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An election for the Legislative Assembly Of Queensland will be due in February 2007 , though one could potentially be called before then. The election will see the reunited National - Liberal Coalition challenge the Australian Labor Party (ALP) government currently led by Premier Peter Beattie . Should the Coalition win a majority of seats, the new Premier will be the leader of the Coalition party with the most seats. The Nationals' current leader is Lawrence Springborg and the Liberals' current leader is Bob Quinn . PARTY LEADERS Out of the three major parties, the only leader who seems completely certain to still be leading his party is Lawrence Springborg , who will be 37 or 38 years old depending on precisely when the election is held. There is some possibility that Beattie (who will be 54) may retire before the next election (he has not publicly revealed when he plans to retire), in which case the ALP's likely leader will be Deputy Premier Anna Bligh . Others mentioned as contenders for the position of ALP leader are Energy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Minister John Mickel and Transport Minister Paul Lucas . After the election of Michael Caltabiano to the parliament in August 2005 , speculation almost immediately commenced that he would challenge Quinn for the position of leader of the Liberal Party. Such rumours have not been wholeheartedly denied by Caltabiano or others in the Liberal Party. STATE OF THE PARTIES Since April 2006 the ALP holds 60 seats, with the combined Coalition total at 23 (16 National, 7 Liberal) out of a Legislative Assembly of 89 Electorate s (there are 5 independents and one member of the One Nation Party ). Thus in order to win an outright majority, the Coalition must win 22 additional seats from the ALP, the independents or One Nation. POSSIBLE HUNG PARLIAMENT If the Coalition gains between 16 and 22 seats from the ALP, it could deprive the government of its Majority without gaining one of its own. Such a Hung Parliament was the result after the Mundingburra by-election of 1995 and the general state election of 1998 . In this situation, the two parties would have to negotiate with independents over the formation of a new government. Liz Cunningham has in the past supported the Coalition, while Peter Wellington has supported Labor. In general, the independents and Rosa Lee Long of One Nation are mainly conservative, representing regional electorates, which could tip the balance in favour of the Coalition. Conversely, if the ALP was still the largest party in Parliament it could offer the prospect of greater stability, as the Coalition has only recently renewed its agreement at a state level and it remains electorally untested, with the two parties disagreeing on several key policies. ELECTORAL ISSUES From mid- 2005 the issue of health has become a focus of controversy, damaging to the Beattie government. After several inquiries and industrial disputes, a restructure of Queensland Health is currently planned. Peter Beattie has a history of responding well to crises, such as the electoral rorting scandal of 2001 or problems with the state's child protection services in 2004. It remains to be seen whether Beattie is able to similarly offer a "fix-it" for health. Other issues of importance to the electorate include Environmental Management and Land Clearing , Asbestos in state schools, the provision of transportation and infrastructure to rural and regional areas, and the management of South-East Queensland 's population growth. |
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