2012 Queensland state election

For the local government elections held in April, see 2012 Queensland local elections.

2012 Queensland state election
← 2009 24 March 2012 (2012-03-24) 2015 →
All 89 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
45 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Turnout91.00% (Increase 0.07 pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Campbell Newman Anna Bligh Aidan McLindon
Party Liberal National Labor Katter's Australian
Leader since 22 March 2011 (2011-03-22) 13 September 2007 (2007-09-13) 9 August 2011 (2011-08-09)
Leader's seat Ashgrove
(won seat) 		South Brisbane Beaudesert
(lost seat)
Last election 34 seats, 41.60% 51 seats, 42.25% Did not contest
Seats before 33 seats[a] 51 seats 1 seat[b]
Seats won 78 7 2
Seat change Increase 45 Decrease 44 Increase 1
Popular vote 1,214,553 652,092 282,098
Percentage 49.7% 26.7% 11.5%
Swing Increase 8.1 Decrease 15.6 Increase 11.5
TPP 62.8% 37.2%
TPP swing Increase 13.7 Decrease 13.7
Winning margin by electorate.
Premier before election

Anna Bligh
Labor

Elected Premier

Campbell Newman
Liberal National

The 2012 Queensland state election was held on 24 March 2012 to elect all 89 members of the Legislative Assembly, a unicameral parliament.[1]

The Labor Party (ALP), led by Premier Anna Bligh, was defeated by the opposition Liberal National Party (LNP), led by Campbell Newman in a landslide victory. It is only the sixth time that Queenslanders have ousted a sitting government since 1915. The ALP was attempting to win a ninth consecutive election victory, having won every general election since 1989, despite being out of office between 1996 and 1998. Katter's Australian Party contested its first election. Before the election, it held two seats whose members had been elected as LNP candidates.

Labor suffered one of the worst defeats of a state government since Federation, and the worst defeat of a sitting government in Queensland history. From 51 seats in 2009, it was reduced to only seven seats, suffering a swing of 15.6 percentage points. The LNP won a majority for the first time in its history, jumping from 34 to 78 seats to win the largest majority government in Queensland history. It was the first outright non-Labor majority since the Queensland Nationals won their last victory in 1986. Katter's Australian Party won two seats, though leader Aidan McLindon lost his own seat. The remaining two seats were taken by independents. Newman took office two days after the election.

Historically, Queenslanders have given their governments long tenures in office. The 2012 election marked only the sixth change of government in the state since 1915.

Background

In choosing 24 March, Bligh made the unusual step of announcing the election date two months prior. Bligh was criticised for selecting a date which required the postponement of local government elections.[2] Bligh has said that date allowed Queenslanders to view the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the 2010–11 Queensland floods before they vote.[3] Normal practice in Australia is for parliament to be dissolved at the time of the election announcement. However, Bligh did not formally ask Governor Penelope Wensley to dissolve Parliament until 19 February. Wensley granted the request, formally beginning the 35-day campaign.[4] By not asking for a dissolution in January, Bligh avoided placing the government in caretaker mode for 25 days.[3]

Leadership of the Liberal National Party

Campbell Newman was elected leader of the LNP in early 2011 while he was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. Standard practice calls for an MP from a safe seat to resign so that a newly elected leader can get into parliament via a by-election, though this is not universally followed. However, when Newman won the leadership in 2011, a by-election could not be arranged.[5] For this reason, Jeff Seeney was elected as interim parliamentary leader of the LNP and Leader of the Opposition. Newman led the LNP election team from outside of parliament, often sitting at the galleries, and simultaneously contested the seat of Ashgrove as the LNP candidate.[6]

Disendorsed candidates

The Liberal National Party disendorsed two candidates for the Gold Coast seat of Broadwater. Richard Townson was caught drink driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.07 when he was in a police random breath test. Cameron Caldwell was disendorsed when he confirmed he had attended a Gold Coast swingers' club.[7]

