Fadden – Election 2010

LIB 10.4%

Incumbent MP
Stuart Robert, since 2007.

Geography
Fadden covers northern parts of the Gold Coast. The seat stretches as far south as Ernest, Labrador and Biggera Waters, and extends north to the Logan River.

Redistribution
Fadden contracted at the most recent redistribution, losing rural areas in the Gold Coast hinterland to Forde and Wright, including Mt Nathan, Clagiraba, Maudsland, Guanaba, Wongawallan and Willow Vale.

History
Fadden was created for the 1977 election as a seat straddling the southern fringe of Brisbane and the northern Gold Coast as a marginal Liberal seat. It has been won by the Liberal Party at every election bar one, and has become much safer through the 1990s as it contracted into the Gold Coast.

Fadden was first won in 1977 by Liberal MP Donald Cameron. Cameron had previously won the marginal seat of Griffith in 1966, and held it until Fadden’s creation in 1977. Cameron held Fadden for two terms, losing it in 1983 to Labor candidate David Beddall. Cameron won the neighbouring seat of Moreton at a by-election eight months later and held it until his defeat in 1990.

Beddall moved to the new seat of Rankin in 1984, which he held until his retirement in 1998. Fadden returned to the Liberal Party, electing David Jull, who had previously held Bowman from 1975 to 1983. Jull was appointed to John Howard’s first ministry in 1996, but was forced to resign as a minister in 1997 due to his failure to prevent travel rorts by other MPs. He remained  on the backbenches for the remainder of the Howard government, and retired in 2007.

The seat of Fadden was won in 2007 by Liberal candidate Stuart Robert.

Candidates

• Rana Watson (Labor)
• Ian Rossiter (One Nation)
• Graeme Maizey (Greens)
• Stuart Robert (Liberal National) – Member for Fadden since 2007.
• Barrie Nicholson (Family First)

Political situation
This seat is safe for the Liberal Party and should be easily retained.

2007 result

2007 two-candidate-preferred result

These results do not take into consideration the effects of the redistribution.

Booth breakdown
I have divided booths in Fadden into four areas. The four booths in the sparsely-populated north of the seat have been grouped together. The remainder of the booths have been divided into “Central”, “South” and “West”.

The Liberal Party won a majority in all four areas. Their lowest vote was 55.6% in the south of the seeat. They polled around 63-64% in the central and western parts of the seat, and 58% in the north of the seat.