Gaven state by-election, 2006
Encyclopedia
A by-election was held for the Queensland Legislative Assembly
district of Gaven
on 1 April 2006. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor
member Robert Poole.
The by-election resulted in the Labor Party losing the seat to National Party
candidate Alex Douglas
.
, where his wife and children lived. Things came to a head in February 2006 when Poole announced that he'd be spending three months in Thailand to recover from knee surgery. The Opposition demanded a by-election, but Premier Peter Beattie
said he was prepared to wait until the beginning of April for Poole to return home. Poole, not prepared to return home early from his trip, announced his decision to resign his seat on 28 February 2006.
as their candidate to defend the seat. Gray had previously been campaign manager to outgoing member Robert Poole.
The Liberal Party
—who had been the Labor Party's chief opponent in Gaven at the 2004 election—did not contest the by-election, instead deferring to the National Party due to the coalition
agreement that the two parties not stand candidates against each other in the same seat. This attracted criticism from some from commentators who believed the Liberal Party was better placed to win the suburban seat than the rural-centric Nationals. The National Party endorsed general practitioner Alex Douglas
as its candidate.
and Redcliffe
.
However, the tables turned again at 2009 state election
when Alex Douglas, running as a candidate for the newly formed Liberal National Party, defeated Gray in their third contest against one another.
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
district of Gaven
Electoral district of Gaven
The district of Gaven is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It was created out of the former district of Nerang and the southern segment of Albert in the 2001 redistribution, and is based around the northern growth corridor of the Gold Coast...
on 1 April 2006. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member Robert Poole.
The by-election resulted in the Labor Party losing the seat to National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
candidate Alex Douglas
Alex Douglas (politician)
Dr Alexander Rodney Douglas is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2009, representing the district of Gaven...
.
Background
Robert Poole first came to parliament at the 2001 state election by winning the newly created seat of Gaven. He was subsequently re-elected at the 2004 state election. During his second term, Poole attracted criticism for the amount of time he spent in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where his wife and children lived. Things came to a head in February 2006 when Poole announced that he'd be spending three months in Thailand to recover from knee surgery. The Opposition demanded a by-election, but Premier Peter Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
said he was prepared to wait until the beginning of April for Poole to return home. Poole, not prepared to return home early from his trip, announced his decision to resign his seat on 28 February 2006.
Candidates
Labor preselected Phil GrayPhil Gray (Australian politician)
Philip Roy Gray is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2009....
as their candidate to defend the seat. Gray had previously been campaign manager to outgoing member Robert Poole.
The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
—who had been the Labor Party's chief opponent in Gaven at the 2004 election—did not contest the by-election, instead deferring to the National Party due to the coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
agreement that the two parties not stand candidates against each other in the same seat. This attracted criticism from some from commentators who believed the Liberal Party was better placed to win the suburban seat than the rural-centric Nationals. The National Party endorsed general practitioner Alex Douglas
Alex Douglas (politician)
Dr Alexander Rodney Douglas is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2009, representing the district of Gaven...
as its candidate.
Results
National Party candidate Alex Douglas won the seat from Labor Party. It marked the third by-election loss for Labor during this parliamentary term, following on from the 2005 losses in ChatsworthChatsworth state by-election, 2005
A by-election was held for the Queensland Legislative Assembly district of Chatsworth on 20 August 2005. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor member and Deputy Premier Terry Mackenroth....
and Redcliffe
Redcliffe state by-election, 2005
A by-election was held for the Queensland Legislative Assembly district of Redcliffe on 20 August 2005. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor member and Speaker Ray Hollis....
.
Aftermath
Alex Douglas's stint in parliament would prove to be a short one. A general election was called by Premier Peter Beattie later that year where Labor recouped the seat of Gaven, with Phil Gray once again their candidate.However, the tables turned again at 2009 state election
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
when Alex Douglas, running as a candidate for the newly formed Liberal National Party, defeated Gray in their third contest against one another.