The Australian Labor Party disendorsed candidate Peter Watson for the seat of Southern Downs and expelled him from the party for making racist and homophobic remarks online.[8]

Katter appeal on ballot papers

On 2 March 2012, Katter's Australian Party sought an injunction in the Supreme Court of Queensland to have more than 2 million ballot papers shredded and reprinted. The party said the Queensland Electoral Commission used the party's abbreviated name, "The Australian Party", instead of its registered name, "Katter's Australian Party (Qld Division)", which the party claimed could confuse voters.[9] Bligh said that her lawyers had advised her to reschedule the election if Katter's challenge succeeded.[10]

On 7 March, Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson referred the matter to the Queensland Court of Appeal as matters of constitutional law in the case were outside her jurisdiction.[11] The Court of Appeal rejected the constitutional arguments and dismissed the appeal the following day.[12]

Key dates

Date Event
19 February 2012 Writ of election issued by the Governor[13]
25 February 2012 Close of electoral rolls
27 February 2012 Close of nominations
24 March 2012 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm
26 March 2012 Interim Newman Ministry was sworn in[14]
3 April 2012 Full Newman Ministry sworn[15]
23 April 2012 Writ returned and results formally declared
15 May 2012 54th Parliament convened[16]

Retiring members

Labor

Liberal National

Independent

Results

See also: Post-election pendulum for the Queensland state election, 2012
See also: Results of the Queensland state election, 2012

The estimated two-party preferred result was 37.2% for Labor and 62.8% for the LNP, a swing of 13.7% from Labor's result of 2009.[22]

The LNP had been unbackable favourites to win the election. By the time the writs were issued, they had led opinion polling for over a year, and had been ahead of Labor on all but one Newspoll since 2010.

The LNP swept Labor from power in a massive landslide, taking 78 seats to Labor's seven on a two-party-preferred swing of 13.7 points away from Labor. The 44-seat loss is double the 22-seat loss suffered by the Nationals in the 1989 election, the previous record for the worst defeat of a sitting government in Queensland history. The 13.7-percent swing is one of the largest against a sitting state government in Australia since World War II.

In the process, the LNP won many seats considered Labor heartland. It broke Labor's longstanding grip on Brisbane, taking all but three of the city's 40 seats, some on swings of 10 points or more. By comparison, Labor went into the election holding all but six seats in the capital, which had been its power base for over 20 years. In every election since the "one vote, one value" reforms of the Goss government, Labor had won at least 30 seats in Brisbane. The LNP also won every seat on the Gold Coast while strengthening its hold on its traditional heartlands in provincial and rural Queensland. Ten members of Bligh's cabinet were defeated. Newman won Ashgrove handily, defeating Labor's Kate Jones on a 13-point swing, almost double the 7-point swing he needed to take the seat off Labor.

ABC News called the election for the LNP at 6:48 pm Queensland time, less than an hour after counting began. Bligh conceded defeat at 8:25 pm, and Newman publicly claimed victory 20 minutes later.[23]

The day after the election, Bligh resigned as premier and Queensland Labor leader. She also announced she was resigning from parliament on 30 March and retiring from politics, triggering a by-election in her seat of South Brisbane.[24][25] An hour later, Newman, who at the time did not know that Bligh had resigned, announced that he would be sworn in as premier on 26 March, heading an interim three-man cabinet composed of himself, Seeney and Tim Nicholls. Although Newman's victory was beyond doubt, counting was still under way in some seats.[14] Bligh handed in her resignation later on the afternoon of 25 March, but remained as caretaker until Newman was sworn in the next day.

