Transport identities fail in their bid to gain seats at the Queensland state election
By Brad Gardner | March 26, 2012
The support that swept Campbell Newman to power in Queensland was not enough to get two transport identities over the line, with both falling short in their bids to enter parliament.
The former Queensland president of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA), Liz Schmidt, could not topple Shane Knuth who held the seat of Dalrymple for the Katter’s Australian Party.
Likewise, federal MP Bob Katter’s new party played the spoiler in Mt Isa, with former National Road Freighters Association (NRFA) president Mick Pattel losing to
Bob Katter’s son Rob.
Schmidt and Pattel were contesting the seats for the LNP, which crushed Labor at the weekend to secure 78 of the 89 seats in the state’s parliament.
Outgoing premier Anna Bligh won her seat of South Brisbane, but will quit politics. She announced yesterday she would resign on March 30.
Newman quit his gig as Brisbane mayor last year to lead the LNP from outside the parliament. He defeated Labor MP Kate Jones for the seat of Ashgrove and says the LNP is “humbled and overwhelmed” by the election result.