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.

Saffin calls Hartsuyker on his scaremongering but diplomatically ignores Williamson's dog whistles.

The Labor Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, quite rightly called the Nationals Member for Cowper on his scaremongering about the fate of regional airline services on the NSW North Coast.
In particular, services operating out of the Grafton airport and access to Sydney Airport.

She should have also taken a swipe at Nationals protégée, Clarence Valley Mayor and 2GF breakfast disc jockey, Richie Williamson, who dutifully echoed Hartsuyker in The Daily Examiner on 19 March:

This week Clarence Mayor Richie Williamson raised concerns that a recommendation from Sydney Airports Corporation Ltd to a Federal Government green paper on the future of Sydney Airport could force regional airlines to use Bankstown Airport.

His dog whistles in the local media are becoming a little too obvious - The Daily Examiner frontpage headline last Tuesday Mayor fights for Rex to stay was based on a superfluous piece of nonsense from the mayor as the Rex Airlines decision to continue services (around 60,000 seats per year since 2007) was made weeks ago and was well-known to the valley if not formally announced.

Here on the North Coast we expect to read that old chestnut about loss of air services whenever a local politician wants a few column inches.

Unfortunately for Mayor Williamson we are also very aware that levels of patronage for Grafton Airport (on which continuing services depend) have as much to do with lack of public transport to and from this airport as they have with timetables or ticket costs.
That public servants and business representatives arriving in the Clarence Valley are often astonished to find themselves stranded after landing, at an airport with no permanent taxi or hire car presence and no buses (taxis can of course be arranged through the flight hostess if you happen to be aware of these difficulties).
Clarence Valley Council has studiously avoided facing this ongoing problem as did the cluster of smaller councils it replaced.

It has not escaped local attention either that Sydney Airport Corporation Limited would love the chance of a limited congestion fix by re-routing regional airlines away from its airspace and so had taken the opportunity to express its view in a submission on the Aviation Green Paper.

However the fact remains that both the previous federal government and the Rudd Government through the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government gave commitments to ensure regional airline have access to Sydney Airport.

The currrent minster told the House in March 2008:

And the third objective of the current act is to guarantee access for operators of New South Wales regional services by establishing a ring fence around the slots held by regional operators to Sydney airport at the onset of the demand management regime.

The Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Act 2008 came into effect in January 2009.

It is interesting to note that for all Mayor Williamson's expressed concern, Clarence Valley Council appears to be one of those local government areas having an airport which did not bother to make an individual submission on the green paper.
Thereby ignoring an opportunity to lobby the minister and his department on behalf of residents' interests, unlike Ballina Shire Council which did take advantage of this opportunity.

Earth Hour, Saturday 28 March 2009 between 8.30-9.30pm

Remind the Rudd Government that it was elected to do something meaningful about the climate change impacts which are bearing down on Australia - turn off all your household lights as part of the global vote for Earth for one hour between 8.30-9.30pm on Saturday 28 March 2009.

Photograph found at Redbubble

He's cranky, his orange, he's a cartoon bear and he's got Canberra's number!

Ned the Bear on this week in Australian politics.

Another reason why the Rudd-Conroy attempt to censor the Australian Internet will fail - Aussie cartoonists!

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.

On hearing about the latest Conroy Internet censorship antic [insert date and name of folie de jour]

How are you going to vote at the next Federal election?

Byron Bay Bluesfest at Belongil Fields, 9 - 13 April 2009

The Bluesfest: the East Coast Blues and Roots Music festival is 20 years old and still going strong with its birthday bash on the 2009 Easter Long Weekend at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay.


A new stage has been added dedicated to indigenous artists and fully endorsed by the local Arakwal community.
Claiming this space this year will be artists such as Saltwater Band, Christine Anu, Dan Sultan, Marlene Cummins and Ngaiire.
They will be joining a spectacular festival line-up of over 100 artists across six stages.

2009 Playing Schedule.

More info here.