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| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Fairfax, Queensland
Sunshine Coast: Coolum, Maroochydore, Nambour, Yandina
Sitting member: Clive Palmer (Palmer United), elected 2013. Retiring 2016
Enrolment at close of rolls: 108,276
2013 Palmer United majority over Liberal 0.0%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor 11.7%
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Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Sue Etheridge
Australian Greens |
2. David Rees
Family First |
3. Keith Campbell
Independent |
4. Scott Anderson
Australian Labor Party |
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5. Ted O'Brien
Liberal Party |
6. Kris Bullen
Online Direct Democracy |
7. Robert Dickson
Independent |
8. Robert Pasquali
One Nation |
2013 results
Statistics and history
Fairfax was created in 1984, in the northern part of the Sunshine Coast, the fast-growing tourism and retirement region north of Brisbane. Until 2006 it was centred on Noosa, but the 2006 redistibution moved the seat south and it is now based on Buderim, Maroochydore and Nambour. Tourism has replaced agriculture as the dominant industry. The electorate has among the lowest median family income levels of any seat, reflecting the large population of retired people, and also the low proportions of people in professional occupations and of people born in non English speaking countries typical of seats of this kind, particularly in Queensland.
Fairfax was always considered safe for the non-Labor parties, shifting from National to Liberal in 1990 when the Nationals made an ill-advised attempt to install John Stone, the former head of the Treasury and a candidate with no local standing. He was defeated by a Liberal, Alex Somlyay, who held the seat thereafter without difficulty. Somlyay had a brief spell as a junior minister in the Howard Government, and retired in 2013. The seat was then very narrowly won by the eccentric mining millionaire Clive Palmer.
Clive Palmer, Palmer United Party MP for Fairfax since 2013, was originally a solicitor, then went into real estate and property development on the Gold Coast. He invested the money made in mining, and was Executive Chair of Mineralogy Pty Ltd and various other companies until his election. He was also Chair of Queensland Nickel Pty Ltd, which failed in 2016. His worth is reported to be about $500 million. A long-time member of the Nationals, he feuded with Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, and in 2013 he left and started his own party. At the 2013 his party won three Senators and he very narrowly won Fairfax.
Since 2013 Palmer's party has disintegrated, and he showed little interest in being an MP. He also faced a lot of questions about his role in the failure of Queensland Nickel. In these circumstances his chances of retaining Fairfax were not good, and in early May he announced he would not recontest it.
The Liberal candidate, who with Palmer's withdrawal becomes the favourite, is Buderim businessman Ted O'Brien, who lost to Palmer in 2013. The Labor candidate is Scott Anderson, an IT client support officer.
These maps are the property of Adam Carr and may not be reproduced without his permission.
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Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
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