Albert – Queensland 2012

ALP 6.5%

Incumbent MP
Margaret Keech, since 2001.

Geography
South-East Queensland. Albert covers northwestern parts of Gold Coast City and parts of Logan City. It covers the suburbs of Oxenford, Upper Coomera, Studio Village, Mount Warren Park, Windaroo and parts of Coomera, Ormeau and Pimpama.

History
The seat of Albert was first created in 1888, and has existed for all but ten years since then. The seat was abolished in 1950 and restored in 1960. The seat has been a marginal seat regularly changing hands since the 1970s.

In its early years, the seat was dominated by various conservative MPs, with the ALP never winning the seat prior to its abolition in 1950.

In 1960 it was won by the Country Party’s Cec Carey. He held the seat until his death in 1969.

The 1970 by-election was won by Liberal candidate Bill Heatley. Heatley had previously filled a vacancy in the Senate and served as a Senator from 1966 to 1968. He died in late 1971.

At the 1972 election, Albert was won by Labor candidate Bill D’Arcy. He held the seat for one term, losing in 1974. He later won the seat of Woodridge in 1977 and held it until 2000.

Albert was won in 1974 by National Country Party candidate Ivan Gibbs. He served as a minister in the conservative government from 1979 to 1989.

The ALP’s John Szczerbanik won Albert in 1989. He was re-elected in 1992 but lost the seat in 1995 to the National Party’s Bill Baumann. Baumann was defeated in 2001 by the ALP’s Margaret Keech.

Candidates
Sitting Labor MP Margaret Keech is running for re-election. The LNP is running Mark Boothman. The Greens are running Petrina Maizey. Katter’s Australian Party is running Adam Hollis.

Political situation
The seat of Albert has a history as a marginal seat, although the last redistribution cut out more conservative parts of the old Albert. The seat’s 6.5% margin is certainly vulnerable to the LNP.

2009 result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Margaret Keech ALP 12,649 50.0 -7.9
Andrea Johanson LNP 9,841 38.9 +7.7
Marlee Bruinsma GRN 1,792 7.1 -0.5
Geoff Flannery IND 1,024 4.1 +4.1

2009 two-candidate-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Margaret Keech ALP 13,409 56.5 -7.3
Andrea Johanson LNP 10,335 43.5 +7.3

Booth breakdown
Booths in Albert have been divided into three areas: Central, North and South. The North area covers parts of the seat in the City of Logan, with the other areas covering parts in the Gold Coast.

The ALP topped the poll in all three areas. The ALP won a slim majority in the south and north, and 48.5% in the centre. The LNP vote peaked at 42% in the centre, although they polled around 38% in the other parts of the seat.

Polling booths in Albert at the 2009 state election. North in green, Central in yellow, South in blue.

Voter group ALP % LNP % GRN % Total votes % of votes
South 50.6 38.4 7.0 9,726 38.4
North 50.2 38.3 6.5 6,120 24.2
Central 48.5 42.2 6.3 3,972 15.7
Other votes 49.7 37.9 8.4 5,488 21.7

Labor primary votes in Albert at the 2009 state election.

Liberal National primary votes in Albert at the 2009 state election.