Qld: Qld opposition have victory in sights

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2006
Qld: Qld opposition have victory in sights

By Nikki Todd, State Political Correspondent

GOLD COAST, April 2 AAP - A jubilant coalition today predicted it could win the next
Queensland election if the swing which has ousted Labor from the seat of Gaven is repeated.

Nationals candidate Alex Douglas won the Gold Coast seat yesterday with a swing of
at least 7.5 per cent - the Beattie government's third by-election defeat this term.

With 3,000 postal votes still to be counted - 2,000 of which were sent to the Nationals
office for posting - the swing is expected to inch towards the nine per cent mark.

But even if the swing remained at 7.5 per cent, a similar momentum would see the Beattie
government lose 19 seats - enough to unseat it - at the next state election due within
a year.

"This is a significant swing against the government," Opposition leader Lawrence Springborg
said today.

"If it is replicated across Queensland, then the government loses.

"If Peter Beattie wants to keep denying it then frankly he is going to be in strife."

Mr Beattie, who kept out of the public eye today, said yesterday he thought the swing
would be "twice as bad as it was".

"From our point of view, the significant thing is that the swing hasn't gone to the
National Party, it's gone to an independent," he said, welcoming the 8.1 per cent vote
secured by independent Daren Riley.

"What it means is that the National Party will have enormous difficulties winning seats
in the south-east corner (of Queensland) and the city (of Brisbane)."

But Mr Springborg said the premier was in denial.

"Peter Beattie just doesn't get it," he said.

"The simple reality is on three occasions, the people of Queensland have delivered
this government a message that they are not delivering on their priorities.

"He is making excuses for failure."

Labor lost the seats of Redcliffe and Chatsworth last August after the resignations
of speaker Ray Hollis and deputy premier Terry Mackenroth.

But despite the three by-election defeats, the government still holds 60 of the parliament's
89 seats.

The Gaven by-election was a crucial test for the Nationals and Liberals, as it was
the first election contested by the parties since they re-formed their coalition last
September.

AAP nt/it/de

KEYWORD: GAVEN NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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