Labor was reduced to its smallest presence in the legislature on record, outdoing its previous low in 1974, when it was cut down to a "cricket team" of only 11 members at the height of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's power. Indeed, Michael Madigan of The Courier-Mail wrote that Labor had been reduced to a "water polo squad."[26]

Although Labor came up two seats short of official party status in the legislature, Newman promised that Labor would be "properly resourced as an opposition".[27]

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Liberal National1,214,55349.66Increase 8.0678Increase 44
Labor652,09226.66Decrease 15.597Decrease 44
Katter's Australian Party282,09811.53New2New
Greens184,1477.53Decrease 0.840Steady 0
Independents77,2823.16Decrease 3.422Decrease 2
Family First33,2691.36Increase 0.540Steady 0
One Nation2,5250.10Decrease 0.280Steady 0
Total2,445,966100.00–89–
Valid votes2,445,96697.85
Invalid/blank votes53,7972.15Increase 0.21
Total votes2,499,763100.00–
Registered voters/turnout2,746,84491.00Increase 0.07
Two-party-preferred
Liberal National62.8Increase 13.7
Labor37.2Decrease 13.7
Total
Source: The two-party preferred summary is an estimate by Antony Green using a methodology by Malcolm Mackerras.


Popular vote
LNP
 
 49.66%
Labor
 
 26.66%
Katter's
 
 11.53%
Greens
 
 7.53%
Family First
 
 1.36%
One Nation
 
 0.10%
Independents
 
 3.16%
Two-party preferred vote
LNP
 
 62.80%
Labor
 
 37.20%
Seats
LNP
 
 87.64%
Labor
 
 7.87%
Katter's
 
 2.25%
Independents
 
 2.25%

Seats changing hands

Seat 2009 Election Swing 2012 Election
Party Member Margin Margin Member Party
Albert   Labor Margaret Keech 6.47 –18.36 11.89 Mark Boothman Liberal National  
Algester   Labor Karen Struthers 9.21 –18.36 9.15 Anthony Shorten Liberal National  
Ashgrove   Labor Kate Jones 7.10 –12.79 5.70 Campbell Newman Liberal National  
Barron River   Labor Steve Wettenhall 2.32 –11.81 9.48 Michael Trout Liberal National  
Brisbane Central   Labor Grace Grace 5.97 –10.85 4.88 Robert Cavallucci Liberal National  
Broadwater   Labor Peta-Kaye Croft 2.03 –13.32 11.29 Verity Barton Liberal National  
Bulimba   Labor Di Farmer 7.77 –7.91 0.14 Aaron Dillaway Liberal National  
Burleigh   Labor Christine Smith 4.90 –15.95 11.05 Michael Hart Liberal National  
Cairns   Labor Desley Boyle 4.15 –13.03 8.87 Gavin King Liberal National  
Capalaba   Labor Michael Choi 9.67 –13.40 3.73 Steve Davies Liberal National  
Chatsworth   Labor Steve Kilburn 0.14 –14.08 13.94 Steve Minnikin Liberal National  
Cook   Labor Jason O'Brien 2.24 –5.68 3.43 David Kempton Liberal National  
Dalrymple   Liberal National Shane Knuth1 5.18 –20.40 15.22 Shane Knuth Katter's Australian  
Everton   Labor Murray Watt 1.39 –14.54 13.15 Tim Mander Liberal National  
Ferny Grove   Labor Geoff Wilson 4.49 –14.02 9.52 Dale Shuttleworth Liberal National  
Greenslopes   Labor Cameron Dick 6.94 –9.40 2.45 Ian Kaye Liberal National  
Ipswich   Labor Rachel Nolan 16.71 –20.90 4.19 Ian Berry Liberal National  
