Submissions closed last Friday for Queensland’s federal redistribution, and they have now been published online. The interesting factors include:
- A large number of submissions have called for the districts in the western parts of the Flynn electorate be redistributed back into Maranoa, including submissions from a number of local councils.
- Most submissions suggest the extra seat being added to the growing suburbs to the south of Brisbane, in the Ipswich-Logan-Gold Coast corridor.
The most interesting element are the variety of suggestions for the name of the 30th Queensland seat, including:
- Bjelke-Peterson – Named after former Queensland Premier Joh.
- Coulter – Named after 2004 Australian Idol winner Ricki-Lee Coulter. I’m not kidding.
- Killen – Named after former federal Liberal minister James Killen. This was the suggestion of the Liberal National Party and another person.
- Wright – Named after poet Judith Wright. The name was the suggestion of the Queensland Greens in 2007, and was used by the AEC as the original choice for the seat that was later renamed Flynn due to local concern that the seat would be associated with disgraced former politician Keith Wright. However, if a seat was based in another part of Queensland, this concern may not be as strong.
- Gair – Named after former Queensland ALP Premier and DLP Senator Vince Gair.
- Theodore – Named after former Queensland ALP Premier and federal Treasurer Ted Theodore. This was the suggestion of the ALP.
What is your idea? Please post electorate name ideas in the comments section below, and you might want to read the AEC’s guidelines to naming divisions.
Anything up North should be called Mabo.
If it’s got to be a notable Queenslander can we not have a disgraced former Premier who was rolled by their party (Joh or Gair)? Hell, I’d support the electorate of Clem Jones before Bjelke-Petersen or Gair.
As far as I can work out from that wikipedia article, Wright spent more of her life in New South Wales.
Theodore may also fall into the disgraced category. Which might explain why he hasn’t yet had an electorate named after him.
And is Killen sufficiently notable? 28 years in the House, sure. But the highest post he held was Minister for the Navy. I’m trying to think of a less notable politician with a seat named after them.
I really like Mabo. Would it really have to be in the northern parts of the state?
Oops. I meant to say Minister for Defence. He held both, but never any other portfolios.
Irwin.
My suggestion is Gibbs after Gibbs CJ of the High Court. Another Queenslander
Funny you should mention Mabo, cos maybe my history and cartography is out of whack, but did Leichardt even cross the Mitchell River? That is, ever enter the electorate that now bears his name?
I always thought in local lore he was more celebrated on the Darling Downs – talking of which, in the year of the Bligh, how about an electorate named after a woman? From memory we already have Longman, Moncrieff and Rankin in Qld. Elaine Darling? Wasn’t she the first woman elected to the House of Reps from Qld – in an electorate named after someone who supported tbe suffragettes? Meh, I’m over the convention we wait until they’re dead but its probably disrespectful to name them after still serving leaders. I have to think about this some more…
Until then, I’m barracking for Bruce or Sheila – named after no-one in particular.
Um forgot there already was a Bruce… Sheila it is.
And just learnt Fairfax is also named after a woman. Love this AEC explanation for Capricornia; “Named after a district name apparently originating from the fact that the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the area.” Apparently?
My personal vendetta is against Moreton and Wide Bay. And Oxley. Change them all.
Obviously procrastinating. But Premiers are now a dime a dozen and some none too flash, and they obviously have the support of established party machines.
How about Paterson, after Fred or Hanson, after Pauline?
Um forgot there already was a Paterson… ‘Banjo’ who?
There’s little doubt Theodore was the best PM Australia never had, even if he had an extraordinary ego, a total lack of false humility and his conduct over the Qld state mine scandal was highly questionable.
Yeah but its too nerdy and partisan. There is no doubt that the AEC prefers dead pm’s and community politicians these days.
Like Blair, Bonner, Lingiari and Flynn. And Wright – the problem was people confused her with a politician.
Irwin, or Kenny?
Who put in the winning suggestion of Flynn last time round?
Lols for real suggestion symmetry, Bennett, or Cilento…
Um, Noonuccal or Hill. I should really read up on some of these people before I throw names about.
Just read the Comments on Submissions, and I have to say:
Someone needs to tell ‘Bob Richardson’ that redistribution submissions are not an appropriate forum for low blows and flying off the handle at your political opponents.
Obviously of the Left, his Comment is what I can only describe as a ‘hissy fit’, accusing the LNP of all sorts of nastiness and shenanigans because he was unable to access their maps. Admittedly, the maps weren’t good, and the written descriptions were light-on, but hardly deserving of such a rant.
He actually did a similar thing at previous redistributions, accusing the Liberals of ‘bullying’ the AEC because they raised Objections, which anyone is entitled to do. He’s also put the boot into various shires, essentially claiming all their sugesstions are politically motivated (maybe they are, but he has no real proof of that).
He doesn’t agree with certain proposals, fair enough, but you can’t carry on the way he does. It’s very entertaining, but probably guarnatees that his own proposal (which was questionable to begin with) won’t be taken that seriously.
Reading the comments, about 90% of them are opposition to the transfer of Cape York from Leichhardt and/or removing Mt Isa from Kennedy.
Apart from Bob Richardson, other comments to deal with large parts of the state are the ALP and Mark Mulcair.
Martin Gordon and Kate Townsend use the opportunity to make Suggestions of their own. Obviously they didn’t get their original suggestions in on time….and when you look at Ms Townsend’s flashy presentation you can see why!
Unless the AEC haven’t put up all of the Comments yet, there’s nothing from the LNP, which is very odd. A number of individual LNP MPs do make Comments, however.
Hmmmm…
from the AEC:
“If your submission ‘reflects adversely’ on another person (for example, accusing them of lying or corrupt behaviour), it may be sent to that person so they can reply.”
Maybe that’s why the LNP haven’t lodged a comment. The AEC may have referred Mr Richardson’s submission to them so they can reply.
Richardson looks like an old cook. I downloaded the attachment to the NSW ALP submission, managed to convert it into KML quite easily and open it in Google Earth. I assume the Queensland ALP and LNP submissions use a similar format.
Although it’s a good thing that they are posting the GIS files that go with these documents.
So they’re best viewed in Google Earth?
I downloaded a cheapo ‘trial version’ of Mapinfo for free, which gave me the basic outline of the divisions with little other information. I assumed the major parties would have done better than that, but couldn’t get any other data out. I’ll try it in GE and see how it goes.