Capalaba

Margin: Liberal National 3.7%
Region: Redlands Shire
Federal: Bowman

Candidates in ballot paper order

	ERIN PAYNE Greens STEVE DAVIES Liberal National (top) DON BROWN Labor (bottom)

The southern Brisbane seat of Capalaba was among the seats Labor lost for the first time in 2012, after holding it mostly on double-digit margins since its creation in 1992. The electorate covers the northern inland suburbs of Redlands Shire about 15 kilometres south-east of central Brisbane, extending from Capalaba northwards to Thorneside, eastwards to Alexandra Hills, and southwards to Burwood Heights.

Capalaba was held from 1992 to 2001 by Jim Elder, who had entered parliament in 1989 as member for the abolished seat of Manly, and went on to serve as Deputy Premier for most of the Beattie government’s first term. His career came unstuck by branch stacking revelations unearthed by the Shepherdson inquiry in late 2000, and he was succeeded as Labor member at the 2001 election by Michael Choi, who was hand-picked by Peter Beattie without a preselection ballot. Choi’s 16.2% margin at the 2006 election was progressively worn down by a 1.4% shift at the redistribution before the 2009 election, a 5.1% swing at the election itself, and then what was for the 2012 election a fairly typical two-party swing of 13.4%.

The elected LNP candidate on a margin of 3.7% was Steve Davies, owner-operator of a Bank of Queensland franchise at Coorparoo. His Labor opponent at the coming election is Don Brown, a former pathology scientist, current lead organiser for the Left faction United Voice union, and the son of Don Brown Sr, a former party state president. Brown won preselection ahead of local businessman Miguel Diaz.

Corrections, complaints and feedback to William Bowe at pollbludger-at-bigpond-dot-com. Read William’s blog, The Poll Bludger.

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