Ipswich West   Labor Wayne Wendt 9.55 –16.71 7.16 Sean Choat Liberal National  
Kallangur   Labor Mary-Anne O'Neill 4.63 –17.06 12.43 Trevor Ruthenberg Liberal National  
Keppel   Labor Paul Hoolihan 7.62 –14.02 6.39 Bruce Young Liberal National  
Logan   Labor John Mickel 13.93 –18.73 4.80 Michael Pucci Liberal National  
Lytton   Labor Paul Lucas 12.21 –13.79 1.58 Neil Symes Liberal National  
Mansfield   Labor Phil Reeves 4.39 –15.53 11.14 Ian Walker Liberal National  
Maryborough   Independent Chris Foley 16.83 –17.14 0.31 Anne Maddern Liberal National  
Morayfield   Labor Mark Ryan 9.13 –14.71 5.57 Darren Grimwade Liberal National  
Mount Coot-tha   Labor Andrew Fraser 5.25 –10.60 5.36 Saxon Rice Liberal National  
Mount Isa   Labor Betty Kiernan 5.72 15.76 10.04 Robbie Katter Katter's Australian  
Mount Ommaney   Labor Julie Attwood 4.79 –21.27 16.48 Tarnya Smith Liberal National  
Mundingburra   Labor Lindy Nelson-Carr 6.59 –16.78 10.19 David Crisafulli Liberal National  
Murrumba   Labor Dean Wells 7.21 –16.74 9.52 Reg Gulley Liberal National  
Nanango   Independent Dorothy Pratt 2.90 -11.88 8.98 Deb Frecklington Liberal National  
Nudgee   Labor Neil Roberts 4.26 –17.37 3.11 Jason Woodforth Liberal National  
Pine Rivers   Labor Carolyn Male 4.61 –18.27 13.66 Seath Holswich Liberal National  
Pumicestone   Labor Carryn Sullivan 4.99 –17.06 12.07 Lisa France Liberal National  
Redcliffe   Labor Lillian van Litsenburg 5.57 –15.67 10.10 Scott Driscoll Liberal National  
Sandgate   Labor Vicky Darling 12.37 –15.24 2.87 Kerry Millard Liberal National  
Southport   Labor Peter Lawlor 3.48 –18.20 14.72 Rob Molhoek Liberal National  
Springwood   Labor Barbara Stone 4.08 –19.48 15.39 John Grant Liberal National  
Stafford   Labor Stirling Hinchliffe 7.29 –14.35 7.06 Chris Davis Liberal National  
Stretton   Labor Stephen Robertson 9.48 −19.04 9.55 Freya Ostapovitch Liberal National  
Sunnybank   Labor Judy Spence 10.79 −21.02 10.23 Mark Stewart Liberal National  
Thuringowa   Labor Craig Wallace 8.47 −9.85 1.38 Sam Cox Liberal National  
Toowoomba North   Labor Kerry Shine 3.22 –12.80 9.58 Trevor Watts Liberal National  
Townsville   Labor Mandy Johnstone 4.02 −8.84 4.83 John Hathaway Liberal National  
Waterford   Labor Evan Moorhead 16.46 −17.50 1.04 Mike Latter Liberal National  
Whitsunday   Labor Jan Jarratt 3.24 −13.91 10.67 Jason Costigan Liberal National  
Yeerongpilly   Labor Simon Finn 8.73 −10.17 1.44 Carl Judge Liberal National  
  • Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
  • 1 Shane Knuth was elected as a member of the Liberal National Party, but resigned and joined Katter's Australian Party in 2011.
  • The Liberal National Party also retained the seats of Beaudesert, where the sitting Liberal National member had resigned and contested the election as a member of Katter's Australian Party. The Liberal National Party also retained the seat of Burnett, where the sitting Liberal National member had resigned and contested the election as an Independent.

