Former Noosa councillor Ingrid Jackson
The Wide Bay election results were unsurprising (NT 27/5/22 Noosa returns Llew).
Wide Bay has been an LNP/National seat for a long time – under Warren Truss for 26 years and Llew O’Brien for six years.
Although it is part of the Wide Bay electorate, Noosa Shire’s voting trends were not identical. Drilling down to polling booth results gives insights into locality differences and how Noosa contrasts with the rest of the more agrarian and industrial Wide Bay.
Noosa results were diverse and appear to reflect varying socio-economic levels and the changing demographics in the hinterland.
When it came to two party preferred results:
– Noosaville gave the highest votes to LNP (62 per cent).
– Cooran gave the most votes to ALP (58 per cent).
– Boreen Point voted most like Australia (52 per cent for ALP).
LNP win not unanimous in Noosa
LNP’s Llew O’Brien won Wide Bay with 44 per cent of the primary vote and 62 per cent after preferences.
But not so in parts of Noosa Shire. Across the Shire, O’Brien’s primary votes averaged only 36 per cent. In the hinterland booths at Cooran, Boreen Point and Kin Kin, he only averaged 27 per cent.
ALP came top in four Noosa Shire booths on a two-party preferred basis. Three were in the hinterland – Cooran (58 per cent), Boreen Point (52 per cent) and Kin Kin (52 per cent). And one was in the eastern beaches – Peregian Beach (51 per cent). Coincidentally, all these locations are at the far ends of Noosa Shire.
LNP came top in the increasingly gentrified parts of the hinterland at Cooroy (58 per cent), Tinbeerwah (57 per cent), Federal (55 per cent) and Pomona (51 per cent).
There was only one pre-polling booth for the whole of Noosa Shire (at Lake Weyba Drive), attracting voters from all over, rain or shine. Noosa’s pre-polling results closely resemble Wide Bay’s – Llew O’Brien got 63 per cent two-party preferred.
Primary votes tell a story
Studying the primary votes explains some of the differences.
Peregian Beach confirmed its environmental values, giving 28 per cent primary votes to the Greens and 22 per cent to ALP which, after preferences, trumped LNP’s 34 per cent.
Boreen Point gave most of its votes to LNP (27 per cent), ALP (21 per cent), the Greens (19 per cent) and One Nation (12 per cent), giving ALP the two-party preferred outcome.
Cooran’s primary votes went mainly to LNP (24 per cent), Greens (23 per cent), ALP (22 per cent), and One Nation (9 per cent). ALP came first on preferences.
Kin Kin votes straddled mainly LNP (28 per cent), ALP (22 per cent), Greens (18 per cent), One Nation (10 per cent) and independent Kelli Jacobi (11 per cent), giving ALP the two-party preferred lead.
In all these townships, the votes for the ALP and Greens possibly indicate strong locality views about climate change and the environment.
In stark contrast, the more well off Noosaville averaged 43 per cent primary votes for LNP with inauspicious results for other candidates, leading to 62 per cent for LNP after preferences, on a par with Wide Bay.
Meanwhile, the outcomes in Noosa Heads and Tewantin may indicate a more environmental and socially progressive outlook.
Unlike Noosaville, Noosa Heads (including affluent Sunshine Beach) only voted 36 per cent for LNP, giving 21 per cent to ALP and 21 per cent to Greens. This translated into 53 per cent for LNP after preferences.
Tewantin, with its two party preferred 54 per cent for LNP, was also diverse in its primary votes – LNP (33 per cent), ALP (23 per cent) and Greens (16 per cent).
The upshot
Studying the diverging results across the Shire points to differing attitudes, perceived needs and priorities of Noosa’s residents. It might also explain why some would prefer to see divisions (wards) reinstated in Council elections.
Regardless, the Noosa Shire vote contributed to a comfortable win for Llew O’Brien.
