RSS Feed
April 28th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Updated
David Hinchliffe says Labor must start the painful process of reform immediately
The blame game has begun in the Labor Party after a poor showing in the Brisbane City Council elections, a month after a drubbing in the state poll.
Queensland Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk was optimistic after indications candidate Jackie Trad was set to become the seventh member of parliament.
“Tonight is the first step in the rebuilding process of our great Labor Party,” she said.
But there was a swing against Labor in South Brisbane, and that was also reflected across Brisbane City Council wards.
Retired Labor councillor David Hinchliffe says the outlook for the party is bleak.
“This is a monumental disaster heaped upon a wipeout,” he said.
Mr Hinchliffe has called for the resignations of ALP state secretary Anthony Chisholm and is urging several administrative committee members, including Bill Ludwig, to quit.
“Without them falling on their sword, party members will not be satisfied,” he said.
Mr Hinchliffe says Labor needs to call an immediate state conference to start the painful process of reform.
“The hard business of party reform, of radical surgery, begins first thing on Sunday morning,” he said.
In South Brisbane, Graham Quirk has been convincingly elected as Brisbane Lord Mayor in his own right.
Just over a year since Campbell Newman stepped down, Mr Quirk has leapt well clear of the shadow of his predecessor.
He won more than twice as many votes as the ALP’s Ray Smith in the mayoral race.
Mr Smith says the same voters who kicked Labor out a month ago in the state election have turned around and done it again.
“Let’s not kid ourselves: clearly this wasn’t the result I hoped for,” he said.
The LNP also won three more Brisbane wards to control at least 18 of the city’s 26 council areas.
Mr Quirk says it is the first time in history that the Brisbane CBD will be represented by non-Labor members in local, state and federal governments.
The Northgate Ward remains too close to call.
The only blemish on Councillor Quirk’s score card is a strong win for independent Nicole Johnston in the ward of Tennyson.
Regional shake-up
There has also been broad-scale change across the regions, with new faces replacing retiring mayors, while some sitting mayors have been dumped.
Rockhampton sitting mayor Brad Carter has lost his job to candidate Margaret Strelow.
Bob Manning has won in Cairns and Jenny Hill is leading in Townsville.
To the west, former mayor and state Labor MP Tony McGrady has won in Mt Isa.
In Toowoomba, sitting mayor Peter Taylor has been dumped in favour of Councillor Paul Antonio.
In the South Brisbane by-election there is no decision yet, but Ms Trad looks likely to scrape through with the help of Greens preferences.
If she wins she will become Labor’s seventh member of State Parliament.
Ms Trad stopped short of claiming victory in her speech to supporters last night.
But she says it is the first opportunity Queenslanders have had to cast their vote on Mr Newman’s performance as premier, and they are concerned.
“They are worried about Campbell Newman’s narrow small view of Queensland,” she said.
But Mr Newman is philosophical about the seat.
“In the last 80 years, it’s only been held by the conservative parties for three years,” he said.
Mr Newman says the close result shows voters are still angry with Labor.
Former Labor premier Anna Bligh quit the seat after Labor’s devastating state election loss.
elections,
states-and-territories,
state-parliament,
alp,
government-and-politics,
local-government,
brisbane-4000,
qld,
bundaberg-4670,
cairns-4870,
gladstone-4680,
longreach-4730,
mackay-4740,
maroochydore-4558,
mount-isa-4825,
rockhampton-4700,
toowoomba-4350,
southport-4215,
townsville-4810
First posted
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
