Seat of the week: Groom

Located in the Darling Downs and dominated by Toowoomba, the seat of Groom has provided a secure electoral base for Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane through a parliamentary career going back to 1998.

Located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Groom is dominated by the city of Toowoomba about 100 kilometres west of Brisbane, which accounts for slightly less than 80% of its population. Toowoomba is near the electorate’s eastern boundary, from which it extends westwards to Jondaryan and Pittsworth and northwards to Goombungee, along with sparsely populared rural areas further afield. The electorate was created with the expansion of parliament in 1984 as the successor to Darling Downs, which had existed since federation. Neither Darling Downs nor Groom has ever been held by Labor.

Teal and red numbers respectively indicate size of two-party majorities for the LNP and Labor. Click for larger image. Map boundaries courtesy of Ben Raue at The Tally Room.

Darling Downs was held by the major conservative movement of the time from 1901 until 1936, when Arthur Fadden gained it for the Country Party at a by-election held after the death of United Australia Party member Sir Littleton Groom, who gives the modern electorate its name. When parliament expanded in 1949, Fadden moved to the new seat of McPherson, and an agreement between the coalition parties reserved Darling Downs for the Liberals. It was accordingly won with little difficulty by Liberal candidate Reginald Swartz, who retained it until his retirement in 1972. A three-cornered contest ensued at the 1972 election, in which Country Party candidate Tom McVeigh secured a comfortable victory after outpolling the Liberal candidate by 32.3% to 22.5%. McVeigh carried on as member for Groom after 1984 and retired in February 1988, leading to another three-cornered contest at the ensuing by-election. This time the seat fell to the Liberals, whose candidate Bill Taylor outpolled the Nationals candidate by 33.3% to 28.8%. With Taylor’s retirement in 1998 the seat was bequeathed to its current member, Ian Macfarlane, who polled 33.1% on debut against 18.0% for One Nation and 15.2% for the Nationals. The Nationals again fielded a candidate against Macfarlane in 2001, but gave him little trouble.

Recognisable for a distinctive voice resulting from damage sustained to his larynx following a cancer operation in 2004, Macfarlane served as a minister in the Howard government from January 2001, first in the junior portfolio of small business, then attaining cabinet rank as Industry, Tourism and Resources Minister after the October 2001 election. He attained further seniority in opposition, holding the trade portfolio under Brendan Nelson and energy and resources under Malcolm Turnbull. When Tony Abbott became leader in December 2009 he was moved to infrastructure to make way for Nick Minchin, but he recovered energy and resources when Minchin retired from the front-bench the following March. With the election of the Abbott government he was allocated to an expanded industry portfolio that incorporated responsibility for mining and science, the lack of a dedicated portfolio for the latter inspiring some controversy.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,381 comments on “Seat of the week: Groom”

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  1. “@mansillo: Abbott calls the budget a work in progress #lateline it was meant to be done in may or was that just for ideologues? #auspol”

  2. “@JohnFalzon: Warmest thanks to everyone who has expressed such kind encouragement for #qanda tonight. Rather excited. ‘The people defined me…’ – Neruda”

  3. [Greensborough Growler
    Posted Monday, August 18, 2014 at 10:43 pm | Permalink

    BW,

    Are you the detritus when they get it wrong?]

    Detritus?

    No that would be the Pell who, at the very least through negligence, allowed priests to continue to rape kids. It would be the Pell who compounded the devastating impacts of child rape by facilitating abusive legal processes.

    That is the real RC detritus for you, GG.

    And it would be Pope Francis, who, instead of assisting the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse as much as he can, is instead hiding relevant evidence from them. At the same time in publicity rich view, he is meeting with child rape victims and proclaiming his sorrow for them.

    That is your real RC detritus for you, GG.

    Falzon is worth a thousand Pells.

  4. I don’t normally watch Q&A, because the stylised fighting annoys me. But this evening I made and exception, and found it surprisingly interested.

    Mr Truss, for all that people might like to patronise him, probably did as well as anyone from the government could have done, because he was courteous, and didn’t come across as personally unpleasant – and when you think about his colleagues, that makes him shine like good deeds in a wicked world.

    And most of the discussion was about ideas, not petty point scoring. A nice change. Plus some interesting insights into how the PUP will treat the budget. Overall, a good panel and a good programme.

  5. bemused + sceptic

    Jones was being a bit of a prat and fair enough, but I think Palmer needs to be a bit more mindful of what he says because there was a bit of a gasp from the Asian audience and I saw Wong pick up on that.

    I don’t think it makes Clive a racist at all, just susceptible to criticism of his association with the Chinese.

  6. Palmer produced a faultless performance on Q&A.

    There is no way the Fat One could possibly lose a single vote on that appearance.

