Peter Beattie has led the Queensland Labor Party to an historic third-term win and will continue to command a large majority in the Parliament.

Tim Grau
Founding Director, Springboard Australia

Despite claims to the contrary by Premier Beattie, the election result was never in doubt. Saturday's results confirm the strong position of the Premier and Government.

With counting still continuing in a handful of seats, the Government will be returned with an expected 63 seats in the 89 seat Parliament - a net loss of only three seats.

The Labor Party won 47.2% of the primary vote (down 1.8%), the National

Party 16.6% (up 2.4%) and the Liberals 18.5% (up 4.2%). The Greens received 6.6% of the primary vote (up 4.1%) and One Nation received 4.9% (down 3.8%).

The state of new Parliament is likely to be Labor 63 seats, National 15 seats, Liberal 5 seats, One Nation 1 seat and Independents 5 seats.

At this stage, Labor has only lost the seats of Burdekin, Burnett and Currumbin.

Most notable was the ability for the Beattie-led team to hold onto a number of traditionally conservative seats they won in the 2001 landslide, particularly in Brisbane and on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

THE THIRD BEATTIE MINISTRY

Hon Peter Beattie - Premier and Minister for Trade

Hon Terry Mackenroth - Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Sport

Hon Anna Bligh - Minister for Education and the Arts

Hon Tom Barton - Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations

Hon Tony McGrady - Minister for State Development and Innovation

Hon Gordon Nuttall - Minister for Health

Hon Robert Schwarten - Minister for Public Works, Housing and Racing

Hon Judy Spence - Minister for Police and Corrective Services

Hon Rod Welford - Attorney-General and Minister for Justice

Hon Paul Lucas - Minister for Transport and Main Roads

Hon Henry Palaszczuk - Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries

Hon Stephen Robertson - Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy

Hon Mike Reynolds - Minister for Child Safety

Hon Warren Pitt - Minister for Communities and Disability Services

Hon Margaret Keech - Minister for Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development

Hon John Mickel - Minister for the Environment

Hon Desley Boyle - Minister for Local Government and Planning

Hon Chris Cummins - Minister for Emergency Services

Hon Liddy Clark - Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy

Parliamentary secretaries are:

Pat Purcell - Public Works, Housing and Racing

Neil Roberts - Deputy Premier and Treasurer

Jo-Anne Miller - Health

Linda Lavarch - State Development and Innovation

Lindy Nelson-Carr - Assisting the Premier in North Queensland

Karen Struthers - Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs

DESLEY BOYLE (Cairns) - Minister for Local Government and Planning

Desley Boyle has been Member for Cairns since her election in 1998. In that time she has served on numerous parliamentary committees, including several Estimates Committees, the Gaming Review Committee of 1999 and numerous Ministerial Legislative Committees.

Her background is as a senior psychologist in her own practice, Desley Boyle and Associates. She holds masters degrees in business administration and psychology. She has a long history of involvement in the Cairns community. From 1988 to 1994 she was on the Cairns City Council, serving for two years as deputy mayor.

She has been President of FNQ Employment, chairperson of FNQ Family Resource Service and spokesperson for FNQ Friends of the ABC. Desley has also been a board member of many community and business organisations such as the Northern Australia Development Council and Lifeline FNQ. She holds membership in the Australian Institute of Management and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, along with many other organisations.

LIDDY CLARK (Clayfield) - Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy

Liddy Clark was elected to State Parliament in 2001. She worked in the arts Industry for more than twenty years as an actor, director, and producer, casting consultant and voice coach.

She has been an arts adviser to the government and prior to entering Parliament she was an industrial officer with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

She has been a member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance since 1973.

WARREN PITT (Mulgrave) - Minister for Communities and Disability Services

Warren Pitt served as the Member for Mulgrave from 1989 to 1995, and was re-elected to the seat in 1999. During the Goss Government he held the ministerial portfolio of Business, Industry and Regional Development.

Prior to entering Parliament, Warren Pitt was a school teacher. He holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. With his wife Linda he operated a retail sporting goods store for over 10 years and developed a strong network in small business.

