? How much of that debt can past Labor governments bear responsibility for, and has the current Liberal National government cut or added to it? And how does Queensland’s…