Background
The Bundamba arises from the resignation of Jo-Ann Miller, who has held the seat for Labor since 2000. Miller had long had a difficult relationship with her own party, particularly following her resignation as Police Minister in December 2015, which was in turn subsequent to a Labor-dominated parliamentary committee finding she had engaged in “a pattern of reckless conduct”. Miller later attacked the government over its handling of corruption allegations against Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale, and conducted a pointedly cheery media opportunity with Pauline Hanson two days before the December 2017 election, complicating Labor's efforts to promote itself as the stable alternative to an LNP-One Nation alliance on the right. Reports in January said Miller was likely to retire to run for the Ipswich mayoralty at the looming council elections, an expectation that was compounded when she publicly attacked beleaguered Deputy Premier Jackie Trad. However, Miller ruled out running for the mayoralty when she announced her retirement to parliament on February 20, revealing she had recently undergone an operation to remove a tumour.
Profile
Bundamba is located in eastern Ipswich, and takes its name from the creek that serves as its western boundary with the Ipswich electorate. From there it extends east along the southern bank of the Brisbane River through Bundamba, Riverview, Redbank and Goodna, and south through Collingwood Park, Redbank Plains and Bellbird Park to largely undeveloped South Ripley. Labor has held since its creation in 1992, making it one of only seven seats that remained with the party after its near annihilation in 2012. The electorate is dominated by young families, ranking second lowest in the state for median age and fourth for children under 15.
Candidates
Labor has endorsed Lance McCallum, a former Electrical Trades Union official and current executive director of the Just Transition Group, a government body to help energy workers whose jobs might be lost amid the transition to renewables. McCallum won preselection unopposed after winning the endorsement of the Left, to which the seat is reserved under factional arrangements. A rival candidate for the Left faction's ballot, Nick Thompson, had the backing of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, whose state secretary Michael Ravbar disputed the legitimacy of the result. One Nation's candidate is Sharon Bell, who was the party's federal candidate in Blair last year. The Liberal National Party candidate is Robert Shearman, a retired soldier who now works for a family-owned manufacturing and equipment sales business.