Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election
The House of Representatives
Queensland
Queensland
| Berowra |
Division of Blair | Blaxland |
| Berowra |
Division of Blair | Blaxland |
 Cameron Thompson (Lib) His Liberal Party website  Shayne Neumann (ALP) His ALP website and his professional website  Peter Luxton (Grn) His Greens website  Bevan Smith (FF) His Family First website  Doug Swanborough (LDP) His Liberty and Democracy website  David White (Dem) His Democrats website |
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Location: West of Brisbane: Boonah, Ipswich, Laidley, Redbank Plains Division named for: Harold Blair, Indigenous singer and political activist Median weekly family income: $818 (111th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 3.8% (131st highest) Persons in professional occupations: 18.6% (129th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 11.3% (106th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 38.5% (71st highest) Dwellings being purchased: 30.9% (39th highest) Sitting member: Cameron Thompson (Liberal), elected 1998, 2001, 2004 Born: 1 October 1960, Rockhampton, Queensland. Career: Radio journalist, press secretary to Northern Territory and Queensland politicians. Senior policy adviser Qld Department of Tourism, Small Business and Industry 1998 two-party majority: Liberal over One Nation 03.3 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 06.7 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 01.8 shift to Labor 2004 primary votes: Labor 31.4, Liberal 52.2, Green 2.9 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 11.2 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 05.5 shift to Labor 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 05.7 2004 enrolment: 91,529 2007 enrolment: 90,977 (-01.7%) (new boundaries) Blair was created in 1998, from parts of the old seats of Oxley and Longman. It was then a largely rural seat with parts of western Ipswich. Like many rural or semi-rural seats, it combines a relatively low income level with a very low level of people born in non English speaking countries, a combination which usually indicates conservatism. Blair attracted national attention at the 1998 election because Pauline Hanson, the extreme right-wing member for Oxley, elected as a disendorsed Liberal in 1996, stood in Blair for her new One Nation party. She topped the poll on primaries, but was defeated on preferences by the Liberal Cameron Thompson, who has held the seat since without much difficulty. In 2004 the Liberals carried every booth outside the Ipswich area, polling more than 70% of the two-party vote in many rural booths, while Labor carried only North Ipswich, One Mile and Blair School. The 2006 redistribution, however, has moved the seat eastwards, removing many of its rural areas and putting the eastern half of Ipswich, which is strongly Labor, into the seat. This has brought Blair within reach of the swing currently being shown by opinion polls in Queensland under new leader Kevin Rudd. If this level of Labor support is maintained, Thompson will be at serious risk. Candidates in ballot-paper order |
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Two-party vote by booth, 2004
Click to enlarge map
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