    PUP ahead of the Greens any day 😎

  7. Whoever said earlier that Abbott’s comb-over is lookingmore and more Adolf-ish Hitler-ish, isn’t far off the mark.

    During the interview with Ray Hadley, all that was missing was the moustache. The comb-over was perfect.

  8. pedant@1310

    I don’t normally watch Q&A, because the stylised fighting annoys me. But this evening I made and exception, and found it surprisingly interested.

    Mr Truss, for all that people might like to patronise him, probably did as well as anyone from the government could have done, because he was courteous, and didn’t come across as personally unpleasant – and when you think about his colleagues, that makes him shine like good deeds in a wicked world.

    And most of the discussion was about ideas, not petty point scoring. A nice change. Plus some interesting insights into how the PUP will treat the budget. Overall, a good panel and a good programme.

    It was one of the better ones, but I find it worth watching most times.

    And I agree with you on Truss.

    I could see the whole panel retiring to have a cuppa and a friendly chat after tonight. They argued their cases but remained civil.

  9. mikehilliard@1312

    bemused + sceptic

    Jones was being a bit of a prat and fair enough, but I think Palmer needs to be a bit more mindful of what he says because there was a bit of a gasp from the Asian audience and I saw Wong pick up on that.

    I don’t think it makes Clive a racist at all, just susceptible to criticism of his association with the Chinese.

    I know a few Chinese people who would have cheered him.

    You can’t please all the people all the time.

  10. Bushfire Bill@1315

    Whoever said earlier that Abbott’s comb-over is lookingmore and more Adolf-ish Hitler-ish, isn’t far off the mark.

    During the interview with Ray Hadley, all that was missing was the moustache. The comb-over was perfect.

    I hope the cartoonists get onto it. 👿

  11. Greensborough Growler

    [What’s fair is people submitting to the law of the land. Assange was to be extradited according to British law. Let the law take its course.]

    In this case the prospect of extradition ultimately to the US, where he’d be treated like Chelsea Manning was a complicating factor, so your simplistic ‘let the law take its course’ is a red herring.

  12. mike

    a bit of apart…. He is useless, only the most stupid individual persists in asking the same question time after time.

    Its been the case in recent years that some ABC journalists believe they are celebrities & have special insight, some on those have moved to commercial radio & tv only too find the audience stayed with the institution not the “personality “.

    The likes of Tony Jones are overpaid, the ABC should give them the flick & employ dedicated intelligent .. humble journalists there to do the job, not ponse around in expensive suits.
    Scott has devalued the institution & its virtually noy worth saving.

    The ABC needs journalist like Kate McClymot, Wendy Bacon, David Marr not Tony Jones… The ABC made Jones not the other way round

  13. Extradition to the US requires the consent of the British legal system. It is just as likely, probably more likely, to occur in the UK as in Sweden.
    This was always just an excuse to avoid the charges in Sweden

  14. bemused @ 1317: Mr Truss seems to lack that driven bitterness and nastiness that so many of the Liberals are infected with these days. His style is really a throwback to the politics of about 40-50 years ago, when there were a lot more avuncular types like him around, with some life experience under their belts.

    But by and large the National Party ministers have managed to keep their noses more or less clean, Senator Nash being the main exception. They really are grassroots operatives, still in some ways connected to reality, and not so much influence by the IPA echo chamber that is screwing the Liberals up royally.

  15. LOL

    GG always refers to excrement and toilets and such when he tries to abuse other Bludgers.

    Surely, you can do better than that?

    I mean an 8 year old could broaden his mind a little and show a little bit more imagination and decency.

    Did you ever wet your pants in school and the nun smacked you in the butt or something?

    😆

    GG, you started it, I’ll let you finish it, with your usual pea brain stupidity no doubt 😯

    *nightski

  16. It just appears to me OC that if the charges from Sweden were not merely a ruse, why not guarantee that he’d not be sent out of Sweden without his consent to the destination?

  17. bemused @ 1317: And one more thing, re your comment about the panel having a friendly chat: that’s exactly what most voters want from their politicians. They expect them to behave like decent adults, looking for consensus rather than unnecessary bitching and fights.

    Compare that with the news coming out of ICAC about how the charming Mr Tripodi tried to put the skids under his party colleague in Newcastle. If you had a bunch of workers landscaping your back yard and they spent all their energy on conspiracies, you’d sack them in the first 30 minutes.

  18. Oakeshott Country:

    [Extradition to the US requires the consent of the British legal system.]

    Does it really? Or does it only require the consent of the British executive? I strongly suspect the latter.

  19. pedant@1332

    bemused @ 1317: And one more thing, re your comment about the panel having a friendly chat: that’s exactly what most voters want from their politicians. They expect them to behave like decent adults, looking for consensus rather than unnecessary bitching and fights.

