Bradfield & Higgins by-elections Saturday 5 December 2009: links to virtual tally room and other live cover

By-elections for the seats of Higgins and Bradfield (recently vacated by Liberal Party members Peter Costello and Brendan Nelson) are underway today.

Twenty-two candidates are standing in Bradfield. Including 9 candidates from the Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) and an echo from the past with a candidate from the DLP. Full candidate list.

Ten candidates are standing in Higgins from across the political spectrum, but without a candidate from the Fred Nile Group. Full candidate list.

Bradfield polling places
Higgins polling places

Australian Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room begins to track primary votes and polling booths after 6pm.

ABC's Election Guide and Antony Green also cover the by-election vote counts tonight.

Twitter on the by-elections:
#higgins
#Bradfield
#byelection

Because I could never look at Brendan Nelson's hair in the same way again......

.....after First Dog On the Moon's original foray into the subject of hair with a life of its own.
Here is the second and probably final cartoon concerning teh pate pelt from that tonsorial master writing in Crikey.

Click on image to enlarge

Who's crowing now? 2009 Queensland State Election results at a glance

Despite a 4.2% swing against Labor (provisional estimate), last night Queensland Premier Anna Bligh became the first Australian female state premier to win an election in her own right.
Her government looks to be returned with at least 50 seats in an 89 seat parliament.
This was definitely not the close election predicted by many political pundits.
Those members of her family who live on the NSW North Coast are celebrating I'm sure.

Winners and losers in the 21 March 2009 Queensland State Election.

Parties ahead on the primary vote on election night by number of seats won:

Australian Labor Party	ALP	50
LNP	LNP	35
Other Candidates		4

Final results by seat on election night:

Albert Algester Ashgrove Aspley Barron River Beaudesert Brisbane Central Broadwater Buderim Bulimba Bundaberg Bundamba Burdekin Burleigh Burnett

Cairns Callide Caloundra Capalaba Chatsworth Clayfield Cleveland Condamine Cook Coomera Currumbin Dalrymple Everton Ferny Grove Gaven

Gladstone Glass House Greenslopes Gregory Gympie Hervey Bay Hinchinbrook Inala Indooroopilly Ipswich Ipswich West Kallangur Kawana Keppel Lockyer

Logan Lytton Mackay Mansfield Maroochydore Maryborough Mermaid Beach Mirani Moggill Morayfield Mount Coot-tha Mount Isa Mount Ommaney Mudgeeraba Mulgrave

Mundingburra Murrumba Nanango Nicklin Noosa Nudgee Pine Rivers Pumicestone Redcliffe Redlands Rockhampton Sandgate South Brisbane Southern Downs Southport

Springwood Stafford Stretton Sunnybank Surfers Paradise Thuringowa Toowoomba North Toowoomba South Townsville Warrego Waterford Whitsunday Woodridge Yeerongpilly

Changing seats according to Antony Green.

Queensland State Election 21 March 2009: Virtual Tally Room and other live online links on the night

Queensland Electoral Commission links to Virtual Tally Room, candidate details etc.

ABC and Antony Green cover the 2009 Queensland Election - includes links to TV, radio, reporters' live blogs, as well as analysis of initial results as they come to hand.

Crikey is live chatting the election from 2pm this afternoon at Pineapple Party Time.

Queensland election: will the LNP re-introduce duck and quail shooting?

Brisbane's Westender reports: Rumours abound that Queensland's pro-hunting lobby has persuaded the LNP to re-introduce duck and quail shooting if it wins government after March 21.

The LNP has not been forthcoming to organisations like Birds Queensland about its intentions and the Greens are concerned that the LNP will attempt to sneak into government without releasing policies like its approach to hunting native animals.

Greens MP Ronan Lee, who led the original move to ban duck and quail hunting, said the LNP should immediately dispel these rumours by stating publicly the laws against duck and quail hunting will not be altered.

"There is a widespread feeling in the community that these practices are cruel and inappropriate and Mr Springborg should be prepared to clarify his policy," Mr Lee said.

pic Westender

Pauline Hanson: I'm baaack!

Pauline Hansen has announced that she is standing for the Queensland Parliament in the 21st March 2009 election.

The flamboyant redhead has updated http://www.paulinehansen.com.au/ and is now seeking donations and selling t-shirts.
Her bio is a bit of a hoot because it currently stops before her last attempt at federal election in 2007.

Pauline is a bit peeved at all the publicity about her last failed bid:

"Once again the question of electoral funding has reared it ugly head, WHY? My running in this election has nothing to do with electoral funding as many would have you believe.I am fed up with the lies, innuendoes, misreporting and blatant attempts to discredit my name and reasons for standing in the election.Independent and political party candidates for the purpose of election funding is eligible to claim reimbursement of election campaign expenses for votes polled if the candidate reached the qualifying threshold (more than 4%) of formal first preference votes in the electorate contested.A Queensland electorate has approx 32,000 voters. Every formal first preference vote receives approx $1.50 per vote from the electoral commission if the candidate reaches over 4%.Any campaign expenses exceeding the electoral funding are not reimbursed. Receipts must be produced for funding reimbursement."

What is missing from her website is any updated policy or promises.

Did she ever really have any?

Beaudesert beware!

Pauline Hanson's TV meltdown video.

"It's been more than a decade since Ms Hanson last won an electoral contest.
That win, in 1996, made her the federal Member for Oxley and marked the start of her political rise that ultimately saw her One Nation Party hold 11 seats in Queensland parliament at its peak.
But since then she's only tasted defeat: in 1998 in the federal seat of Blair, in 2003 as she sought a NSW Upper House seat, and in 2001, 2004 and 2007 vying for a Queensland Senate seat."