Post-election pendulum

Government seats
Marginal
Bulimba Aaron Dillaway LNP 0.14%
Maryborough Anne Maddern LNP 0.31% v IND
Waterford Mike Latter LNP 1.04%
Thuringowa Sam Cox LNP 1.38% v KAP
Yeerongpilly Carl Judge LNP 1.44%
Lytton Neil Symes LNP 1.58%
Greenslopes Ian Kaye LNP 2.45%
Sandgate Kerry Millard LNP 2.87%
Nudgee Jason Woodforth LNP 3.11%
Cook David Kempton LNP 3.43%
Hinchinbrook Andrew Cripps LNP 3.63% v KAP
Capalaba Steve Davies LNP 3.73%
Ipswich Ian Berry LNP 4.19%
Logan Michael Pucci LNP 4.80%
Townsville John Hathaway LNP 4.83%
Brisbane Central Robert Cavallucci LNP 4.88%
Mount Coot-tha Saxon Rice LNP 5.36%
Morayfield Darren Grimwade LNP 5.57%
Ashgrove Campbell Newman LNP 5.70%
Fairly safe
Keppel Bruce Young LNP 6.39%
Stafford Chris Davis LNP 7.06%
Ipswich West Sean Choat LNP 7.16%
Burnett Stephen Bennett LNP 8.50% v IND
Cairns Gavin King LNP 8.87%
Nanango Deb Frecklington LNP 8.98% v KAP
Algester Anthony Shorten LNP 9.15%
Barron River Michael Trout LNP 9.48%
Ferny Grove Dale Shuttleworth LNP 9.52%
Murrumba Reg Gulley LNP 9.52%
Stretton Freya Ostapovitch LNP 9.55%
Toowoomba North Trevor Watts LNP 9.58%
Safe
Redcliffe Scott Driscoll LNP 10.10%
Mundingburra David Crisafulli LNP 10.19%
Sunnybank Mark Stewart LNP 10.23%
Beaudesert Jon Krause LNP 10.56% v KAP
Whitsunday Jason Costigan LNP 10.67%
Burleigh Michael Hart LNP 11.05%
Mansfield Ian Walker LNP 11.14%
Mirani Ted Malone LNP 11.19%
Broadwater Verity Barton LNP 11.29%
Albert Mark Boothman LNP 11.89%
Pumicestone Lisa France LNP 12.07%
Kallangur Trevor Ruthenberg LNP 12.43%
Burdekin Rosemary Menkens LNP 12.47% v KAP
Everton Tim Mander LNP 13.15%
Callide Jeff Seeney LNP 13.51% v KAP
Pine Rivers Seath Holswich LNP 13.66%
Chatsworth Steve Minnikin LNP 13.94%
Southport Rob Molhoek LNP 14.72%
Lockyer Ian Rickuss LNP 14.87% v KAP
Springwood John Grant LNP 15.39%
Mount Ommaney Tarnya Smith LNP 16.48%
Gympie David Gibson LNP 17.26% v KAP
Cleveland Mark Robinson LNP 18.10%
Bundaberg Jack Dempsey LNP 18.17%
Gaven Alex Douglas LNP 19.10%
Indooroopilly Scott Emerson LNP 19.55%
Very safe
Condamine Ray Hopper LNP 20.10% v KAP
Currumbin Jann Stuckey LNP 20.18%
Glass House Andrew Powell LNP 20.39%
Clayfield Tim Nicholls LNP 20.56%
Maroochydore Fiona Simpson LNP 20.93%
Redlands Peter Dowling LNP 21.10%
Caloundra Mark McArdle LNP 21.23%
Toowoomba South John McVeigh LNP 21.62%
Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen LNP 21.72%
Aspley Tracy Davis LNP 21.75%
Coomera Michael Crandon LNP 23.26%
Moggill Bruce Flegg LNP 23.91%
Warrego Howard Hobbs LNP 25.06%
Noosa Glen Elmes LNP 25.46% v GRN
Gregory Vaughan Johnson LNP 25.48%
Mudgeeraba Ros Bates LNP 25.93%
Buderim Steve Dickson LNP 26.01%
Mermaid Beach Ray Stevens LNP 26.05%
Kawana Jarrod Bleijie LNP 26.26%
Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek LNP 29.50%
Southern Downs Lawrence Springborg LNP 29.77% v KAP
Non-government seats
Marginal
Mackay Tim Mulherin ALP 0.53%
Mulgrave Curtis Pitt ALP 1.15%
Bundamba Jo-Ann Miller ALP 1.82%
Rockhampton William Byrne ALP 3.95%
South Brisbane Anna Bligh ALP 4.66%
Woodridge Desley Scott ALP 5.80%
Fairly safe
Inala Annastacia Palaszczuk ALP 6.90%
Crossbench seats
Nicklin Peter Wellington IND 4.55% v LNP
Mount Isa Robbie Katter KAP 10.04% v LNP
Gladstone Liz Cunningham IND 14.03% v ALP
Dalrymple Shane Knuth KAP 15.22% v LNP