He served in Parliament both as Minister and as Government Whip. He has been a member of a number of Parliamentary committees including the Committee of Inquiry into Ambulance Services, chairing the Premier's Rural and Regional Taskforce and the Legislative and Administrative Review Committee. Warren has also had experience in Ministerial committees such as: Education, Lands, Business, Regional Development, Emergency Services, Police and Corrective Services, and Housing.

CHRISTOPHER CUMMINS (Kawana) - Minister for Emergency Services

Chris Cummins was elected to State Parliament in 2001. Prior to entering Parliament he was a prominent local councillor on the Caloundra City Council.

He is an electrician by trade and has also owned and operated a small freight business that previously served much of the present area he know represents. He was elected to the Caloundra City Council in March of 1997, being the only new elected representative without experience to defeat a sitting Councillor at that election.

Chris was the Deputy Chairman of the Sunshine Coast Economic Development Board, a Director of Sunshine Sports Pty Ltd, a Director of the Caloundra and Maroochy Water Board and the Chairman of the 2000 Olympic Torch Relay Committee.

MARGARET KEECH (Albert) - Minister for Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development

Margaret Keech was first elected to Parliament in 2001. She has a strong background in community service, and was Chair of the Beenleigh Police Community Consultative Committee (PCCC) and instigator of the Beenleigh Progress Association prior to her election to State Parliament in 2001. Margaret also has a small-business background, and has been a finalist in the Beenleigh Chamber of Commerce's Business Achievement Awards.

Upon her election to State Parliament, she was appointed Caucus Secretary, and was made a member of the Scrutiny of Legislation Parliamentary Committee. Since 2002 she has been Chair of Estimates Committee A, and she was also selected to chair the Ministerial Aquaculture Committee.
She is a qualified teacher She has a Master of Arts, a Bachelor of Economics, and Graduate Diplomas in Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Immediately prior to entering State Parliament, Margaret was a lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology.

JOHN MICKEL (Logan) - Minister for Environment

John Mickel has been the Member for Logan since 1998 and acting Deputy Speaker of the Queensland Parliament since 1998. He holds a Master of Literary Studies, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education Studies and a Diploma of Teaching.

Prior to his elevation to the Ministry he was a member of Premier & Trade Legislative Committee, the Treasurer's Legislative Committee, the Innovation & Information Economy Legislative Committee, and the Education Legislative Committee.

He was also formerly the Chair of the Parliamentary Ethics & Privileges Committee.

Education

• Prep year of schooling to begin in 2007
• 560 extra air-conditioned classrooms over three years
  

Health

• 1500 extra graduate nurses over three years
• 24-hour health advice line
• $100 million over three years for ambulance services

Jobs & Industry

• Create 34,000 new jobs
• New Manufacturing precincts for Gladstone and Rockhampton
  

Stamp Duty

• Abolition of stamp and mortgage duty on the first $250,000 spent by first-home buyers
  

Law & Order

• Anti-hooning laws extended to trail bikes
• Boost police numbers to 9100 by next year
• Clear the backlog of DNA profiling
  

Transport

• Build Tugan Bypass
• Integrated public transport tickets
• $586 million in road upgrades
  

Child Safety

• Establish Department of child protection
• Implement 110 recommendations of the CMC inquiry into foster care
  

Environment

• Ban broadacre free-clearing within three years
• Ban on new dams or weirs on wild rivers

16 - 19 FEBRUARY 2004
FEDERAL PARLIAMENT SITS

17 - 19 FEBRUARY 2004
NSW PARLIAMENT SITS

24 - 27 FEBRUARY 2004
NSW PARLIAMENT SITS

24 - 26 FEBRUARY 2004
QLD PARLIAMENT SITS

1 - 4 MARCH 2004
FEDERAL PARLIAMENT SITS

8 - 11 MARCH 2004
FEDERAL PARLIAMENT SITS

16 - 19 MARCH 2004
NSW PARLIAMENT SITS

22 - 25 MARCH 2004
FEDERAL PARLIAMENT SITS

27 MARCH 2004
NSW LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
QLD LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

If you have an event or know of an important date that you would like to include in the next Springboard Australia Newsletter or Political Briefing please forward the details to: mail@springboard.net.au.