The Federal Election 2022 campaign is in full swing after Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced the election would be held in about five weeks time on Saturday 21 May.
Noosa voters will be placing their votes in the seat of Wide Bay that currently has seven running candidates.
Vying for the seat against incumbant LNP Llew O’Brien will be crane driver Geoff Williams (Labor), chef Craig Armstrong (Greens), former sales manager Tracy Bennett (United Australia), solicitor Nathan Buckley (One Nation), former Jackeroo Tim Jerome (Independent) and former business owner Andrea Newland (Informed Medical Options).
The seat of Wide Bay has been held since the 2016 election by LNP candidate Llew O’Brien who took over the seat from former Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss after his retirement in 2016, then won the 2019 election.
Considered by the Australian Electoral Commission at the 2019 election to be a safe seat Wide Bay contained a voting population of about 107,000 with Mr O’Brien taking the seat with more than 63 per cent of the vote, in a two-party preferred system, against the Australian Labor Party candidate Jason Scanes who claimed almost 37 per cent of the vote.
Contesting the election in Wide Bay last year was Daniel Bryar for The Greens (9.94% of the vote), United Australia Party’s Andrew Schebella (3.6%), Independent Tim Jerome (4.5%), Jasmine Smith of the Fraser Anning Conservative National Party (2.3%) and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Aaron Vico (10.8%).
The Division of Wide Bay takes in Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, Gympie Council, Noosa Council and parts of the Fraser Coast, South Burnett and Sunshine Coast councils.
The seat was first won in 1901 by Labor member Andrew Fisher and apart from one other period from 1961-74 when it was held by Labor’s Brendan Hansen, it has been a National seat.
It is recognised for its tourism, historic attractions and farming industries.