Subsequent changes

  • On 30 March 2012, former Premier Anna Bligh (South Brisbane) resigned. At the by-election on 28 April 2012, Jackie Trad retained the electorate for the Labor Party.
  • On 28 November 2012, Ray Hopper (Condamine) resigned from the Liberal National Party and joined Katter's Australian Party.
  • On 30 November 2012, Carl Judge (Yeerongpilly) resigned from the Liberal National Party and sat as an Independent. He then joined the Palmer United Party on 7 June 2013, but resigned on 8 October 2014 and again sat as an Independent.
  • On 1 December 2012, Alex Douglas (Gaven) resigned from the Liberal National Party and sat as an Independent. He then joined the Palmer United Party on 7 Jun 2013, but resigned on 18 August 2014 and again sat as an Independent.
  • On 19 April 2013, Scott Driscoll (Redcliffe) resigned from the Liberal National Party and sat as an Independent. On 19 November 2013 he resigned. At the by-election on 22 February 2014, Yvette D'Ath gained the seat for the Labor Party.
  • On 23 May 2014, Chris Davis (Stafford) resigned. At the by-election on 19 July 2014, Anthony Lynham gained the seat for the Labor Party.

Retiring MPs

The following Members of Parliament stood down at the election:

Labor

LNP

Independent

Polling

Newspoll and Galaxy polling was conducted via random telephone number selection in city and country areas. Sampling sizes usually consist of around 800-1000 electors, with the declared margin of error at around ±3 percent.

Graphical summary

Graphical summary of primary voting opinion polls for the 2012 Queensland state election.
Graphical summary of two-party preferred voting opinion polls for the 2012 Queensland state election.
Legislative Assembly polling
Primary vote TPP vote
ALP LNP GRN OTH ALP LNP
2012 election 26.7% 49.7% 7.5% 16.1% 37.2% 62.8%
20–22 March 2012 28% 50% 6% 16% 39.2% 60.8%
3–15 February 2012 30% 47% 9% 14% 42% 58%
Oct–Dec 2011 31% 44% 10% 15% 44% 56%
Jul–Sep 2011 27% 50% 8% 15% 39% 61%
Apr–May 2011 31% 51% 7% 11% 40% 60%
Jan–Mar 2011 38% 37% 10% 15% 52% 48%
Oct–Dec 2010 26% 45% 13% 16% 41% 59%
Jul–Sep 2010 29% 44% 14% 13% 43% 57%
2009 election 42.3% 41.6% 8.4% 7.8% 50.9% 49.1%
18–19 March 2009 42% 42% 7% 9% 49.9% 50.1%
Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian.

Better Premier and leadership approval graphical summary

Graphical summary of Better Premier opinion polling for the 2012 Queensland state election.
Graphical summary of Anna Bligh's approval ratings as Premier.
Better Premier polling^
Bligh Newman
ALP LNP
20–22 March 2012 36% 51%
3–15 February 2012 40% 44%
Oct–Dec 2011 39% 43%
Jul–Sep 2011 34% 48%
Apr–May 2011 35% 49%
Jan–Mar 2011 53% 26%2
Oct–Dec 2010 31% 41%2
Jul–Sep 2010 34% 42%2
2009 election – –
18–19 March 2009 53% 33%1
Polling conducted by Newspoll
and published in The Australian.
^ Remainder were "uncommitted" to either leader.
1 Lawrence Springborg.
2 John-Paul Langbroek.
Satisfaction polling^
Bligh Newman
ALP LNP
Satisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied
20–22 March 2012 36% 58% 47% 40%
3–15 February 2012 41% 50% 45% 37%
Oct–Dec 2011 39% 50% 45% 33%
Jul–Sep 2011 38% 52% 51% 27%
Apr–May 2011 40% 50% 50% 22%
Jan–Mar 2011 49% 43% 33%2 40%2
Oct–Dec 2010 24% 67% 38%2 38%2
Jul–Sep 2010 26% 65% 32%2 42%2
2009 election – – – –
18–19 March 2009 46% 44% 39%1 49%1
Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian.
^Remainder were "uncommitted" to either leader.
1 Lawrence Springborg.
2 John-Paul Langbroek.