    Compare that with the news coming out of ICAC about how the charming Mr Tripodi tried to put the skids under his party colleague in Newcastle. If you had a bunch of workers landscaping your back yard and they spent all their energy on conspiracies, you’d sack them in the first 30 minutes.

    Yes indeed.
    But there are few Libs these days who are like that, at least not in Federal Parlt.
    There are a couple in the Vic Parlt. Ted Baillieu is one and I was impressed with Clem Newton-Brown on Australian Story tonight.

  20. Another thing Pedant, I have observed the operation of a Vic Parliamentary Committee and there was a very high degree of consensus and good will by all participants irrespective of party. I suspect the same is true in other Parliaments and it is where much good work is done. But we never hear about it.

  21. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/galaxy-poll-shows-twoparty-preferred-vote-leaves-labor-ahead-51-per-cent-to-the-lnps-49-per-cent/story-fnihsrf2-1227028580826
    [Galaxy Poll shows two-party preferred vote leaves Labor ahead 51 per cent to the LNP’s 49 per cent
    Renee Viellaris
    The Courier-Mail
    August 19, 2014 12:00AM

    PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has disappointed Queenslanders who helped him romp into office and is behind Labor in the polls for the first time since the 2013 election.

    Leading up to the first anniversary of the Abbott Government’s decisive victory, Queensland voters feel Mr Abbott has failed to live up to the hype, with growing disillusionment also creeping into the psyche of LNP voters.

    A new Galaxy Poll conducted for The Courier-Mail shows the Government would lose key seats in Queensland.

    If preferences remained similar to the past election, the two-party preferred vote leaves Labor ahead 51 per cent to the LNP’s 49 per cent, representing a swing of 8 per cent.]

  22. Agree with the comments about Warren Truss by Pedant @1328 and others. He seems to be an old fashioned Country Party man. Socially conservative, standing up for people on the land and those in country towns prosper or suffer with them, they are no lovers of the big banks, big miners and big agribusiness who screw them.

  23. And just so we’re clear on Assange, if due process showed he really did break a law in Sweden, then by all means, let him receive an apt sanction. However, being rendered to the US is not an apt sanction.

  24. Fran,

    As always, you are captured by the rhetoric of the left that makes right wrong.

    Assange was due for extradition according to the law of Britain. He ansconded.

    That’s good enough for me.

    Everything else is speculation.

  25. Given the reported-on oversupply in the National Electricity Market, expected to persist for several years at least, it seems like easiest way to achieve the RET would be the decomissioning of surplus non-renewal generation.

  26. bemused @ 1336: I take your point about the Liberals you mention, and I’m sure you could find decent ones in the federal party too. The problem there seems to be that decency has come to be seen as softness, and therefore as a disqualification from senior positions. Mr Truss comes across as being quite empathetic, which would be a killer in the Liberal Party, where Mr Morrison is the model the Young Liberals want to emulate (with a side bet on William Calley).

  27. Didn’t Truss effectively wave through Maurice Newman’s global cooling nonsense? That’s what I heard (admittedly via Twitter)

  28. bemused @ 1337: You are right, and I’ve spent a lot of time closely watching some federal parliamentary committees. Same thing there.

    For years one of the main criteria I’ve used to judge politicians is the thought experiment, “how would you feel about having X as your next door neighbour?”. Mr Truss would pass the test quite comfortably, as would Senator Wong. Mr Palmer, a bully at heart, would fail. (As would have Mr Keating, and nearly all of the senior ministers in the current federal government.)

  29. pedant@1343

    bemused @ 1336: I take your point about the Liberals you mention, and I’m sure you could find decent ones in the federal party too. The problem there seems to be that decency has come to be seen as softness, and therefore as a disqualification from senior positions. Mr Truss comes across as being quite empathetic, which would be a killer in the Liberal Party, where Mr Morrison is the model the Young Liberals want to emulate (with a side bet on William Calley).

    Yes, possibly, but none spring to mind.

    I did give evidence to one Federal Parliamentary Committee and those on it were pleasant enough. But that was quite a few years ago now.

  30. Re Fran @1345: Warren Truss basically stonewalled and ended up not answering the question. On this matter he probably doesn’t have a clue and is happy to accept the Coalition consensus that global warming isn’t happening or at least doesn’t matter.

  31. OC

    Points 3 and 4 seems to be in contradiction. Then again, perhaps not. The US is certainly going to deny they will torture Assange notwithstanding Obama’s recent admission that ‘we tortured some folks’.

  32. I do not know how Sweden could give a guarantee not to extradite Assange to the US when:
    A) no American charges or request for extradition have been made
    B) a decision is equally dependent on the British legal system

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