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George Christensen’s successor to inherit a diverse electorate where corals and coal collide
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Change is within the air for regional Queensland, the place at the least one voters is assured a brand new consultant from the federal election after its former MP George Christensen went rogue.
Key factors:
- George Christensen has introduced he would run for the Australian Senate as a candidate within the One Nation celebration
- He left his former seat of Dawson, which is held by the Liberal Nationwide Social gathering, with a really protected margin
- Constituents within the regional Queensland seat are looking for assist for coal mining, the sugar trade and the Nice Barrier Reef
Mr Christensen was a thorn within the Liberal Nationwide Social gathering’s facet till the tip — sensationally quitting the celebration and parliament final week earlier than pledging his allegiance to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation celebration.
He at the moment announced he would run third on its Senate ticket on the Could 21 election, along with his former constituents left to elect a brand new Member for Dawson the place the futures of coal and coral collides.
Mr Christensen has a repute for ruffling feathers resulting from his feedback urging adults to not get their kids vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, and for controversial views about net-zero emissions and abortion.
However away from Canberra, Mr Christensen’s stubbornness was what many locals favored finest.
He secured 4 phrases because the native member by advocating for main infrastructure initiatives and extra inexpensive insurance coverage, in addition to for sugar, mining, and sources within the area.
Native cafe proprietor David Paddon stated Mr Christensen was “a uncommon breed of politician”.
“It’s a very various voters; we’d like somebody that understands it.”
Coal and coral
The seat of Dawson encompasses greater than 350 kilometres of the Queensland coast, together with cities equivalent to Bowen, Airlie Seaside and Mackay.
The regional centres act as gateways to each the Nice Barrier Reef and Queensland’s coal mining areas.
The LNP holds the seat with a 14.6 per cent margin and is pinning its hopes on Whitsunday mayor Andrew Willcox as its candidate, whereas Labor contender Shane Hamilton is attempting to woo voters as effectively.
With George Christensen aiming for the Senate, One Nation has chosen businessperson Julie Corridor to contest the seat, which noticed a 13.1 per cent swing in the direction of Pauline Hanson’s celebration in 2019.
Some consider it was resource-heavy communities like Dawson that drove the swing away from Labor on the final federal election in 2019.
“That feeling of being ignored on the final election remains to be there by individuals,” Bowen publican, and chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Bruce Hedditch stated.
“Significantly individuals within the sources trade.
Tourism a scorching subject
However whereas the sources sector is a serious employer within the voters, so too is tourism, creating an uneasy marriage.
Lindsay Simpson wished to make sure her crusing enterprise had a future at Airlie Seaside.
“The Nice Barrier Reef is central to our enterprise, like it’s for 70,000 others,” she stated.
Ms Simpson felt Mr Christensen didn’t take considerations about local weather change and the well being of the reef critically.
“I did not see that he believed within the setting or understood the significance of it to the voters,” she stated.
Bowen Tourism and Enterprise supervisor Leanne Abernethy stated balancing the area’s competing pursuits was crucial.
“We need to be sure that the brand new federal member does perceive that right here, in Bowen, we now have farming, mining, retail and tourism,” she stated.
Cane farming considerations
Whereas the workforce that supported mining and useful resource initiatives in neighbouring areas largely resided in Dawson, the voters itself was on the coronary heart of the Australian sugar trade.
Cane growers who’ve struggled to show a revenue wished a consultant who would advocate for his or her livelihoods.
Third-generation farmer Peter Corridor, based mostly in Clare, didn’t belief Labor’s dedication to this trigger resulting from its strategy to reef laws at a state authorities degree.
“It has been so unhealthy on the state degree [that] if we now have the similar taking place on a federal degree, we will be in quite a lot of bother, or out of enterprise,” he stated.
In Proserpine, fourth-generation cane farmer Grace McDonald additionally confronted enterprise challenges.
She stated this included the rising value of fertiliser and chemical substances, discovering employees, and “the present volatility of the world market”.
Healthcare woes
Entry to healthcare in useful resource communities like Dawson additionally remained a crucial situation.
In Bowen, a scarcity of normal practitioners meant the general public hospital emergency room was typically crowded with sufferers who wanted non-urgent medical consideration.
Elizabeth Westwood stated the state of affairs was unsustainable for seniors like herself.
“One of many greatest points in Bowen is the dearth of docs staying,” she stated.
“It means plenty of journeys out of city for individuals.”
Trying to the long run
Dean Kirkwood was normal supervisor on the Useful resource Business Community, which represented mining tools, expertise, and providers within the area.
He stated job safety in sources and mining can be on voters’ minds, however that didn’t imply the group was not serious about addressing local weather change.
“It is about embracing that.
“We wish a candidate that can interact in that future.”
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