Newspaper endorsements

Newspaper Endorsement
The Australian Liberal National[33]
The Courier-Mail Liberal National

See also

References

  1. ^ Aidan McLindon, the then-Member for Beaudesert, resigned from the LNP in 2010 and later created The Queensland Party, which merged with Katter's Australian Party in 2011, resulting in him becoming their state leader.
  2. ^ McLindon joined the KAP in 2011 and became their state leader after merging his Queensland Party into the KAP. He was elected in 2009 as a member of the LNP.
  1. ^ Bligh officially sets Queensland election date. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  2. ^ Wordsworth, Matt (25 January 2012). "Bligh's poll timing sparks outcry". PM. Australia: ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b Wordsworth, Matt (25 January 2012). "Qld to have March 24 poll". PM. Australia: ABC News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Bligh officially sets Queensland election date". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  5. ^ Green, Antony. Queensland election preview Archived 11 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 25 January 2012.
  6. ^ Robinson, Paul (23 March 2011). LNP leadership wrangle a 'Campbell shambles' Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  7. ^ "LNP loses a second Broadwater candidate". Brisbane Times. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  8. ^ "ALP candidate for Southern Downs Peter Watson expelled over online posts regarding homophobia and neo-nazis". The Courier-Mail. 21 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Katter wants millions of ballots shredded". Brisbane Times. 2 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  10. ^ "Bob Katter's Australian Party goes to court to settle ballot branding issue". The Courier-Mail. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Katter ballots case sent to higher court". Brisbane Times. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Bob Katter loses bid to have his name on ballot papers for state election". The Courier-Mail. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Election Timetable: 2012 State General election". Electoral Commission of Queensland. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Newman team moves into George Street". Brisbane Times. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Premier announces new Ministry". Department of Premier and Cabinet. 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Queensland Parliamentary Record The 54th Parliament 15 May 2012 – 6 January 2015" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023 – via parliament.qld.gov.au.
  17. ^ "Julie Attwood to bow out". Courier Mail. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "QLD MPs to step down at election". Brisbane Times. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Pine Rivers MP Carolyn Male quits politics". Courier Mail. 3 February 2012.
  20. ^ Helbig, Koren (12 December 2011). "Queensland Police Minister Neil Roberts is eighth Labor MP to quit before state election". Courier Mail. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  21. ^ "As the major parties goe to war, Dolly calls it a day". Brisbanetimes.com.au. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Galaxy Poll Results" (PDF). News Online. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  23. ^ As it happened: LNP pulls off crushing winArchived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. ABC News, 24 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Bligh resigns after election wipe-out". Australia: ABC News. 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  25. ^ Helbig, Koren; Vogler, Sarah (25 March 2012). "Anna Bligh quits: 'Labor cannot rebuild with me in its ranks'". The Courier Mail. Brisbane. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  26. ^ Madigan, Michael (17 March 2012). "Queensland Labor barely alive after future leadership decapitated in state election". The Courier-Mail.
  27. ^ "Fixed four-year terms on the horizon in the Sunshine State". The Australian. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  28. ^ Moore, Tony; Hurst, Daniel (13 January 2012). "Ninth Labor MP to quit as poll rumours swirl". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h "QLD MPs to step down at election". Brisbane Times. 15 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  30. ^ "Pine Rivers MP Carolyn Male quits politics". The Courier Mail. 3 February 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  31. ^ Helbig, Koren (12 December 2011). "Queensland Police Minister Neil Roberts is eighth Labor MP to quit before state election". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  32. ^ Moore, Tony (16 April 2011). "As the major parties go to war, 'Dolly' calls it a day". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  33. ^ "Labor's day of reckoning arrives in Queensland". The Australian. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.